Zechariah 9:9

The Shepherd's Page


Chronology of the Kings of Israel and Judah

I believe out of all the studies I've done, this has been the most frustrating, yet one of great joy in learning more of the great details that the Lord has put into His word that will give us just enough information to answer a question. My goal in this study was to create a chronology of time and having done that from Creation to Solomon and from Jesus to now, I had a problem with the kings of Israel and Judah. Reading the surface of the text one only comes out with a feeling of great biblical contradictions. Not believing that, I set out to do a study of the Kings.

This is a result of the study. I believe it to be accurate, but one must understand that every word in Scripture is pure and accurate. Which means that there are times when there will be more than one king on the throne. Sometimes the accession year of a king is counted and other times it isn't. Why this is so I believe depends on the scribe penning the word of God. What I mean is that the Egyptians counted accession years as year 1, yet the Syrians, Assyrians and the Babylonians didn't. Even within Israel and Judah there is a mix of usage. The only way to figure out the actual chronology is to make it a database. Put everyone in the years they belong in, the length of their reigns and any other information that is made available to help pin down their placement. I've gone through Scripture four times to create this database. I have a stack of printouts from various web sites, encyclopedias over two inches high!

I cannot stress the importance of keeping in mind the words of Scripture as being paramount in accuracy. I say this because if you ever decide to compare my study with one of your own, or someone else's, you'll come across tons of secular contradictions for one reason or another. Most of these contradictions stem from the fact that the "experts" are using men that made their chronology charts 400 years after most of these events. Out of 16 chronologists from 400 BC to 100 AD not one agrees with another. Yes, there are 1000s of stone tablets pointing to a specific year with astrological events, such as eclipses, yet none of them harmoniously encompass all data. After two years of this study, I chose to stick with Scripture as to the years of things.

One of the first things you may question me on is the year Cyrus captured Babylon. I place it in the year 538 BC instead of 539 BC because scripture says in Zachariah that the 2nd year of Darius was the 70th year since the temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. If the encyclopedias' length of reigns of the kings of Babylon are correct, you have 69 years instead of 70 (even if you count the current year as year one.) I'll stick with Scripture until a new archaeological dig confirms the Bible - again.

I have no dogmatic agenda here and the English years presented are not to me important, but the length of the years from Solomon to the death of Christ, which fit the years presented. I welcome suggestions if they are based on Scripture, logical rendering of scripture, and do not contradict other scriptures by "adjusting" a year of a king or event. For instance, counting or not counting an accession year changes the dates of other kings there by throwing off other scripture reference. See the example below.

I hope this will help to answer some questions you may have. It has been a real learning experience for me and gave me great insight to the mind of God in dealing with man.

