Kings of Israel and Judah (Complete List + Timeline)
Quick Summary
After the death of Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel split into two: the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). Each had its own line of kings, with Judah preserving the Davidic line and Israel experiencing frequent dynastic changes. This post provides a complete list of kings for both Israel and Judah, along with helpful context, historical measurements, and timeline details.
The Divided Kingdom Begins
The Bible records that after King Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam’s harsh leadership led to a national rupture (1 Kings 12:1-20). Ten tribes broke away to form the northern kingdom of Israel, while Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam in the south. From this point on, the biblical narrative moves back and forth between these two kingdoms, each with its own rulers, prophets, and patterns of faithfulness or rebellion.
Israel had a total of 19 kings before falling to the Assyrians in 722 BCE (2 Kings 17:6). Judah had 20 kings before being taken into exile by Babylon in 586 BCE (2 Kings 25:8-21). Only David, Solomon, and Saul ruled over the united kingdom prior to the split.
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Kings of the United Kingdom of Israel (Before the Split)
Saul – Israel’s first king, chosen by God and anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10). Though a formidable warrior who fought in many of the earliest battles in the Bible, his reign devolved into paranoia driven by deep envy in Scripturetoward young David.
David – A man after God’s own heart who established Jerusalem as the capital (2 Samuel 5). His rise began with his famous victory over Goliath, where understanding Goliath's armor weight and construction reveals the staggering odds Israel faced. He later brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
Solomon – Renowned for extraordinary wisdom and for engineering the monumental dimensions of Solomon's Temple using royal royal architectural cubits (1 Kings 6–11). However, his later years succumbed to heavy taxation and compromise with foreign gods.
Confusion about Kings and Prophets
One issue I’ve found is that I sometimes don’t know which prophet lived and worked during these various king-and-queenships. I put together a table that helps me keep them straight.
In the table below, you will see the prophet(s) in question, the kingdom they ministered to, the kings who ruled during their prophetic ministry, and the biblical passages for reference. I hope you find this resource helpful.
The kings of the divided kingdom continue below this table.
| Prophet | Primary Target | Contemporary Kings | Biblical Era & Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah & Elisha | Northern (Israel) | Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash | 1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 13 Fought Baal worship & royal corruption. |
| Obadiah | Southern (Judah) Targeted Edom |
Jehoram (or Ahaz) | Book of Obadiah Prophesied judgment against Edom for aiding Judah's invaders. |
| Joel | Southern (Judah) | Joash (or Uzziah) | Book of Joel Used a devastating locust plague to warn of the Day of the Lord. |
| Jonah | Northern (Israel) Sent to Nineveh |
Jeroboam II (Israel) | 2 Kings 14:25; Book of Jonah Sent to Assyria's capital during Israel's material golden age. |
| Amos | Northern (Israel) | Jeroboam II (Israel) Uzziah (Judah) |
Book of Amos A Judean shepherd sent north to denounce social injustice and idolatry. |
| Hosea | Northern (Israel) | Jeroboam II (Israel) Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah (Judah) |
Book of Hosea Lived out God's heartbreak over spiritual adultery right before Assyrian exile. |
| Isaiah | Southern (Judah) | Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah | Book of Isaiah; 2 Kings 19–20 Counselled Hezekiah through the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem. |
| Micah | Southern (Judah) | Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah | Book of Micah Prophesied alongside Isaiah against corrupt rulers and false prophets. |
| Nahum | Southern (Judah) Targeted Nineveh |
Manasseh / Josiah era | Book of Nahum Comforted Judah by predicting the total destruction of the Assyrian Empire. |
| Zephaniah | Southern (Judah) | Josiah | Book of Zephaniah Preached sweeping judgment during the early days of Josiah's reforms. |
| Jeremiah | Southern (Judah) | Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah | Book of Jeremiah; 2 Kings 22–25 The weeping prophet who witnessed the burning of Solomon's Temple. |
| Habakkuk | Southern (Judah) | Jehoiakim | Book of Habakkuk Wrestled with God over using Babylon to punish Judah's sins. |
| Ezekiel & Daniel | Babylonian Exile | Jehoiachin, Zedekiah (Exile period) | Books of Ezekiel & Daniel Ministered to captives in Babylon after the Davidic throne collapsed. |
Kings of the Northern Kingdom: Israel (19 Kings)
Jeroboam I – Led the northern revolt and fractured the nation geographically, setting up rival golden calves at Bethel and Dan to divert worship from Jerusalem (see our ancient Promised Land Map to view this border split) (1 Kings 12:25-33).
