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Nadene Goldfoot
Judah was the 4th son of Jacob and Leah. It was he who persuaded his 11 other brothers to just sell Joseph instead of killing him to a passing Ishmaelite. He couldn't stand seeing him trapped in the pit. King David belonged to his tribe and he had taken a leading position amongst all of them. Kingdom of Judah supported Solomon's son, Rehoboam and was predominant in the southern kingdom.
1. Rehoboam (933-917 BCE), son of Solomon, mother was Ammonite Naamah, he kept Solomon's tax program going, causing split with Simeon staying with Judah and most of Benjamin, too. So Egypt's Shishak invaded then and plundered the Temple.
2. Abijam (917-915BCE), son of Rehoboam, warred with Jeroboam of Israel which was mean to do to their neighbor, said rabbis.
3. Asa (915-875 BCE) son of Abijam, he got help from Aram-Dammesek to fight Baasha, reestablished independence of the country. He made key fortresses of Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah along the border with Israel. Had a victory over the Ethiopian Zerah who invaded Judah up to Mareshah, abolished heathen cults in his kingdom!!
4. Jehoshaphat (875-851BCE) son of Asa, 1st to make a treaty with Israel, married his son, below, to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab of Israel !!Fought with Ahab against Aram (Syria) and with Ahab's son Jehoram against Mesha of Moab. Tried to revive sea commerce, but his ship was wrecked. His piety is praised by rabbis.
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5. Jehoram (851-844 BCE) son of Jehoshaphat, put his brothers and many leading men of state to death. Athalia and he introduced Baal cult into Judah. Edomites revolted against him; Philistines and Arabs invaded who plundered Jerusalem. He died after a prolonged illness.
6. Ahaziah (844-843 BCE)(853BCE) , son of Ahab, denounced as an idolator by Elijah, succeeded by his 1/2 brother Jehoram. A Baal worshipper. He and Jehoram, his uncle of Israel in battle against Hazael of Syria. Jehoram was wounded and Ahaziah visited him at his place in Jezreel where both were killed by King Jehu of Israel.
7. Athalia (843-837 BCE), daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, Her son was Ahaziah-king for one year Queen of Judah, she had exterminated the whole royal family except for her grandson, Joash who was saved by his aunt Jehosheba. She now seized power and introduced the Baal cult into Judah. She ruled for 6 years and a revolt broke out in favor of Joash, and this Queen of Judah was put to death.
8. Joash, king of Judah (837-798BCE) son of Joash (also known as Jehoash), the eighth king of Judah , was the son of King Ahaziah and his mother was Zibiah of Beersheba. When a year old, throne was seized by his grandmother, Athaliah who had all members of the house of David murdered. His aunt Hehosheba, wife of high priest Jehoiada, was kept hidden in the Temple for 6 years. Hehoiada then crowned Joash king, had Athalia put to death, obliterated the Baal cult, and acted as regent until his majority. He continued in the priesstly tradition and restored the Temple, but later, deviated from his former uprightness. the country was invaded by Haszael of Aram who was bought off with a large indemnity. Joash was killed by conspirators.
9. Amaziah (798-780 BCE), son of Joash, and put murderers of his father to death, Took over Edom, defeated fighting in Samaria where he was held prisoner, killed in a palace revolution.
10. Azariah/Uzziah , son of Amaziah (780-740 BCE) king at age 16, conquered Philistia and defeated the Arabians and Meunites to the south of his kingdom. Headed a league of kings opposing Tiglath-Pileser.
11. Jotham, son of Gideon (740-735 BCE) Youngest of Gideon's 70 sons and the sole survivor of Abimelech's massacre of his brothers; from Mt. Gerizim, uttered a parable rebuking the people of Shechem for electing Abimelech king.
12. Ahaz (735-720 BCE), son of Jotham, his kingdom was attacked by Israel and Syria while the Edomites and Philistines harried his southern lands, so he got Tiglath -Pileser of Assyria to help him (sounds like today's episodes) T-P invaded Israel and Syria in 733 BCE. This made Judah an Assyrian vassal, and their kind of idolatry.
13. Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, (720-692 BCE)Freed religious worship from Assyrian influence, puraged the palace and Temple of images and pagan altars, and renewed the pure monotheistic religion. This was supported by the prophets like Isaiah. Hezekiah allied with neighboring rulers, fortified Jerusalem, created the SILOAM tunnel to improve its water supply. In 712 joined states in uprising against Assyria. Sargon II sent expedition and captured the Philistine cities but didn't enter Judah, Edom, or Moab. Hezekiah was forced to pay a large indemnity and ceed 43 cities. Judah was attacked a 2nd time. He had to stop fighting as a plague entered his camp.
14. Manasseh, son of Hezekiah 692-638 BCE)king at age 12, one of the worst Jewish monarchs. He canceled his father's reforms, reintroduced pagan practices and shocked the faithful that the destruction of the Temple was said to be his fault. He put to death those loyal monotheists. Spent some time as a captive in Babylon. His pagan innovations were the result of Assyrian pressure, it was said.
15. Amon (638-637) (642-640 BCE) son of Manasseh, On throne at age 22, ruled for 2 years , then killed by conspirators.
16. Josiah, son of Amon (637-608BCE) king at age 8. At 21 began a program of religious reform, removing foreign cults, and reestablished pure Judaism. Assyrian influence was declining. He had support from prophets Nahum, Zephaniah and Jeremiah. While repairing the Temple, high priest Hilkiah discovered a Book of the Law which so influenced Josiah that during Passover 621 BCE had assembly of all the people and a solemn covenant was made with G-d. He centralized worship at Jerusalem Temple. His reign was of cultural, religious, and political prosperity. In a battle at Megiddo, his army was defeated and he mortally wounded. His reforms were the basis for the work of Ezra and Nehemiah.
17.Shallum/ Jehoahaz son of Josiah, (608 BCE), King of Judah for 3 months-crowned after his father was killed by the Egyptians. He belonged to the pro-Babylonian party since he was deposed and arrested by Pharaoh Necoh, dying in captivity in Egypt.
18. Eliakim/Jehoiakim, son of Josiah (608-598 BCE) made king by Pharaoh Nicoh in succession to his brother, Jehoahaz. He was subject to Egypt for 3 years, but Necoh was defeated at Carchemish in 605 BCE. became a Babylonian vassal. In 601 BCE he joined the pro-Egyptian party in Judah in opposition to the advice of Jeremiah who pictures Jehoiakim as a tyrannical oppressor. Jehoiakim died while Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians in 598 BCE.
19.Coniah/Jeconiah/ Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim (598-597 BCE)king at age 18, during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. King for 3 months 10 days before giving into Nebuchadnezzar. Exiled in Babylon, until Evil-Merodach came in 561 when he was released.
20.Mattaniah/ Zedekiah, son of Josiah, (597-586 BCE) made king by Nebuchadnezzar when age 21, then used Zedekiah, swore allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar. In 594 BCE visited Babylon. When king for 9 years, conspired with Egypt so Babylonians invaded his kingdom and captured Jerusalem. Zedekiah was overtaken when running away and brought back for trial before Nebuchadnezzar. His sons were killed before him, his eyes were put out, and he was imprisoned in Babylon until his death.
Hezekiah and Josiah were especially associated with periods of religious revival. The Assyrian expansion, which had overwhelmed the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was checked before the walls of Jerusalem in 701 BCE. However, the city and state succumbed to the Babylonians in 586 BCE, with large numbers of the people being deported by them. Gedaliah of the royal house tried to keep the state of Judah. Exiled Returnees from Babylonia still had their ideals and brought back Jewish life after 539 BCE.
Judah existed for 265 years. That's like going back to 1761 compared to 2026 and notice the difference. After 586 BCE, the Kingdom of Judah was dissolved and did not have its own king . The territory was ruled by a succession of foreign empires that appointed governors and client rulers to administer the region. After the royal Davidic dynasty ended with the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE , Judah was dominated by a succession of five major foreign empires over the next seven centuries . These empires controlled the region as provinces, later granting brief autonomy under the native Hasmonean kingdom, until ultimate Roman subjugation .
In 70 CE the Romans attacked Jerusalem and caused starvation of the ultimate; took slaves, looted the Temple, made slaves carry loot back to Rome. Created Arch of Titus to remember event.
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