Southern Kingdom of Judah: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 17:01, 28 August 2025

Divided Kingdoms of Israel and Judah

The Kingdom of Judah was formed after the division of Israel following King Solomon's death. It was centered around the tribe of Judah among the twelve tribes of Israel, with Jerusalem as its capital. It was governed by the descendants of King David—nineteen kings in all, from Rehoboam to Zedekiah—with the sole exception of Queen Athaliah, who usurped the throne for six years.

Although Jerusalem housed God’s temple and priests, most of its kings, like those of the northern Kingdom of Israel, worshiped idols and turned away from God. However, some kings—such as Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah—sought to restore God’s laws and bring the nation back from idol worship, resulting in divine blessings.

Throughout Judah’s history, whenever they turned away from God and worshiped idols, they suffered pain and agony; however, whenever they followed God’s decrees and commands, they were protected and blessed by God. After Josiah’s reign, the kings continued to disregard God’s warnings, ultimately leading to the destruction of the southern Kingdom of Judah by Babylon (Neo-Babylonia) around 586 BC.

The Formation of the Kingdom of Judah

Solomon Sacrificing to His Wives' Idols by Jacopo Amigoni: In the final years of his reign, King Solomon fell into sin by worshiping foreign gods, influenced by his many wives from other nations.

Solomon, who initially served God faithfully as his father David had instructed, later turned away from God’s statutes and laws in his old age and committed the sin of idolatry. Influenced by his many foreign wives, he worshiped other gods such as Ashtaroth, Chemosh, and Moloch, and built high places for them. God responded to this betrayal by declaring that He would tear the kingdom away from Solomon and give one tribe to Solomon’s son out of the twelve tribes.[1][2]

After Solomon’s death, all the Israelites gathered in Shechem to make his son Rehoboam king. Jeroboam, who was Solomon’s servant, and the people requested that Rehoboam lighten the burden of forced labor imposed during Solomon’s building projects.[3] However, Rehoboam replied, “My father scourged you with whips, but I will scourge you with scorpions,” declaring he would make their labor even harsher. Disappointed, the people turned away from him.[4] Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who had been in charge of forced labor, hoping to win back the people’s support. But the people stoned him to death, and Rehoboam fled to Jerusalem. Eventually, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained under the rule of Rehoboam, and the ten northern tribes appointed Jeroboam as king, marking the split of Israel into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah.[2][5]

Key Historical Events

Rehoboam’s Sin and Invasion of Egypt

After the division of the kingdom, the priests and the Levites from northern Israel, along with those who only sought God Jehovah, came to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. They helped strengthen the southern Kingdom of Judah. Rehoboam began his reign by walking in the ways of David and Solomon for three years.[6] But as his kingdom became secure, he abandoned the law of God, and the people followed him in sin.

In the fifth year of his reign, King Shishak (Sheshenq I) of Egypt invaded Judah and conquered many towns with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen, and an uncountable number of troops. Through the prophet Shemaiah, God declared, “Since you have forsaken me, I now hand you over to Shishak.”[7] Jerusalem was plundered, and the treasures of the temple and palace were carried off. However, when Rehoboam repented, God withheld total destruction and showed mercy to Judah.[8]

Asa’s Reformation

  • Asa’s Reformation and God’s Protection

When a war broke out with the northern Kingdom of Israel, the second king Abijam rebuked Israel for driving out the priests and the Levites of God, appointing anyone as priests, and for worshiping the golden calf. Though Israel’s army was twice as large, God granted victory to Judah.[9] Abijam claimed that Judah had not rebelled against God and had kept His commandments.[10] However, the Bible states that he followed the sins of his father Rehoboam and his heart was not fully devoted to God.[11]

Asa, Judah’s third king, launched a sweeping reform. He removed pagan altars, high places, the Asherah poles, and the images of the sun from across the land, and commanded the people to obey God's law. God granted Judah peace for ten years.[12] When the Cushite (from Ethiopia) invaded with a million men and 300 chariots, Asa sought God’s help in prayer. God gave Judah a resounding victory.[13]

After the victory, Asa was encouraged by the prophecy from the prophet Azariah[14] and implemented a religious reformation. He removed all detestable idols and repaired the altar of God. Witnessing God’s presence with Asa, many from the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon defected from Israel and joined Judah. In the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign, the people gathered in Jerusalem and made a covenant to seek God with all their heart and mind. Asa even deposed his grandmother from her position as queen mother for making an idol. Because of Asa’s wholehearted devotion, God granted Judah peace for a long time.[15]