The Kings

** Years From the death of Solomon
Jewish Year
 
BC Year
 
** 1 Jeroboam reigned 22 years I Kings 14:20 2798 Rehoboam was 41 and reigned 17 years I Kings 14:21 963 BC These secular kings in this column have the year of accession added. The Jewish kings had no accession years added to their years, usually. This is very important to remember.
2 2 2799 2 962  
3 3 2800 3 961  
4 4 2801 4 960  
5 5 2802 5 959 King Shishak of Egypt came and took the treasures of the Temple I Kings 14:25
6 6 2803 6 958  
7 7 2804 7 957  
8 8 2805 8 956  
9 9 2806 9 955  
10 10 2807 10 954  
11 11 2808 11 953  
12 12 2809 12 952  
13 13 2810 13 951  
14 14 2811 14 950  
15 15 2812 15 949  
16 16 2813 16 948  
17 17 2814 17 ** 947  
18 18 I Kings 15:1 2815 **Abijam (Abijah) reigned 3 years II Chronicles 13:21 had 14 wives, 22 sons, 16 daughters 946 ** Reheboam must of died just before his end of the year for Ajijah to have started to reign in Jeroboam's 18th year or some event took place that's not recorded as to why it wasn't immediate in his 17th year.
19 19 II Chronicles 13:17 500,000 men died under a single battle with Abijah 2816 2 945  
20 20 I Kings 15:9 2817 3 Asa reigned 41 years 20th year of Jeroboam * 944 * The Jews didn't count accession years. No explanation for this count of the year, but if 2818 was the 2nd year of Asa then Nadab would have taken the throne while Jeroboam was still king. Something not impossible, but changing this affects other scripture references below.
21 21 2818 1 * 943  
22 22 Nadab (reigned 2 years) 2nd year of Asa 2819 2 I Kings 15:25 942  
23 2 Baasha killed Nadab & all the house of Jeroboam (reigned 24 years) 3rd year of Asa 2820 3 I Kings 15:28 , and I Kings 15:33 941 Jehu the prophet told Baasha he was evil and would end up like Jeroboam I Kings 16:1-7
24 2 2821 4 940  
25 3 2822 5 939  
26 4 2823 6 938  
27 5 2824 7 937  
28 6 2825 8 936  
29 7 2826 9 935  
30 8 2827 10 934  
31 9 2828 11 933  
32 10 2829 12 932  
33 11 2830 13 931  
34 12 2831 14 930  
35 13 2832 15 929  
36 14 2833 16 928  
37 15 2834 17 927  
38 16 2835 18 926  
39 17 2836 19 925  
40 18 2837 20 924  
41 19 2838 21 923  
42 20 2839 22 922  
43 21 2840 23 921  
44 22 2841 24 920  
45 23 2842 25 919  
46 24 Elah reigned 2 years 26th year of Asa 2843 26 I Kings 16:8 918  
47 2 Zimri (ruled 7 days and was killed) Omri ruled in 27th year of Asa (6 years in Tirzah) 2844 27 I Kings 16:15 917  
48 2 Tibni and Omri fought and Israel was split between them in a battle I Kings 16:21-23 2845 28 916  
49 3 2846 29 915  
50 4 2847 30 914  
51 5 Omri (ruler alone in Israel) reigned 12 years (6 in Tijah after taking it) Omri was worse than all before him 2848 31 I Kings 16:23 913  
52 6 2849 32 912  
53 7 2850 33 911  
54 8 2851 34 910  
55 9 2852 35 909  
56 10 2853 36 908  
57 11 2854 37 907  
58 12 Ahab reigned 22 years, worse even still than all before him and he rebuilt Jerico as prophecied according to Joshua 6:26 2855 38 I Kings 16:29 906  
59 2 2856 39 905  
60 3 2857 40 904  
61 4 I Kings 22:41-42 2858 41 Jehoshaphat 35 years old, ruled 25 years in 4th year of Ahab 903  
