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885 BC ELAH, ZIMRI, AND OMRI REIGN OVER ISRAEL
Elah (r. 886-885 BC) followed his father, Baasha (r. 908-886 BC), as king of Israel, serving only two years. He was assassinated in 885 BC by Zimri, the commander of his chariots, who then became king in his place. Zimri (r. 885 BC) immediately killed all of Baasha's male descendants, thus delivering the punishment prophesied against Baasha (1 Kings 16:6-14). When Israel learned that Zimri had killed King Elah, they made Omri, the commander of the army, king instead. Omri led Israel in besieging Tirzah, where Zimri was in his royal palace. Zimri, realizing he was defeated, committed suicide by setting fire to the palace (1 Kings 16:15-20). Omri reigned for twelve years (885-874 BC) and founded the city of Samaria. Even though he was one of Israel's most powerful kings, he did evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 16:16-28).
874 BC AHAB BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 874 BC, Ahab succeeded his father, Omri (r. 885-874 BC), as king of Israel and reigned for twenty-two years (874-853 BC). He married Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon and a pagan priestess. Influenced by his wife, Ahab built a temple dedicated to Baal in Samaria, his capital city. Jezebel encouraged and supported 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. She tore down the altars of the Lord and killed the true prophets (1 Kings 16:29-18:19). Elijah was the prophet opposing Ahab. In a contest staged between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, God made Elijah victorious (1 Kings 18:20-40). Ahab demonstrated his failure to rule justly by his counterfeit trial and subsequent execution of Naboth, so he could annex Naboth's vineyard. Elijah then correctly prophesied the destruction of Ahab, Jezebel, and the dynasty (1 Kings 21:1-22:40).
872 BC JEHOSHAPHAT BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
In 872 BC, Jehoshaphat (r. 872-848 BC) became co-regent with his father, Asa (r. 910-869 BC), as king of Judah. Following Asa's death in 869 BC, Jehoshaphat reigned alone until his son Jehoram (r. 853-841 BC) joined him as co-regent in 853 BC. During his reign, Jehoshaphat strengthened Judah's military position by placing garrisons of troops throughout the tiny nation. He broke with previous practice by entering into a parity treaty with King Ahab of Israel and arranged for Ahab's daughter Athaliah to marry his son Jehoram (2 Chronicles 17:1-18:1). Jehoshaphat followed the godly example of his father. He did away with heathen worship (1 Kings 22:43, 46) and sent out traveling teachers of the law of Moses (2 Chronicles 17:7-9). He reorganized Judah's system of justice, placing judges in key cities and a court of appeals in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 19:4-11). Jehoshaphat's alliance with Israel proved to be Judah's undoing after his death, when Athaliah (r. 841-835 BC) later took the throne for herself (2 Kings 11:1-3).
853 BC AHAZIAH BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 853 BC Ahaziah (r. 853-852 BC) followed his father, Ahab, as king of Israel. He also followed his policies by worshiping Baal (1 Kings 22:51-53). Ahaziah's reign was foreshortened when he fell through the lattice in the upper chamber of his palace in Samaria. Concerned that his injury might be fatal, he sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of the Philistine city Ekron. God commanded the prophet Elijah to meet the messengers and tell them that Ahaziah would die because he tried to consult Baal-zebub instead of God. When the messengers gave Ahaziah Elijah's message, the king twice dispatched a commander and fifty soldiers to capture Elijah to force him to retract his prophecy. Each time Elijah called down fire from heaven that consumed them. Ahaziah died according to God's word (2 Kings 1).
852 BC JORAM (JEHORAM) BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
Joram (r. 852-841 BC), a second son of Ahab and Jezebel, followed his brother Ahaziah as king in 852 BC. He did evil in the sight of God, but not to the extent of his parents, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had constructed (2 Kings 3:1-3). Moab, a vassal kingdom of Israel, had rebelled when Ahab died. Joram was determined to end their rebellion, so he asked Jehoshaphat (r. 872-848 BC), king of Judah, to join him in battle. Because of the parity treaty between the two nations, Jehoshaphat agreed. They asked the prophet Elisha about the outcome of the war. Elisha replied that he would answer their request only because of King Jehoshaphat's presence, but the answer was positive. They would be victorious. Joram was later assassinated and succeeded by Jehu (r. 841-814 BC) (2 Kings 9:1-26).
848 BC JEHORAM BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Jehoram (r. 848-841 BC), the son of King Jehoshaphat (r. 872-848 BC), became king of Judah in 848 BC following the death of his father. He is not to be confused with Joram, or Jehoram, king of Israel who reigned from 852-841 BC. Jehoram's father had arranged a diplomatic marriage for him with Athaliah, the daughter of Israel's King Ahab. Athaliah was thus the sister of King Joram (Jehoram) of Israel. Jehoram (of Judah) followed the example of his father-in-law Ahab rather than that of his father and introduced the worship of Baal to Judah. In addition, both Edom and Libnah—vassal states of Judah—revolted and became independent nations. Jehoram died to no one's regret and was not buried in the tombs of the kings (2 Kings 8:16-25; 2 Chronicles 21:1-20).
841 BC AHAZIAH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH; ATHALIAH BECOMES QUEEN
When Jehoram died (r. 848-841 BC), his sole surviving son, Ahaziah, became king of Judah in 841 BC (another Ahaziah had ruled Israel); but he reigned less than a year. Jehu (r. 841-814 BC), who had been anointed king of Israel by a prophet sent from Elisha, murdered both King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah (2 Kings 8:24-9:28). To retain power for herself after the death of her son Ahaziah, Athaliah (r. 841-835 BC) killed all the royal family— or so she thought. King Ahaziah's sister hid the king's baby son, Joash, in the Temple for six years with the help of her husband, Jehoiada, the high priest. A few years later, Jehoiada put the seven-year-old Joash (r. 835-796 BC) on the throne, and Athaliah, the child's grandmother, was put to death (2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 22:10-23:15).
