The Bible: Old Testament Timeline

The Bible: Old Testament 98

Genesis 1–2 Creation In the beginning Genesis opens with God creating the heavens and the earth in six days and resting on the seventh, with humankind made in God's image. The primeval chapters give no calendar date.
Genesis 3 The Fall Adam and Eve leave Eden Tempted by the serpent, Adam and Eve eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are sent out of the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 4 Cain and Abel The first murder Cain kills his brother Abel out of jealousy and is sent away as a wanderer, marked by God for protection.
Genesis 5 Enoch and Methuselah The long-lived patriarchs The genealogy from Adam to Noah lists lifespans of many centuries. Enoch walks with God and is taken, and his son Methuselah lives 969 years, the longest in the Bible.
Genesis 6–9 Noah and the Flood The ark God sends a flood over the earth and saves Noah, his family and the animals in the ark. The story has close parallels in Mesopotamian flood myths such as the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Genesis 9 The rainbow covenant God's promise to Noah After the Flood, God promises never again to destroy the earth by water and sets the rainbow as the sign of the covenant.
Genesis 10 The Table of Nations Descendants of Noah's sons Genesis lists the peoples descended from Shem, Ham and Japheth, spreading across the known world.
Genesis 11 The Tower of Babel The confusion of languages Humanity builds a city and tower to reach the heavens. God confuses their language and scatters them across the earth.
c. 2166 BC Abram born in Ur Ur of the Chaldeans Abram, later Abraham, is born in Ur in Mesopotamia. Scholars who date the patriarchs place them anywhere from about 2000 to 1500 BC, and many read the stories as later national traditions.
c. 2091 BC The call of Abram Genesis 12 At 75, Abram leaves Haran for Canaan at God's call, with the promise that his descendants will become a great nation.
Genesis 14 Abram rescues Lot Melchizedek's blessing Abram rescues his nephew Lot from invading kings and is blessed by Melchizedek, priest-king of Salem.
Genesis 15 The covenant between the pieces Descendants like the stars God promises the childless Abram descendants as numerous as the stars and the land of Canaan.
c. 2080 BC Ishmael born Son of Hagar Abram's son Ishmael is born to Sarai's servant Hagar. Islamic tradition honours Ishmael as an ancestor of the Arabs.
c. 2067 BC Abram becomes Abraham The covenant of circumcision At 99, Abram is renamed Abraham, father of many nations, and circumcision becomes the sign of the covenant.
Genesis 19 Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed Fire and brimstone The cities of the plain are destroyed. Lot escapes, but his wife looks back and becomes a pillar of salt.
c. 2066 BC Isaac born The promised son Isaac is born to Abraham, aged 100, and Sarah, aged 90.
Genesis 22 The binding of Isaac Mount Moriah God tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac, then stops him and provides a ram instead.
c. 2029 BC Sarah dies The cave of Machpelah Sarah dies at Hebron aged 127. Abraham buys the cave of Machpelah as a family tomb.
c. 2026 BC Isaac marries Rebekah Genesis 24 Abraham's servant finds Rebekah at a well in Aram and brings her back as Isaac's wife.
c. 2006 BC Jacob and Esau born The twins Rebekah gives birth to twins. Esau later sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew.
c. 1991 BC Abraham dies Aged 175 Abraham dies and is buried by Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpelah.
c. 1929 BC Jacob's ladder Bethel Fleeing Esau after taking his blessing, Jacob dreams of a stairway to heaven at Bethel.
c. 1915 BC Joseph born Son of Rachel Joseph is born in Haran to Jacob and his favoured wife Rachel.
c. 1909 BC Jacob becomes Israel Wrestling at Peniel Returning to Canaan, Jacob wrestles through the night and is renamed Israel. His twelve sons become the twelve tribes.
c. 1898 BC Joseph sold into slavery The coat of many colours Jealous of their father's favourite, Joseph's brothers sell him to traders bound for Egypt.
c. 1885 BC Joseph rises to power in Egypt Pharaoh's dreams Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams of seven fat and seven lean years and is made second only to Pharaoh.
c. 1876 BC Jacob's family moves to Egypt The land of Goshen Driven by famine, Jacob and his family, seventy in all, settle in Goshen under Joseph's protection.
c. 1859 BC Jacob dies Blessing the twelve tribes Jacob blesses his twelve sons and dies in Egypt. He is buried in the cave of Machpelah.
c. 1805 BC Joseph dies Aged 110 Joseph dies in Egypt, asking that his bones be carried to Canaan when Israel leaves.