62 5 2859 1 902  
63 6 2860 2 901  
64 7 2861 3 900  
65 8 2862 4 899  
66 9 2863 5 898  
67 10 2864 6 897  
68 11 2865 7 896  
69 12 2866 8 895  
70 13 2867 9 894  
71 14 2868 10 893  
72 15 2869 11 892  
73 16 2870 12 891  
74 17 2871 13 890  
75 18 2872 14 889  
76 19 2873 15 888  
77 20 2874 16 887  
78 21 Ahaziah (in the 17th year of Jehoshaphat) ruled 2 years co-regent 2875 17 I Kings 22:51 886  
79 22 Jehoram (18th year of Jehoshaphat) son of Ahab ruled because Ahaziah had no sons. also called Joram 2876 18 II Kings 3:1 32 years old ruled 12 years 885  
80 2 2877 19 884  
81 3 2878 20 883  
82 4 2879 21 882  
83 5 II Chronicles 21:15-20 because his father was ill in his bowels until he died 2 years later 2880 22 Jehoram II Kings 8:16 co-reigned with his father 32 years old ruled 8 years in 5th year Joram 881  
84 6 2881 23 2 880  
85 7 2882 24 3 879  
86 8 2883 25 4 Jehoram a terrible king. Killed all his house but the Lord would not kill him without child for the promise God kept to David. He was the only king not buried in David's sepulchre. 878  
87 9 2884 5 877  
88 10 2885 6 876  
89 11 II Kings 9:29, 11th year of Joram and began to rule as co-regent 2886 7 Ahaziah ruled with his ill father 875 Son-in-law of Ahab's house and his mother was daughter of Omri.
90 12 II Kings 8:25-26 , Jehu II Chronicles 22:7-12 and ruled 28 years after killing Ahabs 70 sons II Kings 10:1 including Joram II Kings 9:21-27 and Ahaziah 2887 8 Ahaziah 12th year of Joram II Chronicles 21:18-19, 22 years old, ruled 1 year, died and Athaliah his mother ruled. * 874 * The only woman ruler of Judah, daughter of Omri King of Israel, killed everyone but one, She ruled 6 years and was killed. II Kings 11:1-3, II Chronicles 22:10-12
91 2 Because Jehu the prophet did kill them God promised his family would rule up to 4 generations, but he served Baal instead! 2888 2 873 NOTE: No matter the problems of years before this year, everything is reset here because Jehu killed both the King of Israel and Judah.
92 3 2889 3 872  
93 4 2890 4 871  
94 5 2891 5 870  
95 6 2892 6 869  
96 7 II Kings 12:1 2893 Joash (Jehoash) ruled in the 7th year after the death of Athaliah by Jehoiada II Kings 11:4 868 7 years old and ruled 40 years, 7th year of Jehu, II Kings 11:21, II Chronicles 24:1
97 8 2894 2 867  
98 9 2895 3 866  
99 10 2896 4 865  
100 11 2897 5 864  
101 12 2898 6 863  
102 13 2899 7 862  
103 14 2900 8 861  
104 15 2901 9 860  
105 16 2902 10 859  
106 17 2903 11 858  
107 18 2904 12 857  
108 19 2905 13 856  
109 20 2906 14 855  
110 21 2907 15 854  
111 22 2908 16 853  
112 23 2909 17 852  
113 24 2910 18 851  
114 25 2911 19 850  
115 26 2912 20 849  
116 27 2913 21 848  
117 28 2914 22 847  
118 Jehoahaz ruled 17 years in the 23rd year of Joash 2915 23 II Kings 13:1 846 Also the priests hadn't obeyed Jehoash's command to fix the breaches of the Temple by this time. II Kings 12:6
119 2 2916 24 845  
120 3 2917 25 844  
121 4 2918 26 843  
122 5 2919 27 842  
123 6 2920 28 841  
124 7 2921 29 840  
125 8 2922 30 839  
126 9 2923 31 838  
127 10 2924 32 837  
128 11 2925 33 836  
