A COMPARISON OF THE CHRONOLOGICAL DATA OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH

BY

EDWIN R. THIELE Berrien Springs, Michigan

A comparison of the chronological data of the rulers of Israel and Judah from reign to reign reveals certain phenomena which are of the highest value in a reconstruction of Hebrew chronology. From the dis- ruption to Jehoshaphat in Judah and Jehoram in Israel such a com- parison produces the following results:

The striking feature in the above tabulation is the increase in the totals of regnal years in Israel over those of Judah of one year for 186 every reign. Since the totals of regnal years in a nation employing the nonaccession-year system increase by one year for every reign over ab- solute time and over the totals of regnal years in a nation employing the accession-year system, we thus have evidence that during the above period Judah employed accession-year reckoning while in Israel the nonaccession-year system was used. It will be noticed that on this pattern the 12 years of Omri's reign have been counted from the 27th year of Asa, when he defeated Zimri and took the throne (1 Kings xvi 10, 15-18). The synchronism of 1 Kings xvi 23, of Omri's accession in Asa's 31st year, applies to the beginning of his sole reign over all Israel, after the elimination of Tibni. In the next area to be discussed mention will be made of two more instances where synchronisms are given in terms of the begin- ning of the sole reign but where lengths of reign are reckoned from the beginning of joint or overlapping reigns. The reign of Ahab brings us to a point where contact is made with Assyrian history and where an absolute date may thus be secured for Hebrew chronology. Shalmaneser III mentions the participation of Ahab in the battle of Qarqar, in the 6th year of his reign, the eponymy of Daian Assur, 853 B.C., and the payment of tribute by Jehu in Shal- maneser's 18th year, 841. In 853, therefore, Ahab was still alive and in 841 Jehu was already upon the throne. During this twelve-year period Israel was ruled by Ahab's sons Ahaziah and Jehoram. The length of Ahaziah's reign was 2 years (1 Kings xxii 51) and Jehoram's reign was 12 years (2 Kings iii 1). Since Israel at this time employed the nonacces- sion-year system, Ahaziah's 2 official years would be one actual year and Jehoram's 12 official years equal 11 actual years, or a total of 12 years -exactly the interval between the participation of Ahab in the battle of Qarqar in Shalmaneser's 6th year and the payment of tribute by Jehu in Shalmaneser's 18th year. It is clear, therefore, that Ahab must have died in 853 and Jehu must have begun his reign in 841, and these absolute dates for Hebrew history are thus secured from the established dates of Assyria. It will be noticed that from the disruption of the monarchy to the death of Ahab is 84 official years for Israel and only 78 years for Judah. But it was also noticed that official years reckoned according to the nonaccession-year system are always one year higher for each reign than absolute years. The actual years from Jeroboam to Ahab would thus be as follows: