kingdom of judah Summary and Overview

THE KINGDOM OF JU'DAH Extent. -- The kingdom of Judah embraced not only the territory of the tribe of Judah (see above), but also included the larger part of Benjamin on the north-east, Dan on the north-west, and Simeon on the south. The area thus under the dominion of Judah is estimated at 3435 square miles. Besides this, Edom, subdued by David, continued faithful to Judah for a time, and the Red Sea ports furnished an outlet for commerce. The kingdom had at the start the great advantages of having the former capital of the whole country, and in it the temple, the religious centre, the whole body of the priests who conducted the worship; then, too, the eclat of the Davidic family. It was, too, much less exposed to attack, its population was hardy and united. But these advantages did not remain of force. Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, proved equally attractive; indeed, very likely under the later kings it was a more magnificent city. The temple was rivalled by the shrines for the golden calves and for Baal and Astarte; the priesthood of these false faiths usurped the position of that of the true, and the glare of temporary worldly prosperity blinded the people to the consequences of their sin, while Judah fell under idolatry at times. The family of David furnished all the 19 kings of Judah, but the eldest son did not always succeed. Judah outlasted Israel 135 years. The reasons for this are partly given above, but the Bible assigns as the cause the long-suffering of God and his unwillingness to remove the house of David. But although at last Judah had fallen, yet in the mercy of God there was a continuance; the independent national life was no more, but still a national life remained. The Lord turned the captivity of Zion. He heard the sighing of his prisoners, and so from under the yoke they returned, and from a weak handful again developed into a nation, although they never were what they had been. For the history of these Jews, see Jews. History. -- After the division of the kingdom, b.c. 975, Judah maintained its separate existence for 389 years, until b.c. 586. During this period there were 19 rulers, all of the lineage of David, excepting Athaliah. During the first three reigns Israel and Judah were in an attitude of hostility. Israel under Jeroboam was signally defeated. 2 Chr 13. Later, an alliance was formed by the marriage of Jehoshaphat's son with Ahab's daughter, Athaliah, 1 Kgs 22; 2 Chr 18, who usurped the crown. The two kingdoms combined against Syria. The two great foes of Judah were Egypt on the south and Assyria on the east. From Egypt came Shishak, who humbled Judah, 2 Chr 12:2-12; Zerah, whose million of men were routed by King Asa, 2 Chr 14:9-12; and Josiah was slain at Megiddo. 2 Chr 35:23. The children of Aramon, Moab, and Mount Seir also invaded Judah during Jehoshaphat's reign, but they only destroyed one another. 2 Chr 20:22-25. The armies of Assyria met with varied fortune. Tilgath-pilneser distressed Judah during the reign of Ahaz, 2 Chr 28:20; Sennacherib's host of 185,000 men was destroyed by the angel of the Lord in Hezekiah's reign, 2 Chr 32:21; 2 Kgs 19:35; Manasseh was carried away captive into Babylon, 2 Chr 33:11; Jehoiachin was also made captive; Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, and was defeated, his sons slain before his eyes, and he made captive; Jerusalem was taken in b.c. 586, and the history of the kingdom of Judah was ended. For later events see Jerusalem, Palestine.

