Divided Monarchy (c.931-722 BC)
To pay for his many projects Solomon imposed heavy taxes and instituted forced labour. After Solomon’s death his son Rehoboam (J; c.58; r.c.931-c.915 BC) went to Shechem to seek the allegiance of the northern tribes. When Rehoboam refused to grant them relief from Solomon’s taxes, they rebelled and two separate kingdoms were formed – Judah in the south under Rehoboam, and Israel in the north under Jeroboam-I (Israel; r.c.931-c.910 BC), a former official of Solomon.
• House of Jeroboam (Israel; c.931-c.909 BC)
In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign Sheshonq-I (r.c.945-c.924 BC), king of Egypt, brought a huge army and took many cities. When a siege was laid to Jerusalem, Rehoboam gave up all of the treasures in the Temple as a tribute. Fortunately, the internal weakness of Egypt prevented Sheshonq from following up his advantage. The Egyptians abandoned their gains and withdrew from Palestine. Rehoboam, severely weakened and having to consider a possible threat from the south, was in no position to move against Israel.
Jeroboam initially used Shechem as his administrative centre but later he made Tirzah (=Tell el-Farah (N)) his capital. He at once attempted to perpetuate the division with the southern kingdom by erecting at Dan and Bethel, at the northern and southern extremities of his kingdom, ‘golden calves’, which he set up as symbols of God, enjoining the people not to worship anymore at Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, but to bring their offerings to the shrines he had erected.
After the division of the kingdom, the border between Benjamin and Ephraim (which was the border between the two kingdoms) was disputed. Rehoboam’s son Abijah (J; r.c.915-c.912 BC) defeated Jeroboam on the frontier of Ephraim and proceeded to take the towns of Bethel, Jeshanah and Ephron, with their surrounding villages.
Abijah’s successor Asa (J; r.c.912-c.871 BC), like Rehoboam, had to face an invasion from the south, this time by Zerah the Ethiopian (an Egyptian garrison commander?). Asa defeated the invader at Mareshah and pursued him to Gerar. After this the Egyptian meddling in Palestinian affairs ceased.
• Houseof Baasha (Israel; c.909-c.885 BC)
When Jeroboam died, his son Nadab (I; r.c.910-c.909 BC) was assassinated by Baasha (I; r.c.909-c. 886 BC), presumably one of his officers, who established friendly relations with Damascus. Later in Asa’s reign, Baasha’s armies thrust southwards into Benjamin, taking Ramah, only five miles (≈8 km) north of Jerusalem. Asa sent gifts to Ben-Hadad-I (c.914-c.880 BC), begging him to break his treaty with Baasha and come to his aid. Ben-Hadad complied, sending an army to harry northern Galilee, thereby forcing Baasha to withdraw.
• Houseof Zimri (Israel; c.885 BC)
Baasha’s son Elah (I; r.c.886-c.885 BC) was assassinated by one of his officers, Zimri (I; r.c.885 BC). Within a week Omri (I; r.c.885-c.874 BC), commander of the army, had moved on Tirzah with his forces and Zimri, seeing all was lost, took his own life. Omri had to subdue Tibni (I; r.c.885-c.880 BC), who was supported by ‘half of the people’, before he could finally proclaim himself the undisputed king of Israel.
• House of Omri (Israel; c.885-c.841 BC)
Fifty years of instability had left Israel weak against hostile neighbours. Omri’s reign was brief but he initiated a policy that restored to Israel a measure of security and prosperity. He sought friendly relations with Judah, close ties with the Phoenicians, and a strong hand east of the Jordan, particularly against the Aramaeans.
Omri sealed an alliance with Ithobaal-I of Tyre (68; r.878-847 BC), by the marriage of his son Ahab (I; r.c.874-c.853 BC) to Ithobaal’s daughter Jezebel. An alliance with Judah was then sealed by the marriage of Ahab’s daughter Athaliah (J; r.c.842-c.835 BC) to Jehoram (J; r.c.854-c.842 BC), the son of Jehoshaphat (J; r.c.873-c.849 BC). Omri gained control over Moab ‘for many years’.
