Reading the Bible in Historical Sequence Part 6Prøve

783 BC Uzziah, in the Southern Kingdom, brashly usurps the priest’s role. God strikes him with leprosy. In the Northern Kingdom, after Jeroboam dies, no one rules for twelve years. Then in 773 BC Zechariah reigns but after six months is killed by Shallum who, after one month, is killed by the violent Menahem. The prophet Hosea condemns kings, priests and people in the Northern Kingdom for their depravity. In 761 BC Pekahiah succeeds his father Menahem and then, two years later, is murdered by Pekah. The Northern Kingdom is in anarchy and Isaiah states they will hear their judgment through Assyrian lips.

Note: Hosea and others often called the Northern Kingdom ‘Ephraim’ after its leading tribe. In Hosea 7, the prophet also began referring to the Northern Kingdom by the name of its capital, Samaria.