c. 853 b.c.

The book of 2 Kings recounts events in Israel and Judah from the death of Ahab to the exile of Israel and Judah. The complex and shifting political setting for the book involves Israel, Judah, Syria, Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, as well as Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, and other kingdoms far beyond Israel's borders.

853, 848 b.c.

When King Ahab of Israel died, King Mesha of Moab seized the opportunity to throw off the yoke of tribute imposed on his people by David. Israel, Judah, and Edom (which still belonged to Judah) joined forces to attack Moab, but their efforts failed to re-subdue the nation. Perhaps emboldened by Moab's success, Edom later revolted against the rule of King Jehoram (also called Joram) of Judah. At the same time, the western town of Libnah also revolted against Judah.

841 b.c.

Elisha fulfilled the Lord's prophecy to Elijah by sending someone to Ramoth-gilead to anoint Jehu, one of Joram's commanders, as king of Israel. Jehu promptly headed for Jezreel, where King Joram (also called Jehoram) of Israel was recovering from some battle wounds. When Joram and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their chariots to meet Jehu, Jehu mortally wounded Joram with an arrow and chased Ahaziah to Beth-haggan, where he wounded him as well. It appears that Ahaziah then fled to Megiddo, where he died (see also 2 Chron. 22:9).

c. 825-798 b.c.

The Syrians under Hazael continued to plague Israel during Jehu's reign, eventually capturing all of Gilead from Aroer on the Arnon River to Bashan in the north. Later during the reign of Jehoash (also called Joash), Hazael attacked Gath on the western border of Judah, and Jehoash sent Hazael treasures from the temple of the Lord to persuade him to withdraw from attacking Jerusalem.

c. 767-753 b.c.

A power vacuum created by Assyria's attack and withdrawal from Syria allowed Jeroboam II of Israel and Azariah (also called Uzziah) of Judah to recover land that had once belonged to their kingdoms. Jeroboam recovered much of Gilead, and Azariah recovered Elath on the Red Sea. Jeroboam also subdued much of Syria's territory for a time, and Azariah captured some Philistine towns and fought against the Arabians at Gurbaal and the Meunites.

c. 875-430 b.c.

Prophets had been a part of Israelite society since the days of Moses, but the complex political, religious, and social situations of the divided monarchy made their role of communicating God's clear message even more pronounced. Unlike priests, prophets did not inherit their role by birth and often were not part of the religious establishment. They arose from various parts of Israel and Judah, with some having direct access to the king (e.g., Elijah and Elisha) and others communicating their messages directly to the people (e.g., Amos and Nahum).

c. 740 b.c.

Looming over most of the latter history of the divided monarchy is the growing power and influence of Assyria. The resurgence of this ancient empire dominated much of the politics of the ancient Near East from the time of Jeroboam and Azariah until the empire's demise at the end of the sixth century b.c. Israel bore the brunt of Assyria's forays into Palestine, though Judah experienced its share of attacks as well. Assyria would eventually engulf nearly the entire Near East from Ur to Ararat to Egypt.

c. 740-732 b.c.

As the Assyrian Empire expanded westward, Syria and Israel sought to compel Judah and the other nearby states to form an anti-Assyrian alliance. Judah refused, leading Syria and Israel to attack Jerusalem. Syria also wrested Elath from Judah and gave it to the Edomites. The Edomites may have also raided Judah and taken captives at this time (see 2 Chron. 28:17). The Philistines, who may have been part of the anti-Assyrian alliance, attacked Judah as well, capturing several cities in the Shephelah and the Negeb (see 2 Chron. 28:18).

733 b.c.

King Ahaz of Judah, suffering attacks on all sides due to his refusal to join an alliance against Assyria, called upon Tiglath-pileser III (also called Pul) of Assyria for help. The Assyrians captured Damascus (Syria) and all of Galilee and Gilead from Israel. Ahaz's petition came at a price, however, for he was required to pay a large tribute to Assyria and make Judah a vassal kingdom of the empire.

722 b.c.

During the reign of Hoshea of Israel, Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Israel and made it a vassal kingdom. Later, however, Hoshea conspired against Assyria, refusing to pay the tribute and appealing to Egypt for help, so the Assyrians came and besieged Samaria until it fell. Many Israelites were exiled far from Israel to the area near Gozan and the cities of the Medes, and foreign peoples from other parts of the empire were relocated to Israel in an effort to prevent revolt. This signaled the end of the northern kingdom of Israel.

701 b.c.

During the reign of Hezekiah of Judah, Sennacherib of Assyria attacked cities along the western edge of Judah, and he sent officials to besiege Jerusalem and convince Hezekiah to surrender. The Cushite king Tirhakah advanced from Egypt to support Hezekiah but apparently failed. The siege of Jerusalem was broken when the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians in a single night. Sennacherib withdrew and returned to Nineveh in Assyria, where his own sons killed him.

628-609 b.c.

Early in his reign King Josiah of Judah launched a massive effort to abolish pagan worship throughout Judah and the land of Israel and to refurbish the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. At the same time, the waning power of the Assyrians allowed him to add much of the land of Israel to his kingdom. Josiah met his demise at Megiddo, however, as he sought to prevent Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt from reaching Carchemish to assist the Assyrians, who were being attacked by forces from the rising Babylonian Empire.

597, 586 b.c.

The final years of the kingdom of Judah were marked by a power struggle between the Egyptians and the Babylonians, the rising power that had overtaken the Assyrian Empire. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon eventually won out and seized control of the Mediterranean coastal lands. When Zedekiah, who had been placed on the throne of Judah by the Babylonians, rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and captured the city. Zedekiah fled toward the east but was captured near Jericho and sent to Riblah to be judged.

597, 586, 582 b.c.

It appears that three separate deportations of Judeans to Babylon took place under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar (see also Jer. 52:28-30). The first came during the reign of Jehoiachin, when Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and carried away many of the treasures of the temple and the royal palace. The second occurred after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 b.c., when the walls of the city were leveled and the temple was completely destroyed. The third appears to have occurred around 582 b.c. while King Nebuchadnezzar was reasserting his control over the general region of Palestine (see note on Jer. 52:28-30).