As a worshipper of Tyrian deities, Jezebel was allowed to practise her native religion on Israelite soil. A temple to Baal Melqart was built in Samaria, but Jezebel was determined that Baal would become the god of Israel. In this she was opposed by the prophet Elijah, who had a successful confrontation with prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, but had to flee when Jezebel threatened him with death.
The Transjordan region, which had been part of the allotment of Manasseh, was occupied by the Syrians until Ahab, who may have thought that the coalition had served its purpose after its temporary success at Qarqar 853 BC, united with Jehoshaphat to take Ramoth-gilead (c.853 BC).
Ahab was succeeded by Ahaziah (I; r.c.853-c.852 BC) and Joram (I; r.c.852-c.841 BC), his two sons by Jezebel. Ahaziah suffered a fall from which he died. Joram together with Jehoshaphat and his vassal, the king of Edom, marched against the Moabites, who saw the death of Ahab as a chance to recover their freedom from Israel. The Moabites were defeated but succeeded in becoming independent from Israelite rule.
In c.842 BC Ahaziah (J; r.c.843-c.842 BC), son of Jehoram of Judah (J; r.c.854-c.842 BC), and Joram united against Ben-Hadad’s successor Hazael (r.c.842-c.796 BC), who was at Ramoth-gilead. Joram was injured and returned to Jezreel. to be healed. Elijah’s successor, Elisha, had anointed Hazael to be king of Damascus and he now sent a prophet to anoint Jehu (I; r.c.841-c.814 BC), commander of Jehoram’s army at Ramoth-gilead, to be king of Israel. Jehu raced to Jezreel, where Ahaziah was visiting Joram. Jehu killed both kings and had Jezebel thrown from a high window.
• House of Jehu (Israel; c.841-c.752 BC)
Jehu then began a bloodbath. He sent instructions to the elders in Samaria to kill all the members of the Ahab family, which, in fear for their lives, they did. He then went to Samaria, enticed the worshipers of Baal into the temple then butchered them to the last man. The temple itself was burnt to the ground. The cult of Baal Melqart had been extirpated; Yahweh remained, at least officially, the God of Israel.
Jehoram of Judah promoted the worship of Yahweh in his country but allowed his wife Athaliah to introduce the cult of Baal in Jerusalem. After the death of her son Ahaziah, she ordered the execution of his successors and had herself proclaimed queen. However, a grandson named Joash (J; c.47; r.c.836-c.797 BC), had been rescued and then raised in secret. Seven years later he was revealed and when Athaliah rushed to stop the rebellion she was captured and killed. The temple of Baal was demolished and its priests put to death.
Jehu’s purge had left Israel weakened: the killing of Jezebel ended the relationship with Phoenicia; and the murder of Ahaziah ended the alliance with Judah. After being held at Qarqar in 853 BC, Shalmaneser III (r.859-824 BC) returned in 842 BC, besieged Damascus and extracted tribute from Tyre, Sidon and Israel. But the Assyrians had not yet come to stay; their attention was diverted to campaigns elsewhere. This allowed Hazael a free hand against Israel. Transjordan south of the Arnon was soon captured; and under Jehu’s son Jehoahaz (I; r.c.814-c.798 BC), Israel was defeated and reduced to the status of a dependency of Damascus.
The ascendancy of Damascus ended abruptly with the campaigns of Adad-nirari III (r.811-783 BC) against the Aramaean states during which Damascus was crushed. Israel still had to pay tribute but the blow was not nearly so hard. Fortunately, later years found Adad-nirari busy elsewhere, but Damascus was left too weak to retain its hold on Israel.
