Who ruled when? (empires)
Test who ruled over Israel and Judah, and in what order.
Show all questions and answers
Basic Samaria fell about 722–720 BC. Which empire took the city and carried Israel away?
- Assyria
- Babylon
- Persia
- Rome
Answer: Assyria
“The king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria.” The verse names no king. Shalmaneser V besieged the city, and Sargon II’s own records claim it and 27,290 deported people. Most scholars think Shalmaneser took the city and Sargon finished the job.
Note: A few scholars think Samaria fell once, not in two steps.
Read the text: 2 Kgs 17:6
Basic Which Persian king let the Jewish exiles go home?
- Cyrus
- Nebuchadnezzar
- Sennacherib
- Pompey
Answer: Cyrus
In his first year Cyrus made a proclamation (Ezra 1:1–4). This site dates the return to 538 BC.
Note: Dates in this era are approximate, and scholars debate the order of Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s missions.
Read the text: Ezra 1:1–4
Basic Put these empires in the order they rose to power over Israel and Judah.
Correct order:
- Assyrian
- Babylonian
- Persian
- Roman
Assyria rose first (about 745 BC), then Babylon (about 626 BC), then Persia (about 539 BC). Rome ruled Judea from 63 BC.
Note: The dates are approximate, and the empires overlap at the edges.
Deep In what year did Pompey capture Jerusalem, starting Rome’s rule over Judea?
- 63 BC
- 586 BC
- 37 BC
- AD 70
Answer: 63 BC
Rome rules Judea from 63 BC. Rome destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in AD 70.
Deep “Luke 3:1 names Tiberius, so the exact year Jesus was crucified is settled.”
Answer: False
Luke 3:1 dates the start of John’s ministry to the fifteenth year of Tiberius. But scholars still argue for AD 30 or AD 33 for the crucifixion.
Note: The Gospels’ details point to either AD 30 or AD 33 for the crucifixion.
Read the text: Luke 3:1
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