Some years ago, a Bible Gateway-associated blogger named Craig T. Owens created a detailed chart of all of the kings and prophets of the united and divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel mentioned in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. It’s remained one of our most popular posts ever since.
It’s easy to see why. When I was researching my article on chronological ordering of the Bible, navigating the timeline of these books was by far the most complicated part. (You’ll notice, if you review that post, that I decided to simplify the task: while I did put the books and prophets in chronological order, I grouped them by United Kingdom, Divided Kingdom, and Exile rather than match them up verse-for-verse.)
Owens did the work, though, breaking down the complete timeline into incredible detail. Here’s what he had to say about it:
One challenging point in history is the divided kingdoms of Israel (the 10 northern tribes) and Judah (the 2 southern tribes). What makes it challenging when reading straight through the Bible [in chronological order] is that the history is covered in 1 and 2 Kings and then again in 1 and 2 Chronicles. In the midst of these kingdoms, several prophets are sent by God. Some of these prophets only have their words recorded in Kings or Chronicles, while others have their words recorded elsewhere in the Bible (usually the book name is the prophet’s name).
In trying to keep all of these people and messages clear in my mind, I have put together a list of all the kings and prophets during the period of the divided kingdom (roughly 931-586 BC).
In honor of the seventh anniversary of the completed form of Owens’ chart, I decided to republish it and break it down into a heavily expanded text format as another way to digest the information.
First, I’ll share the chart again, which packs a ton of information into a super-compact graphic. Then I’ll go through and expand on some of the information, and provide links to the relevant passages.
Note that all dates are approximate and contested due to the lack of a consistent calendar during this time (as throughout the ancient world).
Chart of Israel’s and Judah’s Kings and Prophets
First, the chart itself:
Got all that? Now, let’s dig in.
The United Kingdom, ca. 1050-930 BC
This was the “golden age” of the Israelite’s presence in the holy land throughout the Old Testament. It began with Saul establishing his kingdom after being anointed by the prophet Samuel, progressed through his army captain David’s ascension to the throne (also with Samuel’s blessing), and then through David’s son Solomon’s inheritance and consolidation of the kingdom.
Saul (r. 1050-1010)
- Prophet: Samuel
- Scripture: 1 Samuel 8-31, 1 Chronicles 9-10
- Summary: Marked by early divine favor and public support, Saul later fell into offering pagan sacrifices and failure to uphold God’s commands, leading God to turn his favor away from Saul’s line and toward Saul’s captain, David.
David (r. 1010-970)
- Prophets: Samuel and Nathan
- Scripture: 1 Sam 16-31, 2 Sam 1-24, 1 Kings 1-2, 1 Chron 11-29
- Associated works: David is listed as the author of 73 of the Psalms, and probably wrote more.
- Summary: Religiously devout and militarily successful, David enjoyed God’s favor throughout most of his life (with the clear exception of his actions toward Bathsheba and Uriah). His conquests established Israel’s empire as a unified power across the region. It was David’s wish to build God’s temple, but God denied him on account of the blood he had spilled.
Solomon (r. 970-930)
- Prophet: Nathan
- Scripture: 1 Kings 1-11, 2 Chron 1-9
- Associated works: Solomon is credited with the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song bearing his name, as well as 2 (and possibly more) of the Psalms.
- Summary: Famously wise and devoted — it was he who built the temple in Jerusalem, among many other great buildings — Solomon nevertheless besmirched his name through marriages to pagan women and sacrifices to their deities. Because of this, at the end of his reign, God saw fit to divide the kingdom.
The Divided Kingdom, ca. 931-586 BC
Before Solomon’s death, his servant Jeroboam rebelled. Though the rebellion itself was a failure, Jeroboam returned after Solomon’s death, when Solomon’s son Rehoboam reigned, and laid claim to the northern kingdom of Israel. The smaller southern kingdom of Judah (which included Jerusalem) remained under Rehoboam. So began the period of the divided kingdom.
Kingdom of Judah (Southern Kingdom)
Rehoboam (r. 931-913)
- Claim: Son of Solomon
- Prophet: Shemaiah
- Scripture: 1 Kings 12 & 14, 2 Chron 10-12
- Notable for: Dividing the kingdom
- Evil or good? Evil (he “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”)
Abijah (r. 913-911)
- Claim: Son of Rehoboam
- Prophet: Shemaiah
- Scripture: 1 Kings 15, 2 Chron 13
- Notable for: War with Jeroboam I
- Evil or good? Evil (he “committed all the sins that his father did before him”)
Asa (r. 911-870)
- Claim: Son of Abijah
- Prophet: Shemaiah and Hanani
- Scripture: 1 Kings 15, 2 Chron 14-16
- Notable for: Being a good and devout king
- Evil or good? Good (he “did what was right in the sight of the Lord”)
Jehoshaphat (r. 870-848)
- Claim: Son of Asa
- Prophet: Micaiah
- Scripture: 1 Kings 22, 2 Chron 17-20
- Notable for: Making peace with Israel
- Evil or good? Good
Jehoram (r. 848-841)
- Claim: Son of Jehoshaphat
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 8, 2 Chron 21
- Notable for: Marries the daughter of Ahab of Israel, bringing their idolatry to Judah and drawing plague upon them
- Evil or good? Evil
Ahaziah (r. 841)
- Claim: Son of Jehoram
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 8-9, 2 Chron 22
- Notable for: Idolatry, and ruling less than a year
- Evil or good? Evil
Athaliah (r. 841-835)
- Claim: Mother of Ahaziah
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 11, 2 Chron 22-23
- Notable for: Being the only woman to rule; also, attempting to kill all her grandchildren
- Evil or good? Evil
Jehoash/Joash (r. 835-796)
- Claim: Son of Ahaziah (grandson of Athaliah)
- Prophet: Joel(?) [Note: Joel is notoriously difficult to place, and could be nearly any time before or after Exile.]