The tribe Judah comprised the whole territory S. of a line drawn from Joppa to N. of the Dead Sea; the largest extent among thetribes, due to their valor in driving out the aborigines from their mountain strongholds. Their hilly region braced their energies for conflict with their neighbouring adversaries; so they retained their vigour, at the same time that their large pastures and wide territory, and commerce with Egypt and by the Red Sea and Joppa with other lands, gave them abundant wealth. Their independence of the northern tribes, and the jealousy of Ephraim, early prepared the way for the severance of the northern and southern kingdoms under Rehoboam. (See ISRAEL ). Judah included southern Benjamin and Jerusalem the joint city of both, Simeon, and many cities of Daniel In Abijah's and Asa's reign Judah gained parts of Ephraim (2 Chronicles 13:19; 15:8; 17:2); and after Israel's deportation to Assyria the king of Judah exercised a quasi authority in the N. (2 Chronicles 30:1-18, Ezra 3:9, = Hodaviah (2:40), Hodevah (Nehemiah 7:43). Ezra 10:23; Nehemiah 12:8,36. Hezekiah; 34:6-9, Josiah). Edom was for some time subject. Israel interposed between Judah and Syria and Assyria; and Egypt in its military marches toward Assyria took the coast line of Philistia, not through Judah. The fighting men of Judah under David were 500,000 (2 Samuel 24:9); under Rehoboam only 180,000 (1 Kings 12:21); under Abijah 400,000 (2 Chronicles 13:3); under Asa 580,000 (2 Chronicles 14:8); under Jehoshaphat 1,160,000 (2 Chronicles 17:14-19); under Uzziah 307,500 (2 Chronicles 26:13). Judah's armies progressively augmented, Israel's decreased; under Ahab against Syria Israel's forces were "like two little flocks of kids"; under Jehoahaz "50 horsemen" (1 Kings 20:27; 2 Kings 13:7). But the grand conservative element of Judah was its divinely appointed temple, priesthood, written law, and recognition of the one true God Jehovah as its true theocratic king. Hence many left northern Israel for Judah where the law was observed. This adherence to the law (compare Acts 23:5) produced a succession of kings containing many wise and good monarchs, and a people in the main reverencing the word of God as their rule, at least in theory. Hence, Judah survived her more populous northern sister by 135 years, and lasted 975-586 B.C. The diminution of numbers intensified the theocratic element by eliminating all that was pagan and attracting all the godly in northern Israel. The apparent loss proved a real gain, and would have proved permanently so but for Judah's unfaithfulness. God's great purpose did not fall in spite of Israel's and Judah's unfaithfulness, namely, to preserve in the world a standingmonument of the unity, supremacy, and providence of Jehovah; this effect was perpetually and uniformly produced in all periods and by all events of the Jewish history, and to prepare for and introduce the gospel of Christ (Graves, Pentateuch, ii. 3, section 2). Rehoboam, see ABIJAH , and see ASA for 60 years warred with Israel, in the hope of recovering the northern kingdom. see BAASHA on the other hand fortified Ramah to cheek the migration of religious Israelites to Judah. Asa hired Benhadad I, of Damascus, to counteract him, for which Hanani reproved him. Abijah, or Abijam, though his speech breathes the theocratic spirit (2 Chronicles 13:4), in conduct showed a "heart not perfect with the Lord God," for "he walked in all the sins of his father"(1 Kings 15:3). A new policy began with see JEHOSHAPHAT , and lasted for 80 years down to Amaziah, that of alliance with Israel against Syria. It was as opposed to Judah's true interests as open war had been. In spite of his pious efforts for the instruction of his people through the princes, Levites, and priests, in God's law (2 Chronicles 17), and for the administration of justice in the fear of Jehovah (2 Chronicles 19), his affinity with Ahab and Ahaziah nearly cost him his life at Ramoth Gilead (2 Chronicles 18), and again in the wilderness of Edom (2 Kings 3:8-11), and caused the loss of his ships in Ezion Geber (2 Chronicles 20:36,37). He was reproved by the Lord's prophet Jehu, after his escape at Ramoth Gilead (2 Chronicles 19:2,3); then when he renewed the alliance with Ahab's son Ahaziah, by Eliezer; at last he saw the fatal effects of alliance with the ungodly (1 Corinthians 15:33), and would not let Ahaziah's