Jeroboam II

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jeroboam II
Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum
King of Northern Israel
Reign793–753 BC
or
786–746 BC
PredecessorJehoash
SuccessorZechariah
FatherJehoash

Jeroboam II (

Uzziah,[2] kings of Judah
.

History

E. R. Thiele says he was coregent with Jehoash 793 to 782 BC and sole ruler 782 to 753 BC.[3]

He extended Israel to its former limits, from "the entering of

Hamath to the sea of the plain".[4]

In 1910,

ostraca, while unremarkable in themselves, contain valuable information about the script, language, religion and administrative system of the period. In 2020 a bulla belonging to a servant of Jeroboam II was authenticated.[5][6]

Archaeological evidence confirms the biblical account of his reign as the most prosperous that the northern kingdom of Israel had yet known. By the late 8th century BC, the territory of Israel was the most densely settled in the entire

Jeroboam I,[11] although Lester L. Grabbe finds this theory unlikely.[12]

Under Jeroboam II, the

Beth-el and at other old Israelite shrines, through actual images, such as the golden calf. These services at Dan and Beth-el, at Gilgal and Beer-sheba, were of a nature to arouse the indignation of the prophets, and the foreign cults,[13] both numerous and degrading, contributed still further to arousing of the prophetic spirit.[4] Jeroboam's reign was the period of the prophets Hosea, Joel, Amos and Jonah, all of whom condemned the materialism and selfishness of the Israelite elite of their day: "Woe unto those who lie upon beds of ivory ... eat lambs from the flock and calves ... [and] sing idle songs ..."[14] The Book of Kings condemns Jeroboam for doing "evil in the eyes of the Lord", meaning both the oppression of the poor and his continuing support of the cult centres of Dan and Bethel, in opposition to the temple in Jerusalem
.

Earthquake in Israel c. 760 BC

A major earthquake had occurred in Israel c. 760 BC, which may have been during the time of Jeroboam II, towards the end of his rule. This earthquake is mentioned in the Book of Amos as having occurred during the rule of "Jeroboam son of Jehoash".[15]

Geologists believe they have found evidence of this big earthquake in sites throughout

Lachish
.

According to Steven A. Austin, the magnitude of this earthquake may have been at least 7.8, but more likely as high as 8.2. "This magnitude 8 event of 750 B.C. appears to be the largest yet documented on the Dead Sea transform fault zone during the last four millennia."[18]

The epicenter of this earthquake may have been 200–300 km north of present-day Israel.

Multiple biblical references exist to this earthquake in the Book of Amos,[19] and also in Zechariah 14:5.[20]

Recent excavations by Aren Maeir in ancient Gath have revealed evidence of a major earthquake.

"Based on the tight stratigraphic context, this can be dated to the mid-8th cent. BCE" ...[21]

In the Bible

His name occurs in the

Nebat
that is meant.

See also

References

  1. ^ Bible 2 Kings 14:23
  2. ^ Bible 2 Kings 15:1
  3. ISBN 0-8254-3825-X
    , 9780825438257
  4. ^ a b c "Jeroboam II", Jewish Encyclopedia
  5. ^ 2,700 years ago, tiny clay piece sealed deal for Bible’s King Jeroboam II Times of Israel
  6. JSTOR 27165933
    .
  7. ^ Broshi, M, and Finkelstein, I, (1992). "The Population of Palestine in Iron Age II", Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research, 287: 47–60.
  8. ^ The number of settlements devoted to olive production, identified by olive persses and other installations, increased dramatically in the 8th century BC. The Samaria ostraca record the commerce in oil and wine. For a brief description, see Finkelstein, Israel, and Silberman, Neil, The Bible Unearthed, 2001.
  9. ^ Bible Amos 6:13
  10. ^ Matthew J. Adams, Israel Finkelstein (16 April 2021). Episode Thirteen: Solomon, King of Globalization (video). Jerusalem: W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. Event occurs at 16:41. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  11. ^ Römer, Thomas. “How Jeroboam II became Jeroboam I”, HeBAI 6/3, 2017, 372-382. “The Deuteronomistic redactors of the book of Kings are almost silent about the reign of Jeroboam II. This can be explained by the fact that they transferred the foundation of the sanctuaries of Dan and Bethel to the time of Jeroboam I.”
  12. ISBN 978-1-57506-787-2
    .
  13. ^ Bible Amos 5
  14. ^ Bible Amos 6:4–5
  15. Amos 1:1
  16. ^ Steven A. Austin, Gordon W. Franz, and Eric G. Frost, "Amos's Earthquake: An Extraordinary Middle East Seismic Event of 750 B.C." International Geology Review 42 (2000) 657–671.
  17. ^ Y. Yadin, Hazor, the Rediscovery of a Great Citadel of the Bible (New York: Random House, 1975). I. Finkelstein, "Hazor and the North in the Iron Age: A Low Chronology Perspective," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 314 (1999) 55–70. Both are cited in Austin et al., "Amos's Earthquake," 658.
  18. ^ Austin, S. 2010. The Scientific and Scriptural Impact of Amos' Earthquake. Acts & Facts. 39 (2): 8–9.
  19. ^ Bible Amos 3:14, 6:11, 8:8, 9:1
  20. Zechariah 14:5
  21. ^ View of Philistine temple and "Amos" earthquake The Tell es-Safi/Gath Excavations Weblog - July 2010
  22. ^ Bible 2 Kings 13:13; 14:16, 23, 27, 28, 29; 15:1, 8
  23. ^ Bible 1 Chronicles 5:17
  24. Hosea 1:1
  25. Amos 1:1; 7:9, 10, 11

External links
Jeroboam II
House of Jehoshaphat
Contemporary
Uzziah/Azariah
Regnal titles
Preceded by King of Israel
Coregent with Jehoash: 793–782 BCE
Sole reign: 782–753 BCE 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jeroboam_II&oldid=1211089248"