Overview, religion, economy
The Kingdom of Judah was an ancient kingdom located in the southern region of ancient Israel in the southern part of the Levant. It was bordered by the Kingdom of Israel to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the Dead Sea to the east, and the Kingdom of Edom to the south. The capital city of Judah was Jerusalem, God’s chosen center of worship, which housed the famous temple that Solomon built for Yahweh. The kingdom of Judah is believed to have originated around the 10th century BCE and lasted until its fall in 586 BCE. This means that it lasted for approximately 400 years.
Judah’s economy was based on farming wheat, barley, olives, and grapes, and on trade in textiles, pottery, and spices. Its people worked in agriculture, pottery, and metalwork, using silver and gold as currency. The nation generally enjoyed stability and security, especially under good kings such as Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah. Prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel rose from there. The kingdom comprised the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and part of Levi, and included towns such as Hebron, Bethlehem, and Mizpah.
Though they served Yahweh, the God of their fathers, there were periods of idolatry, which had its first occurrence in the reign of King Rehoboam. After him, Judah had a mix of both good and idolatrous regimes until the kingdom fell in the reign of its last idolatrous king, Zedekiah (597–586 BCE), with idolatry and moral decay being the main causes.
History and formation of the kingdom
The Kingdom of Judah was formed after the split of the United Monarchy of Israel. The factors leading to the split of the United Israel started in the days of Solomon. It happened that one of Solomon’s officials, called Jeroboam, inspired by Ahijah’s prophecy, rebelled against Solomon in an attempt to usurp the throne, but failed. After the death of King Solomon, Rehoboam went to Shechem, where they would enthrone him as king of all Israel. When Jeroboam heard that Rehoboam was going to be enthroned, he returned from Egypt to Israel.
At Shechem, Jeroboam led the people to ask a favor of Rehoboam that he should reduce the heavy tax burden his father, King Solomon, had put on them. Rehoboam told them to return in three days for his reply. Then Rehoboam sought the advice of the old men who were Solomon’s advisors. And they advised him to grant the people their request, for by so doing, they would be loyal to him forever. However, Rehoboam threw off their advice. Rather, he conferred with his friends and age mates, who gave him bad advice.
On the third day, Jeroboam and the people came to Rehoboam for the answer to their request. And Rehoboam, according to the advice of his friends, answered them harshly and did not grant the people their request. Right from there, ten tribes of Israel rebelled against him, became independent, and took Jeroboam as their king. These ten tribes became one kingdom, which the Bible still referred to as Israel (The Northern Kingdom). However, Rehoboam reigned over two tribes, Judah and Benjamin: the Bible referred to this kingdom as Judah or the Kingdom of Judah (The Southern Kingdom).
Relationship with other kingdoms
Relationship with Israel
The relationship between the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel was complex. The split resulted in animosity between them under King Jeroboam I of Israel and King Rehoboam of Judah. Rehoboam’s son Abijah inherited this animosity and even waged war against Israel. Though he won the war, he could not reunite the two kings as before. The animosity continued during the reign of Abijah’s son, King Asa. After Asa, King Ahab, Ahaziah of Israel, and Joram of Israel became allies of King Jehoshaphat, Jehoram of Judah, and Ahaziah of Judah.
The good relationship severed again during the reigns of Jehu of Israel and Athaliah of Judah. After Athaliah came Joash of Judah, and King Amaziah, who challenged the Joash of Israel into battle, but lost. During the reign of Amaziah’s great-grandchild, King Ahaz, King Pekah of Israel allied with King Rezin to wage war against Judah. They heavily defeated the Judeans in battle and captured many more of them. Ahaz, desperate for help, sought the help of Assyria to come and defeat the alliance. The relationship between Israel and Judah reached its lowest point when the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE.
Relationship with Babylon
The relationship between the Kingdom of Judah and Babylon turned from friendship to subjugation. Under King Hezekiah, Judah and Babylon were distant allies who sought freedom from their mutual enemy, the Assyrian Empire. The Babylonian king at that time, Merodach-Baladan, even sent envoys to Hezekiah to congratulate him on his recovery from an illness. However, when Babylon rose to power under Nebuchadnezzar II, it invaded Judah in 605 BCE and made its king, Jehoiakim, a vassal. After 3 years, he rebelled. Then Nebuchadnezzar II invaded again and besieged Jerusalem for 3 months, during which Jehoiakim died.
Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin replaced him as king. When Jehoiachin also rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar invaded again in 597 BCE, capturing Jerusalem and exiling thousands of Judah’s elite, including the king. This was followed by a final, devastating invasion in 587/586 BCE after King Zedekiah foolishly rebelled. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, putting an end to the Kingdom of Judah and leading to a mass exile of its people.
After the Babylonian Empire fell, some Judahites were allowed to return to their homeland and began rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. This period, known as the Persian period, marked a significant turning point for the people of Judah.
After the exile
However, Judah faced numerous enemies throughout its history. The Assyrians, Egyptians, and later the Greeks, all sought to conquer and control the region. Ultimately, the Romans conquered Judah’s territory in 63 BCE.