|
Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַמְלֶכֶת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Yəhuda Maləkôt, Tiberian Hebrew Yəhûḏāh Maləkôṯ) (c.930 BCE–586 BCE) was one of the successor states to the "United Monarchy" often known as the Kingdom of Israel. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Kingdom of Judah was founded after the disruption at Shechem, when the Davidic line which ruled the united Kingdom of Israel was rejected by ten of the twelve Tribes of Israel. The Kingdom of Judah was named for the tribe of Judah which initially was the only one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel to follow the house of David to found the Southern Kingdom. Soon after, the tribe of Benjamin joined the tribe of Judah. Jerusalem became the capital of the new kingdom (Joshua 18:28). While its sibling, the Kingdom of Israel, or Northern Kingdom, fell to the Assyrian Empire in c. 720 BCE, the Kingdom of Judah survived for almost 350 years, until it was conquered in 586 BCE by the Babylonian Empire under Nebuzar-adan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's body-guard.(2 Kings 25:8-21). This event coincided with the destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem and with the Babylonian Captivity. Judah is often referred to as the Southern Kingdom to distinguish it from the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
History The United Monarchy was formed out of the territories of the twelve Hebrew tribes living in the area in and around modern Israel and Palestine. It existed from around 1030 BCE-920 BCE. After the death of the son of King David, King Solomon, the ten northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel revolted against the Davidic line, refusing to accept Rehoboam son of Solomon and instead chose as king Jeroboam who was not a member of King David's family. When the disruption took place at Shechem, at first only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David. But very soon after the tribe of Benjamin joined the tribe of Judah, and Jerusalem became the capital of the new kingdom (Joshua 18:28), which was called the kingdom of Judah. The Kingdom of Israel, or Northern Kingdom, existed as an independent state from about 930 BCE until around 720 BCE when it was conquered by the Assyrian Empire. The Jews were exiled completely, becoming known as the The Ten Lost Tribes. Timeline For the first sixty years, the kings of Judah aimed at re-establishing their authority over the kingdom of the other ten tribes, so that there was a state of perpetual war between them. For the following eighty years, there was no open war between them. For the most part, they were in friendly alliance, co-operating against their common enemies, especially against Damascus. After the destruction of Israel, Judah continued to exist for about a century and a half until its final overthrow in (586 BCE) by Nebuzar-adan, who was captain of Nebuchadnezzar's body-guard (2 Kings 25:8-21), an event which also saw the destruction of the First Temple. Babylonian Captivity In the wake of the conquest by the Babylonian Empire much of the populate of the Kingdom of Judah was dispersed throughout that empire. Prophets Active in the Kingdom of Judah Extent of the Kingdom The Kingdom of Judah was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, and was named after Judah, son of Jacob (Israel). Its capital was Jerusalem. The kingdom maintained a separate existence for three hundred and eighty-nine years. It occupied an area of about 8,900 km² (3,435 square miles). The Kings of Judah For this period, most historians follow the chronology established by William F. Albright, by Edwin R. Thiele, or by Gershon Galil, all of which are shown below. All dates are BCE. Notes From the end of the kingdom to the present After the end of the ancient kingdom the area passed into foreign rule, apart from brief periods, under the following powers:
See also | ||||||||
|
| |||||||||
 |
|
| |