event · E0003
The Kingdom Splits פילוג הממלכה
After Shlomo's death, the northern tribes gathered at Shechem and asked his son Rechavam to lighten the yoke; he answered harshly, and they answered with a cry that echoes through the rest of Tanakh — "What share do we have in David?" Ten tribes crowned Yerovam ben Nevat, and one nation became two kingdoms, Yehudah and Yisrael, never to be reunited before the exiles swallowed them.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- פילוג הממלכה
- Also known as
- Division of the Monarchy
- Era
- bible
II. When
- Traditional
- 2964 AM (797 BCE by traditional reckoning)
- Academic
- c. 930 BCE
- Date range
- 797 BCE (traditional) / c. 930 BCE (academic)
- Precision
- exact
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| At Shechem the assembled tribes rejected Rechavam — "What share do we have in David? No portion in the son of Yishai! To your tents, Israel!" — and made Yerovam king over the north, leaving the house of David only Yehudah.
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Traditional dating 2964 AM: Seder Olam counts Shlomo's forty-year reign from 2924, with Rechavam succeeding him — and the kingdom splitting — at his death.
Schematic traditional dating built on the regnal totals in Melachim. |
tradition | ★★★☆☆ | |
| Academic chronology places the division of the united monarchy around 930 BCE, working back from Assyrian synchronisms with the later kings of Israel and Yehudah. | external | ★★★☆☆ |