Kingdom of Judah Totally Explained

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ť Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. The Kingdom of Judah (c.930–586 BCE) was one of the successor states to the "United Monarchy" often known as the Kingdom of Israel. It is often referred to as the Southern Kingdom to distinguish it from the "Northern Kingdom" of Israel. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Kingdom of Judah first emerged after the death of Saul the King, when the tribe of Judah elevated King David to rule over them. The area of Har Yehudah (=the mountain (district) of the gorge(s)) seems to have originally been occupied by Kenites, Calebites, Othnielites, and in Jerusalem Jebusites. The tribe of Judah was Biblically initially the only one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel to follow the house of David to found the Southern Kingdom. Soon after, the tribe of Benjamin joined the tribe of Judah. According to the 2 Samuel (5:6&7), Jerusalem became the capital of the new kingdom.
After the death of Saul's son Ish-bosheth, David came to rule the other tribes of Israel, creating a united Kingdom of Israel. David's grandson Rehoboam was rejected by ten of the twelve Tribes of Israel during the disruption at Shechem, leaving only the Kingdom of Judah ruled by the Davidic line. The Northern Kingdom fell to the Assyrian Empire c. 720 BCE but the Kingdom of Judah survived for almost 350 years until it was conquered in 586 BCE by the Babylonian Empire under Nebuzar-adan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's body-guard.(2 Kings 25:8-21). This event coincided with the destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem and with the Babylonian Captivity.

History

The United Monarchy was formed out of the territories of the twelve Hebrew tribes living in the area in and around modern Israel and Palestine. It existed from around 1030-920 BCE.
   After the death of King Solomon, the son of King David, the ten northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel revolted against the Davidic line, refusing to accept Rehoboam son of Solomon and instead chose as king Jeroboam who wasn't a member of King David's family.
   When the disruption took place at Shechem, at first only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David. But very soon after the tribe of Benjamin joined the tribe of Judah, and Jerusalem became the capital of the new kingdom (Joshua 18:28), which was called the kingdom of Judah. The Second Book of Chronicles (2 Chronicles 15:9) also says that members of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon "fled" to Judah during the reign of Asa.
   For the first sixty years, the kings of Judah aimed at re-establishing their authority over the kingdom of the other ten tribes, so that there was a state of perpetual war between them. For the following eighty years, there was no open war between them. For the most part, they were in friendly alliance, co-operating against their common enemies, especially against Damascus.
   The Kingdom of Israel, or Northern Kingdom, existed as an independent state from about 930 BCE until around 720 BCE when it was conquered by the Assyrian Empire. The Bible relates that all Israelites were exiled, becoming known as the The Ten Lost Tribes. However, it's estimated that only a fifth of the population (about 40,000) were actually resettled out of the area during the two deportation periods under Tiglath-pilaser III and Sargon II. Nevertheless, many Israelites fled south to Jerusalem, which appears to have expanded in size by 500% during this period, requiring a new wall to be built, and a new source of water (Siloam) to be provided by King Hezekiah.
   After the destruction of Israel, Judah continued to exist for about a century and a half until being overthrown by the Babylonians.
   King Hezekiah of Judah (727-698 BCE) is noted in the Bible for initiating reforms that enforced Jewish laws against idolatry (in this case, the worship of Ba'alim and Asherah, among other traditional Near Eastern divinities). In his reign is also dated the Siloam inscription in Old Hebrew alphabet. Manasseh of Judah (698-642 BCE), sacrificed his son to Molech, . He and his son Amon (reigned 642-640 BCE) reversed Hezekiah's reforms and officially revived idolatry. According to later rabbinical accounts, Manasseh placed a grotesque, four-faced idol in the Holy of Holies.
   The reign of king Josiah (640-609 BCE) was accompanied by a religious reformation. According to the Bible, while repairs were made on the Temple, a 'Book of the Law' was discovered (possibly the book of Deuteronomy).
   In 586 BCE, the Babyloníans, under king Nebuchadnezzar II, seized Jerusalem. The First Temple was destroyed; the date was the 9th of Av, or Tisha B'Av.
   In the wake of this conquest much of the population of the Kingdom of Judah was deported from the land and dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire.

