person · P0430
Yeravam II ירבעם
Israel's longest-reigning king and the restorer of its widest borders, "from Levo-Chamat to the sea of the Aravah," according to the word of Yonah ben Amitai (Yonah ben Amitai). His prosperous reign is the backdrop of Amos (Amos) and Hoshea (Hoshea), who prophesied against its complacency; two generations later the kingdom was gone.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- ירבעם
- Also known as
- Jeroboam II, Yeravam ben Yoash
- Era
- bible
- Parents
- Yehoash of Israel
- Children
- Zechariah ben Yeravam
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3093–3164 AM (reigned 3123–3164, forty-one years)
- Academic
- reigned c. 788–747 BCE
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈71 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the fifteenth year of Amatzyahu king of Yehudah, Yeravam ben Yoash became king over Israel in Shomron — forty-one years; he restored the border of Israel from Levo-Chamat to the sea of the Aravah, according to the word of Hashem spoken through His servant Yonah ben Amitai the prophet of Gat-Chefer.
Directly stated in the cited source.
|
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| A royal-quality jasper seal found at Megiddo reads "(belonging) to Shema, servant of Yeravam" — commonly assigned to an official of Yeravam II's court.
Most scholars assign the seal to Yeravam II rather than Yeravam I; the attribution and the seal's find-history are debated (the original is lost, known from a cast).
|
external archaeology | ★★★☆☆ | |
| The placement (reigned 3123–3164 AM) is a schematic Mesorah Atlas reconstruction: the northern kings' regnal years stated in Kings are chained forward from the division of the kingdom in 2964 AM, with sub-year reigns counted as zero; the chain closes exactly at the fall of Shomron in 3205 AM (Chizkiyahu's sixth year, Melachim II 18:10). The cited source states the reign's length, not absolute dates.
The cited sources establish relative chronology or regnal duration; they do not state the absolute AM range.
|
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |