Israel, Kingdom of

The Kingdom of Israel (also called the Northern Kingdom or Ephraim) was the state formed when ten of the twelve tribes seceded from the united monarchy following Solomon's death around 930 BC. The immediate trigger was Rehoboam's refusal to lighten the burden of taxation and forced labor that had characterized Solomon's reign (1 Kings 12:1–20). Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had returned from exile in Egypt, became the first king of the northern kingdom. To prevent his subjects from traveling to Jerusalem for worship and potentially reconverting to Davidic allegiance, Jeroboam established golden calves at Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28–30) — an act the books of Kings treat as the paradigmatic sin that brought the kingdom to ruin.

The northern kingdom lasted approximately two centuries (930–722 BC), encompassing nineteen kings across nine dynasties, none of whom are given a positive theological verdict in Kings. The kingdom fell to the Assyrian empire under Sargon II in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:1–6); its population was deported and replaced with foreign settlers who mixed with remaining Israelites to produce the Samaritans. The prophets Elijah, Elisha, Amos, and Hosea ministered primarily in the northern kingdom. The theological explanation for the fall is given in 2 Kings 17:7–23: persistent covenantal unfaithfulness and idolatry.