Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy) - Kings of Israel and Judah family tree

Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)

 

The United Monarchy is the name given to the Israelite kingdom of Israel and Judah,[6] [7] [8] [9] during the reigns of Saul, David and Solomon, as depicted in the Hebrew Bible. This is traditionally dated between 1050 and 930 BCE. On the succession of Solomon's son, Rehoboam, in c. 930 BCE the biblical account reports that the country split into two kingdoms; the Kingdom of Israel (including the cities of Shechem and Samaria) in the north and the Kingdom of Judah (containing Jerusalem) in the south. Modern historians are divided on the historicity of the United Monarchy as described in the Bible,[10] there is archaeological evidence for the existence of a Davidic Kingdom[11] but there is no direct evidence of a united Kingdom of Judah and Israel in the 10th century.[12] [13] [14]

History

According to standard source criticism, a number of distinct source texts were spliced together to produce the current books of Samuel.[14] The most prominent in the early parts of the first book are the pro-monarchical source and the anti-monarchical source. In identifying these two sources, two separate accounts can be reconstructed. The anti-monarchical source describes Samuel to have thoroughly routed the Philistines, yet begrudgingly accepting that the people demanded a ruler, and thus appointing Saul by cleromancy.

The pro-monarchical source describes the divinely appointed birth of Saul (a single word being changed by a later editor so that it referred to Samuel instead), and his later leading of an army to victory over the Ammonites, which resulted in the people clamoring for him to lead them against the Philistines, whereupon he is appointed king.[15]

Textual critics also point to disparities in the account of David's rise to power as indicative of separate threads being merged later to create a golden age of a united monarchy. David is thought by scholars to have been a ruler in Judah while Israel, comparatively immense and highly developed, continued unfettered. Modern archaeology also supports this view.[12]

Most scholars believe the Books of Samuel exhibit too many anachronisms to have been a contemporary account. For example, there is mention of later armor (1 Samuel 17:4–7, 38–39; 25:13), use of camels (1 Samuel 30:17), cavalry (as distinct from chariotry) (1 Samuel 13:5, 2 Samuel 1:6), and iron picks and axes (as though they were common) (2 Samuel 12:31). The historicity of the conquest described in the Book of Samuel is not attested, and many scholars regard this conquest as legendary in origin, particularly given the lack of evidence for the battles described involving the destruction of the Canaanite peoples. Most scholars believe that Samuel was compiled in the 8th century BCE (rather than the 10th century where most of the events described take place) based on both historical and legendary sources, primarily serving to fill the gap in Israelite history after the events described in Deuteronomy. This gap in historical record is characteristic of the Late Bronze Age collapse, cultural memories of times before the disaster often became embellished as stories of a "lost golden age", ie the Trojan Epic Cycle.

Biblical narrative

Origin

According to the Book of Judges, the Israelite tribes previously lived as a confederation under ad hoc charismatic leaders called Judges. Abimelech was the first to be declared king by the men of Shechem and the house of Millo,[16] and reigned over Israel for three years before he was killed during the Battle of Thebez.[17]

According to the biblical account, the united monarchy was formed when there was a large popular expression in favor of introducing a king to rule over the previously decentralized Israelite tribal confederacy. Increasing pressure from the Philistines and other neighboring tribes is said by the Bible to have forced the Israelites to unite as a more singular state when Samuel anointed Saul from the tribe of Benjamin as the first king. The Bible treats the notion of kingship as having been an anathema at the time, it being seen as one man put in a position of reverence and power, which in their faith was reserved for God.

Civil war

According to the Second Book of Samuel, due to his disobedience to God, Saul's reign was curtailed and his kingdom given to another dynasty. The Masoretic Text says that Saul ruled for only two years.[18] The Bible portrays Saul as having died in battle against the Philistines.

David and Saul had earlier become bitter enemies, at least from Saul's point of view, although the sources describe Jonathan, Saul's son, and Michal, Saul's daughter, as assisting David to escape Saul, ultimately leading to brief reconciliation before Saul's death.

