Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)
Kingdom of Israel ממלכת ישראל | |
|---|---|
| 1117 BCE - 937 BCE | |
Kingdom of Israel during King Solomon's rule | |
| Capital | Jerusalem 31°47′N 35°13′E |
| Official languages | Hebrew Aramaic |
| Religion | Judaism Ancient Semitic religions |
| Demonym(s) | Israelite or Israeli |
| Government | Hereditary theocratic absolute monarchy |
| Kings | |
• 1117-1077 BCE | Saul |
• 1077-1039 | David |
• 1039-998 BCE | Solomon |
• 998-978 | Rehoboam |
• 998-937 | Abijah |
| Establishment | 1117 BCE |
| History | |
• Established | 1117 BCE |
• King Abijah's death | 937 BCE |
| Currency | Shekel |
| Time zone | UTC+2:00 |
| Today part of | Israel Palestinian National Authority Jordan Cyprus Lebanon Syria Egypt Saudi Arabia |
The Kingdom of Israel was an ancient Israelite kingdom during the Iron Age.
It was a kingdom in which all the tribes of Israel were united under one rule in the Land of Israel, and it existed for about a hundred years, from the anointing of Saul of the Tribe of Benjamin as king until the division of the kingdom after the death of Solomon into two separate kingdoms: Israel and Judah.
Geography
Borders according to the Tanakh
According to the Tanakh, the Kingdom of Israel in the days of Saul stretched from the Negev to the Golan and included most of the coastal plain (except for the southern part that was in the hands of the Philistines), the cities of Judaeo-Samaria and Gaza (with the very exceptions of Jerusalem and Beit She'an which were only conquered during the time of David), and areas past Eastern Jordan that are in the territory of the modern Kingdom of Jordan.
In the days of David and Solomon, the influence of the Kingdom of Israel expanded or included the Kingdom of Aram Zoba to the north/east and the kingdoms of Ammon, Moab and 'Edom' to south/east, some under its direct control and some as proteges. The northern border of the kingdom passed through the City of Passover, located on the west bank of the Euphrates River in Modern Syria.