Culture

Notable Personalities

Prophets Active in the Kingdom of Judah

Amos, born in Judah but prophesied in Israel
Habakkuk
Isaiah, cousin of king Uzziah
Jeremiah
Joel
Micah
Obadiah
Zechariah
Zephaniah

Extent of the Kingdom

The Kingdom of Judah was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, and was named after Judah, son of Jacob (Israel).
Its capital was Jerusalem.
The kingdom maintained a separate existence for three hundred and eighty-nine years. It occupied an area of about 8,900 km² (3,435 square miles).

The Kings of Judah

For this period, most historians follow either of the older chronologies established by William F. Albright or Edwin R. Thiele, or the newer chronology of Gershon Galil, all of which are shown below. All dates are BCE.

Albright dates	Thiele dates	Galil dates	Common/Biblical name	Regnal Name and style	Notes
The House of David
1000–962		1010–970	David	דוד בן-ישי מלך ישראל David ben Yishai, Melekh Ysr’el	Reigned over Israel & Judah in Jerusalem for 33 years and 7 years in Hebron, 40 years in total. Death: Natural causes
962–922		970–931	Solomon	שלמה בן-דוד מלך ישראל Shelomoh ben David, Melekh Ysr’el	Reigned over Israel & Judah in Jerusalem for 40 years. Death: Natural Causes Son of David by Bathsheba, his rights of succession were disputed by his older half-brother Adonijah
922–915	931–913	931–914	Rehoboam	רחבעם בן-שלמה מלך יהודה Rehav’am ben Shlomoh, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 17 years. Death: Natural Causes
915–913	913–911	914–911	Abijam	אבים בן-רחבעם מלך יהודה ’Aviyam ben Rehav’am, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 3 years. Death: Natural Causes
913–873	911–870	911–870	Asa	אסא בן-אבים מלך יהודה ’Asa ben ’Aviyam, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 41 years. Death: Severe foot disease
873–849	870–848	870–845	Jehoshaphat	יהושפט בן-אסא מלך יהודה Yehoshafat ben ’Asa, Melekh Yahudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 35 years. Death: Natural Causes
849–842	848–841	851–843	Jehoram	יהורם בן-יהושפט מלך יהודה Yehoram ben Yehoshafat, Melekh Yahudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 8 years. Death: Severe Stomach disease
842–842	841–841	843–842	Ahaziah	אחזיהו בן-יהורם מלך יהודה ’Ahazyahu ben Yehoram, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 1 year. Death: Killed by Jehu, who usurped the throne of Israel
842–837	841–835	842–835	Athaliah	עתליה בת-עמרי מלכת יהודה ‘Atalyah bat ‘Omri, Malkat Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 6 years. Death: Killed by the troops assigned by Jehoiada the Priest to protect Joash. Queen Mother, widow of Jehoram and mother of Ahaziah
837–800	835–796	842–802	Jehoash	יהואש בן-אחזיהו מלך יהודה Yehoash ben ’Ahazyahu, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 40 years. Death: Killed by his officials namely: Zabad, son of Shimeath, a Moabite Woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith, a Moabite Woman.
800–783	796–767	805–776	Amaziah	אמציה בן-יהואש מלך יהודה ’Amatzyah ben Yehoash, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 29 years. Death: Killed in Lachish by the men sent by his officials who conspired against him.
783–742	767–740	788–736	Uzziah (Azariah)	עזיה בן-אמציה מלך יהודה ‘Uziyah ben ’Amatzyah, Melekh Yehudah עזריה בן-אמציה מלך יהודה ‘Azaryah ben ’Amatzyah, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 52 years. Death: Tzaraas George Syncellus wrote that the First Olympiad took place in Uzziah's 48th regnal year.
742–735	740–732	758–742	Jotham	יותם בן-עזיה מלך יהודה Yotam ben ‘Uziyah, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 16 years. Death: Natural Causes
735–715	732–716	742–726	Ahaz	אחז בן-יותם מלך יהודה ’Ahaz ben Yotam, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 16 years. Death: Natural Causes The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III records he received tribute from Ahaz; compare 2 Kings 16:7-9
715–687	716–687	726–697	Hezekiah	חזקיה בן-אחז מלך יהודה Hizqiyah ben ’Ahaz, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 29 years. Death: Natural Causes Contemporary with Sennacherib of Assyria and Merodach-Baladan of Babylon.
687–642	687–643	697–642	Manasseh	מנשה בן-חזקיה מלך יהודה Menasheh ben Hizqiyah, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 55 years. Death: Natural Causes Mentioned in Assyrian records as a contemporary of Esarhaddon
642–640	643–641	642–640	Amon	אמון בן-מנשה מלך יהודה ’Amon ben Menasheh, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 2 years. Death: Killed by his officials, which were killed later on by the people of Judah.
640–609	641–609	640–609	Josiah	יאשיהו בן-אמון מלך יהודה Yo’shiyahu ben ’Amon, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 31 years. Death: He was shot by archers during the battle against Neco of Egypt. He died upon his arrival on Jerusalem.
609	609	609	Jehoahaz (Ahaz)	יהואחז בן-יאשיהו מלך יהודה Yeho’ahaz ben Yo’shiyahu, Melekh Yehudah אחז בן-יאשיהו מלך יהודה ’Ahaz ben Yo’shiyahu, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 3 months. Death: Neco, king of Egypt, dethroned him and was replaced by his brother, Eliakim. Then he was carried off to Egypt, where he died.
609–598	609–598	609–598	Jehoiakim	יהויקים בן-יאשיהו מלך יהודה Yehoyaqim ben Yo’shiyahu, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 11 years. Death: Natural Causes The Battle of Carchemish occurred in the fourth year of his reign (Jeremiah 46:2)
598	598	598–597	Jehoiachin (Jeconiah)	יהויכין בן-יהויקים מלך יהודה Yehoyakhin ben Yehoyaqim, Melekh Yehudah יכניהו בן-יהויקים מלך יהודה Yekhonyahu ben Yehoyaqim, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 3 months & 10 days. Death: King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon sent for him and brought him to Babylon, where he lived and died. Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians and Jehoiachin deposed on 16 March, 597 BCE. Called Jeconiah in Jeremiah and Esther
597–587	597–586	597–586	Zedekiah	צדקיהו בן-יהויכין מלך יהודה Tzidqiyahu ben Yo’shiyahu, Melekh Yehudah	Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 11 years. Death: Unknown. His reign saw the second rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar (588-586 BCE). Jerusalem was captured after a lengthy siege, the temple burnt, Zedekiah blinded and taken into exile, and Judah reduced to a province.

From the end of the kingdom to the present

After the end of the ancient kingdom the area passed into foreign rule, apart from brief periods, under the following powers:

586–539 BCE: Babylonian Empire

539–332 BCE: Persian Empire

332–305 BCE: Empire of Alexander the Great

305–198 BCE: Ptolemaics

198–141 BCE: Seleucids

141–37 BCE: The Hasmonean kingdom in Israel established by the Maccabees, after 63 BCE under Roman supremacy

37 BCE–70 CE: Herodian Dynasty ruling Judea under Roman supremacy (37 BCE-6 CE and 41-44 CE), interchanging with direct Roman rule (6-41 CE and 44-66 CE). This ended in the first Jewish Revolt of 66-73 AD, which saw the Temple destroyed in 70 CE.

6 CE Census of Quirinius and establishment of Roman Iudaea Province

70–395: province of Roman Empire first called Judea, after 135 called Palaestina. In 395 the Roman Empire is split into a Western and an Eastern part.

395–638: Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire

638–1099: Arab Caliphates and subject rulers

1099–1187: Crusader states, most notably the Kingdom of Jerusalem

1187–1260: dominated by the Ayyubids of Egypt and Damascus

1260–1516: dominated by the Mamluks of Egypt

1516–1917: Ottoman Turks, having previously conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453

1918–1948: British mandate of Palestine under, first, League of Nations, then, successor United Nations; the Emirate of Trans-Jordan was separated from the rest of Palestine in 1922, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan became independent upon the expiration of the League of Nations Mandate in 1946.

May 1948 to present: independent State of Israel ť *1948-1967 the West Bank was occupied by, and in 1950 annexed to, Jordan. Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt

*1967 to present: the West Bank and Gaza Strip occupied by Israel in the Six Day War, since :1994 a semi-autonomous Palestinian Authority governs territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

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