Guide to the Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah [Chart]

Some years ago, a Bible Gateway-associated blogger named Craig T. Owens created a detailed chart of all of the kings and prophets of the united and divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel mentioned in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. It’s remained one of our most popular posts ever since.

It’s easy to see why. When I was researching my article on chronological ordering of the Bible, navigating the timeline of these books was by far the most complicated part. (You’ll notice, if you review that post, that I decided to simplify the task: while I did put the books and prophets in chronological order, I grouped them by United Kingdom, Divided Kingdom, and Exile rather than match them up verse-for-verse.)

Owens did the work, though, breaking down the complete timeline into incredible detail. Here’s what he had to say about it:

One challenging point in history is the divided kingdoms of Israel (the 10 northern tribes) and Judah (the 2 southern tribes). What makes it challenging when reading straight through the Bible [in chronological order] is that the history is covered in 1 and 2 Kings and then again in 1 and 2 Chronicles. In the midst of these kingdoms, several prophets are sent by God. Some of these prophets only have their words recorded in Kings or Chronicles, while others have their words recorded elsewhere in the Bible (usually the book name is the prophet’s name).

In trying to keep all of these people and messages clear in my mind, I have put together a list of all the kings and prophets during the period of the divided kingdom (roughly 931-586 BC).

In honor of the seventh anniversary of the completed form of Owens’ chart, I decided to republish it and break it down into a heavily expanded text format as another way to digest the information.

First, I’ll share the chart again, which packs a ton of information into a super-compact graphic. Then I’ll go through and expand on some of the information, and provide links to the relevant passages.

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Note that all dates are approximate and contested due to the lack of a consistent calendar during this time (as throughout the ancient world).

Chart of Israel’s and Judah’s Kings and Prophets

First, the chart itself:

Chart listing all of the names, dates, and info of the kings and prophets of Judah and Israel in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles

Got all that? Now, let’s dig in.

The United Kingdom, ca. 1050-930 BC

This was the “golden age” of the Israelite’s presence in the holy land throughout the Old Testament. It began with Saul establishing his kingdom after being anointed by the prophet Samuel, progressed through his army captain David’s ascension to the throne (also with Samuel’s blessing), and then through David’s son Solomon’s inheritance and consolidation of the kingdom.

Saul (r. 1050-1010)

David (r. 1010-970)

Solomon (r. 970-930)

The Divided Kingdom, ca. 931-586 BC

Before Solomon’s death, his servant Jeroboam rebelled. Though the rebellion itself was a failure, Jeroboam returned after Solomon’s death, when Solomon’s son Rehoboam reigned, and laid claim to the northern kingdom of Israel. The smaller southern kingdom of Judah (which included Jerusalem) remained under Rehoboam. So began the period of the divided kingdom.

Kingdom of Judah (Southern Kingdom)

Rehoboam (r. 931-913)

Abijah (r. 913-911)

Asa (r. 911-870)

Jehoshaphat (r. 870-848)

Jehoram (r. 848-841)

Ahaziah (r. 841)

Athaliah (r. 841-835)

Jehoash/Joash (r. 835-796)

Amaziah (r. 796-767)

Uzziah (aka Azariah) (r. 767-748)

Jotham (r. 748-732)

Ahaz (r. 732-716)

Hezekiah (r. 716-687)

Manasseh (r.687-642)

Amon (r.642-640)

Josiah (r. 640-608)

Jehoahaz (r. 608)

Jehoiakim (r. 608-597)

Jehoiachin (r. 597)

Zedekiah (r. 597-586)

BABYLONIAN EXILE (586-450)

Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom)

Jeroboam I (r. 931-910)

Nadab (r. 910-909)

Baasha (r. 909-886)

Elah (r. 886-885)

Zimri (r. 885)

Omri (r. 885-874)

Ahab (r. 874-853)

Ahaziah (r. 853-852)

Jehoram/Joram (r. 852-841)

Jehu (r. 841-814)

Jehoahaz (r. 814-798)

Jehoash (r. 798-782)

Jeroboam II (r. 782-753)

Zechariah (r. 753-752)

Shallum (r. 752)

Menahem (r. 752-742)

Pekahiah (r. 742-740)

Pekah (r. 752-733)

Hoshea (r. 732-722)

BABYLONIAN EXILE (722-450)

Prophets of the Exile

Several prophets wrote from exile in Babylon

Conclusion: Sorting Through the Kings and Prophets

I hope this guide and chart help you to sort through the bewildering array of very similar names between the kingdoms of Israel and Judah in the books of 1 and 2 Kings — and help you to better understand the history of God’s chosen people as recorded in Scripture. Now, next time someone asks you who your favorite king of Judah was, you’ll have an answer ready.

If you enjoy these sorts of deep dives into the Bible, treat yourself to a free trial of Bible Gateway Plus, which contains dozens of study resources to help you research and understand God’s Word.

Jacob Edson headshot

Jacob Edson

Jacob is Editorial Director of Bible Gateway. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Early Christian Thought from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, though with most of his coursework from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. His work has appeared in Ekstasis and in Geez Magazine's "Embracing Darkness" Advent devotional.