The Northern Kingdom of Israel

The Northern Kingdom of Israel is the name given to the region belonging to the ten northerly tribes of Israel. The Northern Kingdom emerged after the reign of Solomon, around 926 BC. There were often tensions between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered the capital city of Samaria and brought to an end the Northern Kingdom.

The kingdom of Solomon was a centrally led and unified state, which did not take into account the differences among the various Israelite tribes. After Solomon’s death, the northern tribes wanted more independence. Jeroboam successfully consolidated the revolt against Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, with the result that the ten northern tribes separated themselves from the alliance. The new state of which Jeroboam became king, is called “Israel” in the Bible. The region where Rehoboam continued to reign, is called “Judah”.
Jeroboam attempted politically to ward off the attacks by Rehoboam and to give Israel its own identity, which was not dependent on Jerusalem. He tried to achieve the latter by placing golden calves in the cities of Bethel and Dan.

In comparison with Judah, Israel was economically stronger and played an important role in international politics. This was because the communication routes between Egypt and Mesopotamia ran through the territory of Israel.
It was chiefly under King Omri, the founder of the city of Samaria, that Israel flourished. During the reign of his son, Ahab, and during the reign of Jeroboam II, there was prosperity, despite the persistent conflicts with the neighbouring country of Aram (1 Kings 20:1-43; 1 Kings 22:1-40; 2 Kings 14:23-29). One of the problems was that the royal houses that reigned over Israel were not all equally stable.

The favourable location of the region for trade proved a strategic advantage. For the great powers, an independent Israel was regarded as unwelcome. The Assyrians formed the greatest threat to Israel. The Assyrian king, Tiglath Pileser III, made the Northern Kingdom a vassal state of Assyria in 732 BC (2 Kings 15:29).
This situation did not last long, as King Hosea of Israel chose to align himself with Egypt. In 722 BC, the Assyrians conquered the capital city, Samaria and led away the inhabitants. This signalled the end of the Northern Kingdom.