Old Testament Timeline

1
Old Testament Timeline
Benjamin S. Heath
2

• To every thing there is a season, and a time to
  every purpose under the heaven (Ecclesiastes
  31).

3
Introduction

• This timeline was developed using primarily two
  different sources. Some portions were supplied
  by supposition or personal opinion based on the
  Bible. Different color text is used for each
  sourcein dating.
• A survey of the Old Testament (Hill and Walton)
• The Companion Bible (Bullinger)
• Supposition based on the Bible (Heath)

4
Overview of the Old Testament Timeline

• ???? B.C. 2348 B.C. From Creation to the Flood
• 1996 B.C. 1491 B.C. From Abraham to the Exodus
• 1491 B.C. 1000 B.C. From the Exodus to the
  Kingdom
• 1000 B.C. 426 B.C. From the Kingdom to the
  Captivities
• 454 B.C. 4 B.C. From EzraNehemiah to the
  Birth of Jesus Christ

5
From the Creation to the Flood
???? B.C.-2348 B.C.

• The creation (Genesis 11 KJV) millions of years
  ago
• The destruction of the world that then was
  (Genesis 12) thousands of years ago
• The replenishing of the earth (Genesis 13-31)
  approx. 14,000 years ago?
• Noahs Flood (Genesis 710) 2348 B.C.

6
I. The Creation - millions of years ago (????
B.C.)

• By His Word, God created all things In the
  beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
  God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
  beginning with God. All things were made by Him
  and without Him was not any thing made that was
  made (John 11-3 King James Version). The
  creation of the heavens and the earth are also
  recorded in Genesis chapter 11 In the
  beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
  When was the beginning? Well, we are not told
  exactly when that was. Geologists confirm that
  the earth is millions of years old (Young, 1988).
  
• Notice the layers of layers of rock in the grand
  canyon pictures they show that the earth is
  ancient.

7
II. The Destruction of the World that Was
thousands of years ago (???? B.C.)
Verse two of Genesis chapter one tells us that
the earth became destroyed after the creation
And the earth was without form, and void and
darkness was upon the face of the water. The
word was in verse two should be translated as
the word became. And the words without form
would be better translated as waste, or
desolate (Bullinger, 1922, p. 3). Thus, God
created the heavens and the earth billions of
years ago and the earth later became wasted or
desolate. This desolation happened when God
destroyed the world that then was because of the
Satans rebellion in that first age (Ezekiel 28).
This great destruction is also known in part as
the ice ages and is recorded in the II Book of
Peter 35-6 For this they willingly are
ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens
were of old, and the earth standing out of the
water and in the water Whereby the world that
then was, being overflowed with water, perished.
God does not create anything void and without
form (Isaiah 4518), it became that way.
8
III. The Replenishing of the Earth 14,000 years
ago? (???? B.C.)

• The creation that is described in Genesis 13 and
  on is referring to a re-creation or a
  rejuvenation of the earth. If one day with the
  LORD is as a thousand years or a longer period of
  time (II Peter 38), then the earth would have
  been replenished over a long period of time in 6
  different stages or days.
• ???? B.C. - ???? B.C. Days of creation 1-5.
• ???? B.C. 6th day of creation. The different
  races of mankind were created hunters, fishers
  and gatherers (Genesis 128), and they were very
  good.
• 4004 B.C. Sometime after the 7th day of
  creation, the man named Adam was created to til
  the ground, i.e. the first farmer (Genesis 211).

9
IV. The Flood (2348 B.C.)
Orthodoxy has held until this day to the belief
that the Deluge of Genesis was universal,
covering the whole of the globe yet such a
belief, although apparently expressed by the
translators, is, according to a careful analysis
of certain facts of Scripture, and impossibility,
to say nothing of the recorded facts of Egyptian
and Chinese history, nor the impossibility
presented by physical science. Once the question
of the Deluge is settled, another of the
obstacles over which the critics and the
scientists have stumbled is removed (Haberman,
p.16). Thus, Noahs flood only covered a certain
region not the entire earth.
10
From Abraham to the Exodus (1996 B.C. 1491
B.C.)

• 1996 B.C. Birth of Abraham (2166 B.C)
• 1896 B.C. Birth of Isaac
• 1836 B.C. Birth of Jacob
• 1491 B.C. The Exodus

Note Purple dates are taken from A Survey of
the Old Testament
11
I. Birth of Abraham (1996 B.C.) (2166 B.C.)

• 1921 B.C. God calls Abraham and blesses him.
  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I
  will bless thee, and make thy name great and
  thou shalt be a blessing (Genesis 122).
• 1920 B.C. Abraham goes down into Egypt.
• 1921 B.C. Abraham returns from Egypt.
• 1897 B.C. Covenant of Circumcision.

12
II. Birth of Isaac (1896 B.C.)

• 1891 B.C. Isaac becomes the Seed (Genesis
  2112).
• The name Isaac is connected to the Anglo
  Saxons. most of the Saxons remained in
  Germany, Northern France, Switzerland, and
  Scandinavia, where their descendants still are.
  The term Saxon belongs to the whole house of
  Israel, for in Isaac shall thy seed be called
  (or named), Scripture tells us in Genesis 2112
  and Romans 97. They were to be called the sons
  of Isaac, and have been so through the
  centuries, the BethSak, Saki, Sacae, Sakasani,
  Saxones, Sachsen, and Saxons (Haberman, p.143).

