Category:Kingdom of Israel

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Kingdom of Israel - (975-722 B.C.). Soon after the death of Solomon, Ahijah's prophecy (1 Kings 11:31) was fulfilled, and the kingdom was rent in twain. See map, Kingdoms of Israel and Judah Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, was scarcely seated on his throne when the old jealousies between Judah and the other tribes broke out anew, and Jeroboam was sent for from Egypt by the malcontents (1 Kings 12:2, 1 Kings 12:3). Rehoboam insolently refused to lighten the burdensome taxation and services which his father had imposed on his subjects (1 Kings 12:4), and the rebellion became complete. Ephraim and all Israel raised the old cry, "Every man to his tents, O Israel" (2 Samuel 20:1). Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:1-18; 2 Chronicles 10), and Jeroboam was proclaimed king over all Israel at Shechem, Judah and Benjamin remaining faithful to Solomon's son. War, with varying success, was carried on between the two kingdoms for about sixty years, till Jehoshaphat entered into an alliance with the house of Ahab. See table of Kingdoms: Kingdoms of Israel and Judah Duration of Kings of Israel Commencement of Reign Kings of Judah Duration of Reign Margin of A.V. Ussher Reign 22 Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:20, 1 Kings 12:25; 1 Kings 13:1-34; 1 Kings 14:1-20) 975 976 Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:21; 1 Kings 14:21; 2 Chronicles 10:17-12:1  17  958 959  Abijah (1 Kings 15:1; 2 Chronicles 13)  3  955 956 Asa (1 Kings 15:9-24; 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14)  41 2  Nadab (1 Kings 15:25, 1 Kings 15:31) 954 955 24  Baasha (1 Kings 15:28; 1 Kings 16:1)  953 954 2  Elah (1 Kings 16:8) 930 930 0 Zimri (1 Kings 16:11, 1 Kings 16:12, 1 Kings 16:15) 929 930 12 Omri (1 Kings 16:21) 929 930 22 Ahab (1 Kings 16:29 to 1 Kings 22:40) 918 919 914 915 Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:41; 2 Chronicles 17:1-21:1) 25 2 Ahaziah (1 Kings 22:51; 2 Kings 1) 898 896 12 Jehoram (2 Kings 3:1-9:26) 896 895 892 891 Jehoram (2 Kings 8:16; 2 Chronicles 21) 8 885 884 Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:25; 2 Kings 9:16; 2 Chronicles 22:1) 1 28 Jehu (2 Kings 9:1-37; 2 Kings 10:1-36) 884 883 Athaliah (2 Kings 11:1; 2 Chronicles 22:10) 6 878 877 Jehoash (2 Kings 11:4-12:1; 2 Chronicles 23-24) 40 17 Jehoahaz (2 Kings 13:1) 856 855 16 Jehoash (2 Kings 13:10-25; 2 Kings 14:8) 841 839 839 837 Amaziah (2 Kings 14:1-20; 2 Chronicles 25) 29 41 Jeroboam II. (2 Kings 14:23) 825 823 810 808 Uzziah or Azariah (2 Kings 14:21, 2 Kings 14:22; 2 Kings 15:1; 2 Chronicles 26) 52 11 Interregnum 0 Zachariah (2 Kings 15:8) 773 771 0 Shallum (2 Kings 15:13) 772 770 10 Menahem (2 Kings 15:16) 772 770 2 Pekahiah (2 Kings 15:23) 761 759 20 Pekah (2 Kings 15:27; 2 Kings 16:5) 759 757 758 756 Jotham (2 Kings 15:32; 2 Chronicles 27:1) 16 742 741 Ahaz (2 Kings 16; 2 Chronicles 28) 16 9 Second Interregnum 9 Hoshea (2 Kings 17:1-23) 730 730 726 726 Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:1-20:21; 2 Chronicles 29:1-32:33) 29 Samaria taken (2 Kings 17-18) 721 721 698 697 Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20) 55 643 642 Amon (2 Kings 21:19; 2 Chronicles 33:21) 2 641 640 Josiah (2 Kings 22:1-20; 2 Kings 23:1-30; 2 Chronicles 34-35) 31 610 609 Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:31; 2 Chronicles 36:1) 0 610 609 Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:34; 2 Kings 24:1; 2 Chronicles 36:5) 11 606 606 Captivity of two tribes (2 Kings 24) 599 599 Jehoiachin or Coniah (2 Kings 24:8; 2 Chronicles 36:9  0 599 599  Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17; 2 Kings 25:1; 2 Chronicles 36:11)  11 588 588  Jerusalem destroyed (2 Kings 25)  Extent of the kingdom. In the time of Solomon the area of Palestine excluding the Phoenician territories on the shore of the Mediterranean did not much exceed 13000 square miles. The kingdom of Israel comprehended about 9375 square miles. Shechem was the first capital of this kingdom (1 Kings 12:25) afterwards Tirza (1 Kings 14:17). Samaria was subsequently chosen as the capital (1 Kings 16:24) and continued to be so till the destruction of the kingdom by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:5). During the siege of Samaria (which lasted for three years) by the Assyrians Shalmaneser died and was succeeded by Sargon who himself thus records the capture of that city: "Samaria I looked at I captured; 27280 men who dwelt in it I carried away" (2 Kings 17:6) into Assyria. Thus after a duration of two hundred and fifty-three years the kingdom of the ten tribes came to an end. They were scattered throughout the East. (See CAPTIVITY.) "Judah held its ground against Assyria for yet one hundred and twenty-three years and became the rallying-point of the dispersed of every tribe and eventually gave its name to the whole race. Those of the people who in the last struggle escaped into the territories of Judah or other neighboring countries naturally looked to Judah as the head and home of their race. And when Judah itself was carried off to Babylon many of the exiled Israelites joined them from Assyria and swelled that immense population which made Babylonia a second Palestine." After the deportation of the ten tribes the deserted land was colonized by various eastern tribes whom the king of Assyria sent thither (Ezra 4:2 Ezra 4:10; 2 Kings 17:24). (See KINGS.) In contrast with the kingdom of Judah is that of Israel. (1.) "There was no fixed capital and no religious center. (2.) The army was often insubordinate.  (3.) The succession was constantly interrupted so that out of nineteen kings there were no less than nine dynasties each ushered in by a revolution.  (4.) The authorized priests left the kingdom in a body and the priesthood established by Jeroboam had no divine sanction and no promise; it was corrupt at its very source." (Maclean's O. T. Hist.)