tribute and revenue and a truncating of trade, bringing an end to decades of
economic expansion and prosperity, especially in Judah. Israel, a more fertile
region, was able to sustain the level of trade and prosperity longer.
The secession of the tribes, ostensibly a political event, had religious rami-
fications. The kingdom of David, after all, was believed to be a fulfillment of
covenantal promise. To justify secession, the northern tribes had to find a way
to reject the Davidic dynasty without rejecting the notion of kingship, which
they retained. In a sense, justification was found by combining elements of
the promissory covenant with Abraham and the Siniaitic covenant with
Moses. Jacob’s son Joseph and grandson Ephraim were presented as an alter-
native line of succession to the biblical patriarchs. Joshua, from the tribe of
Ephraim, was seen as the successor to Moses and the Sinaitic covenant.
Ephraim became a metonym for the Northern Kingdom.
The fall of the United Monarchy did not lead to the end of Israelite indepen-
dence. Remarkably, given the resurgence of Egypt during the tenth century and
Assyria during the ninth, the Northern Kingdom lasted until 722, while the
Southern Kingdom lasted until 586. In retrospect, it is not surprising that
Northern Kingdom was conquered first. It was larger, more fertile, and wealth-
ier, and therefore more of a prize for a foreign invader. In addition, the Northern
Kingdom had no established dynasty, resulting in a series of bloody royal suc-
cessions. It also housed more foreigners and, without an established religious
center, encouraged more idolatry. The Southern Kingdom, though smaller, was
easier to defend. Its ruling Davidic dynasty, coupled with the towering presence
of the Temple in Jerusalem, created a much more stable government.
The rulers of both kingdoms had to straddle the often competing inter-
ests and demands of nationalists and accommodationists. In both kingdoms,
the relative influence of the two parties ebbed and flowed. In Judah,
Rehoboam continued his father’s policy of allowing a foreign presence in
Jerusalem; Rehoboam’s mother, after all, was an Ammonite princess.
Subsequent kings of Judah such as Asa (Rehoboam’s grandson or great-
nephew who ruled from 913 to 873) and his son Jehosephat (873–849)
purged Jerusalem of pagan shrines and worship. Ultimately, though, nation-
alists and accommodationists in Judah were cowed by the strength of the
dynasty, regardless of which party it favored.
The situation in Israel was more tumultuous. Jeroboam I, the dynamic and
charismatic hero who had defeated the Davidic dynasty, attempted to stabi-
lize his rule by establishing a rival Yahwist religious center that could replace
the Temple in Jerusalem. He set up a temple in Bethel, harking back to the
story of the mythical Jacob’s encounter with God and the angels there. This
was, at best, a limited success. Israelites from the Northern Kingdom continued
to regard the Temple in Jerusalem as their religious center, and even make
pilgrimage. After the death of Jeroboam in 901, a period of instability set in
that lasted until 879.
The world of the Hebrew Bible 17