KINGS of ISRAEL and JUDAH CHART INDEX

The books of the Kings are structured in the form of a ‘combination lock’ 1 INTRODUCTORY NOTES
which, going backward unlocks the door to ancient history, and forward, tracks
the messianic timetable. The books contain a repeating formula where the 2 THE RISE of DAVID 1010 BC to 970 BC
accession of a king is synchronised with the reign of his contemporary in the
neighbouring kingdom (whether Judah or Israel) followed by the number of 3 SOLOMONS SPLENDID REIGN 970 BC to 930 BC
years that he reigned. Thus, “In the (x)th year of king (A) of Israel, king (B) of
Judah began to reign and he reigned (y) years.” 4 DIVISION of the KINGDOM 930 BC to 890 BC
At first sight it seems simple ­ just do the math and the formula should
work? It might have been that easy if not for several little quirks in the Hebrew 5 HOUSE of OMRI 890 BC to 850 BC
calendar. For example, the kings of Judah started their reigns in the 7th month,
Tishri, instead of Abib. Understanding these small variations reveal a finely 6 TWO ABSOLUTE DATES 850 BC to 840 BC
tuned timeline running beneath the surface of scripture which I have called 'The
Atonement Clock.' 7 JEHU and JOASH 840 BC to 790 BC

8 TIMES of UZZIAH 790 BC to 740 BC

9 THE FALL of SAMARIA 740 BC to 720 BC

10 HEZEKIAHS DELIVERANCE 720 BC to 690 BC

11 MANASSEHS EVIL REIGN 690 BC to 640 BC

12 THE FALL of JERUSALEM 640 BC to 590 BC

AUTHORS PURPOSE
The following charts are a diagrammatic overview of the Hebrew Kings era.
I have allocated a single A4 size page to timelines spanning about 50 years per
page. At the top of each page is room for one detail diagram plus a limited
amount of text. The timelines show each year, partial years, co­regencies,
Sabbaths and major events, together with biblical references. They will be useful
to anyone who wants a very accurate, but visually simple, succession of
timeframes covering Israel’s early historical time periods.
It is not my intent to provide extra­biblical sources or citations here, but
my research information is available. 1 And, although the text boxes are brief, a
careful examination of the charts themselves will synchronise the reigns of kings
with precision. It is my hope that these be downloaded, printed, and made use
of by Bible teachers.
Copyright © 2014 E. C. Gedge (Revised 2018, Revised 2020)
EXPLANATION of METHOD
In ascertaining a true chronology of the kings, I have generally followed
the research of Dr. Edwin Thiele, 2 albeit with refinements by recent scholars.
His important work, first developed by Valerius Coucke, 3 included the
discovery that Judah’s regnal year began in Tishri, whereas Israel (Samaria)
began its regnal year in Nisan (Abib). Moreover, Judah used an ‘accessional’
regnal system whereas Samaria’s was ‘non­accessional’. In addition to these
breakthroughs, Thiele proposed co­regencies to solve apparent contradictions
between the twin kingdom timelines.
Thiele established several ‘absolute dates’, confirmed by Assyrian and
Hebrew records, from which we may plot a reliable chronology of the Kings
forwards and backwards from those points. They include the last year of Ahab
(853 BC) and the first year of Jehu. (841 BC) Nebuchadnezzar’s sack of
Jerusalem in 587 BC also provides an absolute date – a one year refinement
made by Roger Young. 4 However, I have retained Thiele’s date for the division
of the kingdom as 930 BC. My paper explaining this is found here. 5
My chronology of the important Hezekiah period differs significantly
from the standard method. I do not find justification for a long co­regency with
his father Ahaz, and I place the 14th year of Hezekiah in 712/11 BC. This is the
subject of research done by Gerard Gertoux. 6 My treatment of this section is
elaborated on in my published book, ‘The Atonement Clock.’ 7
REFERENCES
1 Chronology of the Kingdom, Christian Gedge, 2016
2 Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, Edwin Thiele, 1951
3Chronologie biblique. In Supplément au dictionnaire de la Bible,
Valerius Coucke, 1928
4https://www.academia.edu/2158841/When_Did_Jerusalem_Fall
Roger Young, 2004
5https://www.academia.edu/27691574/Exodus_Date_Refinement
Christian Gedge
6https://www.academia.edu/2926387/
Dating_the_Sennacheribs_Campaign_to_Judah, Gerard Gertoux
7https://www.academia.edu/12760428/The_Atonement_Clock
Christian Gedge
 The rise of David as king provides a clue to how the Tishri to Tishri year
came about. From Moses and the Exodus Abib was the calendar new year, but
from David the Judean kings counted their reigns from Tishri, (at that time
called 'Ethanim.')
It should be noted that Abib remained the first month, but the kings
'regnal' count of years was measured from the 7th month, in the same way as our
modern 'financial' or 'school' years are reckoned.
Apparently David was crowned in Ethanim (Tishri) and the house of
David simply continued counting from there. The evidence for this is a special
emphasis his chronology makes of an extra six months ­ a forty year reign
described as seven and a half years in Hebron plus thirty­three years in
Jerusalem. Then, when we examine the last few months of his stay in Ziklag, it
shows the Philistine invasion taking place in the summer of 1008 BC. He
moved to Hebron shortly afterward and was anointed king shortly after that
again. These series of events seem to point to his coronation in the 7th month.
Then of course, there are the synchronisms between the two kingdoms in
the books of the Kings, which only click into place when the Judean kings are
counted from Tishri. More on the regnal year later:

