Old Testament












K I N G S   O F   I S R A E L


 
 KING*
 REIGN
 FATHER
 
 Dates Reigned
 Scripture Ref
 Mother
hr
1.
 JEROBOAM I
 22 yrs. (evil)
 Nebat, an Ephrathite
 
 930-909 B.C.
 I Ki.14:9
 Zeruah, widow at birth
 
2.
 NADAB
 2 (evil)
 Jeroboam, Nebat's son
 
 909-908
 I Ki.15:26
 Mother not named
 
3.
 BAASHA
 24 (evil)
 Ahijah, an Issacharite
 
 908-885
 I Ki.15:34
 Mother not named
 
4.
 ELAH
 2 (evil)
 Baasha, Ahijah's son
 
 885-884
 I Ki.16:9
 Mother not named
 
5.
 ZIMRI
 7 days (evil)
 Possible Saul desc.(I Ch.8:36)
 
 884
 I Ki.16:18sx
 Mother not named
 
6.
 OMRI
 12 (evil)
 Father not named
 
 884-873
 I Ki.16:25
 Mother not named
 
7.
 AHAB
 22 (evil)
 Omri
 
 873-853
 I Ki.16:30
 Mother not named
 
8.
 AHAZIAH
 2 (evil)
 Ahab, Omri's son
 
 853-852
 I Ki.22:52
 Jezebel, Ethbaal's dau.?
 
9.
 JEHORAM (Joram)
 12 (evil)
 Ahab, Omri's son
 
 852-841
 II Ki.3:2
 Jezebel, Ethbaal's dau.?
 
10.
 JEHU
 28 (evil)
 Jehoshaphat, Nimshi's son
 
 841-813
 II Ki.10:31
 Mother not named
 
11.
 JEHOAHAZ
 17 (evil)
 Jehu, Jehoshaphat's son
 
 813-798
 II Ki.13:2
 Mother not named
 
12.
 JEHOASH (Joash)
 16 (evil)
 Jehoahaz, Jehu's son
 
 798-781
 II Ki.13:11
 Mother not named
 
13.
 JEROBOAM II
 41 (evil)
 Jehoash, Jehoahaz's son
 
 781-753 (792-Co-Regent)
 II Ki.14:24
 Mother not named
 
14.
 ZACHARIAH
 6 mo. (evil)
 Jeroboam II, Jehoash's son
 
 753-752
 II Ki.15:9
 Mother not named
 
15.
 SHALLUM
 1 mo. (evil)
 Jabesh
 
 752
 II Ki.15:15
 Mother not named
 
16.
 MENAHEM
 10 (evil)
 Gadi
 
 752-741
 II Ki.15:18
 Mother not named
 
17.
 PEKAHIAH
 2 (evil)
 Menahem, Gadi's son
 
 741-739
 II Ki.15:24
 Mother not named
 
18.
 PEKAH
 22 (evil)
 Remaliah
 
 739-731 (Counted from 752)
 II Ki.15:28
 Mother not named
 
19.
 HOSHEA
 9 (evil)
 Elah
 
 731-722
 II Ki.17:2
 Mother not named
hr
KING*
 =
 Given name. Some were known by more than 1 name.
Dates
 =
 Approx. dates of reign B.C., some overlapping in transition and some as co-regents.
REIGN
 =
 Number of years and type of reign.
Ref.
 =
 Biblical location of evaluation of reign.
FATHER =
 As identified in Scripture.
Mother
 =
 As identified in Scripture. (Most were not.)

No more kings. Israel (Northern Kingdom, captital at Samaria) finally fell to Assyria in 722/21 B.C., never to return. Her citizens were dispersed throughout other Assyrian-captured nations, and foreigners were supplanted within her borders. Only a few of the poorer class remained, mixing with these foreigners, eventually becoming the Samaritan Jew of Ezra's time to modern day. Judah (Southern Kingdom, capital at Jerusalem) would survive until falling to Babylon in 586 B.C., returning from captivity in 536. She would clash with the Samaritan Jews from Ezra's time forward.

Israel's kings were all regarded as evil, unlike Judah who produced 8 of 19 that could be classified somewhat good. Jeroboam, her first king, led these 10 Northern tribes away from God into pagan practices as abominable as the land's prior inhabitants, thus God's ultimate judgment as promised in the curses of Deuteronomy.

In contrast to Judah's kings, not as much biographical information can be found in Scripture: age, origin, etc. The dates given are representative of the best scholarly studies and vary within a few years.

* Dates taken from: Harrison, R.K., Introduction To The Old Testament, William B. Eerdmans Publ.Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., 1975, pp.735-736.