  • Sin of Not Relying on God

In the last days of Asa, King Baasha of Northern Israel attacked Judah and began building Ramah to block access between the two kingdoms. Asa sent treasures to Ben-Hadad I, king of Aram, to seek his help. Ben-Hadad responded by attacking Israel, forcing Baasha to retreat. Asa then repurposed the building materials from Ramah to fortify the cities of Geba and Mizpah.[16] But the prophet Hanani rebuked Asa for relying on human help rather than trusting in the God who had once delivered him from the Cushites. Asa, angered by the rebuke, imprisoned Hanani and mistreated some of his own people. Even when he later became severely ill, Asa did not seek help from God.[17]

Jehoshaphat’s Reformation

Before the war against Moab and Ammon, Jehoshaphat fasted with the people and asked God for help.
  • Jehoshaphat’s Reforms and National Defense

The fourth king, Jehoshaphat, served God with all his heart. He removed the high places and Asherah poles, and he sent princes, Levites, and priests to every town in Judah to teach the people the law of God. At the same time, he strengthened the nation’s defenses through his faith in God. In response, God instilled fear in the surrounding nations, preventing any attacks. Even the Philistines and Arabians brought tribute to Judah.[18]

After the war against Aram, Jehoshaphat traveled among the people, encouraging them to return to God. He also restructured the judicial system, appointing judges in each fortified city. In Jerusalem, he established a central court composed of Levites, priests, and family leaders to handle disputes. The high priest presided over matters concerning the LORD, while tribal elders handled civil cases. Levites assisted these officials. Jehoshaphat commanded the judges to act with justice and in the fear of God.[19]

  • The War With Moab and Ammon, and the Choir of Praise

When Jehoshaphat faced difficulties in his country, he relied on God, not on his own army. When Moab and Ammon united to invade the Kingdom of Judah, Jehoshaphat and the people fasted and asked God for help. God responded through the Levite Jahaziel, saying, “Do not be afraid or dismayed, but see the salvation of the LORD with you.”[20] The next morning, Jehoshaphat appointed singers dressed in sacred garments to go ahead of the army, praising God. As they sang, confusion broke out among the enemy, who turned on each other until none remained. Judah’s army never had to fight. For three days, the people gathered plunder, and on the fourth, they praised God and returned joyfully to Jerusalem. Hearing this, the other nations feared God, and Judah remained at peace during the rest of Jehoshaphat’s reign.[21]

  • Alliance With the Northern Kingdom of Israel

Despite his faithfulness, Jehoshaphat made critical mistakes by forming alliances with the northern Kingdom of Israel, which was known for its idolatry. He arranged a marriage between his son and King Ahab’s daughter and even joined Ahab in a battle against Aram.[22] Ahab was killed in the conflict, and Jehoshaphat narrowly escaped death through God’s intervention.[23] Jehu the seer rebuked Jehoshaphat for helping Ahab, who did evil in the eyes of the LORD.[24]

Nevertheless, Jehoshaphat continued his ties with the kings of Israel. Together with King Ahaziah, Ahab’s son, he attempted to import gold from Ophir through trade with Tarshish,[25] but the ships were wrecked.[26] Later, at the request of King Jehoram, another of Ahab’s sons, he went to war against Moab.[27]

Hezekiah’s Reformation

  • Idolatry Before Hezekiah’s Reign

The fifth king Jehoram, who married Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab of Israel, built high places that led the people of Jerusalem to worship idols.[28] His son, King Ahaziah, also followed his mother and worshiped idols.[29] After Ahaziah’s death, Athaliah killed off the royal princes and seized the throne, reigning for six years.[30] However, the priest Jehoiada put her to death and installed Joash, Ahaziah’s son, as king. Jehoiada destroyed the temple of Baal and smashed the idols,[31] but after Jehoiada’s death, King Joash returned to worshiping Asherah poles and idols.[32]

King Hezekiah Destroys the Idols by Matthaeus Merian: The people of Judah remove idols after celebrating the Passover during the time of Hezekiah.