Exodus 1 The Israelites enslaved A king who did not know Joseph A new pharaoh fears the growing Israelite population, forces them into hard labour and orders their newborn sons killed.
c. 1526 BC Moses born Found in the Nile Hidden in a basket among the reeds, the infant Moses is found and raised by Pharaoh's daughter.
c. 1486 BC Moses flees to Midian Exodus 2 After killing an Egyptian taskmaster, Moses flees to Midian, where he marries Zipporah and works as a shepherd.
c. 1446 BC The burning bush Mount Horeb God speaks to Moses from a bush that burns without being consumed and sends him back to Egypt to free the Israelites.
c. 1446 BC The ten plagues Let my people go Ten plagues strike Egypt, from water turning to blood to the death of the firstborn, until Pharaoh lets the Israelites go.
c. 1446 BC Passover and the Exodus Out of Egypt Israel leaves Egypt after the first Passover. The traditional date comes from 1 Kings 6:1. Many scholars favour c. 1250 BC under Ramesses II, and others doubt a mass exodus took place.
c. 1446 BC Crossing the Red Sea The Sea of Reeds According to Exodus, the waters part for the Israelites and close over Pharaoh's pursuing chariots.
c. 1446 BC The Ten Commandments Mount Sinai At Sinai, God gives Moses the Ten Commandments and the Law, sealing the covenant with Israel.
c. 1446 BC The golden calf Exodus 32 While Moses is on the mountain, the people make a golden calf to worship. Moses breaks the tablets in anger.
c. 1445 BC The Tabernacle completed The portable sanctuary The Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant are completed and set up in the wilderness.
c. 1444 BC The twelve spies Forty years in the wilderness Ten of twelve spies report that Canaan cannot be taken. For their lack of faith, the people are condemned to wander forty years.
c. 1406 BC Moses dies on Mount Nebo Seeing the Promised Land After his farewell speeches in Deuteronomy, Moses sees Canaan from Mount Nebo and dies without entering it.
c. 1406 BC Crossing the Jordan Joshua leads Israel Under Joshua, the Israelites cross the Jordan into Canaan as the river stops flowing.
c. 1406 BC The fall of Jericho The walls come tumbling down After seven days of marching and trumpet blasts, Jericho's walls fall. Excavations have found no walls standing at Jericho in this period, one reason many scholars question the conquest account.
c. 1406–1399 BC The conquest of Canaan Joshua's campaigns Joshua leads campaigns against the Canaanite cities, and the land is divided among the twelve tribes.
c. 1390 BC Joshua dies Aged 110 Joshua renews the covenant at Shechem and dies aged 110.
Judges 3 Othniel, the first judge The cycle of the judges Israel falls into a cycle of unfaithfulness, oppression and rescue by leaders called judges, beginning with Othniel.
Judges 4–5 Deborah and Barak Victory over Sisera The prophetess Deborah and the commander Barak defeat Sisera's Canaanite army. Jael kills the fleeing Sisera.
Judges 6–8 Gideon's three hundred Victory over Midian Gideon defeats the Midianites with three hundred men armed with trumpets and torches in jars.
c. 1105 BC Samuel born The last judge Samuel is born to Hannah after her prayer for a son and is raised at the sanctuary of Shiloh.
Book of Ruth Ruth and Naomi Where you go, I will go The Moabite widow Ruth stays loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi and marries Boaz, becoming the great-grandmother of David.
Judges 13–16 Samson Strength and betrayal The Nazirite Samson fights the Philistines with great strength until Delilah betrays the secret of his hair.
1 Samuel 4 The Ark captured Battle of Aphek The Philistines defeat Israel and capture the Ark of the Covenant, which is later returned.
c. 1050 BC Saul anointed king Israel's first king Samuel reluctantly anoints Saul of the tribe of Benjamin as the first king of Israel.
c. 1025 BC David anointed The shepherd boy Samuel secretly anoints the young shepherd David, youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem, as future king.
1 Samuel 17 David and Goliath Valley of Elah The young David kills the Philistine champion Goliath with a sling and a stone.
c. 1010 BC Saul dies at Mount Gilboa With his son Jonathan Defeated by the Philistines, Saul falls on his own sword. His son Jonathan, David's close friend, dies in the battle.
c. 1010 BC David becomes king Hebron David is crowned king of Judah at Hebron and later of all Israel.
c. 1003 BC David captures Jerusalem The City of David David takes Jerusalem from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. The House of David is named in the Tel Dan inscription of the 9th century BC.
2 Samuel 6 The Ark comes to Jerusalem David dances David brings the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem amid celebration.
2 Samuel 7 The covenant with David A house forever God promises David that his dynasty and throne will endure forever — the root of later messianic hope.
2 Samuel 11–12 David and Bathsheba The prophet Nathan David takes Bathsheba and arranges the death of her husband Uriah. The prophet Nathan confronts him.
2 Samuel 15–18 Absalom's revolt David's son rebels David's son Absalom seizes the throne and is killed in battle, to David's grief.
c. 970 BC Solomon becomes king The wise king Solomon succeeds David and becomes famous for his wisdom, wealth and building works.
c. 966 BC Construction of the Temple begins 1 Kings 6:1 Solomon begins building the Temple in Jerusalem, dated in 1 Kings to 480 years after the Exodus.
c. 959 BC The First Temple completed Solomon's Temple After seven years, the Temple is dedicated and the Ark placed in the Holy of Holies.
