After the reign of Solomon, the kingdom soon split. We speak traditionally of the ten tribes or Israel and of Judah although things were a little more complicated as Benjamin and many Levites joined Judah and Simeon's towns were always within Judah. Israel's first king was Jeroboam and its last Hoshea. In just over 200 years 19 kings reigned in nine different dynasties. The longest reign was that of Jeroboam II, 40 years, and the shortest that of Zimri, only seven days. The Bible declares everyone of them to have been wicked. The nation came to an end in 722 BC when the Assyrians carried them into exile and replaced them eventually with what became the Samaritans. Idolatry had been prevalent throughout the history of the Jews but in the northern kingdom that idolatry became institutionalised with calf idols at Bethel and Dan.
Meanwhile, in the south there was a succession of 20 kings, some pronounced evil, some good. The good kings were Asa, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah and Josiah. Joash and Amaziah began well but faded. This dynasty also came to an end, this time in around 586 BC with the Babylonian exile. There was much idolatry also in Judah, reaching a height under the fourteenth king, the one who reigned the longest (55 years), Manasseh. It was the idolatry that caused God to formally divorce his people and send them away into exil, where they remained for seventy years.