13
III. Birth of Jacob (1836 B.C.)

• Jacob had a dream at Bethel.
• And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on
  the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven
  and behold the angels of God ascending and
  descending on it. And behold the LORD stood
  above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham
  thy father, and the God of Isaac the land
  whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and
  to thy seed And thy seed shall be as the dust
  of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the
  west, and to the east, and to the north, and to
  the south and in thee and in thy seed shall all
  the families of the earth be blessed (Genesis
  2812-15).

14
IV. The Exodus (1491 B.C.)

• Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children
  of Israel is come unto Me and I have also seen
  the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress
  them. Come therefore, and I will send thee unto
  Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My People
  the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus
  39-10).
• 1571 B.C. Moses born.
• 1544 B.C. Joshua born, a slave in the Egyptian
  brickfields.
• 1491 B.C. The Exodus.

15
Notes Dating the Exodus
One of the greatest difficulties which
chronologers have to face is, and always has
been, the apparent conflict between the record in
I Kings 6.1, that Solomons temple was commenced
in the four hundred and eightieth year after the
children of Israel were come out of the land of
Egypt while in Acts. 13.17-22 the same period
amounts to 573 years a difference of
ninety-three years. In the majority of cases
I Kings 6.1 has been adopted by chronologists as
being correct, ST. Pauls reckoning being left to
take care of itself or, they say he was
misinformed, or only speaking generally.
The simple fact is both are right. The
solution of the difficulty is that St. Pauls
statement is according to Anno Mundi years
(573)the other on the principle of what we may
call Anno Dei reckoning (480) (Bullinger, 1922,
ap.50).
16
From the Exodus to the Kingdom(1491 B.C. 1000
B.C.)

• 1491 B.C. 1451 B.C. Israel in the Wilderness
• 1451 B.C. 1444 B.C. Joshua and the Conquest
• 1423 B.C. 1000 B.C. The Period of the Judges
  (Book of Judges 1300 B.C. 1000 B.C.)

Note Purple dates are taken from A Survey of
the Old Testament
17
I. Israel in the Wilderness
(1491 B.C. - 1451 B.C.)

• 1490 B.C. The Tabernacle set up. This year the
  people should have entered into the land.
• The events recorded in the books of Leviticus,
  Numbers, and Deuteronomy take place.
• 1452 B.C. Miriam, Aaron, and Moses died.

18
II. Joshua and the Conquest
(1451 B.C. 1444 B.C.)
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the
LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto
Joshua the son of Nun, Moses minister, saying,
Moses My servant is dead now therefore arise,
go over this Jordan, thou, and all this People,
unto the land which I do give to them, even to
the children of Israel (Joshua 11-2). 1451
B.C. The children of Israel cross Jordon and
conquer the city of Jericho. 1444 B.C. The
Wars of the Lord end. Joshua then relinquishes
his leadership to Eleazar the priest.
19
III. The Period of the Judges
(1423 B.C. 1000 B.C.)

• List of Judges
• 1423 B.C. Othniel 40 years
• 1365 B.C. Ehud 80 years
• 1265 B.C. Barak 40 years
• 1218 B.C. Gideon 40 years
• 1178 B.C. Tola 23 years
• 1155 B.C. Jair 4 years
• 1151 B.C. Jephthah 6 years
• 1145 B.C. Ibzan 7 years
• 1138 B.C. Elon 10 years
• 1128 B.C. Abdon 8 years
• 1040 B.C. Samuel 40 years

20
From the Kingdom to the Captivities
(1000 B.C. 426 B.C.)

• 1000 B.C. The Kingdom Begins
• 880 B.C. The Monarchy Splits
• 611 B.C. The Captivities Begin

21
I. The Kingdom Begins
(1000 B.C.)

• 1000 B.C. Saul anointed king of Israel, 40
  years.
• 960 B.C. David anointed king of Israel, 40
  years.
• 920 B.C. Solomon anointed king of Israel, 40
  years.
• 910 B.C. The Temple finished.

22
II. The Monarchy Splits
(880 B.C.)
So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened
not unto them, the people answered the king,
saying, What portion have we in David? Neither
have we inheritance in the son of Jesse to your
tents, O Israel now see to thine own house,
David. So Israel departed unto their tents (I
Kings 1216).
23
Kings of Israel - Judah, and the Prophets

• Kings of Judah
• 880 B.C. Rehoboam
• 863 B.C. Abijam
• 860 B.C. Asa
• 819 B.C. Jehoshaphat
• 796 B.C. Jehoram
• 782 B.C. Jehoash
• 743 B.C. Amaziah
• 701 B.C. Uzziah
• 647 B.C. Jotham
• 632 B.C. Ahaz
• 617 B.C. Hezekiah
• 588 B.C. Manasseh
• 533 B.C. Amon
• 531 B.C. Josiah
• 500 B.C. Jehoahaz
• 499 B.C. Jehoiakim
• 489 B.C. Jehoiachin

• Kings of Israel
• 880 B.C. Jeroboam
• 858 B.C. Nadab
• 857 B.C. Baasha
• 834 B.C. Elah
• 833 B.C. Zimri
• 833 B.C. Omri
• 822 B.C. Ahab
• 802 B.C. Ahaziah
• 801 B.C. Jehoram
• 788 B.C. Jehu
• 759 B.C. Jehoahaz
• 745 B.C. Jehoash
• 728 B.C. Jeroboam II
• 662 B.C. Zechariah
• 651 B.C. Pekahiah
• 649 B.C. Pekah
• 620 B.C. Hoshea

• The Prophets
• 690 B.C. Jonah
• 689 B.C. Amos
• 689 B.C. Hosea
• 649 B.C. Isaiah
• 632 B.C. Micah
• 603 B.C. Nahum
• 518 B.C. Jeremiah
• 518 B.C. Habakkuk
• 518 B.C. Zephaniah
• 495 B.C. Daniel
• 488 B.C. Joel
• 484 B.C. Ezekiel
• 482 B.C. Obadiah
• 410 B.C. Haggai
• 410 B.C. Zechariah
• 374 B.C. Malachi

24
III. The Captivities Begin
(611 B.C.)
611 B.C. Samaria taken and the ten tribes of
Israel taken into captivity by the
Assyrians. 497 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylons first siege of Jerusalem. (597
B.C.) 489 B.C. Nebuchadnezzars second siege of
Jerusalem. 478 B.C. Nebuchadnezzars third
siege of Jerusalem begins. 477 B.C. Jerusalem
taken by Nebuchadnezzar and the Temple
destroyedJudah and Benjamin are taken into
captivity. (586 B.C.)
25
Babylonian Captivities According to Hill
Walton A Survey of the Old Testament
Not content with being a vassal, Judah
repeatedly became mired in conspiracies doomed to
failure, leading in 586 B.C. to the final
destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadrezzar, who
deemed the city politically unreformable. Judah
had already proven itself unreformable
spiritually. During this whole tragic period,
Jeremiah was continuing to proclaim the word of
the Lord. (More on the military and political
struggles is given in chapter 26, Ezekiel.)
Besides the destruction of the city and the
temple, the state of Judah was dismantled by
means of deportation of the populace. The first
stage of deportation took place in 597 B.C., when
Jehoikim rebelled. Jehoikims son, Jehoiachin,
was taken to Babylon at that time, as was the
prophet Ezekiel. Despite the claims by some
prophets in Judah that this was the full extent
of the Lords punishment and that thereafter the
situation would improve, Jeremiah contended that
the worst was yet to come. Sadly, this proved
true when Zedekiahs rebellion in 589 brought the
Babylonians back to Jerusalem with intent to
destroy. Though deportation was used politically
to obliterate national and ethnic identities, the
Lord planned to use it to preserve a remnant for
himself (Hill Walton, 2000, p. 426-427).
26
From EzraNehemiah to the birth of Jesus Christ
(454 B.C. 4 B.C.)

• 454 B.C. The Commandment to rebuild Jerusalem.
• 426 B.C. Cyrus issues the Decree to rebuild the
  Temple.
• 405 B.C. The Temple finished and dedicated.
• 4 B.C. The Birth of Jesus Christ.

27
I. The Commandment to Rebuild Jerusalem (454
B.C.)
And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes the kingThen the
king said unto me, For what dost thou make
request? So I prayed to the god of heaven. And
I said unto the king, If it please the king, and
if thy servant have found favour in thy sight,
that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the
city of my fathers sepulchres, that I may build
it (Nehemiah 21-5).
28
II. Cyrus Issues the Decree to Rebuild the Temple
(426 B.C.)
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,
that the word of the LORD by the mouth of
Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up
the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made
a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and
put it also in writing saying, Thus saith Cyrus
king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath
given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he
hath charged me to build Him an house at
Jerusalem, which is in Judah (Ezra 11-2).
29
III. The Temple Finished and Dedicated (405 B.C.)
And this house was finished on the third day of
the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of
the reign of Darius the king. And the children
of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the
rest of the children of the captivity, kept the
dedication of this house of GOD with joy (Ezra
615-16).
30
IV. The Birth of Jesus Christ
(4 B.C.)
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy People and
upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,
and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the
going forth of the commandment to restore and to
build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall
be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks
the street shall be built again, and the wall,
even in troublous times. And after threescore
and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not
for Himself (Daniel 924-26).
31
References

• Bullinger, E. (1922). The Companion Bible. Grand
  Rapids, MI Kregel Publications.
• Haberman, F. Tracing Our Ancestors. Muskogee, OK
  Artisan Publishers.
• Hill, A. Walton J. (2000). A Survey of the Old
  Testament. Grand Rapids, MI Zondervan.
• Young, (1988). Christianity and the Age of the
  Earth. Thousand Oaks, CA Artisan Sales.