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Kings of Israel and Judah

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Jeroboam II

Israel (Northern Kingdom) Prophets: Amos, Hosea, Jonah

A strong ruler, made peace with Judah and recovered territory. (Jonah’s prophecy: 2 Kings 14:25). Freedom from foreign attack brought prosperity, also extremes of wealth and poverty, empty religious ritual and false security, condemned by the prophet Amos.

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Menahem

Israel (Northern Kingdom) Prophets: Hosea

Military governor of Tirzah, old capital of Israel. Proclaimed king after killing Shallum, he suppressed rebellion with great cruelty. Became more unpopular by imposing heavy taxation to pay tribute to Tiglat-pileser to keep Assyrian forces out. Last king to be succeeded by his son (2 Kings 15:14-22).

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Zechariah

Israel (Northern Kingdom) Prophets: Hosea

Reigned six months before being assassinated by Shallum (2 Kings 14:29; 15:8-9).

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Shallum

Israel (Northern Kingdom) Prophets: Hosea

Leader of conspiracy that overthrew dynasty of Jehu, fulfilling prophecy of 2 Kings 10:30. Reigned a month, murdered by Menahem (2 Kings 15:10-15).

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Pekahiah

Israel (Northern Kingdom) Prophets: Hosea

Continued collecting tribute for Assyria until murdered by one of his army officers in second year of his reign (2 Kings 15:22-26).

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Pekah

Israel (Northern Kingdom) Prophets: Hosea

Seized throne after murdering Pekahiah at Samaria. Allied with Rezin of Syria, tried to get Judah to join coalition against Assyria. Isaiah advised Uzziah against this course. When Judah refused, Pekah attacked Judah and carried off captives. Judah called on Assyria for aid, and Tiglat-pileser responded by conquering all of Israel and deporting much of its population to Assyria leaving Pekah only the hill country of Samaria. Pekah was murdered by Hoshea.

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Hoshea

Israel (Northern Kingdom) Prophets: Hosea

Puppet king who collected tribute for Assyria until Tiglat-pileser died. Then he tried to rebel, expecting support from Egypt. This brought Shalmaneser V of Assyria down to capture Samaria and deport its population, ending the kingdom of Israel.

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Simon Thassi

Hasmonean Kingdom

As he was dying, Mattathias praised his son Simon as a man of counsel, and exhorted his four brothers to heed his advice. Simon justified his father's high opinion of him, and proved himself uniformly sagacious and circumspect.
Even during the lifetime of his brothers Judah and Jonathan, Simon took a prominent part in the war of liberation against the Syrians. He supported the Jews in Galilee and avenged, in conjunction with Jonathan, the death of his brother John.

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John Hyrcanus

Hasmonean Kingdom

He was a high priest and ruler of the Jewish nation for 3 decades. Under his reign, the Hasmonean kingdom of Judaea in ancient Palestine attained power and great prosperity, and the Pharisees and Sadducees became well-defined religious parties.

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The Jewish kings ruled over vastly different kingdoms in different periods of history. Starting in the early iron age with Saul, several kings ruled over an expanding, "United Kingdom." After the death of Solomon a fissure developed, with ten tribes separating into the Northern Kingdom of "Israel..."

and the tribes of Benjamin and Judah continuing the Davidic line in the Southern Kingdom of "Judah."

After the north was conquered by Assyria and the south by Babylon, a Jewish kingdom did not reappear until the second century BC with the establishment of the Hasmonean dynasty. The Hasmoneans were then followed in the first century BC by the Herodian rulers, this final group being clients of Rome, (and actually Idumean).