servants go in his ships (1 Kings 22:48). The alliance bore deadly fruit under his murderous son see JEHORAM , his grandson see AHAZIAH , and the bloody queen mother see ATHALIAH , Ahab's daughter and Jehoram's wife (2 Chronicles 21-22). see JEHOIADA deposed her, and restored see JOASH to the throne, who governed well until Jehoiada's death; then gave ear to the princes, and restored idolatry, slew Zechariah his faithful reprover, and failing to withstand a Syrian invasion was killed by his own servants. Amaziah, elated with the conquest of Edom and having lost God's favor through apostasy to Edom's idols, challenged Joash of Israel, the conqueror of Syria (2 Chronicles 25; 2 Kings 13:14-25). Uzziah and Jotham reigned prosperously. But see AHAZ , when smitten by the Syrian and Israelite confederacy of Rezin and Pekah (2 Chronicles 28; 2 Kings 16;Isaiah 7-9), which was the punishment from Jehovah of his idolatry, adopted the fatal policy of becoming the vassal of Assyria, which "distressed but strengthened him not." For a century and a half this vassalage lasted, with occasional periods of independence, as under the godly see HEZEKIAH and see JOSIAH . The repulse of Sennacherib and the religious revival under these two kings averted the evil day. But, after Hezekiah, Manasseh's enormous wickedness so provoked Jehovah that the piety of his grandson Josiah, Amon's son, could procure only a respite. After the reigns of the worthless Jehoahaz, set aside by Pharaoh Necho who promoted Jehoiakim, and Jehoiachin or Coniah, Zedekiah (promoted by Nebuchadnezzar) through treachery in violation of his oath brought destruction on himself and Jerusalem (588 B.C. or 587, Clinton; 2 Chronicles 36:13; Ezekiel 17:15-18; Jeremiah 52:3). As the influence of the priesthood was at its height under David and Solomon, so the power of the prophets rose between this time and the building of the second temple. In northern Israel they were the only witnesses for God in the face of the state idolatry; in Judah they were spiritual teachers bringing out the gospel hidden in the law, and pointing on to the Messianic kingdom. Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc., prepared Judah for the 70 years' captivity; Ezekiel and Daniel witnessed for God to them, and to the pagan world power in it. That severe discipline purged out their craving for idols. Ezra and Nehemiah at the return were God's instruments in producing in them a zeal for the law which distinguished them subsequently, and in Christ's time degenerated into formalism and self righteousness. Restoration of the Jews and Israel. Moses foretells it (Deuteronomy 30:1-6). The original grant of the land to Abraham and the blessing of ALL nations in his seed await their exhaustive fulfillment, only partially realized under Solomon (Genesis 15:18; 22:18). The covenant has six historical stages: (1) the family; (2) expanded into a nation (3) royalty; (4) the exile and return; (5) Messiah's advent and the church in troublous times: (6) His second advent and the church's and Israel's glory. The "second time" exodus is also foretold by Isaiah 11:10-16; 2; 27:12; 35:10; 54:7-11. Also Jerusalem shall be the religious center of the nations, amidst universal peace, the Lord's manifested presence there (Isaiah 60-62; Isaiah 65;Isaiah 66) eclipsing the former ark of the covenant (Jeremiah 3:16-18; 23:6-8; Ezekiel 37-48). Hosea (Hosea 3:4,5) vividly depicts Israel's state for ages, clinging to the law yet without "altar, priest, or sacrifice,"which the law ordains, yet not relapsing into idolatry to which they were so prone in his day, "without teraphim" and "without a king"; then finally "seeking the Lord and David their king."So emphatically "all Israel shall be saved," when "the fullness of the Gentiles shall have come in," i.e. when the elect remnant of Jews and Gentiles now being converted shall have been completed (Romans 11:25,26); so our Lord (Luke 21:24; Revelation 6:10; 11:2-15). The object of God's election of the Jews was not merely for themselves, as if their perversity frustrated God's purpose; but to be, even in their temporary rejection, a standing monument to the world of the unity, supremacy, and providence of Jehovah ("ye are My witnesses," saith Jehovah: Isaiah 44:8; 43:10,12), and ultimately to be blessed temporally and spiritually themselves, and to be a blessing to all nations.