The Kingdom of Judah seems to have consisted simply of the tribe of Judah with very little of Benjamin (see BENJAMIN), and not of ijudah ami Benjamin. Only a brief outline of its historj- is here necessary ; for fuller details the articles on the individual kin^s may be consulted. After the disruption cau.sed by the senseless folly of Reho- boam, war was carried on between the two king- doms (I K 14"), but not in a very energetic way. In fact the treasure which Solomon had accumu- lated was taken by Shishak of Egyi)t when he invaded Judah (14**), and the superiority in wealth of the Southern kingdom would thus be lost. War continued through the reign of Abijam (15" RVin), but it seems not to have been pro- secuted with vijiour till Baasha succeeded Nadab the son of Jeroboam. He pres.sed Judah so hard that Asa took the unlia])py step, fraught with future mischief, of calling in the aid of Syria. A diversion was thus eH'ecte<i in his favour, and Asa employe<l the materials of Baasha's fortress, Itaniali, in erecting fortresses of his own (15""). It was possibly with the accession of Oniri that the relations between the two kingdoms weie changed. He perhaps formed an alliance with Judah, as with 'I'j-re (16"), probably in view of the dangers that threatened from Dania.s<>us. Ahab and JelKisliapbat were certainly allies (1 K 22), and Jelmslniphat's .son, .Ichorani, married AthaliaV thedaugliter of Ahab (2 K S'»- *). Jelioshnplmt's reign was probably prosperous, though his Iruding vessels were wrecked 1 1 K 22"). The relations between Judah and Edum after the reign of Siiliimon arc obscure. Kdum seems to have lieen subject to .ludali, at any rate in Jcluisba|>hat'« time (2 K 3"), but it revolted from his son Jchoraoi
79*
JUDAII
.TUDAH
(2 K 8"). The good understanding with Israel continued whilo Oniri's dynasty was on the throne, but Jehu murdered Aliazinli, Jehornm's Bon, and forty-two of his brethren (9" 10"). There- upon the queen-mother, Athaliah, massacred all that remained of the royal family, except the infant Joash, and reigned six years. She was put to death by Jehoiada the priest, who made Joash king (2 K H). Apparently, towards the end of his reign, Hazael, king of Syria, who had .severely crippled the Northern kingdom, threatened Jerus., but was bought oil" by Joash, who jierhaps in consequence of this was murdered (12""-). His son Amaziah, after a successful war with Edom, challenged Joash of Israel, who inflicted a disastrous defeat upon him (14'''*). Amaziah's son Azuriah, or Uzziah, had a more successful reign. Syria had been exhausted in wars with Assyria, and now Assyria itself had a half - century of inactivity, and this left both Israel and Judah time to build up powerful states. Azariah re- covered the port of Elath (14"), and from the early chapters of Isaiah we can see how wealthy Judali had become. But the signs began to be ominous before his death. Assyria resumed her old career of conquest, and Syria and Israel formed a coalition against her. When Ahaz refused to join it, they sought to compel the adhesion of Judah ; where- upon Aliaz, in a panic and against the earnest warning of Isaiah, took the fatal step of calling in Tiglath-pileser, the king of A.ssyria (2 K 16, Is 7). The latter suppressed the coalition, but Ahaz paid too dearly for the relief, since he became tributary to Assyria. The heavy yoke was borne till Heze- kiah tliought himself strong enough, in alliance with other revolting states, and on the promise of help from Egypt, to throw it ofl" (18'). Although the overtlirow of Sennacherib saved Jerus. from capture, and the reli<non of Israel from destruction, yet Judah sustained very heavy loss and had to pay an enormous tribute. The reign of Manasseh seems to have been externally prosperous, so far as this was possible after the exhaustion of Judah in the Assyr. war ; but it was marked by fierce reaction against the reforms of Hezekiah and the prophetic policy as a whole, by religious syncretism, and by gloomy and superstitious fanaticism (21''''). But Josiah instituted a reform on the basis of Deuteronomy, the people being prepared for it by their deliverance from the dreaded Scythian in- vasion. His happy reign was cut short by Pharaoh-neclio, whose invasion of Syria he had opposed, probably because it threatened the loss or the independence that the decrepitude of the Assyrian Empire gave hini (2 K 22. 23). After a brief reign Jehoahaz was removed by Egj^pt (23"'-), and Jehoiakim put in his place. He changed masters, Egypt for Babylon, but revolted (24'), and, in consequence of this, his son, who sncceeded him, was taken captive to Babylon with the flower of the nation (24"'f-)- His successor, Zedekiah, might have reigned in peace as the vassal of Babylon, but revolting, in defiance of Jeremiah's warning, he saw his capital besieged and captured (24'™-). Jerus. and tbe temple were destroyed, and a large part of those who remained were taken into exile, where they remained for fifty years. So fell the kingdom of Judah, B.C. 586. Many of those who were still left went down into Eg;vpt, in fear of vengeance for Gedaliah's murder (25*), and thus in Babylon and Egypt Jewish colonies were planted, which were destined to be of immeasur- able importance.