- Scripture: 2 Kings 11-12, 2 Chron 23-24
- Notable for: A long reign beginning at age 7; returned worship to the temple and defeated the Aramaeans but did not depart from idolatry; murdered by his servants
- Evil or good? Mixed
Amaziah (r. 796-767)
- Claim: Son of Joash
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 14, 2 Chron 25
- Notable for: Reigned long but suffered humiliating defeat after provoking Israel to war; later a victim of a conspiracy for the throne
- Evil or good? Mixed
Uzziah (aka Azariah) (r. 767-748)
- Claim: Son of Amaziah
- Prophet: Isaiah
- Scripture: 2 Kings 15, 2 Chron 26
- Notable for: Very long reign hampered by leprosy
- Evil or good? Pretty good
Jotham (r. 748-732)
- Claim: Son of Azariah
- Prophet: Isaiah, Micah
- Scripture: 2 Kings 15, 2 Chron 27
- Notable for: Not much; he was a good king but failed to stop idolatry
- Evil or good? Good
Ahaz (r. 732-716)
- Claim: Son of Jotham
- Prophet: Isaiah, Micah
- Scripture: 2 Kings 16, 2 Chron 28, Isaiah 7
- Notable for: Pagan practices, including child sacrifice; becoming vassal state to Assyria
- Evil or good? Super evil
Hezekiah (r. 716-687)
- Claim: Son of Ahaz
- Prophet: Isaiah, Micah
- Scripture: 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chron 29-32, Isaiah 36-39
- Notable for: First king of Judah to “remove the high places” and stop idolatry; rebelled against Assyria and regained independence
- Evil or good? Very good (“the Lord was with him; wherever he went, he prospered”)
Manasseh (r.687-642)
- Claim: Son of Hezekiah
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 21, 2 Chron 33
- Notable for: Very long reign that brought idolatry back to Judah, including child sacrifice; shed “much innocent blood.” But he repented late in life after God rescued him from imprisonment in Babylon and tried to stop the idolatry.
- Evil or good? Very evil (he “misled them to do more evil than the nations had done that the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel”), but he ended on a good note
Amon (r.642-640)
- Claim: Son of Manasseh
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 21, 2 Chron 33
- Notable for: Returned to his father’s earlier idolatry; killed by his servants
- Evil or good? Evil
Josiah (r. 640-608)
- Claim: Son of Amon
- Prophet: Huldah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah
- Scripture: 2 Kings 22-23, 2 Chron 34-35
- Notable for: Ending idolatry and bringing back the Law; died in battle against Egypt; last king before exile
- Evil or good? Very good (cf. 2 Kings 23:24)
Jehoahaz (r. 608)
- Claim: Son of Josiah
- Prophet: Jeremiah, Lamentations
- Scripture: 2 Kings 23, 2 Chron 36
- Notable for: Reigned three months before he was supplanted and captured by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt
- Evil or good? Evil
Jehoiakim (r. 608-597)
- Claim: Son of Josiah, brother of Jehoahaz
- Prophet: Jeremiah, Lamentations
- Scripture: 2 Kings 23-24, 2 Chron 36
- Notable for: Rebelled (very unsuccessfully) against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
- Evil or good? Mostly evil
Jehoiachin (r. 597)
- Claim: Son of Jehoiakim
- Prophet: Jeremiah, Lamentations
- Scripture: 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chron 36
- Notable for: Reigned for three months before surrendering to King Nebuchadnezzar
- Evil or good? Evil
Zedekiah (r. 597-586)
- Claim: Son of Josiah (Jehoiachin’s uncle)
- Prophet: Jeremiah, Lamentations
- Scripture: 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chron 36
- Notable for: Rebelled against Babylon, leading to the sack and destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple
- Evil or good? Evil
BABYLONIAN EXILE (586-450)
Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom)
Jeroboam I (r. 931-910)
- Claim: Solomon’s servant
- Prophet: Ahijah
- Scripture: 1 Kings 12-14, 2 Chron 10
- Notable for: Seceding from Judah and dividing the kingdom; worshiping golden calves
- Evil or good? Evil (he “there was no one who followed the house of David except the tribe of Judah alone”; i.e., not Israel)
Nadab (r. 910-909)
- Claim: Son of Jeroboam
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 1 Kings 15
- Notable for: Not much; killed by countryman during siege of Gibbethon
- Evil or good? Evil (he “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord”)
Baasha (r. 909-886)
- Claim: Usurper
- Prophet: Jehu
- Scripture: 1 Kings 15-16
- Notable for: Assassinating Nadab, destroying the house of Jeroboam
- Evil or good? Evil
Elah (r. 886-885)
- Claim: Son of Baasha
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 1 Kings 16
