Report on when the Kings of ancient Israel Reigned

The kings of ancient Judah were under David’s covenant. Covenants are usually measured with their own calendar, starting at the day the covenant starts. It may be that the king’s reigns are given as covenant time, rather than calendar time. This report indicates this is quite possible with Judah’s kings but not with Israel’s. The math for Judah’s kings works out correctly to the day across more than 400 years.

Background

Each king of ancient Israel was a "bond man" bound by covenant as king. That suggests a restart in the time that each king reigns. So, for example, a 55 year reign begins a 55 year period with its own specialized calendar, the sabbath months falling for that contract at the 7, 14, ... 49, 50th years in the contract.

If it works this way the king’s reign is NOT marked from the running wall calendar. This would explain how most kings have only so many years recorded for them, but then certain kings, with precise day counts. Instead of using modern error analysis, we should just consider God meant what he said, and each king had a precise time, following his contract, except when noted.

To explore this hunch the following report shows the expected periods of reign where the time of reign is a new contract that picks up at the day after the end of the previous king’s contract. Generally speaking this will cause the overall span of time covered by these kings to come up short, as only Manasseh will reign long enough to pass a Jubilee.

The test that this is a correct rendering is that the end of the stated reigns must agree with the specific dates at the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian army. Here we don’t have the year from any fixed point but we do have the day of the month.

We start with a rather odd condition, given in 1 Kings...

1In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD. 1 Kings 6:1
(1 Kings 6:1 NIV)

37The foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 1 Kings 6:37-38
(1 Kings 6:37 NIV)

2He began building on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.
(2 Chronicles 3:2 NIV)

What this does not say is exactly where we’re supposed to start Solomon’s reign. We’ll begin this exercise by suggesting he is crowned at the 29th day of the last month of the year 9976. 9976/12/29, with his first day of reign being the 30th day of that month. This gives him claim to the year 9977 as his first year, 78, as 2nd, 79, as 3rd and 480 FE, or 9980 AA as his 4th.

