In this topic, Bible chronology is traced from the judgeship of Samuel to the kingship of Solomon’s son Rehoboam. Previous chronology is addressed in “Chronology: the Exodus to Samuel”, “Chronology: Abraham to the Exodus”, “Chronology: Septuagint versus Masoretic Text”. My basic position is the so-called maximalist view, that Bible history is correct unless archaeology clearly proves it wrong.
Exact dating cannot be done for the time of Samuel’s judgeship in ancient Israel. And there’s no consensus among Bible historians as to the dates when Saul, David, Solomon, Rehoboám were kings. Their years cannot be pinpointed by dates from ancient histories. (There’s no ‘BC’ or ‘BCE’ dates written in scripture.) The dates in this topic are approximate.
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Following is the timing detail from the birth of the prophet-judge Samuel until King Rehoboam. All scriptures referenced are from the book of 1Samuel, unless otherwise specified.
Elí the high priest preceded Samuel as judge in Israel. Eli was born around (circa or c) 1200 BC, and he lived for 98 years (1Sm.4:15). His judgeship began c 1142 BC.
1Sm.1:9-11, 17 Hannáh was childless, and prayed at the tabernacle in Shilóh for a son. v.20 God heard her prayer, and she birthed Samuel c 1140 BC. Samuel means ‘heard of God’. v.21-28 when Samuel was weaned, she dedicated him to God as a Nazarite, and gave him to serve Eli c 1137 BC. Samuel was fostered or adopted by Eli. (2:20-21 later Hannah also gave birth to 2 sons and 3 daughters.)
2:22-26 Eli is too old for priestly service (Nu.8:25), near age 72 (cf. 2Sm.19:32), c 1128 BC. 1Sm.2:26 Samuel is near age 12. Eli’s natural sons were promiscuous and disrespected the Lord’s offerings.
3:1-18 God calls the boy Samuel, age 12. At 72, Eli’s eyes are starting to dim. Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 5:10:4 “When Samuel was 12 years old he began to prophesy; and once when he was asleep God called to him by his name.” v.19-21 Samuel grew, and the Lord confirmed him as a prophet.
4:1 Samuel is now around age 38, c 1102 BC. v.10-14 Eli’s 2 sons, Hophní & Phineás, die during the battle at Ebenezer when the ark of God is taken by the Philistines.
4:15-18 Eli is blind. Eli dies then too at age 98, having judged 40 years, c 1142 BC – c 1102 BC. 4:19-22 Phineas’ son Ichabód (Eli’s grandson) is born prematurely at the death of Phineas & Eli.
Samuel, near age 38, begins his judgeship c 1102 BC, after Eli died. Adam Clarke Commentary 1Sm.7:15 “Samuel is supposed to have lived 100 years; he did not begin to judge Israel till he was about 40 years of age.”
5:1-6:21 the Philistines kept the ark of God for 7 months (6:1). Then it was carted back to Israel.
1Sm.7:1 the ark was brought to Kiriáth-jearím (to Abinadáb’s house). There it will remain for close to 70 years …from c 1102 BC – 1031 BC, when David is ruling in Jerusalem (ref 2Sm.6:2-ff, 1Ch.13:3-7). Leslie McFall The Chronology of Saul and David “The actual time from the death of Eli to the deposition of the ark in Jerusalem by David was 68 years.”
1Sm.7:2 HCSB “Time went by until 20 years had passed since the ark had been taken to Kiriath-jearim. Then the whole house of Israel began to seek the LORD.” JFB Commentary 1Sm.7:2 “20 years….that length of time had passed when the Israelites began to revive from their sad state of religious decline.” Cambridge Bible “20 years was not…the whole duration of the Ark’s sojourn at Kirjath-jearim, but the time that elapsed before the reformation now to be recorded….they were vassals of the Philistines.”
After the 20 years…1Sm.7:3 “Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, ‘If you will return to the Lord with all your heart…and serve Him alone, then He will deliver you from the Philistines.” Samuel is now around age 58. He’s been judge for all the elapsed time. Barnes Notes 1Sm.7:3 “20 years of Samuel’s life had passed away since the last mention of him in 1Sm.4:1. Now he appears in the threefold character of prophet, Judge, and the acknowledged leader of the whole people.”
7:4-14 Israel repents. The Lord helps them defeat the Philistines at Mizpáh, c 1083 or 1082 BC. A tenuous peace ensues.
