and smote Jehoram ... And when Ahaziah the King of Judah saw this, he

fled ... and Jehu ... said, Smite him also in the chariot' (2 Kings

9:13 -27).

Here it will be observed both the kings of Israel and of Judah die on

the same day.  We can therefore draw a line across the double column, and

make a fresh start.  Athaliah usurped the throne of Judah and Jehu reigned

over Israel and both were succeeded by a number of kings until, at the siege

and fall of Samaria, we reach another interlocking date.

The siege took place in the fourth year of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:9):

'And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of

Hezekiah, that is the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was

taken' (2 Kings 18:10).

Here we have positive dating. Hezekiah's 6th year is Hosea's 9th year,

and so we can conveniently draw another line across our chart.  From this

period, Israel, that is the ten -tribed kingdom, pass out of reckoning, and

from Hezekiah's 7th year to the captivity under Nebuchadnezzar in Jehoiakim's

4th year brings us to 3521 or 604 b.c.

As we have before intimated, there are problems that await us that at

first seem insuperable, but a steady confidence in the Word, and a correct

estimate of our own fallibility will be rewarded with light and leading.

It should be remembered that the customary phrase of the A.V. and the

R.V. that a certain king 'began to reign' is incorrect, the Hebrew simply

reads 'he reigned'.  It is not the intention of the Chronicler to tell us

when any particular king 'began' to reign, but simply to allocate to him a

particular year according to the system he followed.

We have a note in 1 Kings 15:9,10, and another in 15:25 -33, which

enables us to check our computation at this point.

In 1 Kings 15:9,10 we read:

'In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel reigned Asa over

Judah.  And forty and one years reigned he in Jerusalem'.

From 1 Kings 15:25 -33 we learn that in the second year of Asa king of

Judah, Nadab reigned over Israel, and that he reigned two years.  Nadab was

succeeded by Baasha who reigned over Israel in the third year of Asa.

If we attempt to set this out in chart form we immediately see the

Asa

1

Asa

Asa

How can we get the 'two years' of Nadab in such a scheme?  We look back and

find that Asa reigned in the 20th year of Jeroboam King of Israel.

Dr. Lightfoot expresses the opinion that inasmuch as Jeroboam had been

smitten by God with a disease which incapacitated him from ruling, Nadab's

reign fell within that of his father.  This is the considered opinion also of