Misplaced Pages

Kingdom of Israel (Samaria): Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 01:37, 5 December 2002 editFvdP (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users1,764 edits temptative NPOVing← Previous edit Revision as of 02:29, 5 December 2002 edit undoRK (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users10,561 edits Removing the speculative amateur chronology.Next edit →
Line 5: Line 5:
'''Kingdom of Israel''' '''Kingdom of Israel'''


Soon after the death of ], Ahijah's prophecy (1 Kings 11:31-35) was fulfilled, and the kingdom was rent in twain. ], 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 (12:2,3). Rehoboam insolently refused to lighten the burdensome taxation and services which his father had imposed on his subjects (12:4), and the rebellion became complete. Ephraim and all Israel raised the old cry, "Every man to his tents, O Israel" (2 Sam. 20:1). Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:1-18; 2 Chr. 10), and ] 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.
(BCE 975-BCE 722, in conservative chronology. Please refer to an updated chronology below.) Soon after the death of ], Ahijah's
prophecy (1 Kings 11:31-35) was fulfilled, and the kingdom was
rent in twain. ], 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 (12:2,3). Rehoboam insolently
refused to lighten the burdensome taxation and services which
his father had imposed on his subjects (12:4), and the rebellion
became complete. Ephraim and all Israel raised the old cry,
"Every man to his tents, O Israel" (2 Sam. 20:1). Rehoboam fled
to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:1-18; 2 Chr. 10), and ] 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.


Extent of the kingdom. In the time of Solomon the area of Extent of the kingdom
Palestine, excluding the Phoenician territories on the shore of
the Mediterranean, did not much exceed ] ] (13,000 square miles). The
kingdom of Israel comprehended about 24,000 km<sup>2</sup> (9,375 square miles). Shechem was the first capital of this kingdom (1 Kings 12:25),
afterwards Tirza (14:17). Samaria was subsequently chosen as the
capital (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; 27,280 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, and are known as the ].


In the time of Solomon the area of Palestine, excluding the Phoenician territories on the shore of the Mediterranean, did not much exceed ] ] (13,000 square miles). The kingdom of Israel comprehended about 24,000 km<sup>2</sup> (9,375 square miles). Shechem was the first capital of this kingdom (1 Kings 12:25), afterwards Tirza (14:17). Samaria was subsequently chosen as the capital (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; 27,280 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, and are known as the ].
"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 neighbouring 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."


"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 neighbouring 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 ]
sent thither (Ezra 4:2, 10; 2 Kings 17:24-29).


After the deportation of the ten tribes, the deserted land was colonized by various eastern tribes, whom the king of ] sent thither (Ezra 4:2, 10; 2 Kings 17:24-29).

'''The chronology of the kings of Israel''' (for cross-reference)
The following updated revised chronology has not been widely accepted yet by those historians who claim that the regnal years of Judah and Israel in the works of the ancient Jewish historians are fictious and totally unreliable.

:992-970 Jeroboam I
:970-969 Nadab
:969-946 Baasha
:946-945 Elah
:945-933 ] (Khumri in some foreign records)
:933-911 ]
:911-909 Ahaziah
:909-897 Joram
:897-869 Jehu or Jahua.
He was a contemporary of the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III (925-890), and paid tribute to him.

:869-853 Jehoahaz
:853-838 Jehoash or Joash.
He paid tribute to King Adad-nirari III of Assyria (877-849).

:838-797 Jeroboam II
:797-785 interregnum (?)
:785-784 Zachariah
:784-773 Menahem
:773-771 Pekahiah
:771-751 Pekah
:751-741 Hosheah and his rivals (?)
:741-733 Hosheah alone.
In this chronological system, ]'s siege started under ]'s reign (771-735), who reigned for 36 years, according to ]. The capital of Israel fell in 733 BCE, under ]'s rule.

'''A temptative chronology of the kings of Judah'''

The chronology of the kings of Judah is hard to establish and several possibilities exist. Here follows a temptative chronology which is quite harmonious with the Chronology of the kings of Israel above, but is not yet accepted by many maistream scholars who reject all regnal years of Judah and Israel of the Old Testament and the ancient Jewish historians. An additional point in favour of the presented chronology is that it does not need the introduction of many arbitrary co-regencies and overlappings between rulers.)

:992-975 Rehoboam
:975-972 Abijam
:972-931 Asa
:931-906 Jehosaphat
:906-898 Jehoram
:898-897 Ahaziah
:897-891 (Queen) Athaliah
:891-851 Jehoash (Joash).
In the first regnal year of Joash (891/890 BCE) the High priest of Baal, Mattan was killed (2 Chronicles, 24: 17). Refer to the chronology of the ] for this event.

:851-822 Amaziah
:822-770 Uzziah = Azariah
(Georgios Syncellus wrote that the ] (776/775 BCE) took place in his 48th regnal year.)

:770-754 Jotham
:754-738 Ahaz
:738-709 ]
See details for absolute dating under him. He was contemporary with King Sennacherib of Assyria, and Merodach-Baladan king of Babylonia. However, the latter kings cannot provide a reliable absolute date for his reign: Al-Biruni and Bar Hebraeus mention a "King Sennacherib the Less" as well. Furthermore, there was another king named Merodakh Baladan ben Baladan, also known as Mardokempad. ] assumed, without any reason, that Mordac Empadus was contemporary with King Hezekiah.) These two Baladans remained pretenders during Sennacherib's reign, therefore it is not easy to identify their regnal years as Ptolemy attempted. This ancient scholar frequently attributed some observations to certain years of some kings for the sake of simplicity in his tabulation, but those were not part of the original observations. Also, he often arbitrarily fudged astronomical data in order to support his own theories. Refer to Robert R. Newton, <i>The Crime of Claudius Ptolemy</i>, 1977. Unfortunately many authorities still accept his list of rulers as the base of a perfect chronology.

:709-654 Manasseh
:654-652 Amon
:652-621 Josiah.
23 years passed from his 13th year (640) to the first year of King ] (Jeremiah 25: 1-3), whose reign began in 617, "in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah" in the revised chronology.

:621-621 Jehoahaz
:620-609 Jehoiakim
:609-609 Jehoiachin. Perhaps from March to May as Chronicles 36: 10 allows.
:609-598 Zedekiah.
His 11th year was the 19th regnal year of Nebuchadnezzar. (Modern historians, in general, still use 605 or 604 for the accession of Nebuchadnezzar, not 617 BCE.)

Revision as of 02:29, 5 December 2002

See also History of ancient Israel and Judah

Text to integrate from Easton's Bible Dictionary:

Kingdom of Israel

Soon after the death of Solomon, Ahijah's prophecy (1 Kings 11:31-35) was fulfilled, and the kingdom was rent in twain. 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 (12:2,3). Rehoboam insolently refused to lighten the burdensome taxation and services which his father had imposed on his subjects (12:4), and the rebellion became complete. Ephraim and all Israel raised the old cry, "Every man to his tents, O Israel" (2 Sam. 20:1). Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:1-18; 2 Chr. 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.

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 34,000 km² (13,000 square miles). The kingdom of Israel comprehended about 24,000 km (9,375 square miles). Shechem was the first capital of this kingdom (1 Kings 12:25), afterwards Tirza (14:17). Samaria was subsequently chosen as the capital (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; 27,280 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, and are known as the lost tribes of Israel.

"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 neighbouring 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, 10; 2 Kings 17:24-29).