Saul's heir, Ishbaal, took over rulership of Israel but, according to Samuel, ruled for only two years before he was assassinated. David, who had become king of Judah only, ended the conspiracy, and was appointed king of Israel in Ishbaal's place. A number of textual critics and biblical scholars have suggested that David was actually responsible for the assassination, and David's innocence was a later invention to legitimize his actions.[19]

Israel rebels, according to Samuel, and appoints David's son Absalom as their new king. The Bible then describes Israel as taking over Judah and ultimately forcing David into exile east of the Jordan. According to the increasing majority of archaeologists, this isn't so much a case of rebellion by Israel against a mighty kingdom, but more a case of Israel re-asserting its authority over a poor, rural, sparsely populated, backwater.

This section of the biblical text, and the bulk of the remainder of the Books of Samuel, is thought by textual critics to belong to a single large source known as the Court History of David. Although reflecting the political bias of the later kingdom of Judah after Israel's destruction, the source is somewhat more neutral than the pro and anti monarchical sources that form earlier parts of the text. Israel and Judah are portrayed in this source as quite distinct kingdoms.

Eventually, according to the Book of Samuel, David launches a counter-attack, and wins, although with the loss of Absalom. After having retaken Judah, as well as asserted control over Israel, David returns to the west of the Jordan, although he continues to suffer a number of rebellions by Israel, successfully suppressing each one.

The "Golden Age"

According to the biblical account, it was David who, following a civil war with Saul, created a strong and unified Israelite monarchy, reigning c. 1000–961 BCE.[20]Solomon, David's successor, maintained the unified monarchy, c. 961–922.[20]

David, the Second King of Israel, established Jerusalem as its national capital in 1006 BCE.[21] Before then, Hebron had been the capital of David's Judah and Mahanaim of Ish-baal's Israel, and before that Gibeah had been the capital of the United Monarchy under Saul.

In the biblical account, David finally succeeds in truly unifying Judah and Israel. Some modern archaeologists believe there was a continued and uninterrupted existence of two distinct cultures and geographic entities, one being Judah, the other Israel, and if there was a political union it possibly had no practical effect on the relationship between the two nations.[22]

David embarked on successful military campaigns against Judah's and Israel's enemies, and defeated nearby regional entities such as the Philistines, thus creating secure borders. Israel grew from Kingdom to Empire, and its sphere of influence – militarily and politically – in the Middle East expanded greatly, controlling a number of weaker client states like Philistia, Moab, Edom, Ammon, with a number of Aramaean city-states (Aram-Zobah and Aram-Damascus) becoming vassal states; the imperial border stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Arabian Desert, from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River. Some modern archaeologists believe that the area under the control of Judah and Israel in this era, excluding the Phoenician territories on the shore of the Mediterranean, did not exceed 34,000 square kilometres (13,000 sq mi); of these, the kingdom of Israel encompassed about 24,000 square kilometres (9,300 sq mi).

King David established Jerusalem as Israel's national capital; before then, Hebron had been the capital of David's Judah and Mahanaim of Ishbaal's Israel, and before that Gibeah had been the capital under Saul. Earlier parts of the Bible indicate that Shiloh had been seen as the national capital; which, from an archaeological standpoint, is considered plausible, as far as it being the religious capital.

David was succeeded on his death by his son, Solomon, who obtained the kingdom in a somewhat disreputable manner from the rival claimant, his elder brother Adonijah, whom he later had killed. Living up to his name (peace), the rule of Solomon was one in which the nation knew unprecedented peace.

Under Solomon, the United Monarchy experienced a period of peace and prosperity, and cultural development. Much public building took place, including the First Temple in Jerusalem.

David and Solomon are both portrayed by the Bible as having entered into strong alliances with the King of Tyre. In return for ceding land to Tyre, David and Solomon are said to have received a number of master craftsmen, skilled laborers, money, jewels, cedar, and other goods. David's Palace and Solomon's Temple are described as having been built with the assistance of these Tyrian assets, as well as to designs given by architects from Tyre.