841 BC JEHU BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
During the reign of King Jehoram (r. 852-841 BC) of Israel, Elisha instructed a fellow prophet to anoint Jehu (r. 841-814 BC) king of Israel. As he did so, he prophesied that Jehu would kill every male descendant of Ahab to avenge the blood of the prophets Ahab had slain. Jehu, with the backing of Israel's army, killed both Jehoram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah (r. 841 BC), king of Judah. He then had Ahab's widow Jezebel put to death, as well as seventy male descendants of Ahab and forty-two visiting members of Ahaziah's family (2 Kings 9:1-10:17; 2 Chronicles 22:7-9). Jehu stopped the worship of Baal in Israel by tricking the Baal worshipers into meeting together and then slaughtering them and destroying their Temple. Yet he continued the apostasy of worshiping the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (2 Kings 10:18-36).
835 BC JOASH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
In an attempt to put herself in power after the death of her son Ahaziah (r. 841 BC), Queen Athaliah (r. 841-835 BC) killed all his descendants. However, she missed Joash (r. 835-796 BC), Ahaziah's infant son whose aunt, the wife of Jehoiada the high priest, hid him in the Temple (2 Kings 11:1-6). In 835 BC when Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada proclaimed him king and Athaliah was killed (2 Kings 11:4-20). Young Joash began well as king, rebuilding the Temple with the help of his uncle Jehoiada (2 Kings 12:4-20). However, after Jehoiada died, Joash faltered under the influence of officials who abandoned the Temple and reinstituted idol worship (2 Chronicles 24:17-18). When Jehoiada's son Zechariah rebuked him for that, Joash murdered him (2 Chronicles 24:20-22). Joash was assassinated as part of a plot to replace him (2 Kings 12:20-21).
814 BC JEHOAHAZ BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
Jehoahaz (r. 814-798 BC) succeeded his father, Jehu (r. 841-814 BC), as king of Israel in 814 BC. Throughout his seventeen-year reign he followed his predecessors' example of tolerating pagan worship by allowing a statue of the goddess Asherah to stand in Samaria, the capital of Israel. His unfaithfulness to God brought the Lord's judgment upon him and upon the nation in the form of repeated attacks by the kings of Aram (Syria). When Jehoahaz finally turned to God in prayer, God answered by rescuing the Israelites from the tyranny of the Arameans. Although God gave him the victory, Jehoahaz's battles with Aram were costly. Jehoahaz was left with just ten chariots, fifty horsemen, and ten thousand foot soldiers (2 Kings 13:1-9).
798 BC JEHOASH BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 798 BC, Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC) followed his father, Jehoahaz (r. 814-798 BC), as king of Israel and continued the pattern of sinning against God. In spite of Jehoash's sinful ways, he wept over Elisha when the prophet became fatally ill. Elisha commanded Jehoash to take a bow and some arrows, open a window, and shoot an arrow toward the East in the direction of Transjordan, controlled by the Arameans (Syrians). Then Elisha proclaimed that Jehoash would be victorious over Aram. Elisha next commanded Jehoash to strike the remaining arrows against the ground. Jehoash did so only three times, making Elisha angry by his unenthusiastic response. Elisha rebuked the king, saying, "You should have struck the ground five or six times! Now you will be victorious only three times." Jehoash defeated the Arameans three times but did not completely destroy them (2 Kings 13:10-25).
796 BC AMAZIAH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Amaziah (r. 796-767 BC), the son of Joash (r. 835-796 BC), succeeded his father as king of Judah in about 796 BC. He did what was pleasing in God's sight, yet he did not remove the high places, the pagan shrines where the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense to pagan gods. Amaziah was victorious in battle over Edom, which had previously won its independence from Judah. Buoyed by this victory, Amaziah next challenged Israel's King Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC) to battle. This decision was Amaziah's undoing. He was captured and his army was overwhelmingly defeated. Jerusalem's defenses were partially destroyed, and the Temple and palace were plundered. After his release, Amaziah was assassinated (2 Kings 14:1-20).
793 BC JEROBOAM II BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 793 BC Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC) became co-regent with his father, Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC), over Israel for ten years, until Jehoash's death. Jeroboam's reign continued for a total of forty-one years. In spite of doing evil in God's sight as did the other kings of Israel, Jeroboam II was one of Israel's most successful rulers. He continued his father's program of aggressive expansion and was able to almost completely restore Israel's borders to where they had been under Solomon. Jeroboam II's management skills, in addition to relative freedom from enemy attacks during his reign, led to unprecedented prosperity (2 Kings 14:16, 23-29). Archaeological excavations in Samaria have revealed the grandeur of his capital city. Yet God was not impressed. The prophet Amos gives God's negative assessment of the reign of Jeroboam II (see the book of Amos).
792 BC UZZIAH (AZARIAH) BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
In about 792 BC, Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC), whose throne name was Azariah, became co-regent with his father, Amaziah (r. 796-767 BC), from Amaziah's imprisonment by Israel's King Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC) until his later assassination. Uzziah extended the borders of Judah and reestablished control over the port city of Elath on the Gulf of Aqaba, rebuilding the city. He conducted successful military campaigns against the Philistines, Arabs, and Ammonites. Although he did what was pleasing in God's sight, nevertheless as a punishment for intruding into the office of priest and burning incense on the Temple altar, Uzziah was struck with leprosy and his son Jotham (r. 750-735 BC) became co-regent with him (2 Kings 14:21-22; 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26:1-23). A first-century AD limestone plaque found in Jerusalem reads, "Hither were brought the bones of Uzziah king of Judah—do not open."
754 BC AMOS WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Like several other prophets, Amos predicted judgment for the sins of Israel during a time of seeming prosperity. In the 750s BC, during the reign of Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC), Amos traveled from his home in Tekoa, about six miles south of Bethlehem in the southern kingdom of Judah, to prophesy in the northern kingdom of Israel. Standing before the royal sanctuary in Bethel, Amos condemned Israel and predicted a series of woes that would befall her. The first section of Amos (chapters 1-2) is a list of nations that the Lord would soon judge. The list culminates with Judah and Israel. The next section (chapters 3-6) contains three sermons of judgment against Israel. This is followed by five more visions of judgment (7:1-9:10). However, the book ends with a promise of future restoration and hope (9:11-15).
753 BC ROME IS FOUNDED
According to Titus Livius (59 BC-AD 17), Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC. After several different groups ruled the city, the Romans overcame their Etruscan governors in 509 BC and established a republic. The republic lasted for more than 450 years, until Caesar Augustus (63 BC-AD 14) came to power and established the Roman Empire. The Pax Romana, as the first two hundred years of the empire were called, was a time of internal and external stability in the empire. In this atmosphere the New Testament was written. However, as the Pax Romana dissolved, persecution of Christians began to increase. After Constantine (285-337) issued the Edict of Milan, the church's power increased as the empire's decreased. In 847, Pope Leo IV (d. 855) consolidated the power of the Rome bishopric. Since then, Rome has been the headquarters of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church.
753-752 BC FOUR KINGS IN TWO YEARS RULE ISRAEL
In 753 BC, Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC), succeeded his father as king of Israel. However, his reign lasted only six months until Shallum assassinated him and took the throne in 752 BC (2 Kings 15:8-12). One month later, Shallum was murdered by Menahem (r. 752-742 BC), who next seized the throne (2 Kings 15:13-16). Under Menahem, Israel became a vassal of Assyria. The annual tribute that Israel had to pay Assyria amounted to a thousand talents of silver, over thirty-seven tons! Meanwhile it appears that when Menahem instituted his coup and became king of Israel, Pekah (r. 740-732 BC) established a rival government in Transjordan. Menahem's evil reign lasted for ten years (2 Kings 15:16-22).
ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER June 15, 763 BC
Have you ever wondered how Bible scholars are able to assign dates to the events of the Old Testament?
The major breakthrough came with the discovery of tablets containing the Assyrian Eponym lists. (An eponym is a person from whom something gets its name.) They listed all the years from 892 to 648 BC, naming each year after the prime minister or limmu of Assyria who was elected that year. In addition to these names, the tablets also recount the major events of each year.
The Eponym lists contain an unbroken chain of events relating not only to Assyria but also to other nations that were interacting with Assyria. Because the tablets give the years of battles between Assyria and Israel, Bible scholars have been able to determine the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah from these dates.
The Assyrians recorded an eclipse of the sun in a year ruled by a prime minister named Bur-Sagale. Modern astronomers are able to calculate the dates of eclipses with great precision and have determined that the eclipse of the sun described in the tablets occurred on June 15, 763 BC.
In the year 853 BC, ninety years before this eclipse, the lists report the battle of Qarqar in which the Assyrian emperor Shalmaneser III defeated a coalition of Syria and Israel under King Ahab. According to 1 Kings 22:1, the only period when Israel was at peace with Syria was near the end of Ahab's reign, so the battle of Qarqar must have occurred during that time.
While that information was interesting, it did not conclusively link the Eponym lists to the Old Testament until the discovery of the Black Obelisk. The Black Obelisk is a pillar that Shalmaneser ill of Assyria erected in 841 BC to commemorate his victory over his enemies, including King Jehu of Israel. Jehu is pictured on the Obelisk as kneeling in subjection to Shalmaneser in the eighteenth year of the Assyrian emperor's reign. The year can then be dated from the Eponym Lists because they give the dates of Shalmaneser's reign. The date of the Black Obelisk is 841 BC, which apparently was the first year of Jehu's reign over Israel. According to 2 Kings 3:1; 9:1-8, 24, twelve years passed between the end of Ahab's reign and the beginning of Jehu's. Thus the date of 853 BC can be established for the end of Ahab's reign over Israel.
Nailing down these two dates made the process of constructing the chronology of the Old Testament relatively easy. The books of 1 and 2 Kings give the lengths of the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah before and after Ahab and Jehu. By adding the years of these reigns, the accession year of each king can be determined as well as the dates of many associated events.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
750 BC JOTHAM REIGNS AS KING OF JUDAH
In 750 BC, when King Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC), also known as Azariah, became a leper, his son Jotham (r. 750-732 BC) began to reign in his father's place. When Uzziah died in 740 BC, Jotham became the sole monarch of Judah. Jotham was a godly king like his father, except that he did not remove the pagan high places where the people still sacrificed and burned incense. Because Jotham was a faithful king, God gave him victory over the Ammonites, who became a vassal kingdom of Judah, paying an annual tribute of one hundred talents of silver (7, 500 pounds) and approximately one hundred thousand bushels of both wheat and barley. Jotham reigned until 732 BC, but starting in 735 BC his son Ahaz (r. 735-715 BC) ruled with him (2 Kings 15:32-38; 2 Chronicles 27:1-9).
740 BC ISAIAH IS COMMISSIONED AS A PROPHET
God commissioned Isaiah as prophet in 740 BC when King Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC) of Judah died of leprosy. Isaiah had a vision of God sitting on a lofty throne in the heavenly Temple throne room. Around him were angelic seraphim singing praises so loudly that the temple shook. Awestruck, Isaiah said, "My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!" A seraph touched a burning coal to Isaiah's lips, saying, "Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven." Then the Lord asked, "Whom should I send as a messenger to my people?" Isaiah responded, "Lord, I'll go! Send me." The Lord then commissioned Isaiah as his prophet to his people (Isaiah 6:1-13).