- Notable for: Drinking too much and getting murdered by his servant
- Evil or good? Evil
Zimri (r. 885)
- Claim: Elah’s servant (“commander of half his chariots”)
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 1 Kings 16
- Notable for: Shortest reign in the book (seven days); burnt himself alive
- Evil or good? Evil
Omri (r. 885-874)
- Claim: Commander of the army
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 1 Kings 16
- Notable for: Seized power after crisis of succession and moved capital to Samaria
- Evil or good? Evil (he “did more evil than all who were before him”)
Ahab (r. 874-853)
- Claim: Son of Omri
- Prophet: Elijah, Obadiah(?) [traditional; others believe this to be a different Obadiah than the Minor Prophet]
- Scripture: 1 Kings 16-22, 2 Chron 18
- Notable for: Marrying Jezebel, worshiping Baal, and getting into conflict with numerous prophets
- Evil or good? Very evil (“did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him”)
Ahaziah (r. 853-852)
- Claim: Son of Ahab
- Prophet: Elijah
- Scripture: 1 Kings 22, 2 Kings 1
- Notable for: Not much; continued in his father’s way
- Evil or good? Evil
Jehoram/Joram (r. 852-841)
- Claim: Son of Ahab (Ahaziah’s brother)
- Prophet: Elisha
- Scripture: 2 Kings 1,9
- Notable for: Removed the pillar to Baal that his father had made; war with various neighbors
- Evil or good? Slightly less evil
Jehu (r. 841-814)
- Claim: Military commander in Joram’s army; anointed by Elisha
- Prophet: Elisha
- Scripture: 2 Kings 9-10
- Notable for: Slaughtered Joram, Jezebel, all of Ahab’s descendants, and all priests and worshipers of Baal; smashed Baal’s temple; but kept the golden calves
- Evil or good? Neutral
Jehoahaz (r. 814-798)
- Claim: Son of Jehu
- Prophet: Elisha
- Scripture: 2 Kings 13
- Notable for: Humiliating defeat in battle against Aram
- Evil or good? Evil
Jehoash (r. 798-782)
- Claim: Son of Jehoahaz
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 13-14
- Notable for: Recovering land from Aram
- Evil or good? Evil
Jeroboam II (r. 782-753)
- Claim: Son of Jehoash
- Prophet: Jonah, Amos, Hosea
- Scripture: 2 Kings 14
- Notable for: Long rule; restored Israel’s borders
- Evil or good? Evil
Zechariah (r. 753-752)
- Claim: Son of Jeroboam II
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 15
- Notable for: Killed by Shallum, ending Jehu’s dynasty
- Evil or good? Evil
Shallum (r. 752)
- Claim: None (usurper)
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 15
- Notable for: Killed by Menahem, who sacked the region of Tiphsah
- Evil or good? Evil
Menahem (r. 752-742)
- Claim: None (usurper)
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 15
- Notable for: Taxed the wealthy of Israel to successfully pay off Assyrian invaders
- Evil or good? Evil
Pekahiah (r. 742-740)
- Claim: Son of Menahem
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 15
- Notable for: Killed by his captain
- Evil or good? Evil
Pekah (r. 752-733)
- Claim: Pekahiah’s army captain
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 15
- Notable for: Lost much of his territory to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria
- Evil or good? Evil
Hoshea (r. 732-722)
- Claim: None (usurper)
- Prophet: None
- Scripture: 2 Kings 17
- Notable for: Entered vassalage to Assyria, but double-crossed King Shalmaneser and so was imprisoned, leading to the capture of Israel and the Babylonian exile
- Evil or good? Evil
BABYLONIAN EXILE (722-450)
Prophets of the Exile
Several prophets wrote from exile in Babylon
- Nahum (fl. 615 BC)
- Ezekiel (d. 570 BC)
- Daniel (ca. 500s BC)
Conclusion: Sorting Through the Kings and Prophets
I hope this guide and chart help you to sort through the bewildering array of very similar names between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah in the books of 1 and 2 Kings — and help you to better understand the history of God’s chosen people as recorded in Scripture. Now, next time someone asks you who your favorite king of Judah was, you’ll have an answer ready.
If you enjoy these sorts of deep dives into the Bible, treat yourself to a free trial of Bible Gateway Plus, which contains dozens of study resources to help you research and understand God’s Word.
Jacob is Editorial Director of Bible Gateway. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Early Christian Thought from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, though with most of his coursework from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. His work has appeared in Ekstasis and in Geez Magazine's "Embracing Darkness" Advent devotional.
