Chronology of the Old Testament

http://www.internetdynamics.com/personal/spadkins/god/study/oldtest/chron.htm

with modifications by SCM

Notes:

All dates are best taken as ‘about BC’, as the possible variation can run to a century or more in 2000 BC, down to a decade by 1000 BC. Most of the dates for the Hebrew monarchies are quoted in double form, e.g. Asa, 911/10-870/69 BC, and Baasha, 909/08-886/85 BC, because the Hebrew year does not coincide with the January to December of our civil year. Apparent variations from biblical lengths of reign are not real but stem from the kinds of regnal-year reckoning then in use.

  1. From the time of the division of the kingdom after the death of Solomon, the official scribes of the southern kingdom of Judah counted the regnal years of their kings from the month Tishri (September - October), while the scribes of the northern kingdom of Israel apparently reckoned the regnal years of their kings from the month Nisan (March - April).   Proof that Tishri reckoning was employed in Judah may be found by comparing II Kings 22:3 with 23:23, where the discovery of the law by Hilkiah and the subsequent passover in Nisan, which must have occurred several months later, are both dated in the 18th year of Josiah.  Although no scriptural evidence is available for the time of the beginning of the regnal year in the northern kingdom of Israel, when a Nisan-to-Nisan regnal year is used for Israel together with a Tishri-to-Tishri year for Judah, the perplexing discrepancies disappear and a harmonious chronological pattern results.
  2. The scribes of Israel used the Egyptian nonaccession-year ("postdating") system in reckoning the reigns of their kings from the division of the kingdom down to 798 BC, and the Babylonian accession-year ("antedating") system from that year onward.  According to the nonaccession-year system, that portion of a year wihch followed a king's accession to the throne and which preceded the official New Year (whether Tishri 1 or Nisan 1) was counted as his first official year.  But according to the accession-year system, that initial period was called his accession year, and not until after the New Year did his first official year begin.  Proof that Israel followed the nonaccession-year system during the 9th century B.C may be found in the fact that Jehu (according to Assyrian records) paid tribute to Shalmanezer III only 12 years after Ahab fought in the Battle of Qarqar, while the scribes of Israel attributed 14 years to the reigns of the two intervening kings, Ahaziah and Joram.  On the other hand, the scribes of Judah must have employed the accession-year system for their kings, except during that dark period of their history when the influence of the northern kingdom, through Queen Athaliah, was predominate (848-796 BC); for only by means of this assumption is it possible to harmonize the synchronisms employed by the northern and southern scribes.
  3. When the scribes of one kingdom synchronized the reign of their king with the reign of the neighboring king, they employed their own system of reckoning for both kings instead of employing the foreign system for the foreign king.
  4. Many of the kings of Judah (and also Jehoash of Israel) associated their sons with them on their thrones during the final years of their reigns, thus necessitating the allowance of considerable overlappings or coregencies.

From c. 900 BC onward, Assyrian, Babylonian and Persian dates are nearly all very closely fixed. Dates for Aramaean kings, e.g. of Zobah and Damascus, are approximations based on the OT and Assyrian references and rare inscriptions from Syria itself. Dates for the Phoenicians Hiram I and Ethbaal I (father of Jezebel) are based on synchronisms and regnal years derived from the OT references and Josephus, Against Apion 1:116-126.

The two sets of dates given for later 18th and 19th Dynasties of Egypt depend on the two possible dates offered by lunar data for the accession of Rameses II, i.e. 1290 and 1279 BC. At present neither Egyptian nor related Near Eastern data are sufficiently free of gaps and uncertainties to enable a final choice to be made between these two dates.

The Old Testament chronology for the kings of Israel and Judah can be interlocked at vital points with the astronomically verified absolute chronology of the Assyrian eponym lists and thus with the other important chronological systems of the ancient Near East.  Some of the major points of contact between the Biblical and the Assyrian records are

  • the Battle of Qarqar (853 BC)
  • the tribute of Jehu (841 BC)
  • the first western campaign of Tiglathpileser III (743 BC)
  • the conquest of Samaria (722 BC)
  • Sennacherib's attack on Jerusalem (701 BC)

In addition to these synchronisms with Assyrian records, we have

  • Pharaoh Shishak's invasion of Judah (925 BC)
  • the conquest of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar (605 BC)
  • Nebuchadnezzar's deportation of Jehoiachin (597 BC)

BC

EGYPT

OLD TESTAMENT

 

MESOPOTAMIA

 

Middle Kingdom
2134-1991 11th Dynasty

 

Events of Gn.1-11

 

 

2000

1991-1786 12th Dynasty

 

Patriarchs
?2000-1825 Abraham

 

 

1900

 

 

?1900-1720 Isaac

 

?1894-1595 1st Dynasty of Babylon

1800

 

 

?1800-1700 Jacob

 

?1792-1750 Hammurapi

1700

New Kingdom
?1710-1540 Hyksos rule

 

?1750-1640 Joseph

 

 

1600

1552-1305 (or -1294) 18th Dynasty

 

 

 

 

1500

1490-1437 (or 1479-1426) Tuthmosis III

 

Israel in Egypt

 

Kassite Dynasty
1500 Burnaburiash I

1400

1390-1353 (or 1394-1357) Amenophis III
1361-1345 (or 1365-1349) Amenophis IV/Akhenaten
1305-1198 (or 1294-1187) 19th Dynasty
1305-1304 (or 1294-1293) Rameses I
1304-1290 (or 1293-1279) Sethos I

 

?1350-1230 Moses

 

1350 Kurigalzu I
1345-1329 Kurigalzu II

1300

1290-1224 (or 1279-1213) Rameses II
1224-1214 (or 1213-1203) Merenptah
1220 (or 1209) Israel stele

 

?1300-1190 Joshua
1280 (or 1260) approx. The Exodus
1240 (or 1220) approx. Crossing of Jordan
1220-1050 (or 1200-1045) Period of the Judges

 

1274-1245 Shalmaneser I
1244-1208 Tukulti-Ninurta I
1224-1219 Adad-shuma-iddina

1200

1198-1069 (or 1187-1069) 20th Dynasty
i.e. Setnakht and Rameses III-XI

 

?1125 Deborah and Barak
?1115-1075 Eli's judgeship

 

1124-1103 Nebuchanrezzar I (Babylonia)
1115-1077 Tiglath-pileser I

1100

Late Period
1069-945 21st Dynasty
Psusennes I
Amenemope

 

?1075-1035 Samuel, judge and prophet
*1049 Battle of Ebenezer

 

 

1000

Siamun
Psusennes II

 

UNITED MONARCHY
1050 (or 1045)-1011/10 Saul
1011-1004 Ishbosheth and Abner (in Mahanaim)
1011/10-971/70 David
(1011-1004 in Hebron)
(1004-971 in Jerusalem)
971/70-931/30 Solomon
*966 Temple started (480 years after the Exodus)

ARAM (and PHOENICIA)
?990-965 Hadad/-ezer of Zobah
c.980 Toi of Hamath
DAMASCUS (and TYRE)
979/78-945/44 Hiram I of Tyre

 

950

945-715 22nd Dynasty
945-924 Sheshonq I (Shishak)
924-889 Osorkon I

JUDAH
931/30-913 Rehoboam
925 Sheshonq invades Palestine
913-911/10 Abijam
911/10-870/69 Asa

ISRAEL
931/30-910/09 Jeroboam I
910/09-909/08 Nadab
909/08-886/85 Baasha

?955-925 Rezon
?925-915 Hezion
?915-900 Tabrimmon
?900-?860 Ben-hadad I
898/97-866/65 Ethbaal I of Tyre

933 Ashur-dan II

900

889-874 Takeloth I
874-850 Osorkon II

870/69-848 Jehoshaphat
(co-regent from 873/72)

886/85-885/84 Elah
885/84 Zimri
885/84 Tibni
885/84-874/73 Omri
874/73-853 Ahab
Elijah *
853-852 Ahaziah
852-841 Joram

Either: ?860-843
Ben-hadad II (Assyrian Hadadidri, contemporary of Ahab)
Or: ?900-843
Ben-hadad I (Assyrian contemporary of Ahab)

883-859 Ashurnasirpal II
859-824 Shalmaneser III
853 Battle of Qarqar

850

 

848-841 Jehoram (co-regent from 843)
841 Ahaziah
841-835 Athaliah
835-796 Joash
c.810-850 Joel *

841-814/13 Jehu
Elisha *
814/13-798 Jehoahaz

843-796 Hazael

 

800

767-730 Sheshonq V

796-767 Amaziah
767-740/39 Azariah (Uzziah) (co-regent from 791/90)

