Biblical

Josiah’s Reforms and His Battle with Neco

628–609 b.c. Early in his reign King Josiah of Judah launched a massive effort to abolish pagan worship throughout Judah and the land of Israel and to refurbish the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. At the same time, the waning power of the Assyrians allowed him to

Biblical

Assyria Attacks Judah

701 b.c. During the reign of Hezekiah of Judah, Sennacherib of Assyria attacked cities along the western edge of Judah, and he sent officials to besiege Jerusalem and convince Hezekiah to surrender. The Cushite king Tirhakah advanced from Egypt to support Hezekiah but apparently failed. The siege of Jerusalem

Biblical

The Fall of Samaria and Deportation of Israelites

722 b.c. During the reign of Hoshea of Israel, Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Israel and made it a vassal kingdom. Later, however, Hoshea conspired against Assyria, refusing to pay the tribute and appealing to Egypt for help, so the Assyrians came and besieged Samaria until it fell. Many Israelites

Biblical

Assyria Captures Northern Israel

733 b.c. King Ahaz of Judah, suffering attacks on all sides due to his refusal to join an alliance against Assyria, called upon Tiglath-pileser III (also called Pul) of Assyria for help. The Assyrians captured Damascus (Syria) and all of Galilee and Gilead from Israel. Ahaz’s petition came

Biblical

Syria and Israel Attack Judah

c. 740–732 b.c. As the Assyrian Empire expanded westward, Syria and Israel sought to compel Judah and the other nearby states to form an anti-Assyrian alliance. Judah refused, leading Syria and Israel to attack Jerusalem. Syria also wrested Elath from Judah and gave it to the Edomites. The

Biblical

The Resurgence of Assyrian Influence

c. 740 b.c. Looming over most of the latter history of the divided monarchy is the growing power and influence of Assyria. The resurgence of this ancient empire dominated much of the politics of the ancient Near East from the time of Jeroboam and Azariah until the empire’s

Biblical

Prophets of Israel and Judah

c. 875–430 b.c. Prophets had been a part of Israelite society since the days of Moses, but the complex political, religious, and social situations of the divided monarchy made their role of communicating God’s clear message even more pronounced. Unlike priests, prophets did not inherit their role

Biblical

Resurgence during the Time of Azariah and Jeroboam II

c. 767–753 b.c. A power vacuum created by Assyria’s attack and withdrawal from Syria allowed Jeroboam II of Israel and Azariah (also called Uzziah) of Judah to recover land that had once belonged to their kingdoms. Jeroboam recovered much of Gilead, and Azariah recovered Elath on the

Biblical

Syria Captures Gilead

c. 825–798 b.c. The Syrians under Hazael continued to plague Israel during Jehu’s reign, eventually capturing all of Gilead from Aroer on the Arnon River to Bashan in the north. Later during the reign of Jehoash (also called Joash), Hazael attacked Gath on the western border of

Biblical

Jehu Executes Judgment

841 b.c. Elisha fulfilled the Lord’s prophecy to Elijah by sending someone to Ramoth-gilead to anoint Jehu, one of Joram’s commanders, as king of Israel. Jehu promptly headed for Jezreel, where King Joram (also called Jehoram) of Israel was recovering from some battle wounds. When Joram and

Biblical

Moab, Edom, and Libnah Revolt

853, 848 b.c. When King Ahab of Israel died, King Mesha of Moab seized the opportunity to throw off the yoke of tribute imposed on his people by David. Israel, Judah, and Edom (which still belonged to Judah) joined forces to attack Moab, but their efforts failed to re-subdue

Biblical

Israel and Judah in 2 Kings

c. 853 b.c. The book of 2 Kings recounts events in Israel and Judah from the death of Ahab to the exile of Israel and Judah. The complex and shifting political setting for the book involves Israel, Judah, Syria, Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, as well as Egypt, Assyria,

Biblical

Ahab’s Wars with Syria

Ahab’s reign was marked by repeated conflict with Ben-hadad of Syria. Ben-hadad’s poor military organization accounted for his failed siege of Samaria, and Ahab defeated him again the next spring at Aphek. Ahab lost his life, however, attempting to retake Ramoth-gilead from Ben-hadad at the eastern edge of

Biblical

Elijah and Elisha

c. 875–797 b.c. Elijah and his successor Elisha figure prominently in 1 and 2 Kings as they prophesied against the wickedness of Ahab and Joram (also called Jehoram) of Israel. Elijah’s opposition to pagan worship also put him at odds with Jezebel, Ahab’s Phoenician wife, who

Biblical

War between Israel and Judah

War between Israel and Judah As Israel and Judah battled each other to determine their permanent border, King Baasha of Israel attempted to restrict access to Judah by moving the border down to Ramah. Rather than fight with Baasha himself, King Asa of Judah bribed Ben-hadad of Syria to attack

Biblical

The Kingdom Divides

931 b.c. When Solomon’s son Rehoboam arrived at Shechem for his coronation after his father’s death, he refused to lighten his father’s heavy tax burden on the people, and the 10 northern tribes revolted and set up Jeroboam as their king. The northern kingdom would now

Biblical

Solomon’s Enemies

c. 950 b.c. Though Solomon held a firm grip on his kingdom throughout his lifetime, there were still those who worked to subvert his rule. Hadad was a member of the royal family of Edom who fled to Egypt to escape David’s purge of all Edomite males. He

Biblical

Solomon’s International Ventures

c. 950 b.c. Solomon’s firm control of important trade routes linking Egypt, Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia (Asia Minor) provided him with incalculable wealth. Partnering with King Hiram of Tyre, Solomon also launched his own trading expeditions to Ophir to acquire valuable and exotic goods. The queen of Sheba’

Biblical

Jerusalem at the Time of Solomon

c. 950 b.c. Through various building projects Solomon began to transform the small military stronghold of the city of David into a full-scale city that would be the geographical center of Israelite religion. He built the temple of the Lord and the royal palace complex on the hill to

Biblical

Solomon’s Administrative Districts

c. 950 b.c. Solomon reorganized the Israelite territory of his kingdom into 12 districts, each of which was responsible to supply the immense provisions for the king for one month out of the year. It appears that Judah, Solomon’s tribe, was exempted from this burden. Solomon also fortified

Biblical

The Extent of Solomon’s Kingdom

c. 971–931 b.c. Solomon’s reign marked the zenith of Israel’s power and wealth in biblical times. His father, David, had bestowed upon him a kingdom that included Edom, Moab, Ammon, Syria, and Zobah. Solomon would later bring the kingdom of Hamath under his dominion as well,

Biblical

David’s Census

c. 975 b.c. David ordered his commander Joab to take a census of all the people in the regions in which he exercised direct control. The reason for this census was probably to assess David’s military capacity (see2 Sam. 24:9; 1 Chron. 21:5). Joab’s men

Biblical

David and Absalom

c. 985 b.c. In retaliation for the incestuous rape of his sister, Absalom killed his brother Amnon at Baal-hazor and fled to Geshur. After three years, arrangements were made for Absalom to return to Jerusalem, and later he and David were reconciled. Soon after this, however, Absalom led a

Biblical

David Defeats the Ammonites and the Syrians

c. 995 b.c. After purposely humiliating ambassadors sent by David, the Ammonites prepared for David’s response by calling for help from the king of Maacah, the men of Tob, and the Syrians living in Beth-rehob and Zobah. When David’s commander Joab defeated these forces, the Syrians called

Biblical

David Defeats the Philistines

c. 1000 b.c. Soon after David moved his capital to Jerusalem, the Philistines prepared to attack David’s forces at the nearby Valley of Rephaim. David defeated them, but they regrouped and prepared for a second attack. This time David attacked them from the rear and struck them down