Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel.
The United Kingdom of Solomon breaks up, with Jeroboam ruling over the Northern Kingdom of Israel (in green on the map).Map of the southern Levant, c.830s BCE.
The Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew: מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Modern: Malḫut Yəhuda, Tiberian: Malḵûṯ Yəhûḏāh) existed at two periods in Jewish history. According to the Hebrew Bible, a kingdom emerged in Judah after the death of Saul, when the tribe of Judah elevated David, who came from the Tribe of Judah, to rule over it. After seven years David became king of a reunited Kingdom of Israel. During this period, Jerusalem became the capital of the united kingdom. (2 Samuel 5:6–7) However, in about 930 BCE the united kingdom split, with ten of the twelve Tribes of Israel rejecting David's grandson Rehoboam as their king. The reformed Kingdom of Judah was one of the successor states, and the other entity continuing to be called the Kingdom of Israel, or Israel. This Kingdom of Judah is also often referred to as the Southern Kingdom, while the Kingdom of Israel following the split is referred to as the Northern Kingdom. Judah existed until 586 BCE, when it was conquered by the Babylonian Empire under Nebuzar-adan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar's body-guard. (2 Kings 25:8–21) With the deportation of the population and the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem, the destruction of the kingdom was complete.
The area that comprised the kingdom consisted of the area known as Har Yehudah ("the mountain (district) of the gorge(s)"). The area seems to have originally been occupied by Kenites, Calebites, Othnielites, and in Jerusalem Jebusites.
The Davidic dynasty began when the tribe of Judah made David its king, following the death of Saul. The Davidic line continued when David became king of the reunited Kingdom of Israel. When the united kingdom split, Judah and Benjamin continued to be loyal to the Davidic line, which ruled it until the kingdom was destroyed in 586 BCE. However, the Davidic line continued to be respected by the exiles in Babylon, who regarded the Exilarchs as kings-in-exile.
The United Monarchy was a union of the twelve Israelite tribes living in the area that presently comprises modern Israel and Palestine. It existed from around 1030-930 BCE.
After the death of Solomon in 931 BCE, the ten northern tribes refused to accept Rehoboam as their king, and instead in about 930 BCE chose Jeroboam as their king, who was not of the Davidic line. The northern kingdom continued to be called the Kingdom of Israel or Israel. The revolt took place at Shechem, and at first only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David. But very soon after the tribe of Benjamin joined Judah, and Jerusalem (which was in Benjamin's territory: Joshua 18:28) became the capital of the new kingdom. The southern kingdom was called the kingdom of Judah, or Judah. 2 Chronicles 15:9 also says that members of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon "fled" to Judah during the reign of Asa of Judah.
For the first sixty years, the kings of Judah tried to re-establishing their authority over the northern kingdom, and there was perpetual war between them. For the following eighty years, there was no open war between them, and, for the most part, they were in friendly alliance, co-operating against their common enemies, especially against Damascus.
Israel existed as an independent state until around 720 BCE when it was conquered by the Assyrian Empire. The Bible relates that all Israelites were exiled, becoming known as the The Ten Lost Tribes. However, it is estimated that only a fifth of the population (about 40,000) were actually resettled out of the area during the two deportation periods under Tiglath-pilaser III and Sargon II.[1] Many Israelites also fled south to Jerusalem, which appears to have expanded in size by 500% during this period, requiring a new wall to be built, and a new source of water (Siloam) to be provided by King Hezekiah.
After the destruction of Israel, Judah continued to exist for about a century and a half until being conquered by the Babylonians.
File:A reconstructed Israelite house, Monarchy period3.jpgReconstructed Israelite house from the Monarchy period
King Hezekiah of Judah (727-698 BCE) is noted in the Bible for initiating reforms that enforced Jewish laws against idolatry (in this case, the worship of Ba'alim and Asherah, among other traditional Near Eastern divinities).
[2][3] In his reign is also dated the Siloam inscription in Old Hebrew alphabet.
Manasseh of Judah (698-642 BCE), sacrificed his son to Molech, 2 Kings 21. He and his son Amon (reigned 642-640 BCE) reversed Hezekiah's reforms and officially revived idolatry. According to later rabbinical accounts, Manasseh placed a grotesque, four-faced idol in the Holy of Holies.
The reign of king Josiah (640-609 BCE) was accompanied by a religious reformation. According to the Bible, while repairs were made on the Temple, a 'Book of the Law' was discovered (possibly the book of Deuteronomy).[4]
In 586 BCE, the Babyloníans, under king Nebuchadnezzar II, seized Jerusalem. The First Temple was destroyed. To this day, the destruction is remembered by Jews on the 9th of Av, or Tisha B'Av.[5]
Following this conquest, much of the population of Judah was deported from the land and dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire.
The Kingdom of Judah was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, and was named after Judah, son of Jacob (Israel).
Reigned over Israel & Judah in Jerusalem for 40 years. Death: Natural Causes Son of David by Bathsheba, his rights of succession were disputed by his older half-brother Adonijah
Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 6 years. Death: Killed by the troops assigned by Jehoiada the Priest to protect Joash. Queen Mother, widow of Jehoram and mother of Ahaziah
Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 40 years. Death: Killed by his officials namely: Zabad, son of Shimeath, a Moabite Woman, and Jehozabad, son of Shimrith, a Moabite Woman.
Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 16 years. Death: Natural Causes The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III records he received tribute from Ahaz; compare 2 Kings 16:7-9
Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 31 years. Death: He was shot by archers during the battle against Neco of Egypt. He died upon his arrival on Jerusalem.
Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 3 months. Death: Neco, king of Egypt, dethroned him and was replaced by his brother, Eliakim. Then he was carried off to Egypt, where he died.
Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 3 months & 10 days. Death: King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon sent for him and brought him to Babylon, where he lived and died. Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians and Jehoiachin deposed on 16 March, 597 BCE. Called Jeconiah in Jeremiah and Esther
Reigned over Judah in Jerusalem for 11 years. Death: Unknown. His reign saw the second rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar (588-586 BCE). Jerusalem was captured after a lengthy siege, the temple burnt, Zedekiah blinded and taken into exile, and Judah reduced to a province.
From the end of the kingdom to the present
After the end of the ancient kingdom the area passed into foreign rule, apart from brief periods, under the following powers:
37 BCE–70 CE: Herodian Dynasty ruling Judea under Roman supremacy (37 BCE-6 CE and 41-44 CE), interchanging with direct Roman rule (6-41 CE and 44-66 CE). This ended in the first Jewish Revolt of 66-73 AD, which saw the Temple destroyed in 70 CE.
1516–1917: OttomanTurks, having previously conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453
1918–1948: British mandate of Palestine under, first, League of Nations, then, successor United Nations; the Emirate of Trans-Jordan was separated from the rest of Palestine in 1922, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan became independent upon the expiration of the League of Nations Mandate in 1946.
