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The Chronology Of The Old Testament
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A standard chronology of the Old Testament has been constructed utilizing diagrams, charts and other forms of graphic representation which address this complex subject in a scriptural and scholarly yet easy-to-understand manner. Beginning with the Creation recorded in the first two chapters of Genesis, the continuous unbroken line of dated events embedded within the Holy Scriptures is logically followed as it spans 40 centuries to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Over the years detractors have observed the differing chronological solutions and concluded that the attempt to construct a reliable biblical framework was futile. It will be demonstrated that every chronological statement contained in the Sacred Writ is consistent with all other chronological statements contained therein.
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390 Years Confirmed
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Detailed explanation of the 390 years time span from the division of the kingdom, to the termination of the Kingdom of Judah at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar in BC 536 (1 page pdf).
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Nehemiah Chapter 12
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Addresses the traditional modern error to the great age problem concerning Nehemiah and Ezra in “creating” a second Nehemiah and Ezra, while not explaining the excessive age question concerning this entire generation of leaders (and that of the general population (4 pages pdf).
Consequently, it must be seen that a 91-year gap does not exist between chapters 10 and 12 or 7 and 8 of Nehemiah as is commonly reported. This resolves the unlikely anomaly whereby an entire generation was suddenly presumed to have lived to and far beyond 120 years.
After all, not since the time of Moses, almost 1,100 years prior, had an entire generation reached such an advanced age (4 pages pdf). |
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1 - Creation to Jesus Christ
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4 BC -4004 BC (4000 AM - 0 AM). Computation of the years from the birth of Jesus back to the year of Creation with dates of significant events (1 page pdf). |
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2 - Jacob's Age Determined
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Using two methods to calculate Jacob's age with dates of significant events (1 page pdf). |
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3 - 430 Years Sojourn – Ex 12:40, Gal 3:17
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Calculation of the 430 years from the time Abrahan entered the Promised Land until the giving of the Law three months after the Exodus with dates of significant events (1 page pdf linear chart). |
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3A - The 4 Generations of Genesis – Genesis 15:14-15
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185 years from the birth of Levi to the birth of Moses = 4 generations; “but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again:…” (1 page pdf linear chart).
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3B - Judah’s Lineage-Egypt (see Charts 3 & 3B)
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Possible scenario for Judah's family in Egypt – the 215, 400 & 430 years of sojourn in Canaan; and the affliction in Egypt (1 page pdf linear chart).
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3CDEF - Judah & Jacob
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3C- Outline of Jacob’s life.
3D- Jacobs 20 years with Laban.
3EF- Showing why Jacob had to have received his wives very soon after his arrival at Laban’s (1 page pdf linear chart).
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4 - Judges to the First 3 Kings
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Detailed explanation of the 450 and 480 years with a linear chronology chart depicting the years and resolving the preceived conflict (1 page pdf linear chart).
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4B - Judges Tested by Judah’s Lineage
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Detailed explanation of the 450 and 480 years using Judah's lineage with a linear chronology chart depicting the years and resolving the preceived conflict (1 page pdf linear chart). |
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5 - Kings of the Divided Monarchy BC 975-586
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BC 975-586. Detailed explanation of the reign of the Kings of the divided monarchy with a linear chronology chart depicting the years and explaining the year of acension. Chart 5 illustrates in exhaustive detail the two problems in understanding basic chronology in the Books of Kings and Chronicles (1 page pdf linear chart).
- Bible Chronology to Chart 5 (PowerPoint)
First Problem
The first is determining the month used by a king and/or nation in beginning the regnal year. The kings of Judah used Spring (the month of Nisan [Abib). Further, the Hebrew new years were regulated by observable natural phenomena controlled by the sun such as the stage of crop development and flowering of the almond tree, and not by merely numbering the lunar months and days.
Second Problem
The second is understanding the method used in reckoning regal years. Usually the kings of Judah used accession dating while those of Israel often chose the non-accession method. When these two facts are thoroughly understood, apparent discrepancies between Israel and Judah disappear.
