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Timeline of Ancient Israelite Religion(2000-539 BCE)

Return to Timeline of Jewish History: Table of Contents


2000-1750 Old Babylonian period
2000-1700 Israel's Patriarchal period
ca. 1900-1400 Old Assyrian period
1882 Terach born
1813 Abraham born
ca. 1850/1750/1700 Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Ishmael, famine forces Israelites to migrate to Egypt
1800 First Jerusalem city wall built
ca. 1792-1750 Hammurabi
ca. 1750-1200 Hittite empire
1765 The Tower of Babel
1743 Origin of traditions of the "Abrahamic covenant"
1713 Isaac born; Abraham circumcises himself; Sodom & Gomorrah destroyed
ca. 1700-1550 Hyksos in Egypt
1677 Isaac prepared as sacrifice; Sarah dies
1653 Jacob born
1638 Abraham dies
ca. 1600-1150 Kassite period (Babylonia)
1590 Isaac blesses Jacob instead of Esau.
ca. 1570-1085 New Kingdom period (Egypt)
1569 Jacob marries Leah
1565 Levi born
1562 Joseph born
1546 Joseph sold into slavery
1533 Isaac dies
1532 Joseph becomes viceroy of Egypt
1523 Jacob and his family join Joseph in Egypt
ca. 1500-1200 Ugaritic texts
1452 Joseph dies
1429 Egyptian enslavement of the Hebrews begins
ca. 1400-900 Middle Assyrian period
ca. 1400-1300 Amarna period (Egypt)
1393 Moses born.
1355 Joshua born.
1314 Moses sees the burning bush.
ca. 1300-1200 Mosaic period (Israel)
1280 Exodus from Egypt, Sinai Torah, Canaan Entry
1240 After setting up the Ark at Shiloh near Shechem (Nablus), Joshua launches foray into Jerusalem (Joshua 10:23, 15:63)
ca. 1200 Sea Peoples invade Egypt and Syro-Palestine
ca. 1200-1050/1000 Period of the Judges (Israel)
ca. 1200-1000 Jerusalem is a Canaanite city
ca. 1150-900 Middle Babylonian period:
ca. 1106 Deborah judges Israel.
ca. 1050-450 Hebrew prophets (Samuel-Malachi)
ca. 1000-587 Monarchical period in Israel
ca. 1030-1010 Saul (transitional king)
ca. 1010-970 David conquers the Jebusites and makes Jerusalem his capital
ca. 970-931 Solomon builds the First Temple on Mount Moriah
ca. 931 Secession of Northern Kingdom (Israel) from Southern Kingdom (Judah)
931-913 Rehoboam rules Judah
931-910 Jeroboam I rules Israel, choses Shechem as his first capital, later moves it to Tirzah
913-911 Abijah rules Judah
911-870 Asa rules Juda
910-909 Nadab (son of Jeroboam) rules Israel
909-886 Baasha kills Nadab and rules Israel
900-612 Neo-Assyrian period
886-885 Elah, son of Baasha, rules Israel
885 Zimri kills Elah, but reigns just seven days before committing suicide, Omri chosen as King of Israel
885-880(?) War between Omri and Tibni
885-874 Omri kills Tibni, rules Israel
879 Omri moves capital of Israel from Tirzah to Samaria
874-853 Ahab, Omri's son, is killed in battle, Jezebel reigns as Queen. Athaliah, Ahab and Jezebel's daughter, marries Jehoram, crown prince of Judah
870-848 Jehoshapha rules Judah
853-851 Ahaziah, son of Ahab, rules Israel, dies in accident
750-725 Israelite Prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah
722/721 Northern Kingdom (Israel) destroyed by Assyrians; 10 tribes exiled (10 lost tribes)
720 Ahaz, King of Judah dismantles Solomon's bronze vessels and places a private Syrian altar in the Temple
716 Hezekiah, King of Jerusalem, with help of God and the prophet Isaiah resists Assyrian attempt to capture Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 32). Wells and springs leading to the city are stopped
701 Assyrian ruler Sennacherib beseiges Jerusalem
612-538 Neo-Babylonian (“Chaldean”) period
620 Josiah (Judean King) and “Deuteronomic Reforms”
ca. 600-580 Judean Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel
587/586 Southern Kingdom (Judah) and First Temple destroyed-Babylonian exile
ca. 550 Judean Prophet “Second Isaiah”
541 First Jews return from Babylon in small numbers to rebuild the city and its walls. Seventy years of exile terminated. (Daniel 9, Haggai 2:18-19)
539 Persian ruler Cyrus the Great conquers Babylonian Empire

Dates regarding biblical figures and events cannot be confirmed.

Timeline of Jewish History