Why did the northern tribes leave the kingdom of Israel?

Answer 1

A:According to The Bible, Solomon demonstrated no political wisdom, nor even sufficient common sense to govern wisely in the interests of his own son's succession to the throne of the United Monarchy, Israel. The Bible tells us that Solomon's reckless spending and swingeing taxes, arrogantly maintained by his son, Rehoboam, were the cause of the breakup of the United Monarchy. One would expect that Rehoboam would have continued to use the name Israel for his much-diminished kingdom, but somehow everyone amicably agreed that this name would go to the breakaway northern kingdom, even as Rehoboam fought to bring it back under his control.

On the other hand, many archaeologists say they can find no evidence that there ever was a United Monarchy. All the evidence points to Israel and Judah always having been separate.

Answer 2

We do not know exactly when the Israelites occupied Israel, but the area that would become known as Israel seems to have been sparsely populated before about 1250 BCE. Some archaeologists believe that the people who settled at that time were not the true ancestors of the Israelites, and that their ancestors actually arrive around 1000 BCE. Israel did prosper for some centuries and even expanded briefy into much of the surrounding areas, although their attempts to occupy parts of Judah were not successful. In 722 BCE, the Assyrians overran Samaria, the capital of Israel, and deported the Israelites, who quickly assimilated into other cultures and lost their separate ethnic idientity. Many of those who escaped capture by the Assyrians fled south into Judah and Egypt.

Answer 3

After the kingdom of Israel was defeated by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, many of the Israelites were deported to other parts of the empire, where they gradually absorbed the cultures and religions of their host environments and lost their separate ethnic identity. Others fled south to Judah, where they were gradually assimilated by the Judahites, and to Egypt.

Answer 4

It is reported that a majority of scholars believe that there never was a United Kingdom of Israel, although it clearly began as a loose federation of tribes, gradually evolving into northern and southern chiefdoms and finally two kingdoms. They say that Israel and Judah, as separate kingdoms, had their own customs and even different dialects of the Hebrew language.

From a biblical point of view, Rehoboam succeeded his father, Solomon, as king of a great united empire, but was not a good leader. He continue his father's unwise policy of swingeing taxes and then arrogantly increased them when the Israelites complained. In a very short time, the Israelites rebelled and he lost an empire, the United Monarchy of Israel. On this view, the split occurred around 921 BCE.