Old Testament Timeline

Abraham is Born

2215 BCE

Abraham, son of Terah, was born in 2215 B.C. He would later go on to be a father of many nations through his covenant with God.

Isaac is Born

2066 BCE

Isaac, son of Abraham, was born in 2066 B.C. This fulfilled God's promise of a child for Abraham and her wife Sarah.

Jacob & Esau are Born

2006 BCE

Jacob and Esau, sons of Issac and Rebekah, are born. The name Jacob means "he who strikes at the heel," referring to when Jacob came out at birth grabbing Esau's heel. The name Esau means "red," since Esau was covered in blood after he was born.

Jacob's Sons (The 12 Tribes of Israel) & Dinah are born

1921 BCE

Beginning in this year, Jacob becomes a father to 12 sons who would later go on to become the 12 Tribes of Israel (as each son would become the leader of a tribe). Dinah was the name of the daughter he would have later, and she would later become one of the patriarchs of the Israelites.

Joseph is Sold to the Ishmaelites

1898 BCE

Joseph was despised by his brothers. So his brothers wanted to murder him until Judah suggested selling him into slavery in Egypt. The brothers liked Judah's idea and sold him to the Ishmaelites. To cover up the incident, the brothers dipped his robe in goat's blood and tore his robe to make it look like he was killed by an animal.

Jacob & His Family Move to Egypt

1875 BCE

Jacob & his family move to Egypt as God tells them to do so. Joseph welcomes his family with open arms despite the fact that his brothers sold him into slavery there years ago.

Jacob Dies

1859 BCE

Jacob dies after blessing his sons (the 12 Tribes of Israel) and calling Joseph a prince among his brothers. He dies at the age of 147.

Joseph dies

1806 BCE

Joseph dies at the age of 110. Joseph Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place. (Genesis 50:25)"

Jacob's Descendants Prosper in Egypt

1700 BCE

Jacob's descendants (the Israelites) prosper for around a century in Egypt as they multiplied & filled the lands of Egypt with their kind.

Pharaoh makes the Jews Slaves

1600 BCE

The new king of Egypt enslaves the Jews and orders every male Jew born from now on to be murdered at birth so that the Egyptians could take back their land

Moses is Born

1525 BCE

Moses is born and later adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter after Moses' mother hides him in a basket in the river. Moses would later be the one to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

The Exodus from Egypt Begins

1446 BCE

The Exodus from Egypt begins. Exodus in Greek means "going out" and is the time where Moses began to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land of Israel.

Jericho Falls

1406 BCE

The Israelites conquer Jericho after obeying what God said.God told them to march around the city once for the first six days, then march around the city seven times on the seventh day, and then shout. This caused the walls of Jericho to fall and the Israelites ended up conquering the city.

Israel appoints Judges

1374 BCE

Needing leadership to try and push out the Canaanites, God said that Judah should lead them in doing so, beginning the era of Judges in Israel.

Israel has Judges

1374 BCE

Israel has Judges from here until 1075 B.C. The Judges tried to drive the Canaanites, who were causing people to fall into idolatry, out of Israel. They would lead the effort to do so, but each Judges fell into the same cycle of idolatry each time because each Judge wouldn't fully drive out the Canaanites.

Samuel is Born

1100 BCE

Samuel was Born in 1100 B.C. His mother, Hannah, named him Samuel because it means "God has heard" or "Name of God," referring to how grateful Hannah was for the Lord finally giving her a child.

Samson is Born

1090 BCE

Samson was born in 1090. He would go on to be the last of the Judges. He led Israel for 20 years before dying while fighting the Philistines.

Saul is born

1073 BCE

Saul was born in 1073 B.C. He would later become the first king of Israel.

Samuel becomes a Judge

1069 BCE

Samuel becomes a Judge and successfully drives out the Philistines. He was a well renown prophet of God and established an era of peace in Israel after driving out the Philistines.

David is Born

1054 BCE

David is born in 1031 B.C. He would be king Saul's successor and fulfill part of the Abrahamic Covenant with God (kingship & a name).

Saul Becomes The First King of Israel

1043 BCE

Saul becomes the first king of Israel at the age of thirty. According to 1 Samuel 13:1, he ruled Israel for 42 Years.

David becomes King

1001 BCE

David becomes king of Israel at the age of 30. He succeeds king Saul and fulfills part of the Abrahamic Covenant (kingship & a name).

David Captures Jerusalem

1000 BCE

David captures Jerusalem as he tries to reunite the tribes of Israel to one point, by making it the political capital of Israel later. He would also make Jerusalem the religious capital of the world later too by brink the Ark of the Covenant to Israel.

Solomon is born

990 BCE

Solomon is born in 990 B.C. He would go on to be the successor of King David, and was widely acclaimed for his wisdom until he fell into idolatry and lost his way with God.

Solomon's Temple's Built in 7 years in Jerusalem

966 BCE

Solomon's Temple would be completed in 959 B.C. He complete's the temple originally planed by King David that would serve as the place of worship to God and as a place for the Ark of the Covenant to be kept in Jerusalem.

The Kingdom of Israel is Divided

931 BCE

After Solomon's Death, the Kingdom of Israel is split into two. The Northern kingdom consists of 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Southern kingdom (now called Judah) has the other two tribes, but they remain loyal to David's line.

Assyria invades the Northern Kingdom of Israel

740 BCE

Assyria begins to invade the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The prophet Isaiah eventually tells the Northern Kingdom to go down without fighting after a while in order for the Israelites to be "spared" in the end.

Northern Kingdom Assimilates with Assyria, becomes Samaritans

722 BCE

The Northern Kingdom becomes a part of Assyria as they successfully take them over. This causes the Israelites to begin being exiled from the land.

Babylonian Captivity of Judah begins

701 BCE

Sennacherib, leader of the Babylonians, threatens a hostile captivity in Judah. The Prophet Isaiah also says that Judah will suffer the same fate as the Northern Kingdom with a outside nation holding them in captivity.

The Temple in the Southern Kingdom is destroyed

587 BCE

The Prophet Ezekiel foresees the end of Judah as the Babylonians begin to take over Jerusalem. During this, they destroy the Temple as they lay waste to Jerusalem and take over the city.

Judah Ceases to Exist

586 BCE

After the Babylonians capture Jerusalem, the Southern Kingdom of Judah ceases to exist, leading to the Babylonian Exile.

Edict of King Cyrus that allows the Jews to return home

537 BCE

After nearly 50 years of exile, King Cyrus allows the Jews to return to Israel and essentially rebuild their home.

The Temple is Rebuilt

535 BCE

After returning from exile, the Israelites begin to rebuild the Temple and return it to its glory in the name of God.

The Temple is Rededicated

515 BCE

The Second Temple is Rededicated as the House of God. This allows the Temple to become a place of worship and joy.

Alexander the Great conquers Palestine

332 BCE

Alexander the Great conquers Palestine, making it a part of his Greek Empire across Persia.

Temple is desecrated, starting the Maccabean Revolt

167 BCE

(Note Date is really Unkown) The Romans desecrate the Second Temple by having a statue of a Roman figure to be placed in the Temple. his leads to the Maccabean Revolt as war breaks out between the Maccabites and Romans.

Rome Conquers Jerusalem

166 BCE

(Note date is really Unknown) Rome Conquers Jerusalem and makes it a part of the Roman Empire, adding more insult toward the Israelites after the Romans previously desecrated/destroyed the Second Temple.