7:13-15 “Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.” Scripture doesn’t clearly say how many years Samuel judged…he later also advised/instructed King Saul for years. Philip Mauro The Wonders of Bible Chronology, p.50 “20 years Samuel’s judgeship (1Sm.7:2).” Ellicott Commentary 1Sm.7:15 “Probably for at least 20 years after the decisive battle of Ebenezer [1Sm.4:1].” Martin Anstey The Romance of Bible Chronology, v.2, p.20 “Samuel judgeship 20 years.” Benson Commentary 1Sm.7:15 “For though Saul was king in Samuel’s last days, yet Samuel did not cease to be a judge.” Institute For Creation Research “Samuel must have judged Israel almost 60 years.” Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary 1Sm.7:15 “As sole judge for 20 years, and conjointly with Saul till he died, almost 100 years old, a year or two before the unfortunate king. Saul put him on a level with himself (1Sm.11:7); and he continued to be regarded as the oracle of Israel ever since he was about 40 years old.”
1Sm.8:1-3 Samuel is getting old at age 58, and appointed his sons to assist him. Pulpit Commentary 1Sm.8:1 “He was probably not more than 60.” Samuel had judged solely for 20 years, c 1102 BC – c 1082 BC. But his sons took bribes and perverted justice. v.4-5 “The elders said to him, ‘Your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”
Israel doesn’t want Samuel’s dishonest sons to judge…Israel wants a king. 1Sm.9:1-2 Saul appears on the scene. Speaker’s Commentary 1Sm.9:1 “The sacred historian now tracks another stream of events which were to concur in working out God’s providential purpose of giving a king to Israel.”
10:1-12:1-2 Saul is around age 36 when Samuel anoints him as king, c 1082 BC. Saul’s eldest son Jonathán is 18 or so. Abinadab (Ishví?) and Malchishúa are 2 other sons (1Sm.31:2). Saul’s 4th son Ishbósheth/Eshbáal is born this year (cf. 2Sm.2:10). Saul will rule 40 years, c 1082 BC – c 1042 BC.
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Paul later wrote in Ac.13:2, “God gave them Saul…a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for 40 years”. Gill Exposition 1Sm.13:1 “There were no less than 3 high priests in his [Saul’s] reign.” (Ahitúb, Ahijáh, Abiathár 1Sm.22:20.)
1Sm.13:1 translations of this verse differ. The verse isn’t in the Septúagint/LXX. Saul is around age 36 (some translations say age 30, NASB and ASV say age 40). James B. Jordan The Problem of Saul’s Reign “Saul was anointed king by Samuel, led the people in a victory over the Ammonites, and was crowned king of Israel…his first year of reign….Saul was probably around 40, since he had a grown son.” Pulpit Commentary 1Sm.13:1 “He [Saul] must have been at least 35, and perhaps even more.” Samuel is around age 58. Eli has been dead for 20 years (so Eli’s grandson Ichabod is age 20).
13:2-3 Saul has reigned 2 years when Jonathan attacks the Philistine garrison. Saul is 38, Jonathan is 20 (Nu.1:3, 26:2 Israelites must be at least age 20 to go to war). Saul’s son Ishbosheth is 2. Samuel is 60.
1Sm.14:3 Ichabod’s nephew Ahijah is priest at this time. Gill Exposition 1Sm.14:3 “He [Ichabod], it seems, had an elder brother called Ahitub, who died young, and Ahijah was the son of him.” (Another son of Ahitub was Ahimélech the priest. Later, Saul had Doég kill Ahimelech and the priests, 1Sm.22.)
David is born c 1072 BC. Samuel was then 68, Saul was 46, Jonathan 28, Ishbosheth 10, Ichabod 30.
1Sm.14:46-52 many years pass during these verses. v.49 Meráb is Saul’s older daughter, Michál his younger. Saul was perhaps 47 at Merab’s birth, and 49 when Michal is born? Again, Ishbosheth/Eshbaal is Saul’s youngest son, 1Ch.9:39. (He will later become king of Israel, 2Sm.2:8-10.)
1Sm.15:1-35 after Saul ruled 28 years (he’s now 64) he fails in the Amalekites ordeal and is rejected by God, c 1054 BC. Samuel will never see Saul again (v.35). Samuel, age 86, will live 10 more years.
1Sm.16:11-13, 18 Samuel anoints David, “a mighty man of valor” (v.18), to be king, c 1052 BC. David is around age 20. Gill Exposition 1Sm.16:11 “He hardly exceeded more than 20.” Samuel is 88, Saul is 66, Jonathan is 48, Ishbosheth is 30. Eli has been dead for 50 years (Ichabod would be 50).
17:33-ff David, a youth of 20, kills Goliath. John Wesley’s Notes 1Sm.17:33 “Not above 20 years old.” Matthew Poole Commentary “[David] being now not much above 20 years old, as is supposed.”