129 12 2926 34 835  
130 13 2927 35 834  
131 14 2928 36 833  
132 15 Jehoash (Joash) ruled 16 years in the 37th year of Joash II Kings 14:1 and was co-regent 2929 37 II Kings 13:10 832  
133 16 2 II Kings 14:1, II Chronicles 24:25, II Chronicles 25:1 2930 38 Amaziah 25 years old, ruled 29 years starting in the 2nd year of Jehoash 831 Joash was ill and Amaziah was co-regent
134 17 3 2931 39 2 830  
135 4 2932 40 3 829  
136 5 2933 4 828  
137 6 2934 5 827  
138 7 2935 6 826  
139 8 2936 7 825  
140 9 2937 8 824  
141 10 2938 9 823  
142 11 2939 10 822  
143 12 2940 11 821  
144 13 2941 12 820  
145 14 2942 13 819  
146 15 2943 14 818  
147 16 Jeroboam II, II Kings 14:23 in the 15th year of Amaziah and ruled 40 years 2944 15 II Kings 14:17, II Chronicles 25:25 817 Amaziah lived 15 years after the death of Jehoash (Joash)
148 2 2945 16 816  
149 3 2946 17 815  
150 4 2947 18 814  
151 5 2948 19 813  
152 6 2949 20 812  
153 7 2950 21 811  
154 8 2951 22 810  
155 9 2952 23 809  
156 10 2953 24 808  
157 11 2954 25 807  
158 12 2955 26 806  
159 13 2956 27 805  
160 14 2957 28 804  
161 15 2958 29 803  
162 16 II Kings 14:21 (27th year of co-regent but 16th of solo reign) I believe this instead of an interregnum for Israel because if Azariah was too younge as some claim, why didn't he start when he was 8 years old as Josiah did? The answer, Jeroboam was consort with his father. Also to put an interregnum in Israel would have made the interregnum for Judah after Jeroboam 22 years instead of 11, which is still an amazing length of time. The problem is that scripture doesn't provide the age of Zachariah when he took the throne. 2959 Azariah (Uzziah) being 16 years old, ruled 52 years 802 This is the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam's partnership in the kingdom with his father, who made him consort at his going to the Syrian wars. It is the sixteenth year of Jeroboam's sole monarchy.
163 17 2960 2 801  
164 18 2961 3 800  
165 19 2962 4 799 Sometime in both kings reigns, Amos says there was an earthquake.
166 20 2963 5 798  
167 21 2964 6 797  
168 22 2965 7 796  
169 23 2966 8 795  
170 24 2967 9 794  
171 25 2968 10 793  
172 26 2969 11 792  
173 27 2970 12 791  
174 28 2971 13 790  
175 29 2972 14 789  
176 30 2973 15 788  
177 31 2974 16 787  
178 32 2975 17 786  
179 33 2976 18 785  
180 34 2977 19 784  
181 35 2978 20 783  
182 36 2979 21 782  
183 37 2980 22 781  
184 38 2981 23 780  
185 39 2982 24 779  
186 40 2983 25 778  
187 41 2984 26 777  
188   2985 27 776  
189   2986 28 775  
190   2987 29 774  
191   2988 30 773  
192   2989 31 772  
193 Interregnum of 11 years 2990 32 771  
194   2991 33 770  
195   2992 34 769  
196   2993 35 768  
197 Power struggle? No mention in scripture except II Kings 15:8-17 when 3 kings reigned over a period of 7 months. 2994 36 767  
198   2995 37 766  
199 Zachariah (reigned only 6 months) in the 38th year of Azariah 2996 38 II Kings 15:8 765 The father of Abi, who was the mother of Hezekiah (II Kings 18:2).
200 Shallum (reigned only 1 month) Menahem ruled 10 years starting in the 39th year of Azariah

