Kings of Judah facts for kids
The Kings of Judah were the rulers of an ancient kingdom called Kingdom of Judah. This kingdom started around 930 BC. According to the Hebrew Bible, it formed when the United Kingdom of Israel split into two. The people in the northern part, the Kingdom of Israel, decided they didn't want Rehoboam as their king. So, Rehoboam became the king only of Judah.
The capital city of the Kingdom of Judah was Jerusalem. Most of the kings of Judah lived and died in Judah. However, a few died elsewhere. Ahaziah died in Israel, and Jehoahaz died as a prisoner in Egypt. Jeconiah and Zedekiah were taken away during the Babylonian captivity.
Judah was conquered in 587 or 586 BC by the Neo-Babylonian Empire. A general named Nebuzaradan, who worked for King Nebuchadnezzar, led the attack. Many important people were taken away to Babylon, and Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed. This was the end of the Kingdom of Judah.
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Kings of Judah: A List of Rulers
Historians use different ways to figure out the exact dates when the kings of Judah ruled. They often follow ideas from scholars like William F. Albright or Edwin R. Thiele. More recent ideas come from Gershon Galil and Kenneth Kitchen. All the dates below are before the Common Era (BCE).
| Common/Biblical name | Albright | Thiele | Galil | Kitchen | Regnal Name and style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
House of David: The First Kings |
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| Rehoboam Ruled for 17 years. |
922–915 | 931–913 | 931–914 | 931–915 | רחבעם בן-שלמה מלך יהודה Rehav’am ben Shelomo, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. |
| Abijah Ruled for 3 years. |
915–913 | 913–911 | 914–911 | 915–912 | אבים בן-רחבעם מלך יהודה ’Aviyam ben Rehav’am, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. |
| Asa Ruled for 41 years. |
913–873 | 911–870 | 911–870 | 912–871 | אסא בן-אבים מלך יהודה ’Asa ben ’Aviyam, Melekh Yehuda |
|
| Jehoshaphat Ruled for 25 years. |
873–849 | 870–848 | 870–845 | 871–849 | יהושפט בן-אסא מלך יהודה Yehoshafat ben ’Asa, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. |
| Jehoram Ruled for 8 years. |
849–842 | 848–841 | 851–843 | 849–842 | יהורם בן-יהושפט מלך יהודה Yehoram ben Yehoshafat, Melekh Yehuda |
Died from a severe stomach illness. |
| Ahaziah Ruled for 1 year. |
842–842 | 841–841 | 843–842 | 842–841 | אחזיהו בן-יהורם מלך יהודה ’Ahazyahu ben Yehoram, Melekh Yehuda |
Killed by Jehu, who took over the throne of Israel. |
| Athaliah (Queen) Ruled for 6 years. |
842–837 | 841–835 | 842–835 | 841–835 | עתליה בת-עמרי מלכת יהודה ‘Atalya bat ‘Omri, Malkat Yehuda |
Killed by soldiers protecting Joash. She was the Queen Mother, Jehoram's widow, and Ahaziah's mother. |
| Jehoash (Joash) Ruled for 40 years. |
837–800 | 835–796 | 835–802 | 835–796 | יהואש בן-אחזיהו מלך יהודה Yehoash ben ’Ahazyahu, Melekh Yehuda |
Killed by his own officials. |
| Amaziah Ruled for 29 years. |
800–783 | 796–767 | 805–776 | 796–776 | אמציהו בן-יהואש מלך יהודה ’Amatzyahu ben Yehoash, Melekh Yehuda |
Killed in Lachish by men sent by officials who plotted against him. |
| Uzziah (Azariah) Ruled for 52 years. |
783–742 | 767–740 | 788–736 | 776–736 | עזיהו בן-אמציה מלך יהודה ‘Uziyahu ben ’Amatzyahu, Melekh Yehuda עזריה בן-אמציהו מלך יהודה ‘Azarya ben ’Amatzyahu, Melekh Yehuda |
Died from Tzaraath (a skin disease). |
| Jotham Ruled for 16 years. |
742–735 | 740–732 | 758–742 | 750–735/30 | יותם בן-עזיהו מלך יהודה Yotam ben ‘Uziyahu, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. |
| Ahaz Ruled for 16 years. |
735–715 | 732–716 | 742–726 | 735/31–715 | אחז בן-יותם מלך יהודה ’Ahaz ben Yotam, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III received gifts from Ahaz. |
| Hezekiah Ruled for 29 years. |
715–687 | 716–687 | 726–697 | 715–687 | חזקיהו בן-אחז מלך יהודה Hizqiyahu ben ’Ahaz, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. He lived at the same time as Sennacherib of Assyria. |
| Manasseh Ruled for 55 years. |