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE The Rise of David ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 From Solomon's fourth year is calculated the date of the Exodus.
Moreover, it frames the time of the Judges, so that an order of the middle era can
be built inside of it. The year is key to early Hebrew history and is arguably the
most important chronological detail in the Bible. It's mention is repeated in 1
Kings as well as Chronicles.
"In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came
out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in
the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the
Lord." (1 Kings 6:1)
Our research locates Solomon's fourth year from Ethanim (Tishri) 965
BC, which means the month of Ziv would have been early 964 BC. But this
date is two years later than the commonly quoted 966 BC. Why the difference?
It is because commentaries treat his accession year as if it was his first year.
They do it again with Rehoboam's accession. However, the house of David
treated the first full year as 'number 1.' They had a system of dating where the
incomplete portion of months from a father's death to the end of the regnal year
became the sons 'accession' ­ not his 'first year.' (See diagram opposite)
More on 'accessional' and 'non­accessional' systems next:

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE Solomon's Splendid Reign ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 The distinction between 'accessional' and 'non­accessional' dating is
more clearly noticed when the kingdom split after Solomon's death in
930 BC. In both cases the part­year beginning and ending a kings
reign are counted as two of his years, even though they are less than
twelve months.
However, the non­accessional system calls the first portion of a kings
reign his 'first' year, whereas the accessional method calls it his
'accession year' as explained before, with his 'first' year coming after that.
Please examine the diagrams. Jeroboam's northern kingdom was non­
accessional and counted from Nisan to Nisan So, his first year was
from late 930 to Nisan 929 BC. Rehoboam's southern kingdom was
accessional and counted from Tishri, (indicated by the dotted lines.)
So, his accession year was from late 930 to Tishri 929 BC. (Asa's
accession was in 911 BC)
Notice how some kings appear one year less than the stated length of reign because
of how they treated part­years. When we count from Rehoboam’s first year, we reach his
final year in 913 BC and it comes to sixteen. But did it not say he reigned seventeen? Yes,
but the seventeen year tally includes his accession year which was at the beginning. When
these formulas are followed, the biblical records slot together like a jigsaw puzzle.