Israel’s resurgence began under Jehu’s grandson Jehoash (I; r.c.798-c.782 BC). He is said to have recovered all the cities lost by his father – presumably this means that Aramaeans were ejected from Israelite territory west of the Jordan. Later in his reign, Jehoash was involved in war with Amaziah (J; r.c.797-c.768 BC), the king of Judah. Jehoash utterly defeated Amaziah at Beth-Shemesh, west of Jerusalem. Jehoash then advanced on Jerusalem, broke down a portion of the wall, and carried away the treasures of the Temple and the palace.
Jeroboam II of Israel (I; r.c.793-c.753 BC) recovered all the land on both sides of the Jordan that Israel had lost since the division. Damascus, which had earlier occupied much of Israel, was reduced to the status of Israel’s vassal state. Jeroboam’s contemporary at Judah, Uzziah (J; r.c.791-c.740 BC), repaired the fortifications in Jerusalem, reorganised the army and equipped it with new weapons. The lapsed alliance between the two now-flourishing nations was renewed. Between them, Jeroboam and Uzziah controlled territory almost as extensive as that of Solomon’s at the height of his power.
In the northern kingdom Jeroboam constructed new buildings and engaged in international trade. As the nation became richer the people became more religious – they believed their wealth was a sign of God’s favour. Towards the end of Jeroboam’s reign the prophet Amos proclaimed that the Israelite society had become morally corrupt – many Israelites had become rich, but at the expense of the poor. His later contemporary, the prophet Hosea, declared that Israel had gone astray and would be punished.
• Houses of Shallum and Menahem (Israel; c.752-c.740 BC)
After the death of Jeroboam, Israel experienced a period of internal political instability combined with increasing pressure from Assyria. Jeroboam’s son Zechariah (I; r.c.753-c.752 BC) ruled for only six months before he was murdered by Shallum (I; r.c.752 BC).
Menahem (I; r.c.752-c.742 BC) marched to Samaria, killed Shallum just a month into his reign and declared himself king. Tiphsah, a town that had refused to surrender, was destroyed and its pregnant women ripped open. When Tiglath-pileser III (r.745-727 BC) advanced into the west it appears that Menahem willingly surrendered his country’s independence and gave Tiglath-pileser a heavy tribute in the hope that the Assyrians would support him on his shaky throne.
• Houses of Pekah and Hoshea (Israel; c.740-722 BC)
Patriots in Israel naturally resented Menahem’s submission to the Assyrians. When Menahem was succeeded by his son Pekahiah (I; r.c.742-c.740 BC) the latter was killed by his captain, Pekah (I; r.c.740-c.731 BC), in Sumaria.
Pekah formed an alliance with Rezin of Damascus (r.c.740-c.732 BC) against the Assyrians and asked Judah, now ruled by Uzziah’s son Jotham (J; r.c.751-c.736 BC), to join them. Jotham refused and the coalition, unwilling to leave a potentially hostile power behind them, declared war on him – the Syro-Ephraimite War (735 BC). Jotham died and it was his son Ahaz (J; r.c.736-c.716 BC) who faced the coalition when it attacked Judah and besieged Jerusalem.
Ahaz went to Damascus (which the Assyrian had just conquered) to pay homage to Tiglath-pileser and to ask for his help. When Pekah’s position weakened as the Assyrians pressed forward from the south, he was assassinated by Hoshea (I; r.c.731-c.722 BC), who surrendered to the Assyrians.
Later, under Egyptian influence, Hoshea tried to restore Israel’s independence. Shalmaneser V (r.727-722 BC) besieged Samaria, which held out for three years. Shalmaneser died during the siege but his successor Sargon II (r.722-705 BC) conquered the town. Its inhabitants and the rest of the population of the northern kingdom were carried into exile. This marked the end of Israel as an independent kingdom, and the Assyrians split it into three provinces: Megiddo (northwest), Samaria (west of the Jordan), and Gilead (east of the Jordan).
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