The ninth king, Amaziah, did not fully devote his heart to God. After returning from war with Edom, he brought back the idols of the people of Seir and worshiped them.[33]

The tenth king, Uzziah (also known as Azariah), began his reign well by seeking God. However, as his power grew, so did his pride. He entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense—a duty reserved for the priests—and was struck with leprosy as a result.[34]

The eleventh king, Jotham, did what was right in the eyes of God, yet he failed to remove the high places. The people continued to offer unauthorized worship there.[35]

The twelfth king, Ahaz—the father of Hezekiah—made idols and worshiped them. He destroyed the temple of God and built high places in every city of Judah to worship other gods.[36] During his reign, Judah was invaded by many nations, including Israel, Syria, Edom, and the Philistines. Even so, Ahaz did not seek the help of God but turned to foreign powers instead, going so far as to offer sacrifices to the gods of Damascus.[37]

  • Hezekiah Kept the Passover

Unlike Ahaz, the thirteenth king, Hezekiah, did what was right in the eyes of God, just as David. In the very first month of his reign, he reopened the temple, called the priests and Levites, and urged them to return to their sacred duties. He acknowledged that Judah had suffered because they had abandoned God and stopped offering burnt offerings.[38]

Hezekiah planned to keep the Passover, which had not been kept for a long time, because he wanted to gain the stability of his country and God’s protection. He sent couriers not only to Judah, but also to the northern Kingdom of Israel to deliver the message of the Passover, but Israel scorned and ridiculed the couriers. Eventually, only the people of Judah and some of the people of Israel, who humbly accepted the words of the couriers, gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.[39] The people who kept the Passover destroyed all the altars to idols and other gods that they had worshiped,[40] and they even broke down the bronze snake that had been worshiped since the time of Moses.[41] Afterwards, Hezekiah entrusted the priests and the Levites with the duties of serving God, and collected various agricultural products and tithes from the people so that they could devote themselves to keeping God’s law.[42]

  • Assyria’s Invasion and God’s Salvation

Assyria, a powerful power at that time, destroyed the northern Kingdom of Israel and turned its attention to the southern Kingdom Judah. In Hezekiah’s fourteenth year, King Sennacherib captured many fortified cities of Judah and laid siege to Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah delivered God’s message that God would protect and save Jerusalem and that the king of Assyria would return by the way he came. That night, the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib withdrew in defeat.[43] Judah was protected from disasters and overcame the crisis according to God’s promise contained in the Passover. The surrounding nations, who saw the power of God through this incident, came to Jerusalem and presented offerings to God.[44]

  • Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery

Soon after, Hezekiah became gravely ill. He prayed earnestly, asking God to remember his faithfulness. God heard him and extended his life by fifteen years, confirming the promise by making the sun’s shadow move back ten degrees.[45]

News of Hezekiah’s recovery reached Babylon, and King Merodach-Baladan sent envoys with gifts. Hezekiah was delighted and showed them everything he had, including the royal palace’s armory and everything found among his treasures. Isaiah warned him that everything he had shown would one day be taken to Babylon, and that even his descendants would serve as eunuchs in the Babylonian court.[46]

Illustration by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld: King Josiah tears his clothes upon hearing the words of the Book of the Law.

King Josiah’s Reformation

The fourteenth king, Manasseh, rebuilt the high places and idols that his father Hezekiah had removed, and even rebuilt altars to other gods in the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.[47] Amon, the fifteenth king, continued to commit the evil of idolatry, following his father Manasseh. Amon’s officials conspired against Amon and assassinated him. Then the people of the land drove out the rebels and made Josiah son of Amon king.[48]

Josiah, the 16th king, ascended the throne at just eight years old. In the 18th year of his reign, he discovered the Book of the Law during temple renovations. He assembled all the people of Judah and read aloud all the LORD’s commands, statutes, and decrees in their hearing and they all pledged themselves to the covenant recorded in the Book of the Law. Josiah began to destroy idols on a large scale in order to obey the laws of God. He removed and burned all the objects used in idol worship that had been kept in the temple. He dismissed the idolatrous priests and tore down the shrines to foreign gods that Solomon had built. He also went as far north as Bethel in former Israelite territory and dismantled the altars and high places that King Jeroboam had established.[49]

Returning to Jerusalem, Josiah kept the Passover as it is written in the Book of the Law. It was the first time since the days of the judges that such a unified celebration took place—with priests, Levites, people from Judah, and even those from the remnants of Israel joining together. After keeping the Passover, Josiah got rid of all kinds of idols in the land of Judah and Jerusalem. The Bible describes King Josiah as a king who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.[50]