Solomon is said to have rebuilt a number of major cities, including Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer; these have been excavated and some scholars attributed elements of the archaeological remains, such as six chambered gates and ashlar palaces, to this building programme. However, later excavation teams at Meggido have made it clear that these structures are from different and later time periods. Yigael Yadin subsequently concluded that the stables that were once believed to have served the vast collection of horses that Solomon is believed to have kept, were actually built by King Ahab in the 9th century BCE.[23]

End of the United Monarchy

Following Solomon's death in c. 926 BCE, tensions between the northern part of Israel containing the ten northern tribes, and the southern section dominated by Jerusalem and the southern tribes reached boiling point. When Solomon's successor Rehoboam dealt tactlessly with economic complaints of the northern tribes, in about 930 BCE (there are difference of opinion as to the actual year) the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah split into two kingdoms: the northern Kingdom of Israel, which included the cities of Shechem and Samaria, and the southern Kingdom of Judah, which contained Jerusalem; with most of the non-Israelite provinces achieving independence.

The Kingdom of Israel (or Northern Kingdom, or Samaria) existed as an independent state until 722 BCE when it was conquered by the Assyrian Empire, while the Kingdom of Judah (or Southern Kingdom) existed as an independent state until 586 BCE when it was conquered by the Babylonian Empire.

Chronology

Many alternative chronologies have been suggested, and there is no ultimate consensus between the different factions and scholarly disciplines concerned with this period, as to when it began or when it ended.[24] [25] [26]

Most historians follow either of the older chronologies established by William F. Albright or Edwin R. Thiele, or the newer chronology of Gershon Galil, all of which are shown below. All dates are BCE. Thiele's chronology generally corresponds with Galil's chronology below with a difference of at most one year.[27]

Albright/Thiele dates	Galil dates	Common/Biblical name	Regnal Name and style	Notes
House of Saul
c. 1021–1000	c. 1030–1010	Saul	Shaul ben Qysh,Melekh Ysra'el	Killed in battle, suicide
c. 1000	c. 1010–1008	Ishbaal (Ish-boseth)	Ishba'al ben Shaul, Melekh Ysra'el	Assassinated
House of David
c. 1000–962	c. 1008–970	David	Dawidh ben Yishai, Melekh Ysra’el	Son-in-law of Saul, brother-in-law of Ish-boseth
c. 962–c. 922	c. 970–931	Solomon	Sh'lomoh ben Dawidh, Melekh Ysra'el	Son of David byBathsheba

Archaeological record

The question of the existence of archeological evidence for the united monarchy is debated in contemporary scholarship. It is generally accepted that a "House of David" existed but many believe that David could have only been the monarch or chieftain of Judah, and that the northern kingdom was a separate development. According to Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman, authors of The Bible Unearthed, the idea of a united monarchy is not accurate history but rather "creative expressions of a powerful religious reform movement," possibly "based on certain historical kernels."[22] Although in a later book Finkelstein and Silberman do accept that David and Solomon were real kings of Judah about the 10th century B.C, they cite that the earliest independent reference to the Kingdom of Israel is about 890 B.C, while for that of Judah is about 750 B.C.[28] This is supported by Tubb, who argues that the United Monarchy is a created Golden Age written during the Exile.[29]He accepts the historicity of David and Solomon but cautions that "They must be seen, however, as local folk heroes and not as rulers of international status."[29]

Kuhrt reviews the general lack of archaeological evidence for the United Monarchy and concludes: "there are no royal inscriptions from the time of the United Monarchy (indeed very little written material altogether), and not a single contemporary reference to either David or Solomon … Against this must be set the evidence for substantial development and growth at several sites, which is plausibly related to the tenth century."[13] Kenneth Kitchen reaches a similar conclusion in his review of the evidence, arguing that "the physical archaeology of tenth-century Canaan is consistent with the former existence of a unified state on its terrain".[30]

In August 2015, Israeli archaeologists discovered massive fortifications in the ruins of the ancient city of Gath, the supposed birthplace of Goliath. The size of the fortifications show Gath to be a very large city in the 10th century B.C, perhaps the largest in Canaan at the time. The professor leading the dig, Aren Maeir, estimated that Gath was as much as four times the size of contemporary Jerusalem, casting doubt that David's kingdom could have been as powerful as described in the Bible.[31]

See also

• Canaan
• Historicity of the Bible
• Ir Ovot
• Khirbet Qeiyafa

References

1. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+8
2. http://biblehub.com/1_kings/11-5.htm
3. http://biblehub.com/2_kings/23-13.htm
4. http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/11-13.htm
5. Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, Free Press, New York, 2001, pages 240-243., ISBN 0-684-86912-8
6. This article uses the term "Israelite" as defined by The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion:

   "The name ... signifies the people composed of [Jacob's] descendants (the 'children of Israel'), being applied (a) to the whole people (including Judah) ... [and] (b) with the division of the kingdom after the death of Solomon, to the Northern Kingdom only."