687–642 | 687–643 | 697–642 | 687–642 | מנשה בן-חזקיהו מלך יהודה Menashe ben Hizqiyahu, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. He is mentioned in Assyrian records. |
| Amon Ruled for 2 years. |
642–640 | 643–641 | 642–640 | 642–640 | אמון בן-מנשה מלך יהודה ’Amon ben Menashe, Melekh Yehuda |
Killed by his own officials. The people of Judah later killed those officials. |
| Josiah Ruled for 31 years. |
640–609 | 641–609 | 640–609 | 640–609 | יאשיהו בן-אמון מלך יהודה Yo’shiyahu ben ’Amon, Melekh Yehuda |
Died after being shot by archers in a battle against Neco of Egypt. |
| Jehoahaz Ruled for 3 months. |
609 | 609 | 609 | 609 | יהואחז בן-יאשיהו מלך יהודה Yeho’ahaz ben Yo’shiyahu, Melekh Yehuda |
King Necho II of Egypt removed him from power. He was taken to Egypt, where he died. |
| Jehoiakim Ruled for 11 years. |
609–598 | 609–598 | 609–598 | 609–598 | יהויקים בן-יאשיהו מלך יהודה Yehoyaqim ben Yo’shiyahu, Melekh Yehuda |
Died of natural causes. The Battle of Carchemish happened in his fourth year. |
| Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) Ruled for 3 months & 10 days. |
598 | 598 | 598–597 | 598–597 | יהויכין בן-יהויקים מלך יהודה Yehoyakhin ben Yehoyaqim, Melekh Yehuda יכניה בן-יהויקים מלך יהודה Yekhonya ben Yehoyaqim, Melekh Yehuda |
King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon took him to Babylon, where he lived and died. Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians in 597 BCE. |
| Zedekiah Ruled for 11 years. |
597–587 | 597–586 | 597–586 | 597–586 | צדקיהו בן-יאשיהו מלך יהודה Tzidqiyahu ben Yo’shiyahu, Melekh Yehuda |
Died in prison. His rule saw a second rebellion against Babylon. Jerusalem was captured, the Temple burned, and Zedekiah was blinded and taken away. |
Understanding Kingly Dates
It can be tricky to figure out the exact dates for the reigns of the kings of Judah. Scholars have worked hard to match the dates from the Bible with information from other ancient records. This is why you see different dates in the table above.
One reason for different dates is how years were counted. Some kingdoms might count the first partial year of a king's rule as "year one." Others might count it as "year zero" and start "year one" with the first full year. Also, ancient calendars didn't always start on January 1st like ours. Judah's calendar year started in the fall, while Israel's started in the spring. These differences can make it hard to line up dates perfectly.
When Kings Ruled Together
Sometimes, a son might start ruling alongside his father before the father's reign ends. This is called a co-regency. During these times, the years of rule might be counted for both the father and the son at the same time. This can make the timeline seem a bit confusing if you don't know about co-regencies.
For example, some scholars believe that King Hezekiah ruled with his father Ahaz for a period. This idea helps to make sense of different dates mentioned in the Bible and in records from other ancient kingdoms like Assyria and Egypt. Co-regencies were a common practice in ancient times, and understanding them helps historians create a more accurate timeline for the kings of Judah.
The Coronation Ceremony
We know a lot about how kings were crowned in ancient Judah from the Bible. One detailed story is about Jehoash, who was crowned when he was only seven years old. This happened during a big event where the queen, Athaliah, was removed from power.
The ceremony took place at the entrance of the Temple in Jerusalem. The new king was led to a special pillar. A crown was placed on his head, and he was given "the testimony," which might have been a scroll of laws. Then, the high priest and his sons anointed him with oil. After this, the people cheered, clapped their hands, and shouted "God save the King!" Trumpets blew, music played, and singers sang songs of praise.
See also
- Chronicles of the Kings of Judah
- Chronology of the Bible
- History of ancient Israel and Judah
- Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)
- Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)
- Kingdom of Judah
- Kings of Israel and Judah