1 Kings 10 The Queen of Sheba visits Testing Solomon's wisdom The Queen of Sheba travels to Jerusalem to test Solomon with hard questions and brings gifts of gold and spices.
c. 931 BC The kingdom divides Israel and Judah After Solomon's death, the ten northern tribes break away under Jeroboam as Israel. Rehoboam keeps Judah in the south.
c. 925 BC Shishak invades Judah Pharaoh Sheshonq I Pharaoh Shishak plunders Jerusalem. His campaign is also recorded on the Bubastite Portal at Karnak.
c. 874 BC Ahab and Jezebel Kings of Israel Ahab rules Israel from Samaria. His Phoenician queen Jezebel promotes the worship of Baal.
1 Kings 18 Elijah on Mount Carmel Fire from heaven The prophet Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest of sacrifice, won by fire from heaven.
853 BC Ahab at the Battle of Qarqar Against Assyria Ahab joins a coalition against Shalmaneser III of Assyria. The battle is known from Assyrian records, not the Bible.
2 Kings 2 Elijah taken up to heaven Elisha succeeds him Elijah is carried up in a whirlwind with a chariot of fire, and his mantle passes to Elisha.
841 BC Jehu's revolt The Black Obelisk Jehu overthrows Ahab's dynasty. Assyria's Black Obelisk shows Jehu bowing before Shalmaneser III — the oldest surviving image of an Israelite.
c. 760 BC Amos and Hosea Prophets of the north The prophets Amos and Hosea condemn injustice and idolatry in Israel and warn of coming judgment.
Book of Jonah Jonah and the great fish Sent to Nineveh The reluctant prophet Jonah flees God's call, is swallowed by a great fish and finally preaches to Nineveh.
c. 740 BC Isaiah's call Here am I, send me In a vision in the Temple, Isaiah is called as a prophet. His book becomes one of the most quoted in the New Testament.
722 BC The fall of Samaria The northern kingdom ends Assyria captures Samaria and deports much of Israel's population — the origin of the ten lost tribes.
c. 715 BC Hezekiah king of Judah The Siloam tunnel Hezekiah reforms worship and cuts a water tunnel under Jerusalem. The Siloam inscription records its completion.
701 BC Sennacherib besieges Jerusalem Shut up like a bird in a cage Assyria's Sennacherib invades Judah but does not take Jerusalem. His annals boast of trapping Hezekiah like a bird in a cage.
c. 640 BC Josiah becomes king Aged eight Josiah becomes king of Judah as a child and later leads the greatest religious reform in its history.
c. 627 BC Jeremiah's call The weeping prophet Jeremiah begins a forty-year ministry warning Judah of Babylonian conquest.
c. 622 BC The Book of the Law found Josiah's reforms A book of the Law, widely identified with Deuteronomy, is found in the Temple and sparks Josiah's reforms.
609 BC Josiah killed at Megiddo Pharaoh Necho II Josiah dies trying to stop Pharaoh Necho II at Megiddo.
605 BC Daniel taken to Babylon After Carchemish After Babylon's victory at Carchemish, Nebuchadnezzar takes young nobles, among them Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC Jehoiachin and Ezekiel deported The first great deportation Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerusalem, deporting King Jehoiachin and thousands of Judeans, including the future prophet Ezekiel.
587 or 586 BC Destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple The Babylonian exile begins Babylon destroys Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple and deports much of Judah's population.
Lamentations Lamentations How lonely sits the city Five poems mourn the fall of Jerusalem. Tradition attributes them to Jeremiah.
Daniel 5 The writing on the wall Belshazzar's feast At a feast in Babylon, a hand writes on the wall. Daniel reads it as the end of the kingdom, which falls that night.
539 BC Babylon falls to Cyrus Persia takes over Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon without a major battle.
Daniel 6 Daniel in the lions' den Under Darius the Mede Thrown to the lions for praying to God, Daniel is found unharmed the next morning.
538 BC Cyrus lets the exiles return The decree of Cyrus Cyrus allows the Judean exiles to return and rebuild the Temple. The Cyrus Cylinder records his policy of restoring temples.
c. 536 BC Temple foundations laid Zerubbabel and Jeshua Returning exiles lay the foundations of a new Temple, amid weeping and shouts of joy.
520 BC Haggai and Zechariah Rebuild the house The prophets Haggai and Zechariah urge the returned community to finish rebuilding the Temple.
516 BC The Second Temple completed Under Darius I The rebuilt Temple is dedicated, seventy years after the destruction of the first.
c. 479 BC Esther becomes queen For such a time as this Esther becomes queen of Persia and saves her people from Haman's plot — the story behind the festival of Purim.
458 BC Ezra arrives in Jerusalem The scribe The priest and scribe Ezra returns from Babylon to teach the Law and reform the community.
445 BC Nehemiah rebuilds the walls Fifty-two days Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king, returns as governor and rebuilds Jerusalem's walls in 52 days.
c. 430 BC Malachi The last of the prophets Malachi, last of the Old Testament prophets, promises the return of Elijah — a promise the New Testament links to John the Baptist.