When Solomon died in 931 BC, the kingdom split in two: the kingdom of Israel in the north and the kingdom of Judah in the south. Their kings, some faithful to the Covenant and others unfaithful, succeeded one another for centuries, while God sent prophets such as Elijah to remind the people of His promises. In 722 BC Assyria conquered Israel and its capital, Samaria; in 587–586 BC Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. This is the fifth stage of the Old Covenant: the kingdoms of Israel and Judah up to their end and exile.
In the previous article we looked at the beginning of the monarchy, from Saul to Solomon. We now enter the fifth stage, which runs from the division of the kingdom (931 BC) to the captivity of Judah in Babylon (586–538 BC). Because of its length, we have divided it into three articles: this first one, devoted to the history of the two kingdoms; a second, on the books set in the time of the Assyrian Empire; and a third, on the Babylonian Empire and the exile.
This journey follows the structure of the book Bible Portico, which offers timelines, maps and infographics to help readers better understand Sacred Scripture.
The historical context of the two kingdoms
Between 900 and 800 BC the Phoenicians colonised the western Mediterranean as far as Cádiz, and in 810 BC they settled in Carthage. Around 800–750 BC the first evidence of the Greek alphabet, which developed from the Phoenician alphabet, appears, and in 753 BC Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus, according to legend. In Mesopotamia, the Assyrian Empire reached its greatest extent between 668 and 627 BC, followed by the Neo-Babylonian dynasty (626–539 BC).
During the time of the two kingdoms, Egypt vied for supremacy in the region with the powers to the north. Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, conquered the northern kingdom and its capital, Samaria, in 722 BC; Babylon, the homeland of Abraham, conquered the kingdom of Judah in the 6th century BC, destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem and sent the people’s leaders into exile.
Israel and Judah – Bible Portico
The kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah
At the Assembly of Shechem (930 BC) the kingdom split (1 Kings 12). The kingdom of Israel, in the north, had its capital successively at Shechem, Tirzah and Samaria; its kings were not faithful to the Covenant, and it ended up conquered by the Assyrian Empire and its inhabitants exiled. The kingdom of Judah, in the south, had its capital in Jerusalem; its kings, some faithful and others unfaithful to the Covenant with God, were always descendants of David, and it ended up conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, its inhabitants exiled for a time.
In Judah, Rehoboam reigned first (931–911 BC), and in Israel, Jeroboam (928–907 BC). In the northern kingdom, Ahab (874–853 BC) later stands out, in the time of the prophet Elijah. In Judah, Jehoshaphat (870–848 BC) destroyed the idolatrous shrines; Jehoram (848–841 BC) married Athaliah, who brought the worship of Baal to Judah; Athaliah (841–835 BC) reigned after murdering Jehoram’s sons, of whom only Joash survived, raised by Jehoiada, and she was eventually executed; Joash (835–796 BC) abolished the worship of Baal and repaired the Temple.
In 722 BC the northern kingdom came to an end: Assyria conquered Israel and its capital, Samaria, and the population was carried off into captivity (2 Kings 17). Judah continued under Hezekiah (716–687 BC); in 701 BC, during the ministry of Isaiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem, but the city held out. He was followed by Manasseh (687–642 BC), under whom pagan worship entered the Temple, and Josiah (640–609 BC), with the discovery of the scrolls of the Law and the monotheistic reform. After the first deportation (597–596 BC), in 587–586 BC the kingdom of Judah came to an end: Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, the second deportation took place and the Temple was destroyed.
1 Kings, chapters 12–22: the divided kingdom and the prophet Elijah
This section of the First Book of Kings narrates the events following Solomon’s death in 931 BC and presents the dynasties of the two kingdoms up to the time of the prophet Elijah (9th century BC). It combines narrative, prophetic traditions and archival records. It was composed during the exile in Babylon, but drew on earlier written accounts, some of which are named in the text.
Solomon’s succession
The twelve tribes split when Solomon died. The southern tribes remained loyal to his son Rehoboam, while the northern tribes chose Jeroboam, a former servant of the king and a rebel, who set up altars to offer sacrifices at Bethel, Dan and other places. This schismatic worship would later turn into idolatry.
The first dynasties
In Judah the throne was hereditary and the line of David was preserved. In Israel, by contrast, kings seized power for themselves, through violent revolts or because God allowed it in order to punish the sins of the reigning dynasty.
The Elijah cycle
In this part of the book the central figure is not a king but the prophet Elijah, who carried out his ministry in the northern kingdom between 874 and 852 BC, above all during the reign of Ahab. Elijah defended faith in the true God against the Canaanite worship of Baal. The section ends with the death of Ahab: “A man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armour” (1 Kings 22:34).
The life of each king of Israel or Judah is judged according to whether he obeyed God or did “what was evil in the sight of the Lord”: God is the measure of good and evil. Besides its political consequences, the division of the kingdom brought about a religious rupture, seen in the sacrifices offered outside the Temple of Jerusalem.