   "Israelite." The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion. Ed. R.J. Zwi Werblowsky and Geoffrey Wigoder. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966. pp. 206–207.
7. Cundall, Arthur E. (1973). "The United Monarchy: Fact or Fiction?" (PDF). Vox Evangelica 8: 33–39.
8. Harvey, Graham (1996) The True Israel: Uses of the Names Jew, Hebrew, and Israel in Ancient Jewish and Early Christian Literature. BRILL. p. 164
9. De Vaux, Roland (1997) Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 080284278X
10. Oded Lipschits (2014) "The History of Israel in the Biblical Period" in Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler (eds.) The Jewish Study Bible (second edition). New York: Oxford University Press.
11. Archeology of the Hebrew Bible
12. Finkelstein, Israel, and Silberman, Neil Asher, The Bible Unearthed : Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, Simon & Schuster, 2002. ISBN 0-684-86912-8
13. Kuhrt, Amiele (1995). The Ancient Near East. Routledge. p. 438. ISBN 978-0415167628.
14. http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/2014/07/wri388001.shtml
15. Jones, Gwilym H (2001). "1 and 2 Samuel". In John Barton and John Muddiman.The Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford University Press. pp. 197–199.ISBN 9780198755005.
16. "Judges 9:20".
17. "2 Samuel 11:21".
18. Lemaire, Andre. "King Saul." My Jewish Learning. 27 May 2014.
19. Stanley Jerome Isser (January 2003). The Sword of Goliath: David in Heroic Literature. BRILL. pp. 152–. ISBN 90-04-12737-2.
20. Edited by Robert G. Boling (1975). Judges (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries). Garden City, New York: Doubleday. p. XXI. ISBN 0300139454.
21. The Jewish Temples: Jerusalem in the First Temple Period (1006 – 586 BCE). Jewish Virtual Library
22. Finkelstein, Israel; Silberman, Neil Asher (2001). The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts. Simon and Schuster. p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7432-2338-6.
23. Finkelstein, Israel and Maza, Amihay (2007) The Quest for the Historical Israel. Society of Biblical Literature. ISBN 1589832779. p. 102
24. Shanks, Hershel (2010). Ancient Israel (3rd Edition). Pearson. ISBN 0205096433.
25. Friedman, Richard (1987). Who Wrote The Bible. HarperOne. ISBN 0060630353.
26. Bloom, Harold (2004). The Book of J. Grove Press. ISBN 0802141919.
27. Kenneth Kitchen, How We Know When Solomon Ruled: Israel's Kings, BAR September/October 2001
28. Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman, David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition, p. 20
29. Tubb, Jonathan (2006). Canaanites. The British Museum Press. p. 115. ISBN 0-7141-2766-3.
30. Kitchen, Kenneth (2003). On the Reliability of the Old Testament. p. 158.ISBN 978-0-8028-0396-2.
31. Nir Hasson (4 August 2015). "Philistine City of Gath a Lot More Powerful Than Thought, Archaeologists Suggest". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 August 2015.

External links

• The Debate over the Historicity and Chronology of the United Monarchy in Jerusalem by Ong Kar Khalsa
• Jewish Virtual Library
• Newadvent Encyclopedia

 Davidic line 

The Davidic line (also referred to as the House of David) (known in Hebrew as Malkhut Beit David (מלכות בית דוד) – "Kingdom of the House of David") refers to the tracing of lineage to the King David referred to in the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament. The term "House of David" referring to the Davidic dynasty appears many times in the Bible.[1]

History

Upon being chosen and becoming king, the custom in the times of the Tanakh was to be anointed with Holy Oil poured on the head. In David's case, this was done by the prophet Samuel:

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

Now he [David] was ruddy, and with beautiful eyes, and goodly to look upon. And the Lord said: 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he.' Then Samuel [the prophet] took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward ... (1 Samuel 16:12–13)

In Hebrew, the anointing is called meshicha (meaning "pulling") and a king (melekh or melech in Hebrew) is referred to as a Moshiachor Messiah or a Melech HaMashiach meaning "the anointed king". The procedure of anointment, in David's case, is said to symbolize the descent of God's holiness (kedusha) upon the king and as a sign of a bond never to be broken.