798-782/81 Jehoash
782/81-753 Jeroboam II
(co-regent from 793/92)
c.760 Amos *
c.760 Jonah *
c.755-722 Hoseah *
753-752 Zechariah
752 Shallum
752-742/41 Menahem

796-770 Ben-hadad II/III
?770-750 Dominance of Jeroboam II of Israel

c.760 Jonah *

750

730-715 Osorkon IV
716-664 25th Dynasty
716-702 Shabako (Shabaka)
702-690 Shebitku (Shabataka)

c.742-687 Micah *
c.740-700 Isaiah *
740/39-732/31 Jotham (co-regent from 750)
732/31-716/15 Ahaz (co-regent from 744/43;
senior partner from 735)
716/15-687/86 Hezekiah

742/41-740/39 Pekahiah
740/39-732/31 Pekah
732/31-723/22 Hoshea
722 Fall of Samaria

?750-732 Rezin
732 Fall of Damascus to Tiglath-pileser III

745-727 Tiglath-pileser
727-722 Shalmaneser V
722-705 Sargon II
705-681 Sennacherib

700

690-664 Taharqa (Tirhakah)
664-525 26th Dynasty
664-656 Tanwetamani (Tanutamen)

687/86-642/41 Manasseh
(co-regent from 696/95)
c.664-612 Nahum

 

 

681-669 Esarhaddon
669-627 Ashurbanipal

650

664-610 Psammeticus I

c.640 Zephaniah *
642/41-640/39 Amon
640/39-609 Josiah
c.621-580 Jeremiah *
609 Jehoahaz
609-597 Jehoiakim
605 Battle of Carchemish
(Daniel and friends taken to Babylon)

 

BABYLON
626-605 Nabopolassar

612 Fall of Nineveh
609/08 End of Assyria

600

595-589 Psammetichus II
589-570 Apries (Hophra)
570-526 Amasis (Ahmose II)

c.605 Habakkuk *
597 Jehoiachin
597 2 Adar (15/16 March)
Jerusalem taken by Nebuchadrezzar II. Many Jews exiled including Jehoiachin and Ezekiel.
597-587 Zedekiah
c. 587 Obadiah *
587 Fall of Jerusalem.  More Jews into exile.

 

605-562 Nebuchadrezzar II
c.604-535 Daniel *
595-570 Ration-tablets of Jehoiachin at Babylon, 10th-35th years of Nebuchadrezzar II
c.593-570 Ezekiel *
562-560 Amel-Marduk (Evil-merodach)
562 Captive Jehoiachin favoured by Amel-Marduk
560-556 Neriglissar
556 Labashi-Marduk
556-539 Nabonidus (Belshazzar usually actin in Babylon)
539 Fall of Babylon

 

550

526-525 Psammetichus III

THE JEWS
538 Zerubbabel, Sheshbazzar and others return to Jerusalem
537 Rebuilding of the Temple begun
c. 520 Haggai *
c. 520 Zechariah *
520 Temple-building resumed
516 Temple completed 3 Adar (10 March)

 

PERSIAN EMPIRE
539-530 Cyrus
530-522 Cambyses
522-486 Darius I

 

500

 

c. 460 Malachi *
458 Ezra goes to Jerusalem

 

486-465/64 Xerxes I (Ahasuerus)
464-423 Artaxerxes I

 

450

 

445-433 Nehemiah at Jerusalem

 

423-404 Darius II Nothus

 

400

 

 

 

404-359 Artaxerxes II Mnemon

 

350

 

 

 

359/58-338/37 Artaxerxes III Ochus
338/37-336/35 Arses
336/35-331 Darius III Codomanus

 

331-323

Alexander of Macedon

300

EGYPT

323/05-282 Ptolemy I Soter
320 Judaea annexed by Ptolemy I

285/82-246 Ptolemy II Phildelphus

 

 

SYRIA
312-381 Seleucus I Nicator
281-361 Antiochus I Soter
261-246 Antiochus II Theos

 

250

246-222 Ptolemy III Euergetes
222-205 Ptolemy IV Philpator
204-180 Ptolemy V Epiphanes

 

 

246-226/25 Seleucus II
226-25-223 Seleucus III Soter
223-187 Antiochus III the Great

 

200

 

JUDAEA
198 Palestine passes from Egyptian to Syrian rule until 63 BC when it falls under Roman protection by Pompey the Great

 

 

 

150