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE Division of the Kingdom ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 The division of the kingdom has recently been quoted as 931 BC by
scholars. Their conclusion is based on an absolute date, the battle of Qarqar in 853
BC, and extrapolated back until that time. However, 930 BC is the more accurate
date. This detail may seem pedantic, but when realised, it pins Solomon's important
fourth year at 964 BC, and the Exodus of Israel from Egypt at 1444 BC ­ not 1446
BC as also commonly given.
In spite of our best efforts, an obscure synchronism seems to have been
overlooked during the period of the early kings. The oversight occurs at the
founding of Omri's dynasty, and arises from the old method of counting part­years
as if they were full years. Omri was said to have reigned twelve years, so that is
treated by chronologists as ten plus two part­years at the start and finish of his term.
At first sight it seems consistent with how other reigns are counted in the
Hebrew king records, but a careful examination of the wording shows that Omri
had more than two partial years. His reign was four plus two part­years in Tirzah,
and four plus two part­years in Samaria. This is indeed twelve years in total
according to the Hebrew system of counting, but when reckoned by our system, it
comes to slightly less than eleven. Please check it out in the expanded detail
diagram opposite.

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE House of Omri ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 Bible historians are fortunate to have absolute dates which anchor secular events to the biblical timeline.
For example, the Assyrian Kurkh stela records Ahab's presence at the battle of Qarqar in the spring of 853 BC.
Notice also how Ahab's son, Ahaziah, shared the throne from one year beforehand. He probably was appointed co­
regent so that his father could leave for foreign wars. Then he became full­regent later that summer when Ahab
died at Ramoth Gilead.
Similarly, Jehu is shown paying tribute in 841 BC, on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser. These two events
are dated to the sixth and eighteenth years of Shalmaneser III, confirming the biblical count of twelve years from
Ahab to when Jehu slew Ahab’s family, along with the king of Judah in 841 BC.
“In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Joram the son of Ahab became king over Israel in
Samaria, and he reigned twelve years.” (2 Kings 3:1)
However, it needs to be pointed out, that early 841 BC (January to March) is actually in the previous year
insofar as the Hebrew calendar is concerned. So, although 841 BC is correct on our Roman calendar, it seems that
Jehu destroyed the house of Ahab in his very short ‘first’ year, and paid tribute to Shalmaneser in his second year.
The line of Judah shows the same synchronism. Queen Athaliah usurped the throne at the same time Jehu in
the northern kingdom did, so her ‘first’ year would have been about Shebat (February) 841 BC to Tishri 841 BC. I
have expanded the timelines on this page so these fine details can be displayed.

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE Two Absolute Dates ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 Several confusing exceptions to the accessional counting rule occur in Judah's king
records. The 23rd year of Joash only works using a non­accessional count, his accession
counting as 'number 1' and his first full year as 'number 2.' It probably was a hangover from
Queen Athaliah's attempt to introduce changes, whose six­year reign is also measured that way.
(See previous page timeline) However, Judah's original method seems to have been reinstated
later in the reign of Joash.
The second (apparent) exception is Joash's death which doesn't give his son an accession
year at all! Amaziah's accession year actually was his first year because it began in the seventh
month. We deduce this from a term, "at the turn of the year," describing when Aram invaded
Judah. Joash was wounded, and then assassinated by traitors at this time. (2 Chron. 24:23­26)
Now, 'turn of the year' is assumed to refer to the new calendar year, so some date this
event to Nisan. However, the 'turn' was really a season­change term used for agricultural
purposes. It happened in autumn coinciding with Judah's regnal month.
"Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the
Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year." (Exodus 34:22, Ex. 23:16)
So, Joash died a mere week or two into his final 'year' in the month of Tishri 798 BC
and Amaziah became king in the same seventh month. Amaziah's first year began straight away
and the 'exception' is not really an exception at all!