The monarchy was vouchsafed to the House of David by God in the Book of Samuel:

And Nathan said to the king: ... Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones that are in the earth... and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord tells you that the Lord will make you a house. When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son; if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for ever.' ...Then David the king went in, and sat before the Lord... 'now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken it; and through your blessing let the house of your servant be blessed forever.' (2 Samuel 7:1–29)

Initially, David was king over the Tribe of Judah only and ruled from Hebron, but after seven and a half years, the other Israelite tribes chose him to be their king as well:

Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying: 'Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you that did lead out and bring in Israel; and the Lord said to you: You shalt feed my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.' So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel... (2 Samuel 5:1–3).

As well as in the Book of Chronicles:

So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Samuel ... (1 Chronicles 11:3)

And these are the numbers of the heads of them that were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord. ... All these, being men of war, that could order the battle array, came with a whole heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. (1 Chronicles 12:24 and 12:39).

All subsequent kings in both the ancient first united Kingdom of Israel and the laterKingdom of Judah claimed direct descent from King David to validate their claim to the throne in order to rule over the Israelite tribes.

After the death of David's son, King Solomon, the ten northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel rejected the Davidic line, refusing to accept Solomon's son, Rehoboam, and instead chose as king Jeroboam and formed the northern Kingdom of Israel. This kingdom was eventually conquered by Assyria who exiled them, to disappear from history as The Ten Lost Tribes.

The Exilarch

Following the conquest of Judah by Babylon and the exile of its population, the Babylonian Exilarchate was established. The highest official of Babylonian Jewry was the exilarch (Reish Galuta, "Head of the Diaspora"). Those who held the position traced their ancestry to the House of David in the male line.[2] The position holder was regarded as a king-in-waiting.

Hasmonean monarchy

The Hasmoneans, also known as the Maccabees, were a priestly group (kohanim) from the Tribe of Levi. They established their own monarchy in Judea following their revolt against the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty. The Hasmoneans were not considered connected to the Davidic line nor to the Tribe of Judah. The Levites had always been excluded from the Israelite monarchy, so when the Maccabees assumed the throne in order to rededicate the defiled Second Temple, a cardinal rule was broken. According to scholars within Orthodox Judaism, this is considered to have contributed to their downfall and the eventual downfall of Judea; internal strife allowing for Roman occupation and the violent installation of Herod the Greatas client king over the Roman province of Judea; and the subsequent destruction of the Second Temple by the Emperor Titus.

With the end of the monarchy, following the destruction of both the Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple, the line of the monarchy was carefully preserved and guarded.

Jewish interpretations

In Jewish eschatology, the term mashiach, or "Messiah", came to refer to a future Jewish King from the Davidic line, who is expected to be anointed with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age.[3] [4] [5] The Messiah is often referred to as "King Messiah", or, in Hebrew, מלך משיח (melekh mashiach), and, in Aramaic, malka meshiḥa.[6]

Orthodox views have generally held that the Messiah will be descended from his father through the line of King David,[7] and will gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the Third Temple, father a male heir, re-institute the Sanhedrin, and so on. Jewish tradition alludes to two redeemers, both of whom are called mashiach and are involved in ushering in the Messianic age: Mashiach ben David; and Mashiach ben Yosef. In general, the term Messiah unqualified refers to Mashiach ben David (Messiah, son of David).[3] [4]