Kings of Judah

Order King Years of Reign Prophets Reference
1 Rehoboam 17 Years
Shemaiah, Iddo
 1 Ki 12–14, 2 Ch 10–12
2 Abijam (Abijah) 3 Years
Iddo
 1 Ki 15, 2 Ch 13
3 Asa 41 Years
Azariah, Hanani
 1 Ki 15, 2 Ch 14–16
4 Jehoshaphat 25 Years
Jehu, Jahaziel, Eliezer
 1 Ki 22, 2 Ch 17–20
5 Jehoram 8 Years 2 Ki 8, 2 Ch 21
6 Ahaziah 1 Year 2 Ki 8–9, 2 Ch 22
7 Athaliah 6 Years 2 Ki 11, 2 Ch 22–23
8 Joash 40 Years 2 Ki 12, 2 Ch 24
9 Amaziah 29 Years 2 Ki 14, 2 Ch 25
10 Uzziah (Azariah) 52 Years
Isaiah
 2 Ki 15, 2 Ch 26
11 Jotham 16 Years
Isaiah, Micah
 2 Ki 15, 2 Ch 27
12 Ahaz 16 Years
Isaiah, Micah
 2 Ki 16, 2 Ch 28
13 Hezekiah 29 Years
Isaiah, Micah
 2 Ki 18–20, 2 Ch 29–32
14 Manasseh 55 Years 2 Ki 21, 2 Ch 33
15 Amon 2 Years 2 Ki 21, 2 Ch 33
16 Josiah 31 Years
Jeremiah, Nahum, Zephaniah
 2 Ki 22–23, 2 Ch 34–35
17 Jehoahaz 3 Months
Jeremiah
 2 Ki 23, 2 Ch 36
18 Jehoiakim 11 Years
Jeremiah, Habakkuk
 2 Ki 23–24, 2 Ch 36
19 Jehoiachin 3 Months
Jeremiah, Daniel
 2 Ki 24, 2 Ch 36
20 Zedekiah 11 Years
Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel
 2 Ki 24–25, 2 Ch 36

Relationship With the Northern Kingdom of Israel

From Judah’s point of view, the division of Israel was the result of a rebellion by the northern tribes. For more than sixty years after the split, the southern Kingdom of Judah remained in a state of ongoing conflict with the northern Kingdom of Israel. This dynamic began to shift when Jehoshaphat, the fourth king of Judah, forged a political alliance by marrying his son Jehoram to Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab, Israel’s seventh king.[51]

However, the alliance broke down when Ahaziah, Jehoshaphat’s grandson and Judah’s sixth king, was killed by Jehu, the tenth king of Israel, who had been anointed to destroy Ahab’s dynasty.[52] Later, Amaziah, the ninth king of Judah, declared war on Israel and was soundly defeated. Joash, Israel’s twelfth king, captured him. He broke down part of Jerusalem’s wall and plundered the temple and royal palace.[53]

In the time of Ahaz, Pekah, Israel’s eighteenth king, invaded Judah and killed members of the royal family, top officials, and many citizens, taking a large number of captives. But the prophet Oded in Samaria rebuked the Israelite army for taking fellow Israelites as prisoners. Moved by his words, several leaders of Israel treated the captives with compassion, bandaged their wounds, and sent them back to Judah.[54] Despite the crisis, Ahaz did not seek help from the LORD. Instead, he turned to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria. The Assyrian king responded by attacking Israel and deporting many of its people to Assyria.[55]

Fall of the Kingdom of Judah

Zedekiah's Sons Are Slaughtered Before His Eyes by Gustave Doré

After Josiah’s death, the people of Judah forsook God’s law and sinned. God sent many prophets such as Jeremiah, but the people refused to listen. Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, did the evil that his forefathers had done before, and reigned for only three months before being deposed by Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt. Taken into captivity, he died in Egypt. The Egyptian king then appointed Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz’s brother, as king.[56]

Not long afterward, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and took many nobles—including the young Daniel—into exile (1st Babylonian Captivity, 606 BC).[57] Jehoiakim served Babylon for three years, but he rebelled in the fourth year.[58] After that, Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim, became king.[59] He ruled for only about three months, also doing what was evil in God’s eyes. Nebuchadnezzar returned, captured Jehoiachin, and deported him along with his mother, wives, officials, warriors, craftsmen, and common people—about ten thousand in total—to Babylon (2nd Babylonian Captivity, 597 BC). He also plundered the temple and the royal palace.[60]

Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah (Mattaniah), the son of Josiah, as king. But Zedekiah ignored the words of God spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. The people, including priests and leaders, continued in idolatry and defiled the temple. God kept warning them, but they mocked His prophets and rejected His voice.[61]

Zedekiah eventually formed an alliance with Egypt and rebelled against Babylon.[62] In response, Babylon immediately invaded Judah. But when the Egyptian army came to assist, the Babylonians temporarily withdrew.[63] After the Egyptian forces retreated, Babylon returned and laid siege to Jerusalem. After three years, around 586 BC, the Kingdom of Judah was destroyed by Babylon.[64]