Note
: Shallum (reigned only 1 month) Menahem ruled 10 years starting in the 39th year of Azariah, II Kings 15:13, II Kings 15:17

Note: This is a perfect example where the counting of one's reign must be explained. To say that Menahem reigned 10 years might mean that he reigned 9.5 years to 10.5 years in one convention or it might even mean that he reigned 10 to 10.9 years in another convention. Similary the 39th year of Azariah might mean that Azariah had been reigning for slightly more than 38 years to slightly less than 39.0 years – at least this is how we would normally interpret the English (the first year being from 0 to 1, etc) and perhaps this is also true of the Hebrew. Similarly the 50th year of Azariah might mean that he had been reigning between 49 and 50 years. Therefore we can say that: 38.9 + 10.5 = 49.4 which is the 50th year. This problem is unavoidable with digital/approximate information and this is perhaps compounded by the fact that the spreadsheet is digital – for example the events between different rows on the spreadsheet would normally be taken to be spaced 1 year apart but in some cases (such as when a son takes over from his father) the events may only be one day apart but they nevertheless will occur is separate rows.

Pul (or Tiglath-pileser?) king of Assyria lived during this time II Kings 15:19
2997 39 II Kings 15:13, II Kings 15:17 764 Pul (or Tiglath-pileser?) king of Assyria lived during this time II Kings 15:19
201 1 2998 40 763  
202 2 2999 41 762  
203 3 3000 42 761  
204 4 3001 43 760  
205 5 3002 44 759  
206 6 3003 45 758  
207 7 3004 46 757  
208 8 3005 47 756  
209 9 3006 48 755  
210 10 3007 49 754  
211 Pekahiah ruled 2 years in the 50th year of Azariah 3008 50 II Kings 15:23 753  
212 2 3009 51 752  
213 Peka ruled 20 year in the 52nd year of Azariah 3010 52 II Kings 15:27 751 II Kings 15:29 says Tiglathpileser king of Assyria came and took 7 cities and all Naphtali to Assyria - the start of the various exoduses.
214 2 II Kings 15:32-33 3011 Jotham, 2nd year of Peka, 25 years old, ruled 16 years 750  
215 3 3012 2 749  
216 4 3013 3 748  
217 5 3014 4 747  
218 6 3015 5 746  
219 7 3016 6 745  
220 8 3017 7 744  
221 9 3018 8 743  
222 10 3019 9 742  
223 11 3020 10 741  
224 12 3021 11 740  
225 13 3022 12 739  
226 14 3023 13 738  
227 15 3024 14 737  
228 16 3025 15 736  
229 17 II Kings 16:1 3026 16 Ahaz 20 years old, ruled 16 years, in 17th year of Peka II Kings 15:32 735 II Kings 16:1-9, Isaiah 7:1 says King Rezin of Syria and Peka attacked Ahaz but couldn't take him, but Ahaz asked Tiglath to attack and he did killing Rezin.
230 18 Peka killed 150,000 in one day and took 200,000 back to Samaria II Chronicles 28:6, Oded the prophet told him to send them home, he did. 3027 2 734 Isaiah foretells the destruction of Ephraim Isaiah 7:1 fulfilled 62 years later when Esarhaddon King of Assur put people in Israel instead of the Jews (Ezra 4:2. Josephus says this came 140 years before the destruction of the Temple, Book 11, Chap 1, para 2 (6 years off, but then Josephus is wrong about a lot of numbers - compare scripture account of the returning people from Babylon and his numbers.)
231 19 3028 3 733  
232 20 3029 4 732  
233 Hoshea plotted against Peka and killed him, but didn't have the support to reign just yet. 3030 5 II Kings 15:30 731 20th year of since Jotham's reign
234   3031 6 730  
235 Interregnum due to lack of support hence authority as king. This must be so because Peka ruled only 20 years and Hoshea killed him yet didn't (or couldn't) take the throne until Ahaz's 12th year. 3032 7 729  
236   3033 8 728  
237   3034 9 727  
238   3035 10 726  
239   3036 11 725  
240 Hoshea gained the support and reigned 12th year of Ahaz, ruled 9 years 3037 12 II Kings 17:1 724  
241 2 3038 13 723  
242 3 II Kings 18:1, must have been at the very end of his 3rd year 3039 14 Hezekiah co-regent ruled 29 years at 25 years old in the 3rd year of Hoshea 722 Hezekiah had the priests cleanse the house of the Lord the 1st of Nisan and they finished on the 16th having sanctified the Temple in his 1st year.
243 4 3040 15 1 * 721 * This year is counted as year 1 because of II Kings 18:10 which links Hezekiah's 6th with Hoshea's 9th and last year.
244 5 3041 16 2 720  
245 6 3042 3 719  
246 7 II Kings 17:1-6 Shalmaneser made Hoshea servant because he had conspired with the king of Egypt 3043 4 718 II Kings 18:9-16 says Shalmaneser king of Assyria besieged Sameria for 3 years in the 4th year of Hezekiah which was the 7th year of Hoshea
247 8 3044 5 717  
248 9 The last of Israel was all taken to Assyria. 3045 6 716 II Kings 18:10 And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.
249 No more kings of Israel until Jesus came! 3046 7 715  
250   3047 8 714 When Hezekiah calls Israel to join Judah in Jerusalem for the Passover, they came, but the priests were not ready so they kept the Passover in the 2nd month instead of Nisan, II Chronicles 30 because there were too few priests, of the remnant of Israel they should come, II Chronicles 30:6, II Kings 15:29
251 Judah was in doom of that of Israel, but Hezekiah asked the king of Assyria how much not to destroy them. Then Hezekiah gave him all the silver of the house of the Lord and cut off the gold from the Temple doors or pay him. II Kings 18:13-16 3048 9 713  
252   3049 10 712  
253   3050 11 711 Tirhakah king of Ethiopia ruled during this time II Kings 19:9
254   3051 12 710  
255   3052 13 709  
256 Sennacherib came and took many cities of Judah in the 14th year of Hezekiah, II Kings 18:9-15, Isaiah 36:1 3053 14 708  
257 II Kings 19 and 20 have 3 very important issues: God did not wish the line of kings to continue but for Hezekiah's cry, He gave him 15 more years. This was also when the sun went back 10 degrees as a sign he'd be healed. 3054 15 * Sabbatical Year (II Kings 19:29) 707