Christian interpretations

In Christian interpretation the "Davidic promise" of a Davidic line in 2 Samuel 7 is understood in various ways, traditionally referring to the genealogies of Christ in theNew Testament. One Christian interpretation of the Davidic line counts the line continuing to Jesus of Nazareth via adoption of Joseph of Nazareth, according to the family tree of the kings of Judah in Gospel of Matthew chapter 1 (the later part of which is not recorded in the Hebrew Bible). Another Christian interpretation emphasizes the minor, non-royal, line of David through Solomon's brother Nathan as recorded in Gospel of Luke chapter 3 (entirely undocumented in the Hebrew Bible), which is often understood to be the family tree of Mary's father. A widely spread traditional Christian interpretation relates the non-continuation of the main Davidic line from Solomon as related the godlessness of Jehoiachin in the early 500s BC, where Jeremiah cursed the main branch of the Solomonic line, saying that no descendant of "[Je]Coniah" would ever again reign on the throne of Israel (Jer. 22:30).[8] This same "curse" is also considered by some Christian commentators as the reason that Zerubbabel, the rightful Solomonic king during the time of Nehemiah, was not given a kingship under the Persian empire.[9]

David the Prince

In Mormon eschatology, Latter-Day Saints express in the belief of a Davidic prophet by the name of David who would come in the last days to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord including the building of the Third Jewish Temple.[10]

See also

• Exilarch
• Origin of the Bagratid dynasties
• Claim of the biblical descent of the Bagrationi dynasty
• Solomonic dynasty
• Genealogy of Jesus
• Kebra Nagast
• History of ancient Israel and Judah
• LMLK seal
• Jewish eschatology
• Jewish Messiah
• Messiah
• Principles of Faith: The Messianic Age
• Tree of life (biblical)
• British Israelism

References

1. Examples can be found in: 1 Kings 12:201 Kings 12:26 1 Kings 13:2, 1 Kings 14:8,2 Kings 12:1–19,2 Kings 17:21,2 Samuel 3:1, 1 Samuel 19:11HE, 1 Samuel 20:16,2 Samuel 3:6,Isaiah 7:2,Jeremiah 21:12,Zechariah 12:7, Nehemiah 12:37,Psalms 30:1,Psalms 122:5, 1 Chronicles 17:24, 2 Chronicles 10:19, etc.
2. Max A Margolis and Alexander Marx, A History of the Jewish People (1927), p. 235.
3. Schochet, Jacob Immanuel. "Moshiach ben Yossef". Tutorial. Moshiach.com. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
4. Blidstein, Prof. Dr. Gerald J. "Messiah in Rabbinic Thought". MESSIAH. Jewish Virtual Library and Encyclopaedia Judaica 2008 The Gale Group. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
5. Telushkin, Joseph (1991). "The Messiah". William Morrow and Co. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
6. Flusser, David. "Second Temple Period". Messiah. Encyclopaedia Judaica 2008 The Gale Group. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
7. See Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan: "The Real Messiah A Jewish Response to Missionaries"at the Wayback Machine (archived May 29, 2008)
8. H. Wayne House Israel: Land and the People 1998 114 "And yet, Judah has also been without a king of the Solomonic line since the Babylonian exile. Because of Jeremiah's curse on Jehoiachin (Coniah) in the early 500s BC (Jer. 22:30), the high priests of Israel, while serving as the ..."
9. Warren W. Wiersbe -The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament - 2007 p1497 "Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Matt. 1:12; Coniah, Jer. 22:24, 28), and therefore of the royal line of David. But instead of wearing a crown and sitting on a throne, Zerubbabel was the humble governor of a ..."
10. 'David, Prophetic Figure of Last Days'

Sources

• The Holy Bible: 1611 Edition (Thos. Nelson, 1993)

External links

• Jewish Encyclopedia.com: "Exilarchs"
• A genealogy of the Exilarchs: "From Judah to Bustanai"
• Rabbinic Sources and Seder Olam Zuta: "Seder Olam Zuta" & "Rav-SIG"
• Davidic Dynasty, an organization that seeks to trace descent from King David:"Davidic Dynasty"

 Kings of Israel and Judah family tree 

The following is a family tree of the kings of the United Kingdom of Israel as well as those of its two successor states, the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

See also

• Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)
• Kings of Judah
• Kingdom of Judah
• Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)
• History of ancient Israel and Judah