735 BC AHAZ BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Ahaz (r. 735-715 BC) became king of Judah in 735 BC. He did not follow the godly example of his father, Jotham (r. 750-732 BC), or his grandfather Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC). Early in Ahaz's reign, Israel's King Pekah (r. 740-732 BC) and the king of Syria asked him to join them in an alliance against Assyria. When he refused, Israel and Syria invaded ludah, inflicting heavy casualties. Isaiah encouraged Ahaz to put his trust in God, but the king turned to Assyria instead. As a result, Judah became a vassal of Assyria for the next century, and the tribute they were forced to pay depleted the country's resources. Ahaz's wickedness consumed him to the point that he burned his own son as a sacrifice to the Assyrian gods, ordered an Assyrian-style altar built in the Temple, and used the bronze altar for divination (2 Kings 16:3-4, 10-16; 2 Chronicles 28:2-4, 23-25; Isaiah 7:1-12).
725 BC JONAH GOES TO NINEVEH
The book of Jonah is unique among the prophetic books. Instead of focusing on a prophecy, it is rather an extended narrative of an event in the prophet's life that took place around 725 BC. The book opens with Jonah boarding a boat to flee from God's command to preach in Nineveh. The Lord sent a storm that would not subside until Jonah was thrown into the sea (1:1-16). God delivered Jonah by sending a great fish to swallow him. From the fish's belly Jonah repented of his sin and praised God for his salvation (1:17-2:9). After returning to dry land, Jonah went to Nineveh and the people repented (chapter 3). The book ends somewhat ambiguously, with Jonah questioning God's wisdom in saving the Ninevites (chapter 4).
722-721 BC ISRAELITES ARE CAPTURED AND EXILED
In 732 BC, Hoshea (r. 732-722 BC) assassinated King Pekah (r. 740-732 BC) of Israel and took the throne himself. Hoshea was the last king of Israel, reigning for nine years. At this time Israel became a vassal of Assyria, paying annual tribute. Hoping for support from Egypt, Hoshea stopped the tribute payments. As a result, Assyria invaded Israel and after a three-year siege captured the capital city of Samaria and took the leading citizens of Israel into exile. They were settled in Gozan, a provincial capital along a tributary of the Euphrates River, and in towns south of the Caspian Sea and northeast of the Tigris River. Few ever returned from their exile. This was God's judgment on a nation that refused to give him their allegiance (2 Kings 15:30; 17:1-40).
715-710 BC HOSEA WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Israel Taken Captive: Finally, the sins of Israel's people caught up with them. God allowed Assyria to defeat and disperse the people. They were led into captivity, swallowed up by the mighty, evil Assyrian Empire.
Hosea, whose name means "salvation," wrote the first book of the twelve prophets of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the minor prophets, between approximately 715 to 710 BC. Hosea prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC). Although the nation was outwardly prospering during his ministry, Hosea continually called the people back to genuine covenantal faithfulness and prophesied about the coming judgment. The book of Hosea is an extended allegorical lesson about God and his love toward Israel. In the first part of the book (chapters 1-3), God tells Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute. Although Gomer was habitually unfaithful to him, Hosea continued to welcome her back. The last part of the book (chapters 4-14) is an explanation of God's love for Israel in spite of her unfaithfulness toward him, and the book ends with a prophecy of Israel's coming restoration.
715 BC HEZEKIAH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Hezekiah (r. 715-686 BC) was a godly king of Judah, succeeding his father, Ahaz (r. 735-715 BC). He reinstituted true worship of God in the Temple, which he cleansed and renovated. He renewed the covenant with God, reinstituted the feast of Passover, and destroyed the high places of heathen worship. When Hezekiah became very ill, Isaiah told him he was about to die. In response to Hezekiah's bitter weeping, God informed him through Isaiah that he would add fifteen years to his life. During those fifteen years, Hezekiah unwisely showed off all his treasures to the Babylonians. Through Isaiah God informed Hezekiah that all the treasures of his ancestors someday would be carried off to Babylon. That happened more than a century later during the Babylonian captivity (2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-32; Isaiah 36-39).
700 BC MICAH WRITES HIS PROPHECY
The prophet Micah was called around 700 BC to proclaim judgment against Jerusalem. Micah's message centered on the exploitation of the poor, unethical merchants, and corrupt civil and religious leaders. Because of the people's lack of covenantal faithfulness, God promised to judge the nation. The book of Micah begins with a promise of judgment, first to surrounding nations and then to Judah and her leaders (chapters 1-3). The middle section is a promise of restoration and a coming kingdom led by the messianic King (chapters 4-5). Because of this hope of future restoration, in the final section of the book (chapters 6-7), Micah pleads with the people to repent of their sin and turn back to the Lord.
700-685 BC ISAIAH WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Isaiah wrote the prophecies contained in the book bearing his name between 700 and 685 BC. Some of the clearest messianic prophecies come from Isaiah, and the New Testament writers frequently quote them in reference to Christ. The first part of the book (chapters 1-35) is a message of condemnation and judgment for Israel's disobedience. This is followed by a brief historical interlude about Hezekiah's (r. 715-686 BC) deliverance and later sin (chapters 36-39). The final chapters of the book (chapters 40-66), however, are hopeful and center on comfort and future restoration.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
Elah (r. 886-885 BC) followed his father, Baasha (r. 908-886 BC), as king of Israel, serving only two years. He was assassinated in 885 BC by Zimri, the commander of his chariots, who then became king in his place. Zimri (r. 885 BC) immediately killed all of Baasha's male descendants, thus delivering the punishment prophesied against Baasha (1 Kings 16:6-14). When Israel learned that Zimri had killed King Elah, they made Omri, the commander of the army, king instead. Omri led Israel in besieging Tirzah, where Zimri was in his royal palace. Zimri, realizing he was defeated, committed suicide by setting fire to the palace (1 Kings 16:15-20). Omri reigned for twelve years (885-874 BC) and founded the city of Samaria. Even though he was one of Israel's most powerful kings, he did evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 16:16-28).