Nadab – Son of Jeroboam, reigned briefly before being assassinated during a military siege at Gibbethon (1 Kings 15:25-26).
Baasha – Assassinated Nadab and seized power by brute force, ruling through military might and iron-age biblical weapons (1 Kings 15:27-28).
Elah – Son of Baasha, assassinated by his own chariot commander while getting drunk in his palace (1 Kings 16:8-10). His downfall stands as a sharp biblical case study on the physical and spiritual ruin caused by royal sloth and complacency.
Zimri – Reigned just 7 days before committing suicide in his burning palace when besieged by the army, embodying the destructive end of unchecked ambition and the seven deadly sins (1 Kings 16:15-20).
Omri – Military commander who established Israel's most powerful northern dynasty and built the fortified capital city of Samaria (1 Kings 16:21-28).
Ahab – Son of Omri, married the notorious pagan princess Jezebel, and fiercely opposed Elijah (1 Kings 16:29–22:40). Ahab’s unlawful seizure of Naboth's vineyard remains scripture's premier warning against systemic greed in the Bible.
Ahaziah– Son of Ahab; suffered a fatal fall through his palace lattice and stubbornly sought guidance from pagan deities rather than the prophets of the Bible (1 Kings 22:51–53).
Joram (Jehoram) – Another son of Ahab who formed a military coalition to suppress uprisings across the Jordan river (explore Where is Biblical Moab Today to understand this eastern terrain) (2 Kings 3).
Jehu – Anointed by Elisha to eradicate Ahab’s line, carrying out furious military purges across the kingdom (2 Kings 9–10).
Jehoahaz – Son of Jehu whose kingdom was crushed by Aramean invaders until he uttered one of the most desperate prayers in the Bible for deliverance (2 Kings 13:1-9).
Jehoash (Joash) – Achieved military victories over Aram and visited the prophet Elisha on his deathbed, navigating biblical themes of death and hope (2 Kings 13:10-25).
Jeroboam II – Presided over a long, material golden age where trade flourished and agricultural tribute measured in dry ephahs poured into Samaria, though spiritual corruption rotted beneath the surface (2 Kings 14:23-29).
Zechariah – Assassinated in public after reigning only six months, bringing Jehu's four-generation dynasty to a bloody end (2 Kings 15:8-12).
Shallum – Reigned a single month before being overthrown, proving how rapid political turnover follows moral collapse (2 Kings 15:13-15).
Menahem – Cruel dictator who exacted a crushing tax of 50 silver shekels per wealthy man to pay off King Pul of Assyria (2 Kings 15:16-22). To understand the economic weight of this extraction, use our interactive Complete Bible Currency and Weights Guide or review how much a shekel weighed in ancient silver.
Pekahiah – Son of Menahem, assassinated inside his own citadel by his military captain (2 Kings 15:23-26).
Pekah – Military leader who formed an anti-Assyrian alliance, resulting in massive northern territory losses where historic cities of refuge were depopulated (2 Kings 15:27-31).
Hoshea – The final monarch of the northern kingdom, whose rebellion against Assyria triggered the catastrophic 722 BCE siege and the permanent exile of the ten tribes (2 Kings 17).
Kings of the Southern Kingdom: Judah (20 Kings + 1 Queen)
Rehoboam – Son of Solomon whose arrogant refusal to lighten labor burdens split the nation, serving as a timeless warning against leadership pride (1 Kings 12).
Abijah (Abijam) – Engaged in massive civil warfare against Jeroboam's northern armies (1 Kings 15:1-8).
Asa – Enjoyed a long, stable reign marked by sweeping religious purges, removing idols to restore biblical righteousness (1 Kings 15:9-24).
Jehoshaphat – Instituted nationwide judicial reforms and proclaimed a historic national fast during military invasion, demonstrating biblical fasting in times of crisis (1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 17).
Jehoram – Married Ahab’s daughter Athaliah and murdered all his own brothers to secure his throne (2 Kings 8).
Ahaziah – Allied with Israel's king and was executed during Jehu's northern coup (2 Kings 9).
Athaliah (Queen) – Mother of Ahaziah who usurped the throne and massacred the royal heirs, becoming Judah's only female monarch among women in the Bible (2 Kings 11).
Joash (Jehoash) – Rescued from Athaliah's slaughter as an infant; grew up to repair the breaches of the temple (2 Kings 12).
Amaziah – Achieved military victory over Edomite forces before falling to conspirators in Jerusalem (2 Kings 14).
