4. The Times of the Kings

However, it is possible to satisfactorily reconstruct the times of the kings, although the solution is rather complex. The scriptural dates have been harmonised with archaeological references by allowing for co-regencies and different calendar methods. The chronology given here is based largely on the work of E.R. Thiele in The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings (1983) and the article Chronology of the Old Testament in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Full details regarding the calculations may be found there.

Co-regencies are shown using a 'stepped' line rather than a straight line. For example, Asa reigned over Judah on his own until 873 B.C. when Jehoshaphat joined him. Three years later, Asa died and Jehoshaphat continued to reign on his own.

The case of Azariah, Jotham and Ahaz deserves some explanation. It seems Jotham became co-regent with his father Azariah in 750 B.C. (2Kgs 15:32). His twelve year old son, Ahaz, apparently joined them in 744 B.C. (2Kgs 17:1). Azariah died in 740/39 B.C. (2Kgs 15:2) leaving Jotham and Ahaz reigning. Jotham retired in 735 B.C. (2Kgs 16:1) and died four years later in 731 B.C. (2Kgs 15:30,33). This seems the only way to make sense of the conflicting dates concerning the reigns of these three kings of Judah. However, it still requires that Ahaz was only about fifteen when his son, Hezekiah, was born.

Alternative names