874 BC AHAB BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 874 BC, Ahab succeeded his father, Omri (r. 885-874 BC), as king of Israel and reigned for twenty-two years (874-853 BC). He married Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon and a pagan priestess. Influenced by his wife, Ahab built a temple dedicated to Baal in Samaria, his capital city. Jezebel encouraged and supported 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. She tore down the altars of the Lord and killed the true prophets (1 Kings 16:29-18:19). Elijah was the prophet opposing Ahab. In a contest staged between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, God made Elijah victorious (1 Kings 18:20-40). Ahab demonstrated his failure to rule justly by his counterfeit trial and subsequent execution of Naboth, so he could annex Naboth's vineyard. Elijah then correctly prophesied the destruction of Ahab, Jezebel, and the dynasty (1 Kings 21:1-22:40).
872 BC JEHOSHAPHAT BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
In 872 BC, Jehoshaphat (r. 872-848 BC) became co-regent with his father, Asa (r. 910-869 BC), as king of Judah. Following Asa's death in 869 BC, Jehoshaphat reigned alone until his son Jehoram (r. 853-841 BC) joined him as co-regent in 853 BC. During his reign, Jehoshaphat strengthened Judah's military position by placing garrisons of troops throughout the tiny nation. He broke with previous practice by entering into a parity treaty with King Ahab of Israel and arranged for Ahab's daughter Athaliah to marry his son Jehoram (2 Chronicles 17:1-18:1). Jehoshaphat followed the godly example of his father. He did away with heathen worship (1 Kings 22:43, 46) and sent out traveling teachers of the law of Moses (2 Chronicles 17:7-9). He reorganized Judah's system of justice, placing judges in key cities and a court of appeals in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 19:4-11). Jehoshaphat's alliance with Israel proved to be Judah's undoing after his death, when Athaliah (r. 841-835 BC) later took the throne for herself (2 Kings 11:1-3).
853 BC AHAZIAH BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 853 BC Ahaziah (r. 853-852 BC) followed his father, Ahab, as king of Israel. He also followed his policies by worshiping Baal (1 Kings 22:51-53). Ahaziah's reign was foreshortened when he fell through the lattice in the upper chamber of his palace in Samaria. Concerned that his injury might be fatal, he sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of the Philistine city Ekron. God commanded the prophet Elijah to meet the messengers and tell them that Ahaziah would die because he tried to consult Baal-zebub instead of God. When the messengers gave Ahaziah Elijah's message, the king twice dispatched a commander and fifty soldiers to capture Elijah to force him to retract his prophecy. Each time Elijah called down fire from heaven that consumed them. Ahaziah died according to God's word (2 Kings 1).
852 BC JORAM (JEHORAM) BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
Joram (r. 852-841 BC), a second son of Ahab and Jezebel, followed his brother Ahaziah as king in 852 BC. He did evil in the sight of God, but not to the extent of his parents, for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had constructed (2 Kings 3:1-3). Moab, a vassal kingdom of Israel, had rebelled when Ahab died. Joram was determined to end their rebellion, so he asked Jehoshaphat (r. 872-848 BC), king of Judah, to join him in battle. Because of the parity treaty between the two nations, Jehoshaphat agreed. They asked the prophet Elisha about the outcome of the war. Elisha replied that he would answer their request only because of King Jehoshaphat's presence, but the answer was positive. They would be victorious. Joram was later assassinated and succeeded by Jehu (r. 841-814 BC) (2 Kings 9:1-26).
848 BC JEHORAM BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Jehoram (r. 848-841 BC), the son of King Jehoshaphat (r. 872-848 BC), became king of Judah in 848 BC following the death of his father. He is not to be confused with Joram, or Jehoram, king of Israel who reigned from 852-841 BC. Jehoram's father had arranged a diplomatic marriage for him with Athaliah, the daughter of Israel's King Ahab. Athaliah was thus the sister of King Joram (Jehoram) of Israel. Jehoram (of Judah) followed the example of his father-in-law Ahab rather than that of his father and introduced the worship of Baal to Judah. In addition, both Edom and Libnah—vassal states of Judah—revolted and became independent nations. Jehoram died to no one's regret and was not buried in the tombs of the kings (2 Kings 8:16-25; 2 Chronicles 21:1-20).
841 BC AHAZIAH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH; ATHALIAH BECOMES QUEEN
When Jehoram died (r. 848-841 BC), his sole surviving son, Ahaziah, became king of Judah in 841 BC (another Ahaziah had ruled Israel); but he reigned less than a year. Jehu (r. 841-814 BC), who had been anointed king of Israel by a prophet sent from Elisha, murdered both King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah (2 Kings 8:24-9:28). To retain power for herself after the death of her son Ahaziah, Athaliah (r. 841-835 BC) killed all the royal family— or so she thought. King Ahaziah's sister hid the king's baby son, Joash, in the Temple for six years with the help of her husband, Jehoiada, the high priest. A few years later, Jehoiada put the seven-year-old Joash (r. 835-796 BC) on the throne, and Athaliah, the child's grandmother, was put to death (2 Kings 11; 2 Chronicles 22:10-23:15).