Judean Kings' Reigns
Bond Man Contract Counting
Solomon's first day of reign:
Thu9976-12-30 AA10 Sep -1011 NS2 Mai 341 BAUC3639210 AAN
476-12-30 FE20 Sep -1011 OS2 Mai 1094 BC1352053 JDN
40 years of reign, last day:
Sun10016-10-29 AA12 Jul -971 NS20 Mar 293 BAUC3653759 AAN
516-10-29 FE21 Jul -971 OS20 Mar 1046 BC1366602 JDN
Rehoboam's first day of reign:
Mon10016-10-30 AA13 Jul -971 NS21 Mar 293 BAUC3653760 AAN
516-10-30 FE22 Jul -971 OS21 Mar 1046 BC1366603 JDN
17 years of reign, last day:
Sat10033-10-29 AA13 Jun -954 NS28 Jun 273 BAUC3659939 AAN
533-10-29 FE22 Jun -954 OS28 Jun 1026 BC1372782 JDN
Abijah's first day of reign:
Sun10033-10-30 AA14 Jun -954 NS29 Jun 273 BAUC3659940 AAN
533-10-30 FE23 Jun -954 OS29 Jun 1026 BC1372783 JDN
3 years of reign, last day:
Mon10036-09-29 AA28 May -951 NS13 Dec 270 BAUC3661019 AAN
536-09-29 FE6 Jun -951 OS13 Dec 1023 BC1373862 JDN
Asa's first day of reign:
Tue10036-09-30 AA29 May -951 NS14 Dec 270 BAUC3661020 AAN
536-09-30 FE7 Jun -951 OS14 Dec 1023 BC1373863 JDN
41 years of reign, last day:
Mon10077-08-29 AA24 Mar -910 NS27 Dec 221 BAUC3675929 AAN
577-08-29 FE2 Apr -910 OS27 Dec 974 BC1388772 JDN
Jehoshephat's first day of reign:
Tue10077-08-30 AA25 Mar -910 NS28 Dec 221 BAUC3675930 AAN
577-08-30 FE3 Apr -910 OS28 Dec 974 BC1388773 JDN
25 years of reign, last day:
Fri10102-06-29 AA12 Feb -885 NS28 Nov 191 BAUC3685019 AAN
602-06-29 FE20 Feb -886 OS28 Nov 944 BC1397862 JDN
Jehroam's first day of reign:
Sat10102-06-30 AA13 Feb -885 NS29 Nov 191 BAUC3685020 AAN
602-06-30 FE21 Feb -886 OS29 Nov 944 BC1397863 JDN
8 years of reign, last day:
Wed10110-06-29 AA31 Jan -877 NS20 Qui 181 BAUC3687929 AAN
610-06-29 FE8 Feb -878 OS20 Qui 934 BC1400772 JDN
Ahaziah's first day of reign:
Thu10110-06-30 AA1 Feb -877 NS21 Qui 181 BAUC3687930 AAN
610-06-30 FE9 Feb -878 OS21 Qui 934 BC1400773 JDN
1 years of reign, last day:
Sat10111-06-29 AA26 Jan -876 NS15 Sep 180 BAUC3688289 AAN
611-06-29 FE3 Feb -877 OS15 Sep 933 BC1401132 JDN
Athaliah's first day of reign:
Sun10111-06-30 AA27 Jan -876 NS16 Sep 180 BAUC3688290 AAN
611-06-30 FE4 Feb -877 OS16 Sep 933 BC1401133 JDN
6 years of reign, last day:
Wed10117-05-29 AA25 Dec -871 NS16 Oct 173 BAUC3690449 AAN
617-05-29 FE2 Jan -871 OS16 Oct 926 BC1403292 JDN
Joash's first day of reign:
Thu10117-05-30 AA26 Dec -871 NS17 Oct 173 BAUC3690450 AAN
617-05-30 FE3 Jan -871 OS17 Oct 926 BC1403293 JDN
40 years of reign, last day:
Sun10157-04-29 AA26 Oct -831 NS5 Sep 125 BAUC3704999 AAN
657-04-29 FE3 Nov -831 OS5 Sep 878 BC1417842 JDN
Amaziah's first day of reign:
Mon10157-04-30 AA27 Oct -831 NS6 Sep 125 BAUC3705000 AAN
657-04-30 FE4 Nov -831 OS6 Sep 878 BC1417843 JDN
29 years of reign, last day:
Thu10186-03-29 AA24 Sep -802 NS16 Jun 90 BAUC3715559 AAN
686-03-29 FE2 Oct -802 OS16 Jun 843 BC1428402 JDN
Uzziah/Azariah's first day of reign:
Fri10186-03-30 AA25 Sep -802 NS17 Jun 90 BAUC3715560 AAN
686-03-30 FE3 Oct -802 OS17 Jun 843 BC1428403 JDN
52 years of reign, last day:
Mon10238-03-29 AA22 Aug -750 NS6 Oct 28 BAUC3734519 AAN
738-03-29 FE30 Aug -750 OS6 Oct 781 BC1447362 JDN
Jotham's first day of reign:
