History of Israel

Below is a partial chronology of important events in the history of Israel. Many of the ancient events are described in the Bible. Many dates of ancient events are taken from the Concordia Self-Study Bible NIV. Click on a link below to get a summary about that event.

About 2100 BC God promises Abraham many descendants

About 2000 BC Jacob (Israel) is born

About 1910 BC Joseph sold into slavery

About 1446 BC Exodus begins

About 1406 BC Israel begins establishing itself as a country

About 1400 BC Israel is ruled by judges - not kings

About 1050 BC Saul becomes Israel's first king

About 1010 BC David becomes King of Israel

About 970 BC Solomon becomes king; builds Temple

About 926 BC Israel becomes a divided kingdom

721 BC Assyrians conquer northern kingdom of Israel

612 BC Babylon conquers Nineveh (Assyrian Empire)

605 BC Babylon exerts influence over Judah

597 BC Babylon attacks Judah

586 BC Babylon destroys Jerusalem and Temple

586-573 BC Babylon king Nebuchadnezzar attacks Tyre

539 BC Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon

538 BC Cyrus releases Jews from Babylonian Captivity

536 BC Work begins to rebuild Temple

516 BC Second Temple is dedicated

333 BC Greeks begin rule over land of Israel

331 BC Alexander conquers Tyre (Phoenician Empire)

250 BC The Old Testament is translated into Greek

175 BC Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes torments the Jews

164-63 BC Jews have independence during Hasmonean Period

63 BC Romans take over land Israel

About 5 BC Jesus Christ is born in Bethlehem

About 26 AD Jesus begins his ministry

About 27 AD Jesus talks of God's love and plan of salvation

About 26-30 AD Jesus performs miracles

About 30 AD Jesus is crucified, buried and resurrected

70 AD Romans destroy Jerusalem and Temple

135 AD Romans destroy and plow Jerusalem

1291 Tyre attacked and destroyed again

Late 1800s Zionist Movement begins

1882-1903 Jews begin returning to homeland

1896 'The Jewish State' is published; Zionism grows

1897 Jews unite in effort to regain homeland Israel

1917 The British gain control of Palestine (Israel)

1933 - 1944 6 million Jews killed by Nazis

1948 Israel declares independence

1948 Surrounding countries invade Israel

1949 The first Arab-Israeli war ends

1967 Six-Day War: Israelis capture the city of Jerusalem

1982 Hebrew becomes an official language of Israel