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE Jehu and Joash ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 It is not possible to calculate king lists without sooner or later running into occasions of dual rule.
These overlaps arise from co­regency arrangements between father and son, or years apportioned to
rivals during civil war. Examples include Jeroboam 2, and the classic example of Uzziah whose unusually
long tenure included most of his father Amaziah's reign. It seems odd that Amaziah wanted a sixteen year
old youth at his side when he had barely begun his own reign. More likely it was that he got captured in
battle and locked in Samaria for much of his time. (2 Kings 14:11­14) Although the length of Amaziah's
imprisonment is not explicitly stated, Uzziah would have been standing in for his father in absentia.
Dual counting of years when rivals were vying for leadership occurred in the days of David,
Omni, and Menahem. Menahem incurred the wrath of the wealthy classes in Samaria by imposing a tax
to 'buy off' Pul of Assyria who was threatening to invade. The political situation in Israel at this stage
revealed two factions ­ one which favoured appeasement and the other advocating resistance against
Assyria.
Whether the northern kingdom actually split over the issue during this crisis has been the subject
of controversy. However, it does seem that Pekah emerged during the reign of Menahem as leader of the
'resistance' lobby, so his reign is measured from there.
While looking at this section of timeline, we also run into Zechariah and Shallum's very short
reigns spreading over two years. Such cases can be exasperating for chronologists, so I have clarified it in
the detail picture opposite.

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE Times of Uzziah ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 Several more co­regencies occurred in Judah during the closing chapters
of the northern kingdom. Uzziah had become leprous, living away from the
palace, and unable to perform his kingly role. It is said, “and Jotham the king's
son was over the household, governing the people of the land.” (2 Kings 15:5)
Then Jotham created a similar arrangement with his son, as noticed when an
invasion in his day is alternatively described as an attack on Ahaz. (2 Kings
15:37, 16:5) This indicates an overlap.
There were no more co­regencies in Judah. It is at this point that I part
company with the many who posit thirteen years of dual rule between Ahaz and
Hezekiah – an extraordinary stretch considering it extends Hezekiah’s reign from
twenty­nine to forty­two years with no such indication in scripture. Their effort
is to force Assyria's record of the fall of Samaria to a misunderstood reading of
the Bible. Agreed, Shalmaneser V laid siege to Samaria (2 Kings 18:9), but
Bible scholars have assumed that he was the one who destroyed it too. Hence,
older commentaries date the event during this king's reign, somewhere in­
between 723 BC ­ 721 BC.
CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM
Copyright © E. C. GEDGE The Fall of Samaria
Difficulties arise, however, because Sargon II claims in his annals that he
was the one who conquered Samaria, not Shalmaneser! So, as mentioned,
Hezekiah's details fail to match up and some chronologies become quite
muddled during this period. It has now been realised that Shalmaneser died,
probably by assassination, at the onset of the campaign. Sargon took over and
completed the siege of Samaria in 720 BC, taking the credit for its conquest.
A related date, also misplaced, is the invasion of Judah during the third
campaign of Sennacherib. It has been placed in 701 BC by historians but this
contradicts information we have of Hezekiah whose fourteenth year equates to
712/11 BC.
However, research is now coming to light that shows Sennacherib was
co­regent with his father Sargon. In that case, his campaign against Judah would
have been closer to the same time that Sargon conquered Ashdod. This scenario
accords well with the biblical data as shown on the timeline below and on the
following page.
■ Vertical bars represent one year.
■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 Hezekiah’s fourteenth year is also significant because it describes a rare
Jubilee Sabbath. It shows how reaping was disrupted by the invasion, after
which the land would lay fallow two more years before planting and reaping
resumed in the third year. So, not only did the people have to believe God for
deliverance, but for sustenance during the upcoming Sabbath as well.
The invasion began late 712 BC. This fits with Assyria’s conquest of
Ashdod earlier that year. Then Jerusalem came under siege in 711 BC followed
by a sabbatical, then a ‘fiftieth’ year; and God gave the king a sign:
“This shall be the sign for you: this year eat what grows of itself, and in
the second year what springs of the same. Then in the third year sow and
reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.” (2 Kings 19:29)
No doubt Hezekiah was glad to hear it, but for us today it might be a
greater sign than it was for him; it is tantamount to a guaranteed date! A ‘seven’
is indicated by the fact that sowing and reaping were not permitted that year. A
‘forty­nine’ is indicated by the fact that no sowing and reaping was permitted the
next year either. God promised the people there would be enough fruit growing
wild to feed them for more than two. So, the sign locates Hezekiah’s 14th, 15th
and 16th years as 712 BC to 709 BC.