* The King of Assyria told he'd destroy Jerusalem. Hezekiah ran to the Lord and Isaiah said God would defend Jerusalem for His sake, and killed 185,000 men of Assyria with an angel. II Kings 19:35-37, Isaiah 37:36-38, Sennacherib king of Assyria then left to go home and was murdered by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer and they escaped to Armenia and Esarhaddon his son reigned. The army was destroyed 14 Nisan (During Passover)

It is at the end of the "sign" time that I believe that the angle of the Lord killed the 185,000 men of war on 14 Nisan, Passover of Hezekiah's 15th year.

The 15th year was the year of the sun going back 10 degrees and the year Hezekiah was healed by God of whatever fatal boil he had (cured by a fig paste), on the 13th of Nisan.

258   3055 16 Year of Jubilee (II Kings 19:29) 706 Encyclopaedia Britannica says 706 is the year in which for 9 months Marduk-Baladan ruled that mentioned the visitors from Babylon to Hezekiah and Isaiah's prophecy II Kings 20:16-19, Isaiah 39, Berodahbaladan son of Baladan king of Babylon heard Hezekiah was sick and sent him letters. Isaiah foretold Judah's future.
259 In the 17th year of Hezekiah, after being healed he had a son, Manasseh, the most evil king of all kings and God wanted to spare Judah this future mess. 3056 17 705  
260   3057 18 704  
261   3058 19 703  
262   3059 20 702  
263   3060 21 701  
264   3061 22 700  
265   3062 23 699  
266   3063 24 698  
267   3064 25 697  
268   3065 26 696  
269   3066 27 695  
270   3067 28 694  
271   3068 29 Manasseh, 12 years old, ruled 55 years, II Kings 21:1 693  
272   3069 2 692  
273   3070 3 691  
274   3071 4 690  
275   3072 5 689  
276   3073 6 688  
277   3074 7 687  
278   3075 8 686  
279   3076 9 685  
280   3077 10 684  
281   3078 11 683  
282   3079 12 682  
283   3080 13 681  
284   3081 14 680  
285   3082 15 679  
286   3083 16 678  
287   3084 17 677  
288   3085 18 676  
289   3086 19 675  
290   3087 20 674  
291   3088 21 673  
292   3089 22 672  
293   3090 23 671  
294   3091 24 670  
295   3092 25 669  
296   3093 26 668  
297   3094 27 667 Shamashshumukin king of Babylon (ruled 20 years) 667-648 BC
298   3095 28 666  
299   3096 29 665  
300   3097 30 664 Psammetichus I rules Egypt (664-610 BC) 54 years.
301   3098 31 663  
302   3099 32 662  
303   3100 33 661  
304   3101 34 660  
305   3102 35 659  
306   3103 36 658  
307   3104 37 657  
308   3105 38 656  
309   3106 39 655  
310   3107 40 654  
311   3108 41 653  
312   3109 42 652  
313   3110 43 651  
314   3111 44 650  
315   3112 45 649  
316   3113 46 648  
317   3114 47 647 Kandalanu king of Babylon (ruled 22 years) 647-626 BC
318   3115 48 646  
319   3116 49 645  
320   3117 50 644  
321   3118 51 643  
322   3119 52 642  
323   3120 53 641 Without details, at some time in Manasseh's life, he was taken prisoner to Babylon by the captain of the guard of the king of Assyria. Manasseh cried to the Lord, humbled himself and he was let go to return to Israel to continue as king. This so he would know Who was God.