841 BC JEHU BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
During the reign of King Jehoram (r. 852-841 BC) of Israel, Elisha instructed a fellow prophet to anoint Jehu (r. 841-814 BC) king of Israel. As he did so, he prophesied that Jehu would kill every male descendant of Ahab to avenge the blood of the prophets Ahab had slain. Jehu, with the backing of Israel's army, killed both Jehoram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah (r. 841 BC), king of Judah. He then had Ahab's widow Jezebel put to death, as well as seventy male descendants of Ahab and forty-two visiting members of Ahaziah's family (2 Kings 9:1-10:17; 2 Chronicles 22:7-9). Jehu stopped the worship of Baal in Israel by tricking the Baal worshipers into meeting together and then slaughtering them and destroying their Temple. Yet he continued the apostasy of worshiping the golden calves at Bethel and Dan (2 Kings 10:18-36).
835 BC JOASH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
In an attempt to put herself in power after the death of her son Ahaziah (r. 841 BC), Queen Athaliah (r. 841-835 BC) killed all his descendants. However, she missed Joash (r. 835-796 BC), Ahaziah's infant son whose aunt, the wife of Jehoiada the high priest, hid him in the Temple (2 Kings 11:1-6). In 835 BC when Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada proclaimed him king and Athaliah was killed (2 Kings 11:4-20). Young Joash began well as king, rebuilding the Temple with the help of his uncle Jehoiada (2 Kings 12:4-20). However, after Jehoiada died, Joash faltered under the influence of officials who abandoned the Temple and reinstituted idol worship (2 Chronicles 24:17-18). When Jehoiada's son Zechariah rebuked him for that, Joash murdered him (2 Chronicles 24:20-22). Joash was assassinated as part of a plot to replace him (2 Kings 12:20-21).
814 BC JEHOAHAZ BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
Jehoahaz (r. 814-798 BC) succeeded his father, Jehu (r. 841-814 BC), as king of Israel in 814 BC. Throughout his seventeen-year reign he followed his predecessors' example of tolerating pagan worship by allowing a statue of the goddess Asherah to stand in Samaria, the capital of Israel. His unfaithfulness to God brought the Lord's judgment upon him and upon the nation in the form of repeated attacks by the kings of Aram (Syria). When Jehoahaz finally turned to God in prayer, God answered by rescuing the Israelites from the tyranny of the Arameans. Although God gave him the victory, Jehoahaz's battles with Aram were costly. Jehoahaz was left with just ten chariots, fifty horsemen, and ten thousand foot soldiers (2 Kings 13:1-9).
798 BC JEHOASH BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 798 BC, Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC) followed his father, Jehoahaz (r. 814-798 BC), as king of Israel and continued the pattern of sinning against God. In spite of Jehoash's sinful ways, he wept over Elisha when the prophet became fatally ill. Elisha commanded Jehoash to take a bow and some arrows, open a window, and shoot an arrow toward the East in the direction of Transjordan, controlled by the Arameans (Syrians). Then Elisha proclaimed that Jehoash would be victorious over Aram. Elisha next commanded Jehoash to strike the remaining arrows against the ground. Jehoash did so only three times, making Elisha angry by his unenthusiastic response. Elisha rebuked the king, saying, "You should have struck the ground five or six times! Now you will be victorious only three times." Jehoash defeated the Arameans three times but did not completely destroy them (2 Kings 13:10-25).
796 BC AMAZIAH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Amaziah (r. 796-767 BC), the son of Joash (r. 835-796 BC), succeeded his father as king of Judah in about 796 BC. He did what was pleasing in God's sight, yet he did not remove the high places, the pagan shrines where the people still offered sacrifices and burned incense to pagan gods. Amaziah was victorious in battle over Edom, which had previously won its independence from Judah. Buoyed by this victory, Amaziah next challenged Israel's King Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC) to battle. This decision was Amaziah's undoing. He was captured and his army was overwhelmingly defeated. Jerusalem's defenses were partially destroyed, and the Temple and palace were plundered. After his release, Amaziah was assassinated (2 Kings 14:1-20).
793 BC JEROBOAM II BECOMES KING OF ISRAEL
In 793 BC Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC) became co-regent with his father, Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC), over Israel for ten years, until Jehoash's death. Jeroboam's reign continued for a total of forty-one years. In spite of doing evil in God's sight as did the other kings of Israel, Jeroboam II was one of Israel's most successful rulers. He continued his father's program of aggressive expansion and was able to almost completely restore Israel's borders to where they had been under Solomon. Jeroboam II's management skills, in addition to relative freedom from enemy attacks during his reign, led to unprecedented prosperity (2 Kings 14:16, 23-29). Archaeological excavations in Samaria have revealed the grandeur of his capital city. Yet God was not impressed. The prophet Amos gives God's negative assessment of the reign of Jeroboam II (see the book of Amos).
792 BC UZZIAH (AZARIAH) BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
In about 792 BC, Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC), whose throne name was Azariah, became co-regent with his father, Amaziah (r. 796-767 BC), from Amaziah's imprisonment by Israel's King Jehoash (r. 798-782 BC) until his later assassination. Uzziah extended the borders of Judah and reestablished control over the port city of Elath on the Gulf of Aqaba, rebuilding the city. He conducted successful military campaigns against the Philistines, Arabs, and Ammonites. Although he did what was pleasing in God's sight, nevertheless as a punishment for intruding into the office of priest and burning incense on the Temple altar, Uzziah was struck with leprosy and his son Jotham (r. 750-735 BC) became co-regent with him (2 Kings 14:21-22; 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26:1-23). A first-century AD limestone plaque found in Jerusalem reads, "Hither were brought the bones of Uzziah king of Judah—do not open."
754 BC AMOS WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Like several other prophets, Amos predicted judgment for the sins of Israel during a time of seeming prosperity. In the 750s BC, during the reign of Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC), Amos traveled from his home in Tekoa, about six miles south of Bethlehem in the southern kingdom of Judah, to prophesy in the northern kingdom of Israel. Standing before the royal sanctuary in Bethel, Amos condemned Israel and predicted a series of woes that would befall her. The first section of Amos (chapters 1-2) is a list of nations that the Lord would soon judge. The list culminates with Judah and Israel. The next section (chapters 3-6) contains three sermons of judgment against Israel. This is followed by five more visions of judgment (7:1-9:10). However, the book ends with a promise of future restoration and hope (9:11-15).
753 BC ROME IS FOUNDED
According to Titus Livius (59 BC-AD 17), Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC. After several different groups ruled the city, the Romans overcame their Etruscan governors in 509 BC and established a republic. The republic lasted for more than 450 years, until Caesar Augustus (63 BC-AD 14) came to power and established the Roman Empire. The Pax Romana, as the first two hundred years of the empire were called, was a time of internal and external stability in the empire. In this atmosphere the New Testament was written. However, as the Pax Romana dissolved, persecution of Christians began to increase. After Constantine (285-337) issued the Edict of Milan, the church's power increased as the empire's decreased. In 847, Pope Leo IV (d. 855) consolidated the power of the Rome bishopric. Since then, Rome has been the headquarters of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church.
753-752 BC FOUR KINGS IN TWO YEARS RULE ISRAEL
In 753 BC, Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC), succeeded his father as king of Israel. However, his reign lasted only six months until Shallum assassinated him and took the throne in 752 BC (2 Kings 15:8-12). One month later, Shallum was murdered by Menahem (r. 752-742 BC), who next seized the throne (2 Kings 15:13-16). Under Menahem, Israel became a vassal of Assyria. The annual tribute that Israel had to pay Assyria amounted to a thousand talents of silver, over thirty-seven tons! Meanwhile it appears that when Menahem instituted his coup and became king of Israel, Pekah (r. 740-732 BC) established a rival government in Transjordan. Menahem's evil reign lasted for ten years (2 Kings 15:16-22).
ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER June 15, 763 BC
Have you ever wondered how Bible scholars are able to assign dates to the events of the Old Testament?
The major breakthrough came with the discovery of tablets containing the Assyrian Eponym lists. (An eponym is a person from whom something gets its name.) They listed all the years from 892 to 648 BC, naming each year after the prime minister or limmu of Assyria who was elected that year. In addition to these names, the tablets also recount the major events of each year.
The Eponym lists contain an unbroken chain of events relating not only to Assyria but also to other nations that were interacting with Assyria. Because the tablets give the years of battles between Assyria and Israel, Bible scholars have been able to determine the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah from these dates.
The Assyrians recorded an eclipse of the sun in a year ruled by a prime minister named Bur-Sagale. Modern astronomers are able to calculate the dates of eclipses with great precision and have determined that the eclipse of the sun described in the tablets occurred on June 15, 763 BC.
In the year 853 BC, ninety years before this eclipse, the lists report the battle of Qarqar in which the Assyrian emperor Shalmaneser III defeated a coalition of Syria and Israel under King Ahab. According to 1 Kings 22:1, the only period when Israel was at peace with Syria was near the end of Ahab's reign, so the battle of Qarqar must have occurred during that time.
While that information was interesting, it did not conclusively link the Eponym lists to the Old Testament until the discovery of the Black Obelisk. The Black Obelisk is a pillar that Shalmaneser ill of Assyria erected in 841 BC to commemorate his victory over his enemies, including King Jehu of Israel. Jehu is pictured on the Obelisk as kneeling in subjection to Shalmaneser in the eighteenth year of the Assyrian emperor's reign. The year can then be dated from the Eponym Lists because they give the dates of Shalmaneser's reign. The date of the Black Obelisk is 841 BC, which apparently was the first year of Jehu's reign over Israel. According to 2 Kings 3:1; 9:1-8, 24, twelve years passed between the end of Ahab's reign and the beginning of Jehu's. Thus the date of 853 BC can be established for the end of Ahab's reign over Israel.
Nailing down these two dates made the process of constructing the chronology of the Old Testament relatively easy. The books of 1 and 2 Kings give the lengths of the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah before and after Ahab and Jehu. By adding the years of these reigns, the accession year of each king can be determined as well as the dates of many associated events.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The
750 BC JOTHAM REIGNS AS KING OF JUDAH
In 750 BC, when King Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC), also known as Azariah, became a leper, his son Jotham (r. 750-732 BC) began to reign in his father's place. When Uzziah died in 740 BC, Jotham became the sole monarch of Judah. Jotham was a godly king like his father, except that he did not remove the pagan high places where the people still sacrificed and burned incense. Because Jotham was a faithful king, God gave him victory over the Ammonites, who became a vassal kingdom of Judah, paying an annual tribute of one hundred talents of silver (7, 500 pounds) and approximately one hundred thousand bushels of both wheat and barley. Jotham reigned until 732 BC, but starting in 735 BC his son Ahaz (r. 735-715 BC) ruled with him (2 Kings 15:32-38; 2 Chronicles 27:1-9).
740 BC ISAIAH IS COMMISSIONED AS A PROPHET
God commissioned Isaiah as prophet in 740 BC when King Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC) of Judah died of leprosy. Isaiah had a vision of God sitting on a lofty throne in the heavenly Temple throne room. Around him were angelic seraphim singing praises so loudly that the temple shook. Awestruck, Isaiah said, "My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!" A seraph touched a burning coal to Isaiah's lips, saying, "Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven." Then the Lord asked, "Whom should I send as a messenger to my people?" Isaiah responded, "Lord, I'll go! Send me." The Lord then commissioned Isaiah as his prophet to his people (Isaiah 6:1-13).