Tue10238-03-30 AA23 Aug -750 NS7 Oct 28 BAUC3734520 AAN
738-03-30 FE31 Aug -750 OS7 Oct 781 BC1447363 JDN
16 years of reign, last day:
Thu10254-02-29 AA29 Jul -734 NS20 Nov 9 BAUC3740339 AAN
754-02-29 FE6 Aug -734 OS20 Nov 762 BC1453182 JDN
Ahaz's first day of reign:
Fri10254-02-30 AA30 Jul -734 NS21 Nov 9 BAUC3740340 AAN
754-02-30 FE7 Aug -734 OS21 Nov 762 BC1453183 JDN
16 years of reign, last day:
Sun10270-02-29 AA5 Jul -718 NS4 Mar 12 AUC3746159 AAN
770-02-29 FE13 Jul -718 OS4 Mar 742 BC1459002 JDN
Hezekiah's first day of reign:
Mon10270-02-30 AA6 Jul -718 NS5 Mar 12 AUC3746160 AAN
770-02-30 FE14 Jul -718 OS5 Mar 742 BC1459003 JDN
29 years of reign, last day:
Thu10299-02-29 AA4 Jun -689 NS1 Feb 45 AUC3756719 AAN
799-02-29 FE11 Jun -689 OS1 Feb 709 BC1469562 JDN
Manasseh's first day of reign:
Fri10299-02-30 AA5 Jun -689 NS2 Feb 45 AUC3756720 AAN
799-02-30 FE12 Jun -689 OS2 Feb 709 BC1469563 JDN
55 years of reign, last day:
Wed10353-12-29 AA16 Apr -634 NS13 Qui 102 AUC3776759 AAN
853-12-29 FE23 Apr -634 OS13 Qui 652 BC1489602 JDN
Amon's first day of reign:
Thu10353-12-30 AA17 Apr -634 NS14 Qui 102 AUC3776760 AAN
853-12-30 FE24 Apr -634 OS14 Qui 652 BC1489603 JDN
2 years of reign, last day:
Tue10355-12-29 AA5 Apr -632 NS23 Qui 104 AUC3777479 AAN
855-12-29 FE12 Apr -632 OS23 Qui 650 BC1490322 JDN
Josiah's first day of reign:
Wed10355-12-30 AA6 Apr -632 NS24 Qui 104 AUC3777480 AAN
855-12-30 FE13 Apr -632 OS24 Qui 650 BC1490323 JDN
31 years of reign, last day:
Fri10386-11-29 AA22 Feb -601 NS3 Mai 136 AUC3788759 AAN
886-11-29 FE1 Mar -602 OS3 Mai 618 BC1501602 JDN
Jehoahaz's first day of reign:
Sat10386-11-30 AA23 Feb -601 NS4 Mai 136 AUC3788760 AAN
886-11-30 FE2 Mar -602 OS4 Mai 618 BC1501603 JDN
90 days of reign, last day:
Thu10387-02-29 AA23 May -601 NS2 Six 136 AUC3788849 AAN
887-02-29 FE30 May -601 OS2 Six 618 BC1501692 JDN
Jehoiakim's first day of reign:
Fri10387-02-30 AA24 May -601 NS3 Six 136 AUC3788850 AAN
887-02-30 FE31 May -601 OS3 Six 618 BC1501693 JDN
11 years of reign, last day:
Thu10398-02-29 AA26 Apr -590 NS29 Oct 147 AUC3792839 AAN
898-02-29 FE2 May -590 OS29 Oct 607 BC1505682 JDN
Jehoiachin's first day of reign:
Fri10398-02-30 AA27 Apr -590 NS30 Oct 147 AUC3792840 AAN
898-02-30 FE3 May -590 OS30 Oct 607 BC1505683 JDN
100 days of reign, last day:
Sat10398-06-09 AA4 Aug -590 NS11 Feb 147 AUC3792939 AAN
898-06-09 FE10 Aug -590 OS11 Feb 607 BC1505782 JDN
Zedekiah's first day of reign:
Sun10398-06-10 AA5 Aug -590 NS12 Feb 147 AUC3792940 AAN
898-06-10 FE11 Aug -590 OS12 Feb 607 BC1505783 JDN
11 years of reign, last day:
Sat10409-04-09 AA7 Jul -579 NS8 Mai 159 AUC3796929 AAN
909-04-09 FE13 Jul -579 OS8 Mai 595 BC1509772 JDN

Checking the last date in the chart above, it agrees with the given date for the fall of Jerusalem.

5The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Jeremiah 52:6-11
(Jeremiah 52:5-6 NIV)

2And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year, the city wall was broken through.
(Jeremiah 39:2 NIV)

It appears that each king did rule for a contract number of days. Any variation anywhere in the kings list would have caused this to hit some other terminal date.