Table of Contents
Examples of good kings in the Bible
In the Old Testament, a king is described as good or bad depending on his religion. If the king served the one true God of Israel, he is described as good. If the king forsook the one true God of Israel and embraced foreign religion or foreign gods and idols, he is described as bad or evil. Here is a list of kings who stayed true to the God of Israel:
KING | MORALITY | KINGDOM | REFERENCE |
King Melchizedek | Good | Salem | Ge 14:18 Heb 7:1-3 |
King Asa | Good | Judah | 1Ki 15:11 2Ch 14:2 |
King Jehoshaphat | Good | Judah | 2Ch 17:3 |
King Uzziah | Good | Judah | 2Ki 15:3 2Ch 26:4 |
King Jotham | Good | Judah | 2Ch 27:2 |
King Hezekiah | Good | Judah | 2Ch 29:2 |
King Josiah | Good | Judah | 2Ki 22:2 |
Kings who turned from good to bad
There were some kings who, though began as devotees to the true God of Israel, forsook him at some point. These kings acted in perpetual disobedience to the Lord. Jehoash and his son Amaziah forsook the one true God of Israel for foreign gods and idols. And Saul was a disobedient proud king who, aside from disobedience, committed atrocities in Israel. These are the kings who started as good kings, but along the line became evil and ungodly:
NAME | MORALITY | KINGDOM | REFERENCE |
King Saul | Good, but turned bad | Israel | 1Sa 22:6-9 1Sa 28:7.39 |
King Solomon | Good, but turned bad | Israel | 1Ki 11:6 |
Jehoash of Judah | Good, but turned bad | Judah | 2Ch 24:2 2Ch 24:17-22 |
King Amaziah | Good, but turned bad | Judah | 2Ch 25:2 2Ch 25:14 |
Kings who were bad but repented
Some kings in the Bible repented from evil to good. They are:
KING | MORALITY | KINGDOM | REFERENCE |
King Manasseh | Evil, but repented | Judah | 2Ch 33:10-20 |
King Nebuchadnezzar | Evil, but repented | Babylon | Da 4:34-35 |