Uzziah (Azariah) – Presided over decades of economic prosperity, but was struck with leprosy by God after proudly entering the temple to burn incense unlawfully (2 Kings 15:1-7; 2 Chronicles 26). For a deeper look at ancient isolation laws and divine compassion, see our study on Leprosy in the Bible and the Gospel of Luke.
Jotham – A faithful ruler who rebuilt the Upper Gate of the temple and prevailed over regional enemies (2 Kings 15:32-38).
Ahaz – Plunged Judah into deep apostasy by practicing child sacrifice and shutting the doors of the temple out of fear and anxiety over foreign armies (2 Kings 16).
Hezekiah – Sparked a massive religious revival and trusted God during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, offering legendary intercessory prayers that led to divine deliverance (2 Kings 18–20).
Manasseh – Ruled for 55 years (the longest reign in Judah), filling Jerusalem with idolatry and violence before experiencing profound repentance and biblical forgiveness while imprisoned (2 Kings 21).
Amon – Reigned briefly in wickedness before being assassinated by his own officials (2 Kings 21:19-26).
Josiah – Initiated Judah's greatest spiritual awakening after rediscovering the Book of the Law during temple renovations, enforcing total obedience to biblical law (2 Kings 22–23).
Jehoahaz – Reigned only three months before Pharaoh Necho deposed him and carried him away in chains to Egypt (explore how many years Israelites spent in Egypt across biblical history) (2 Kings 23:31-34).
Jehoiakim – Heavily taxed the populace and arrogantly burned the prophet Jeremiah’s inspired written scrolls (see how the Bible was written and compiled) (2 Kings 23:35-24:7).
Jehoiachin – Reigned three months before being deported to Babylon during King Nebuchadnezzar's first major siege (2 Kings 24:8-17).
Zedekiah – The tragic final monarch of Judah who rebelled against Babylon, witnessing the total destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of Solomon's Temple before being exiled in 586 BCE (trace this historical region in Where is Babylon Today) (2 Kings 24:18–25:21).
Historical Legacy Blueprint: The collapse of Judah’s Davidic monarchy scattered the Jewish people across the Greco-Roman world, creating strategic synagogue outposts throughout the Mediterranean. Centuries later, the Apostle Paul target-mapped these exact diaspora hubs. To see how salvation history shifted from fallen royal palaces to urban mission outposts, read our deep-dive into Paul's three-year Ministry in the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:8-10), which laid the theological foundations for our Exegesis of Ephesians 1:1-14.
Patterns and Takeaways
Spiritual Decline vs. Revival: The kings of Israel and Judah show a steady pattern of spiritual decline, with occasional revivals in Judah. Israel never had a righteous king, while Judah had several who "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" (such as Hezekiah and Josiah).
The Prophetic Intermediaries: The prophets continually stood alongside these monarchs to challenge royal corruption and call the nation back to covenant faithfulness. Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others are deeply embedded in these narratives.
The Kingly Failures & Gospel Fulfillment: Earthly kings routinely abused power or succumbed to pride, leaving Israel desperate for an eternal, righteous Messiah. The New Testament writers directly address this legacy by framing Jesus as the perfect fulfillment of the Davidic throne. To see how this divine authority operates practically, follow our Summary of the Book of Luke Chapter by Chapter or look into the ultimate King offering supernatural bread in our Summary of John Chapter 6.
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FAQ
How many kings of Israel were there?
There were 19 kings in the northern kingdom of Israel, beginning with Jeroboam I and ending with Hoshea.
How many kings of Judah were there?
There were 20 kings and one queen in Judah. The line started with Rehoboam and ended with Zedekiah before the Babylonian exile.
Who was the king of Israel with leprosy?
King Uzziah (also called Azariah) of Judah was struck with leprosy after unlawfully burning incense in the temple (2 Kings 15:5).
How much was a biblical shekel worth during the reign of the kings?
During the monarchy era, a shekel was primarily a standard unit of weight rather than a pre-minted coin. Demands for tributes—like the steep 50-shekel silver taxes under King Menahem—crippled ordinary working families. To figure out what these ancient values look like in modern currency scales, use our interactive Biblical Currency Converter.
When was David anointed king of Israel?
David was first anointed king over Judah in Hebron (2 Samuel 2:4) and later over all Israel in Hebron (2 Samuel 5:3).
Who were the most famous kings of Israel and Judah?
Saul, David, and Solomon ruled the united kingdom. Ahab and Jeroboam II are well-known kings in Israel, while Hezekiah and Josiah stand out in Judah for their religious reforms.
