Brief Outline of Biblical History
| After the Flood | Written history begins. Civilizations develop, especially in Mesopotamia and the Nile valley. | B.C. |
| The Call of Abram | Abram is called from Ur of the Chaldees in Mesopotamia. He goes to Canaan.
God makes a covenant with Abram and changes his name to Abraham.
Isaac, the son of promise is born. | B.C. |
| Descent into Egypt | Isaac's son, Jacob, has twelve sons. Of these, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers. He is taken to Egypt, where, with God's help, he becomes second only to Pharaoh.
Famine brings Jacob's sons to Egypt searching for food. Eventually, Jacob, whose name is now Israel, brings his entire family to Egypt, where they prosper. | B.C. |
| The Oppression | A new Pharaoh comes to power. He does not know Joseph, possibly due to dynastic change, and fears the Hebrews and their prosperity, so he enslaves them. | B.C. |
| The Exodus | Moses is born of a Hebrew woman and raised by Pharaoh's daughter.
He sees the oppression of his people, and is used by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, amid great signs and wonders. | B.C. |
| Wilderness Wandering | The nation Israel escapes through the Red Sea then travels to Sinai where the law is given.
Because of lack of faith they are not permitted to enter the promised land, but instead wander in the desert, miraculously preserved by God, for forty years.
In the fortieth year the law is given once more by Moses, as recorded in Deuteronomy. | B.C. |
| The Conquest | Under Joshua, Israel enters Canaan and begins the conquest.
Jericho is taken, as well as Ai, and the people spread through the land. | B.C. |
| The Judges | Israel is ruled by a series of judges such as Othniel, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson and Samuel | B.C. |
| United Monarchy | Samuel was the last of the Judges. During his rule Israel demanded a king.
God gave them Saul. This marked the beginning of the united monarchy.
Ultimately Saul was a failure as king.
David, annointed by God, was his successor.
David was succeeded by his son Solomon.
Each of these kings ruled for 40 years. | B.C. |
Solomon was Israel's richest, and at times, wisest king. The enormous cost of running his kingdom, especially his building programme - the Temple and his palace - placed an onerous tax burden on his subjects.
After his death his subjects asked his successor, Rehoboam, to reduce the tax burden. Instead, Rehoboam increased it, causing revolt and division of the kingdom.
From this time on there were two kingdoms. Judah's first king was Rehoboam and Israel's, Jeroboam. |
| The Divided Monarchy |
| This table lists the kings of Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom). It is not to scale chronologically. The main aim is to show which kings ruled simultaneously, and which prophets were associated with them. There were are a number of coregencies which have not been taken into account in the table. |
| Judah | Israel |
| King | Associations | King | Associations |
Rehoboam
17 years | Son of Solomon.
Events
Invaded by Shishak of Egypt.
|
Abijah
2 years | Fought and defeated Jeroboam I. |
Asa
41 years | Events
Fought against Israel.
Alliance with Ben-Hadad I of Damascus.
Defeated Baasha.
|
Jehoshaphat
25 years | A pious king who sought divine guidance before battles.
Events
Had military alliances with Ahab, Jehoram and Ahaziah of Israel.
Prophets
Micaiah, Elisha
|
Jehoram
8 years | Murdered his brothers to increase his strength as king.
Married Athaliah, daughter of Ahab.
Idolator.
Infliced with an incurable bowel disease because of his evil ways.
Not buried in the sepulchres of the kings.
Prophets
Elijah
|
Ahaziah
1 year |
Completely dominated
by his mother,
Athaliah. |
Athaliah
6 years | Daughter of Ahab.
Married to Jehoram.
After the death of her son Ahaziah, she destroyed all the royal seed in order to retain power.
|
Jehoash
40 years | Son of Ahaziah.
Sole survivor of Athaliah's murders.
Proclaim king at age seven.
Gave Temple gold to Syrian king as a bribe.
Asassinated. |
Amaziah
29 years | Defeated Edom with God's help.
Became an idolator.
Assassinated. |
Azariah
(Uzziah)
52 years | Smitten with leprosy for trying to combine the offices of priest and king.
Quite a successful king.
Prophets
Isaiah Hosea Amos
|
Jotham
16 years | A God-fearing king.
Consolidated the kingdom.
Subdued the Ammonites.Prophets
Isaiah Hosea Micah |
Ahaz
16 years | Preferred to seek aid from Assyria rather than God.
Worshipped Baal.
Sacrificed his children in the fire, presumably to Moloch.
Prophets
Isaiah Hosea Micah |
Hezekiah
29 years | Restored the true religion of YHWH.
Revolted against Assyrian domination.
Prophets
Isaiah Hosea Micah |
Manasseh
55 years | Initially an idolator who passed his children through the fire, in later life, after deportation to Babylon, he appears to have repented and been restored to his throne. |
Amon
2 years |
Gross idolator.
Assassinated.
|
Josiah
31 years | Judah's godliest king.
Killed in battle with Egypt at Megiddo.
Prophets
Jeremiah Zephaniah |
Jehoahaz
3 months
| |
Jehoiakim
11 years | Prophets
Jeremiah |
Jehoiakin
3 months | Events
Babyonian conquest Jerusalem
|
Zedekiah
11 years | Events
Destuction of Jerusalem
Prophets
Jeremiah |
|
Jeroboam I
22 years | Events
Introduced idolatry at Bethel and Dan
Worship of golden calf
|
Nadab
2 years | |
Baasha
24 years | Events
Murdered Nadab
War with Asa of Judah |
Elah
2 years | |
Zimri
7 days | Events
Murdered Elah
Committed suicide |
Omri
12 years | Events
Founded a new capital at Samaria
Father of Ahab |
Ahab
22 years | Events
Worshipped Baal
Wife - Jezebel
Allied with Jehoshaphat of Judah
Prophets
Elijah
|
Ahaziah
2 years |
|
Jehoram
12 years |
|
Jehu
28 years |
|
Jehoahaz
17 years |
|
Joash
16 years |
|
Jeroboam II
41 years | Prophets
Amos Jonah
|
Zechariah
6 months |
|
Shallum
1 month |
|
Menahem
10 years |
|
Pekahaiah
2 years |
|
Pekah
20 years |
|
Hoshea
9 years | Events
Fall of Israel
|
| Northern kingdom is taken off to Assyria and ceases to exist. |
|
More to come.
Return to history page.
|
