The kings of Israel and Judah

Every king in order: united kingdom, then Israel (north), then Judah (south)

• United: Saul

  The first king, from the tribe of Benjamin, anointed by Samuel. The LORD rejected him for disobeying; Acts 13:21 gives his reign as forty years.

  1 Samuel 15:26

• United: David

  Began to reign at thirty and reigned forty years. The text holds him up as the standard: he did right in the eyes of the LORD, save only in the matter of Uriah.

  Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

  1 Kings 15:5

• United: Solomon

  Reigned forty years over all Israel. He asked for an understanding heart, but in old age the text says he did evil in the sight of the LORD.

  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

  1 Kings 11:6

• Israel: Jeroboam (I)

  Made king by the ten northern tribes. He set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan, the sin every later northern king is measured by. Reigned 22 years.

  1 Kings 12:28

• Israel: Nadab

  Son of Jeroboam. Reigned two years; did evil. Killed by Baasha.

  1 Kings 15:26

• Israel: Baasha

  Reigned 24 years in Tirzah; did evil and walked in the way of Jeroboam.

  1 Kings 15:34

• Israel: Elah

  Son of Baasha. Reigned two years; killed by his servant Zimri.

  1 Kings 16:8

• Israel: Zimri

  Reigned seven days. When Omri took the city, he burned the king's house over himself. The text names his sin as doing evil.

  1 Kings 16:15

• Israel: Omri

  Won a split with Tibni and reigned 12 years. Built Samaria. The text says he did worse than all before him.

  1 Kings 16:25

• Israel: Ahab

  Married Jezebel and served Baal. The text says he did evil above all that were before him. Reigned 22 years; opposed by Elijah.

  And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.

  1 Kings 16:30

• Israel: Ahaziah

  Son of Ahab. Reigned two years; did evil.

  1 Kings 22:52

• Israel: Jehoram (Joram)

  Son of Ahab. Reigned 12 years; wrought evil, but not like his parents, for he put away the image of Baal.

  2 Kings 3:2

• Israel: Jehu

  Anointed to end the house of Ahab, a furious driver. The LORD said he had done well against Ahab's house, but he kept Jeroboam's sins. Reigned 28 years.

  2 Kings 10:30

• Israel: Jehoahaz

  Son of Jehu. Reigned 17 years; did evil.

  2 Kings 13:2

• Israel: Jehoash (Joash)

  Son of Jehoahaz. Reigned 16 years; did evil.

  2 Kings 13:11

• Israel: Jeroboam (II)

  Son of Joash. Reigned 41 years, the longest in the north; did evil.

  2 Kings 14:24

• Israel: Zachariah

  Son of Jeroboam II. Reigned six months; did evil. Killed by Shallum.

  2 Kings 15:9

• Israel: Shallum

  Reigned a full month in Samaria before Menahem killed him.

  2 Kings 15:13

• Israel: Menahem

  Reigned ten years; did evil all his days.

  2 Kings 15:18

• Israel: Pekahiah

  Son of Menahem. Reigned two years; did evil.

  2 Kings 15:24

• Israel: Pekah

  Reigned 20 years; did evil. Killed by Hoshea.

  2 Kings 15:28

• Israel: Hoshea

  The last king of Israel. Did evil, but not as the kings before him. In his ninth year Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away.

  In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

  2 Kings 17:6

• Judah: Rehoboam

  Son of Solomon. His harsh answer split the kingdom. Reigned 17 years; 2 Chronicles says he did evil because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.

  2 Chronicles 12:14

• Judah: Abijam (Abijah)

  Reigned three years; walked in the sins of his father.

  1 Kings 15:3

• Judah: Asa

  Reigned 41 years; did right in the eyes of the LORD, as David did.

  1 Kings 15:11

• Judah: Jehoshaphat

  Reigned 25 years; did right, though the high places were not taken away.

  1 Kings 22:43

• Judah: Jehoram (Joram)

  Married a daughter of Ahab. Reigned eight years; did evil.

  2 Kings 8:18

• Judah: Ahaziah

  Reigned one year; did evil, as did the house of Ahab.

  2 Kings 8:27

• Judah: Athaliah (queen)

  Ahaziah's mother. She killed the royal family and ruled six years while the child Joash was hidden in the house of the LORD.

  2 Kings 11:3

• Judah: Joash (Jehoash)

  Made king at seven. Reigned 40 years; did right all the days Jehoiada the priest instructed him.

  2 Kings 12:2

• Judah: Amaziah

  Reigned 29 years; did right, yet not like David.

  2 Kings 14:3

• Judah: Uzziah (Azariah)

  Began at sixteen and reigned 52 years; did right. The LORD struck him with leprosy.

  2 Kings 15:3

• Judah: Jotham

  Reigned 16 years; did right, as his father did.

  2 Kings 15:34

• Judah: Ahaz

  Reigned 16 years; did not that which was right, like David.

  2 Kings 16:2

• Judah: Hezekiah

  Reigned 29 years; did right. The text says no king of Judah before or after trusted the LORD like him.

  He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him.

  2 Kings 18:5

• Judah: Manasseh

  Began at twelve and reigned 55 years, the longest of any king; did evil. 2 Chronicles 33 tells of his later repentance.

  2 Kings 21:2

• Judah: Amon

  Reigned two years; did evil as his father did. Killed by his servants.

  2 Kings 21:20

• Judah: Josiah

  Began at eight and reigned 31 years; did right and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

  And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.

  2 Kings 22:2

• Judah: Jehoahaz

  Reigned three months; did evil. Taken to Egypt by Pharaohnechoh.

  2 Kings 23:32

• Judah: Jehoiakim

  Set up by Pharaoh, who changed his name from Eliakim. Reigned 11 years; did evil.

  2 Kings 23:37

• Judah: Jehoiachin

  Reigned three months; did evil. Carried to Babylon.

  2 Kings 24:9

• Judah: Zedekiah

  The last king of Judah, named by the king of Babylon. Reigned 11 years; did evil. Jerusalem and the temple were burned.

  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

  2 Kings 24:19

Why the kingdom split

Because Solomon turned to other gods in his old age, the LORD told him, "I will surely rend the kingdom from thee" (1 Kings 11:11). When his son Rehoboam refused to lighten the people's load, the ten northern tribes made Jeroboam king (1 Kings 12:16-20). Judah, with Benjamin, stayed with the house of David.

The kings of Israel (north) at a glance

Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea. Several dynasties ended by murder. Tibni briefly rivaled Omri (1 Kings 16:21-22) and is not usually counted. Israel fell to Assyria in the ninth year of Hoshea, about 722 BC by common reckoning.

The kings of Judah (south) at a glance

Rehoboam, Abijam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, (Queen Athaliah), Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah. Every king came from the line of David; Queen Athaliah, a daughter of the house of Ahab, was the one ruler who did not. Judah fell to Babylon under Zedekiah, about 586 BC by common reckoning; scholars differ by a year or so.

Same names, different kings

Both kingdoms had a Jehoram (Joram), an Ahaziah, a Jehoahaz and a Joash (Jehoash), sometimes reigning at the same time. Some kings also have two names in the text: Uzziah is called Azariah in 2 Kings 15, and Abijam is Abijah in 2 Chronicles 13.

And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

2 Kings 23:25 · KJV