18:5 “Saul set him [David] over the men of war.” v.13-16 David at age 21 is a national hero. v.17-30 he marries Saul’s younger daughter Michal, perhaps age 19. But father-in-law Saul becomes his enemy.
19:18-ff David (age 22) flees to Samuel (age 90), c 1050 BC. David will run from Saul for 7-8 years.
25:1 after 6 years, Samuel dies at age 96, c 1044 BC. Tradition says Samuel died at a very advanced age. bible.ca/archaeology/ “Samuel died at 90.” Orthodox Church in America “The prophet Samuel died in extreme old age.” (as did Eli.) Saul is now around age 74, Jonathan is 56, Ishbosheth is 38. David, age 28, flees to the wilderness.
27:7-ff David went from the wilderness to the land of the Philistines for 2 years… until age 30.
28:1-25 Samuel has been dead around 2 years. Saul visits the medium at Endór, wanting her to consult Samuel’s spirit. Saul hears of his fate. He and his sons will battle the Philistines…they die the next day.
31:1-2, 6 Saul is killed at age 76, after a 40-year reign (Ac.13:21)…c 1082 BC – c 1042 BC. His sons Jonathan (age 58), Abinadab, Malchishua die with him at Mt. Gilboa. J.B. Jordan op. cit. “Saul…died at about 80.” Greg Hamm How Long Did Saul Reign? “That would make him 78 when he is killed.” bible.ca/archaeology/ “Saul died at 72, Jonathan dies at 57.” Jonathan’s son Mephibósheth is age 5 (cf. 2Sm.4:4), born when Jonathan was about 53. Ishbosheth is 40. David is 30.
2Sm.2:1-7 Saul is dead. David, age 30, is made king of Judah in Hebrón, c 1042 BC. v.8-10 Saul’s son Isbosheth/Eshbaal (age 40?) is made king in Israel by Saul’s cousin, general Abnér (1Sm.14:50-51). v.11 David will reign 7 ½ years at Hebron in Judah, c 1042 BC – c 1035 BC, from age 30 to 37-38.
2Sm.3:1 “Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David.” 5 years. JFB Commentary 2Sm.3:1 “For 5 years longer; it is probable Ishbosheth was made king upon Saul’s death.”
2Sm.3:26-ff Joáb murders Abner. 2Sm.4:1-12 also King Ishbosheth, Saul’s youngest son, is murdered.
2Sm.5:3-5 “They anointed David king over Israel. David was 30 years old when he became king and he reigned 40 years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah 7 ½ years and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over all Israel and Judah.” David ruled 40 years total, from age 30 to 70, c 1042 BC – c 1002 BC. He moved from Hebron to Jerusalem c 1035 BC, at age 37. 1Ki.2:10-11 David later dies at age 70.
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1Ki.2:12 Solomon (age not specified in scripture) succeeds his father David as king. 1Ki.11:42-43 Solomon also reigned 40 years, c 1002 BC – c 962 BC. 1Ki.4:29-31 God gave Solomon great wisdom.
1Ki.6:1 “In the 480th [LXX 440th] year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the 4th year of Solomon’s reign over Israel…he began to build the house of the Lord.” Solomon began to build the temple of God in his 4th year as king, c 999 BC.
However, the Biblical timeline from the exodus to Solomon reflects more than 480 (LXX 440) elapsed years. Barnes Notes 1Ki.6:1 “The interval between the exodus and Solomon, a period considerably exceeding 480 years.” Some think that 1Ki.6:1 isn’t counting the approximately 111 years of oppressions during the period of the judges…480 + 111 = 591 years…is closer to the record in Joshua-Judges. (ref “Chronology: the Exodus to Samuel”.) And some commentaries view the 480 years (LXX 440) of 1Ki.6:1 as being at variance with Paul in Ac.13:18-20. But the 480 years of 1Ki.6:1 may not be literal.
ESV Study Bible 1Ki.6:1 “In understanding the 480-year figure (e.g. supposing it to result from 12 generations, with a generation taken symbolically to be 40 years…).” Wikipedia: Biblical Literalist Chronology “Many numbers in the Bible are figurative, especially ’40’ and its multiples – thus, 480 years before the 4th year of the reign of Solomon (12 × 40 years = 480 years) is not necessarily regarded by them as a literal number having historical value.”
Earlier periods and reigns from Israel’s history may be close approximations, not exact…such as: the wilderness 40 years, Joshua and the elders 40 years, Othniél 40, Ehúd 80, Barák/Deboráh 40, Gideon 40, Eli 40, Saul 40, David 40, then Solomon 40. In scripture, the number ‘40’ occurs often or typically. So the 480 (or 440 LXX) years may well be symbolic.