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE Hezekiah's Deliverance ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 Hezekiah died in 697 BC and Josiah was killed in battle in 609 BC. The
intervening monarchs appear to fit the gap, so most timelines place Hezekiah's son,
Manasseh, from 697 to 642 BC, Amon from 642 to 640 BC, and Josiah from 640 to 609 BC.
This generally accepted chronology is convenient but it is not quite
consistent with what we know about inclusive dating. As we have seen up until
here, the part­year at a king's death is counted as a full year and the left over
'accession' is counted as another full year for his son. We ought to apply the
same rule to each of the above mentioned kings but, when we do; the gap
widens and doesn't fit as perfectly after all!
As an alternative, I would like to propose an interregnum between
Hezekiah's death and Manasseh's coronation in 695 BC. An interregnum is
defined as a period of discontinuity, or 'gap' of time between the reigns of one
monarch and the next. It is not particularly uncommon in history. So, since
Manasseh was ten years old when his father died, we might fairly suggest
Hezekiah had left instructions for his son's royal responsibilities to be delayed
until he had reached an appropriate level of maturity.
We cannot prove this of course, but it is a reasonable theory. My
proposal, then, is that Manasseh's coronation was delayed until Tishri, 695 BC,
sometime after he had turned twelve years old.

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE Manasseh's Evil Reign ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
 Josiah was killed trying to intercept the Egyptian army at Megiddo. It was
July 609 when the Egyptians were on their way to make war with Babylon.
Jehoahaz took his father’s throne and reigned three months, but Pharaoh Necho, on
his return march, deposed Jehoahaz and replaced him with his older brother
Jehoiakim.
Jehoiakim’s subservience to the Egyptians lasted four years. Then Egypt was
defeated by the Babylonians at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. Nebuchadnezzar
moved into Syria­Palestine, so Jehoiakim thought best to switch allegiance.
The diagram shows the first deportation from Jerusalem to have happened
after Carchemish but before Nabopolassar’s death. Nebuchadnezzar attacked and
Jehoiakim paid tribute, together with temple artifacts, and handed over some of the
nobility as hostages. Daniel and his friends were among these.
Jehoiakim continued for three years as a vassal to Babylon, until an
opportune moment, then switched allegiance back to the Egyptians. It was a tactical
blunder because, in 598 BC, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah again, laying siege to
Jerusalem for three months. Jehoiakim died during that siege.
The next king of Judah was Jehoiachin whose reign began December, 598 BC
and ended March, 597 BC when he was replaced by his uncle, Zedekiah. He too proved
unreliable to his overlords, so Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem yet again.
Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, including the temple, on the 29th July, 587 BC.

CHRONOLOGY of the KINGDOM ■ Vertical bars represent one year.

Copyright © E. C. GEDGE The Fall of Jerusalem ■ Red dots indicate Sabbath year.
■ Overlapping bars show dual rule.
Thank you for using my Bible timelines of the Kings of Israel. Get 'Chronology of
the Kingdom' GҮ
Following the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC, there were no more
ONOLO M
reigning kings, but the 'times' continued with inexorable CHR KINGDO
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precision. Where were they leading? of th edgenG
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Please read my book, 'Chronology of the Kingdom.'

Sincerely,

Christian Gedge

■ Israel’s historical time periods

from the Exodus until the Christian era.
■ Expanded text plus 28 full­length charts
spanning about sixty years each.
■ Showing every year including Sabbaticals,
co­regencies, and major events.
■ Biblical and extra­biblical citations,
references, quotations, and maps.
■ Free pdf file to download, or obtain
quality printed book by donation.

www.5loaves2fishes.net/chronology­of­the­kingdom