(eh. i. 17), and the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat (eh. iii. 1). 2. Jchor~m of Judah is said to hn,ve began to reign in the fifth year of his father Jehoshaphat ( eh. viii. 16), and also in the fifth year of J ehoram of Israel, which was the twenty-second year of Jehoshaphat. 3. Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, is said (eh. xiii. 1) to have ascended the throne in the twenty-third year of J oash of J ndah; but as J oash ascended the throne in the seventh of Jehu (eh. xii. 1), and Jehn reigned no more than twenty-eight years (eh. x. 36), the true year of the accession of Jehoahaz must have been (as Josephus says it was) J oash's twenty-first. 4. Amaziah's first year is made to run parallel with the second year of Joash of Israel (eh. xiv. 1); but if thfl reign of this Joash began in the thirty-seventh year of his namesake of Judah (eh. :xiii. 10), and if this monarch reigned altogether forty years (eh. xii. I), Amaziah cannot have succeeded him till Joash of Israel's fourth year. 5. Azariah is said to have begun to reign in the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam II. (eh. xv. 1); but if Amaziah lived fifteen years only after the death of Joash of Israel (eh. xiv. 17), .A.zariah should have succeeded him in Jeroboam's sixteenth year. 6. Zachariah's accession, which seems (eh. ;x:iv. 29) to be placed directly after his father's death, should have fallen in Azariah's twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth year; bat it is placed in his thirty- eighth (eh.xv. 8); so that an interregnum of eleven or twelve years, whereof Scripture gives no hint, and which is very unlikely, has to be interpolated (Clinton, 'Fasti Hellenici,' vol. i. p. 325) between the son's reign and the father's. 7. Jotham is given in one place a reign of sixteen years (eh. xv. 33), while in another (eh. xv. 30) his twentieth year is spoken of. 8. Hoshea's accession is placed (eh. xv. 30) in the twentieth year of Jotham-regarded by some as the fourth year of .A.haz, and again ( eh. :xvii. 1) in the twelfth year of Ahaz. 9. Hezekiah's first year is said to have been the third of Hoshea (eh. xviii. 1), but his fourth year is made Hoshea's seventh instead of his sixth, and his sixth year Hoshea's ninth ( eh. xviii. 9, 10) instead of his eighth. 10. Altogether, the years of the Israelite monarchy, from the accession of Ahaziah to the captivity of Hoshea, are made to amount to a hundred and fifty-nine, while those of the J udrean monarchy for the same period amount to a hundred and eighty-three, or an addition of twenty- four. The difficulties are increased i£ we compare the sacred chronology for the period with the profane. The Assyrian annals place an interval of a hundred and thirty-two years only between the taking of Samaria and a year in the reign of Ahab, while the scriptural numbers make the interval, at the lowest computation, a hundred and sixty years, and at the highest a hundred and eighty-four. By the Assyrian annals Hezekiah's expedi- tion against Sennacherib took place in the twenty-first year after the fall of Samaria; by the present scriptural numbers (eh. :xviii. 10, 13) it took place in the eighth year afterwards. It is evident that any attempt to restore the true chronology must be to a large extent conjectural, and almost arbitrary. Some of the scriptural \v INTRODUCTION TO
numbers must be altered, or else suppositions must be ma.de for which there is no warranty. Still, a commentator is almost forced to take some definite view, and, so long as he allows that his view is merely put forward t.entatively and provisionally, he is not open to censure. No apology would therefore seem to be needed for the following tabular conspectus of the probable chronology of the period between the accession of Ahaziab of Israel and the fall of Samaria:-
Contemporary kings. Year Yearoftbe before Davidic Kings of J udab. Kings of Israel. Christ. monarchy. Egypt. Assyria. Babylon. -- 895 158 17th year of Jeho- Ahnziab, 2 years Asshur- shaphat nazir- 89¼ 159 18th year of Jeho- Jehoram, 12 years Kings pal shaphat (2 Kings iii. l) 890 163 JERORA.lll, 8 years 5th year of J eho- of ram of Israel (2 Kings viii. 16) the 883 170 ARAZIAH, I year 12th year of Je\Jo- ram of Israel (2 twenty- Kings viii. 25) JEHU, 28 years second 882 171 Athaliah, usurper, 6 years dynasty 876 177 J oASH, 40 years 7th year of Jehu (2 Kings xii. I) 856 197 21st year of Joash J EBOABAZ, 17 yea.re Shalman- (Josephus,' Ant. eser II. Jud.,' ix. 8. § 5) 840 213 37th year of Joash JoASH, 16 years Kings of Judah (2 Kings xiii. 10) ot Babylon 837 216 AlllAZIAH, 29 years 4th (not 2nd) yeo.r generally of Joash (2 the under Kings xiv. 1) Assyria 824 229 15th (or rather J EBOBOAM II., 41 twenty- Shamas- 14th) year of e.re (more pro- Vul Ame.ziah (2 b! bly 53 years) third Kings xiv. 23) 809 244 AZAlllill, 52 years 27th (really 16th) dynasty Vul- ear of J ero- nirari Loam II. (2 Kings :xv. I) 771 282 38th year of Aza- ZAOBABIAB, 2 years riah (2 Kings xv. 8) Later 770 283 3!lth year of Aza- MENABEH, 10 years Pul (?) kings riah (2 Kings (perhaps 11) of :xv. 17) the 75!> 294 50th year of Aza- PEIUmAa, 2 years twenty- riali (2 Kings third xv. 23) dynasty 758 295 52nd year of Aza- PEKAR, 20 (rather Tiglath- rie.h (2 Kings 27) years (2 pilescr II. xv. 27) Kings xv. 27) 757 296 JOTBAH, 16 years 2nd year of Peke.h Pian- No.bonas- (2 Kings xv. 32) khi (?) se.r, 7H 311 AHAZ, 16 years 17th year of Peke.h Bocchoris Ne.dius, (2 Kings xvi. I) Chinzirus 'l'HE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS.
Contemporary kings. Yoo.r Year of the I,cfore Davldlo l{ing• of Judah, King• or Israel. Cbrlot. monarchy, Aosyrla. I Jlabylon. Egypt.
730 323 12Lh yenr of Ahaz HOSIIEA, 9 years So, or Tiglath- (2 Kings xvii. I) Sabaco pilcser (Porns) 727 826 HEZEKIAII, 29 years 3rd (really 4th) Shalma- Shalman- year of Hoshca neser IV. eser IV. (2 Kings xviii. l) (Elulmuo) 724 329 4th year of Heze- 7th year of Hoshea: Sibache, kiah (2 Kings Samaria besieged or Seve- xviii. 9) (2 Kings xviii. 9) Chllll 722 331 6th year of Heze- 9th yearofHoshea: Sargon Sargon kiah (2 Kings Samaria taken (2 (Arkea- xviii. 10) Kings xviii. 10) DUB)