1Ki.11:43 after Solomon, his son Rehoboam reigned as king, but only in Judah. Rehoboam, age 41, ruled for 17 years (1Ki.14:21) until age 58, c 962 BC – c 945 BC. He burdened the people (1Ki.12:11).
1Ki.12:16-24 in the 1st year of Rehoboam, God divided the united monarchy of Israel, c 962 BC. Thereafter the northern kingdom (ruled by Jeroboám, v.20), consisting of 10 tribes, retained the name Israel. The southern kingdom of Judah (ruled by Rehoboam), consisting of the other 2-3 tribes, became known as the Jews. The tribal territory of Benjamin (and most of the Levites) was given to Judah. Israel and the Jews/Judah became separate nations. (see “Israelites Identification”.)
To conclude with a digression or overview which spans approximately 1,300 years of Bible history….
Josephus wrote in the latter 1st century AD. Antiquities of the Jews 8:3:1 “Solomon began to build the Temple in the 4th year of his reign, 592 years after the exodus out of Egypt, but 1,020 years from Abraham’s coming out of Mesopotámia into Canáan.” However, Josephus’ dating isn’t all correct.
In Antiquities chapter 20, Josephus revised/corrected his time period – op. cit. 20:10:1 “The number of years…from the days when our fathers departed out of Egypt… until the building of that temple which king Solomon erected at Jerusalem, was 612.” The elapsed time was revised from 592 to 612 years. Later, Josephus again has the revised years in Against Apion 2:2. “Solomon himself built that temple 612 years after the Jews came out of Egypt.” Calculating from the scriptures, 612 years fits better.
Meyer’s NT Commentary Ac.13:20 “In Antt. xx. 10, c. Ap. ii. 2, he [Josephus] reckons 612 years for the same period, this 20 years more [than 592], which comes still nearer to the statement of time in our passage.” This commentary indicates that Paul’s timeline (Ac.13:17-ff) may generally agree with Josephus’.
If Solomon began to build the temple c 999 BC, an exodus which occurred 612 years (592 + 20) earlier would have been c 1611 BC. If we likewise add 20 years to Josephus’ 1,020 years of Antiq. 8:3:1 to arrive at the date Abraham came to Canaan at age 75…that’s 1,040 years prior to c 999 BC…c 2039 BC.
The topic “Chronology: Abraham to the Exodus” used Dr. Martin Anstey’s chart date of 1612 BC for the exodus and 2042 BC for Abraham’s move to Canaan (Anstey op. cit., p. 8). Those dates match almost exactly Josephus’ (revised) time period of years!
The northern kingdom of Israel was eventually removed by Assyria. (see “Israelite Deportations by Assyria”.) 2Ki.17:19-24 “Israel was carried away into exile from their own Land to Assyria until this day.” v.6 “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria settled them in Haláh and Habór, on the river of Gozán, and in cities of the Medes.” The date accepted by historians is 722-721 BC.
The destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 587-586 BC is a historically confirmed date. So is the date when Ashurbánipal the Assyrian king sacked Thebes in Egypt, 664-663 BC.
V.C. Lewis The Mystery of Old Testament Chronology Revealed, p. ix (2005) “Nearly all scholars are in agreement today, we have three dates which can be considered accurate both scripturally and historically. These are the dates of 722-721 BC for the captivity of the northern kingdom of Israel, the date of 587 BC for the captivity of Judah, and the date of 606 BC for when Nebuchadnézzar began to reign in Babylon.” So a date of 721 BC for the exile of Israel’s 10 tribes is also considered reliable.
Josephus Antiquities 9:14:1 “The 10 tribes of the Israelites were removed…800 years after Joshua had been their leader, and…240 years, 7 months, 7 days after they had revolted from Rehoboam.” Josephus’ time period rounds to 241 years.
The 10 tribes of Israel under Jeroboam revolted from King Rehoboam (of Judah) c 962 BC. According to Josephus, it was 241 years later when the northern Israel was removed into captivity. That was…962 BC – 241 = 721 BC…the date confirmed by historians today! (Also, Joshua and the elders had died by c 1547 BC – c 1532 BC. That was approximately 800 years before Israel was removed to Assyria in 721 BC.)
The Bible record is the word of God! Again, exact dates for Abraham and Israel’s most ancient history cannot be confirmed (prior to 721 BC). The dates in this chronology are approximate, based upon the Old Testament timeline.
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