While attempting to escape the siege, Zedekiah was captured and brought before the king of Babylon. There, he was forced to watch his sons executed before his eyes were put out. He was then bound in chains and taken to Babylon. The Babylonians burned the temple, the palace, and every building in Jerusalem. They tore down the city walls and killed many people. The captain of the Babylonian guard left only the poor to work the land, while the rest of the survivors were taken into exile (3rd Babylonian Captivity, 586 BC). All the sacred items from the temple were taken to Babylon—so numerous that they could not be weighed.[65] The LORD declared that Judah’s destruction came because the people had forsaken Him and rejected His law.[66]

For details, refer to: Babylonian Captivity

Related videos

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  • Sermon: The First Commandment & the Passover

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1 Kings 11:4-13".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "1 Kings 12:18-20".
  3. ↑ "1 Kings 12:3-4".
  4. ↑ "1 Kings 12:14-16".
  5. ↑ "2 Chronicles 11:5–12".
  6. ↑ "2 Chronicles 11:13-17".
  7. ↑ "2 Chronicles 12:1-5".
  8. ↑ "2 Chronicles 12:9-12".
  9. ↑ "2 Chronicles 13:3-18".
  10. ↑ "2 Chronicles 13:10-11".
  11. ↑ "1 Kings 15:3".
  12. ↑ "2 Chronicles 14:1-5".
  13. ↑ "2 Chronicles 14:9-12".
  14. ↑ "2 Chronicles 15:1-7".
  15. ↑ "2 Chronicles 15:8-19".
  16. ↑ "2 Chronicles 16:1-6".
  17. ↑ "2 Chronicles 16:7-12".
  18. ↑ "2 Chronicles 17:1-11".
  19. ↑ "2 Chronicles 19:4-11".
  20. ↑ "2 Chronicles 20:1-17".
  21. ↑ "2 Chronicles 20:21-30".
  22. ↑ "2 Chronicles 18:1-3".
  23. ↑ "2 Chronicles 18:28-34".
  24. ↑ "2 Chronicles 19:2".
  25. ↑ "1 Kings 22:48".
  26. ↑ "2 Chronicles 20:35-37".
  27. ↑ "2 Kings 3:6-7".
  28. ↑ "2 Chronicles 21:6-14".
  29. ↑ "2 Chronicles 22:3-4".
  30. ↑ "2 Chronicles 22:10-12".
  31. ↑ "2 Chronicles 23:11-21".
  32. ↑ "2 Chronicles 24:17-18".
  33. ↑ "2 Chronicles 25:2-14".
  34. ↑ "2 Chronicles 26:4-19".
  35. ↑ "2 Kings 15:34-35".
  36. ↑ "2 Chronicles 28:24-25".
  37. ↑ "2 Chronicles 28:5-23".
  38. ↑ "2 Chronicles 29:2-11".
  39. ↑ "2 Chronicles 30:1-12".
  40. ↑ "2 Chronicles 31:1".
  41. ↑ "2 Kings 18:4".
  42. ↑ "2 Chronicles 31:4-7".
  43. ↑ "2 Kings 19:32-36".
  44. ↑ "2 Chronicles 32:22-23".
  45. ↑ "Isaiah 38:2-8".
  46. ↑ "Isaiah 39:1-7".
  47. ↑ "2 Kings 21:2-6".
  48. ↑ "2 Kings 21:19-24".
  49. ↑ "2 Kings 23:1-15".
  50. ↑ "2 Kings 23:22-25".
  51. ↑ "2 Chronicles 18:1-3".
  52. ↑ "2 Kings 9:27".
  53. ↑ "2 Chronicles 25:21-24".
  54. ↑ "2 Chronicles 28:6-15".
  55. ↑ "2 Kings 15:29".
  56. ↑ "2 Kings 23:31-34".
  57. ↑ "Daniel 1:1-4".
  58. ↑ "2 Kings 24:1-7".
  59. ↑ "2 Chronicles 36:5-8".
  60. ↑ "2 Kings 24:9-16".
  61. ↑ "2 Chronicles 36:11-16".
  62. ↑ "Ezekiel 17:15-16".
  63. ↑ "Jeremiah 37:5-8".
  64. ↑ "2 Kings 25:1-2".
  65. ↑ "2 Kings 25:4-16".
  66. ↑ "Jeremiah 16:10-11".
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