735 BC AHAZ BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Ahaz (r. 735-715 BC) became king of Judah in 735 BC. He did not follow the godly example of his father, Jotham (r. 750-732 BC), or his grandfather Uzziah (r. 792-740 BC). Early in Ahaz's reign, Israel's King Pekah (r. 740-732 BC) and the king of Syria asked him to join them in an alliance against Assyria. When he refused, Israel and Syria invaded ludah, inflicting heavy casualties. Isaiah encouraged Ahaz to put his trust in God, but the king turned to Assyria instead. As a result, Judah became a vassal of Assyria for the next century, and the tribute they were forced to pay depleted the country's resources. Ahaz's wickedness consumed him to the point that he burned his own son as a sacrifice to the Assyrian gods, ordered an Assyrian-style altar built in the Temple, and used the bronze altar for divination (2 Kings 16:3-4, 10-16; 2 Chronicles 28:2-4, 23-25; Isaiah 7:1-12).
725 BC JONAH GOES TO NINEVEH
The book of Jonah is unique among the prophetic books. Instead of focusing on a prophecy, it is rather an extended narrative of an event in the prophet's life that took place around 725 BC. The book opens with Jonah boarding a boat to flee from God's command to preach in Nineveh. The Lord sent a storm that would not subside until Jonah was thrown into the sea (1:1-16). God delivered Jonah by sending a great fish to swallow him. From the fish's belly Jonah repented of his sin and praised God for his salvation (1:17-2:9). After returning to dry land, Jonah went to Nineveh and the people repented (chapter 3). The book ends somewhat ambiguously, with Jonah questioning God's wisdom in saving the Ninevites (chapter 4).
722-721 BC ISRAELITES ARE CAPTURED AND EXILED
In 732 BC, Hoshea (r. 732-722 BC) assassinated King Pekah (r. 740-732 BC) of Israel and took the throne himself. Hoshea was the last king of Israel, reigning for nine years. At this time Israel became a vassal of Assyria, paying annual tribute. Hoping for support from Egypt, Hoshea stopped the tribute payments. As a result, Assyria invaded Israel and after a three-year siege captured the capital city of Samaria and took the leading citizens of Israel into exile. They were settled in Gozan, a provincial capital along a tributary of the Euphrates River, and in towns south of the Caspian Sea and northeast of the Tigris River. Few ever returned from their exile. This was God's judgment on a nation that refused to give him their allegiance (2 Kings 15:30; 17:1-40).
715-710 BC HOSEA WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Israel Taken Captive: Finally, the sins of Israel's people caught up with them. God allowed Assyria to defeat and disperse the people. They were led into captivity, swallowed up by the mighty, evil Assyrian Empire.
Hosea, whose name means "salvation," wrote the first book of the twelve prophets of the Hebrew Bible, also known as the minor prophets, between approximately 715 to 710 BC. Hosea prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II (r. 793-753 BC). Although the nation was outwardly prospering during his ministry, Hosea continually called the people back to genuine covenantal faithfulness and prophesied about the coming judgment. The book of Hosea is an extended allegorical lesson about God and his love toward Israel. In the first part of the book (chapters 1-3), God tells Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute. Although Gomer was habitually unfaithful to him, Hosea continued to welcome her back. The last part of the book (chapters 4-14) is an explanation of God's love for Israel in spite of her unfaithfulness toward him, and the book ends with a prophecy of Israel's coming restoration.
715 BC HEZEKIAH BECOMES KING OF JUDAH
Hezekiah (r. 715-686 BC) was a godly king of Judah, succeeding his father, Ahaz (r. 735-715 BC). He reinstituted true worship of God in the Temple, which he cleansed and renovated. He renewed the covenant with God, reinstituted the feast of Passover, and destroyed the high places of heathen worship. When Hezekiah became very ill, Isaiah told him he was about to die. In response to Hezekiah's bitter weeping, God informed him through Isaiah that he would add fifteen years to his life. During those fifteen years, Hezekiah unwisely showed off all his treasures to the Babylonians. Through Isaiah God informed Hezekiah that all the treasures of his ancestors someday would be carried off to Babylon. That happened more than a century later during the Babylonian captivity (2 Kings 18-20; 2 Chronicles 29-32; Isaiah 36-39).
700 BC MICAH WRITES HIS PROPHECY
The prophet Micah was called around 700 BC to proclaim judgment against Jerusalem. Micah's message centered on the exploitation of the poor, unethical merchants, and corrupt civil and religious leaders. Because of the people's lack of covenantal faithfulness, God promised to judge the nation. The book of Micah begins with a promise of judgment, first to surrounding nations and then to Judah and her leaders (chapters 1-3). The middle section is a promise of restoration and a coming kingdom led by the messianic King (chapters 4-5). Because of this hope of future restoration, in the final section of the book (chapters 6-7), Micah pleads with the people to repent of their sin and turn back to the Lord.
700-685 BC ISAIAH WRITES HIS PROPHECY
Isaiah wrote the prophecies contained in the book bearing his name between 700 and 685 BC. Some of the clearest messianic prophecies come from Isaiah, and the New Testament writers frequently quote them in reference to Christ. The first part of the book (chapters 1-35) is a message of condemnation and judgment for Israel's disobedience. This is followed by a brief historical interlude about Hezekiah's (r. 715-686 BC) deliverance and later sin (chapters 36-39). The final chapters of the book (chapters 40-66), however, are hopeful and center on comfort and future restoration.
—Complete Book of When and Where, The