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5A - Kings of the Divided Monarchy Simplified
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Chart 5a is Chart 5 with all documentation removed to yield a shorter, simplified
version. Displaying the Nisan year positioning as well as the vast number of control points for
“hands-on” study (1 page pdf linear chart). |
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5C - Kings of the Divided Monarchy
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Chart 5c is Chart 5 with the most detailed, yet uncluttered, presentation of the divided
monarchy period (1 page pdf linear chart). |
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6 - Creation to Creator
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4004 BC - 4 BC (0 AM - 4000 AM). Computation of the years from Creation to the birth of Jesus with a linear chronology chart with dates of significant events. The books of the Bible are placed near the top and immediately above the dates, events, and men’s lives which transpired within their narratives so that it may be seen where they fit in relation and sequence to the
unfolding history. In addition, the time span covered by each book has been carefully calculated, thus enabling one to place them at their precise proper location (1 page pdf linear chart).
1656 years - From Creation/ Adam ~ To the Flood of Noah
The extreme left side of the sixth chart gives all the scriptural documentation necessary to enable one to graph the patriarchs’ lifelines beginning with Adam (life span = 930 years, Gen. 5:5) and displays those listed in Genesis 5 unto the year of the Flood (1656 BC). Gleaned from the Scriptures on the left, these 1,656 years represent the time span from the birth, fathering, and death of each of the family patriarchs who lived from the Creation to the Flood. Thus the Word of God gives us a continuous uninterrupted genealogy of man’s earliest record (defense on Chart 1; also pages 21–41 herein).
427 years – From the Flood of Noah ~ To the Covenant with Abraham
Next is depicted a 427-year period portraying the patriarchs’ life spans from the Flood to the Covenant with Abraham as recorded in Genesis 10 and 11.
430 years – From the Covenant with Abraham ~ To the Exodus
This is followed by the 430-year interval from the covenant with Abraham to the Exodus, displaying the interval from 1921 BC to 1491 (Chart 1, see the encampments during the 40 years of wandering on page 262).
480 years – From the Exodus ~ To King Solomon’s Death/ the Kingdom Divided
Then a 480-year segment (1 Kings 6:1) delineates the span from the Exodus to very early in Solomon’s 4th year when he began to build the Temple, (1491 – 1012 BC). The remaining 36 (nearly 37) years of Solomon’s 40-year reign beginning, not at the end of his 4th year but during the 4th (i.e., 3 years plus 1 month and 2 days, 1 Kings 6:1; 2 Chron. 3:1–2) is then added taking the history to 975 BC (AM 3029). This is the year of Solomon’s death and the resulting disruption or schism of the kingdom into the two Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. These figures total 479 complete years, 1 month, and 2 days, bringing us into the 480th year (pages 72– 77).
390 years – From King Solomon’s Death/ the Kingdom Divided ~ To the end of the Kingdom of Judah
Chart 6 then visually portrays this division of the kingdom and the 390-year period over which the Kingdom of Judah continued to exist as an entity (Ezek. 4:4–5, defended and explained pages 132–135), terminating about 586 BC. From that point, the 70-year segment of the “desolations”, so-called as throughout that interval there was no Temple in Jerusalem, brings the study forward to 516 BC, the sixth year of Darius I Hystaspis during which the new Temple was completed (Ezra 6:15).
OBSERVE! Genesis is the “Seedbed” of the Bible
The amount of time spanned by the events contained in the Book of Genesis is uncommonly conspicuous – that of 2,369 years, representing over half of Bible chronology! Being the “seedbed” for all the major doctrines of the New Testament, it is no small wonder that this book has been the special object of Satan’s attacks concerning its validity and reliability over the centuries.
It is the firm conviction and considered conclusion of this author that it is important to have a reliable written authority. Furthermore, a “triangulation” formula procedure is developed and introduced which sustains and precisely verifies the academic status of the Word of God over the controversial period of the divided monarchy. Moreover, after extensive examination regarding all chronological data and related statements contained therein, the justifiable conclusion of this research is that the text of the Holy Writ has been academically defended in this work.
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Dinah-Jacob's Sons Birth Year
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Jacob’s Sons Birth Years if He Received His Wives Shortly After Coming to Laban:. Also Chronology for Jacob, Benjamin & Dinah’s Rape in Genesis 27:41 to 35:29. Did Jacob acquire his wives before or after his first 7-year-dowry period. Although this is debated, the answer is straightforward. As shall be shown, the math imposed by Scripture demands that Jacob took his wives, Leah and Rachel, just over a month after he came to Uncle Laban’s in Haran of northern Syria.
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Ishbosheth
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The true historical course is that the reigns of David over Judah and of Ish-bosheth over Israel were nearly contemporaneous - a little more than seven years each. Furthermore, the two years of 2 Sam. 2:10 is only the first of this period. That is, they are given as those years from which to date the commencement of the wars between the house of Saul and that of David (1 page pdf).. |