This is the age of the great prophets, the “men of God”. Through them, the Lord reveals Himself as God of all creation, utterly transcendent, the one true God, who tolerates no other gods beside Him, but also as the God who keeps His promises and blesses His people. The prophets, of whom Elijah is the model, are anointed for their mission just as kings are.
The kingdom of Israel and Judah up to theis destruction and the Exile – Bible Portico
2 Kings: from the fall of Samaria to the exile in Babylon
The Second Book of Kings narrates events from the death of Ahab in Israel (853 BC) to the deportation of Judah to Babylon (587 BC). Many figures and key moments pass through its pages: Elisha, the kings Hezekiah and Josiah, the Assyrian invasion, the fall of Jerusalem… Like 1 Kings, it was composed during the exile from earlier written accounts.
The Elisha cycle
Heir to the spirit of the prophet Elijah, Elisha carried out his ministry in the northern kingdom in the second half of the 9th century BC, during the reigns of Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz and Joash. He is a prophet close to the people, reflecting God’s loving face towards His own: while Elijah’s miracles sought to underline the sovereignty of the one God, Elisha’s were aimed at solving the problems and hardships of ordinary people.
The two kingdoms up to the fall of Samaria: the stories of the kings of Israel and Judah are told side by side until Samaria falls to the Assyrians, who resettle the northern kingdom with foreigners. The text explains it this way: “This happened because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt […], and had feared other gods” (2 Kings 17:7).
Hezekiah, king of Judah
He worked for religious reform in Judah (716–687 BC). Jerusalem was besieged by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and then delivered. The intervention of the prophet Isaiah sheds light on this event (Isaiah 36–39).
Josiah’s reform
During his reign (640–609 BC) the “book of the Law” was discovered in the Temple. The king undertook a religious reform that centralised worship in Jerusalem, but he died young.
Exile in Babylon
Josiah’s successors returned to idolatry, and the Lord punished Judah through Nebuchadnezzar. Jerusalem was razed, the Temple burned and the people of Judah carried off captive to Babylon with their king.
Continuing the teaching of 1 Kings, the book speaks of the relationship between freedom and obedience. God has chosen His people, given them His Law, brought them to dwell in the Promised Land, given them kings to guide them, promised to hear them in His Temple, and sends them prophets to remind them of the Covenant.
At the same time, He always hopes that His people will obey Him freely. The key concept is kingship: despite the division of the kingdom and the misconduct of its kings, God remains faithful to His promise to David, whose dynasty keeps the throne of Judah.
Finding of the Book of the Law – Bible Portico
2 Chronicles, chapters 10–36: the kings of Judah
Like the Books of Kings, this part of Chronicles narrates events from the division of Solomon’s kingdom, but it focuses only on the kings of Judah and continues the story up to the edict of Cyrus that ended the exile in Babylon (539/538 BC). It seems to have been written around 400–350 BC, drawing on ancient sources, when Judah, or Yehud, was a province of the Persian Empire.
The kings of Judah
The sacred author does not dwell on any figure from the kingdom of Israel, but reviews the kings of Judah from Rehoboam to the Babylonian conquest, assessing their deeds in the light of the model left by David and weighing the religious reforms some of them carried out: Jehoshaphat, Joash, Hezekiah, Josiah and Manasseh. He notes that, for all his impiety, Manasseh repented in the end.
Renewal of the Covenant
The stories of Hezekiah (716–687 BC) and Josiah (640–609 BC) include many details about the purification and repair of the Temple, the reform of worship and the reorganisation of the priesthood. They emphasise that both kings gathered the people to celebrate the Passover. Moreover, during Josiah’s reign “the book of the Law” was found (2 Chronicles 34:14–28), and the king renewed the Covenant.
The people, as a community, are called to be faithful to the Covenant and can trust in the ancient promises, because the Lord is always with His own. At the same time, each person is responsible for their own response to God and can hold on to the hope that it is always possible to begin again: every age, every reign and every person starts out on their own path under God’s protection, without bearing the sins of their forebears. God, who asks for faithfulness, is a just judge who repays each one according to their deeds.
What comes next
The Books of Kings and Chronicles tell the story of the two kingdoms to the very end: Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BC, and Judah to Babylon in 587–586 BC. But this stage cannot be understood without the prophets God sent during those centuries to remind the people of His promises and keep them from falling into idolatry. In the next article we will look at the books set in the time of the Assyrian Empire: Tobit, Judith, the minor prophets up to 587 BC, and Isaiah.
Jerusalem, from Solomon to the destruction of the Temple, at Saxum Visitor Center
Understanding the story of the two kingdoms, from the division after Solomon’s death to the destruction of the Temple, helps us picture the Jerusalem of the kings of Judah, very close to where, centuries later, Jesus Christ would preach His message.
Saxum Visitor Center, strategically located near Jerusalem, offers a living experience that connects the Bible, history, archaeology and Christian spirituality. Through its audiovisual and educational resources, it helps pilgrims and visitors better understand the biblical message of the Holy Land and delve deeper into the historical context that precedes the Gospels.