Era 7 of 13

The united kingdom

1095–975 BC120 years

1 Samuel 8 – 1 Kings 11

Saul, David, and Solomon; the Temple is built in Jerusalem.

How the dates are set: Boundaries from Ussher: Saul made king 1095 BC; Solomon dies and the kingdom divides 975 BC.

Events 27

• Israel asks for a king; Saul anointed 1095 BC
  Tired of Samuel's corrupt sons and wanting to be like the nations, Israel demanded a king; God gave them Saul of Benjamin.
• Saul rescues Jabesh-gilead 1095 BC
  When the Ammonites threatened to gouge out the right eye of every man in Jabesh-gilead, Saul rallied Israel, rescued the town, and was confirmed as king at Gilgal.
• Saul's rash sacrifice; Jonathan's victory at Michmash 1093 BC
  Facing the Philistines, Saul offered the sacrifice himself instead of waiting for Samuel; then Jonathan and his armor bearer attacked a Philistine outpost alone and God routed the army.
• David born in Bethlehem 1085 BC
  David, the youngest of Jesse's eight sons, was born in Bethlehem, great-grandson of Ruth and Boaz.
• Saul rejected as king 1065 BC
  Saul spared the Amalekite king and the best livestock against God's command; Samuel told him that God had rejected him as king.
• Samuel anoints David 1063 BC
  God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse's sons; passing over seven older brothers, he anointed the youngest, the shepherd boy David.
• David and Goliath 1063 BC
  In the Valley of Elah, young David faced the Philistine champion Goliath with a sling and faith in God, and killed him with a single stone.
• David on the run from Saul 1062–1055 BC
  Saul tried repeatedly to kill David, who fled into the wilderness with a band of outcasts, twice spared Saul's life, and finally took refuge among the Philistines.
• Saul and Jonathan die on Mount Gilboa 1055 BC
  With no answer from God, Saul consulted a medium at Endor; the next battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa killed Saul and three of his sons, including Jonathan.
• David becomes king of Judah at Hebron 1055 BC
  The men of Judah anointed 30-year-old David king at Hebron, while Saul's son Ish-bosheth ruled the northern tribes.
• David rules all Israel and takes Jerusalem 1048 BC
  All the tribes anointed David king over Israel; he captured the Jebusite fortress of Zion and made Jerusalem his capital.
• The ark brought to Jerusalem 1045 BC
  David brought the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem with music and celebration, dancing before Yahweh with all his might.
• God's covenant with David 1044 BC
  David wanted to build God a house; instead God promised to build David a house, a dynasty whose throne would last forever.
• David's victories build an empire 1044–1036 BC
  David defeated the Philistines, Moabites, Edomites, Ammonites, and Arameans, extending Israel's rule toward the Euphrates.
• David, Bathsheba, and Nathan's rebuke 1035–1034 BC
  David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the death of her husband Uriah; the prophet Nathan confronted him, and David repented.
• Solomon born 1034 BC
  Bathsheba bore David a second son, Solomon; God loved him and sent word through Nathan to call him Jedidiah, “loved by Yahweh.”
• Amnon's crime and Absalom's revenge 1030 BC
  David's son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar; two years later her brother Absalom had Amnon killed and fled into exile.
• Absalom's rebellion 1023 BC
  Absalom won the hearts of Israel and seized the throne; David fled Jerusalem, and Absalom was killed in battle, leaving David heartbroken.
• David's census and the threshing floor of Araunah 1017 BC
  David's proud census brought a plague on Israel; it stopped at the threshing floor of Araunah, which David bought for an altar, the future site of the temple.
• Solomon crowned; David dies 1015 BC
  When Adonijah tried to seize the throne, the aging David had Solomon anointed king; David charged Solomon to walk in God's ways and died at 70.
• Solomon asks for wisdom 1015 BC
  At Gibeon, God told Solomon to ask for anything; he asked for an understanding heart to govern God's people, and God gave him wisdom, riches, and honor.
• Solomon begins the temple 1012 BC
  In the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began building the temple on Mount Moriah, 480 years after the Exodus.
• The temple is finished 1005 BC
  After seven and a half years, the temple and all its bronze and gold furnishings were complete.
• The temple is dedicated 1004 BC
  The ark was carried into the Most Holy Place, God's glory filled the temple, and Solomon prayed a great prayer of dedication.
• The queen of Sheba visits Solomon 992 BC
  The queen of Sheba traveled from Arabia with spices, gold, and jewels to test Solomon with hard questions, and left amazed.
• Solomon's heart turns away 980 BC
  In his old age, Solomon's many foreign wives turned his heart to other gods, and God announced that the kingdom would be torn from his son.
• Solomon dies 975 BC
  Solomon died after reigning 40 years, and his son Rehoboam became king; within months the kingdom split in two.

People alive in these years 2

DavidSolomon

Kings and rulers 7

SaulIsh-boshethDavid (Judah)DavidSolomonRehoboamJeroboam I

See the chart of the kings of Israel and Judah

Open the interactive timelineStart with Israel asks for a king; Saul anointed