What is the basic timeline of the Old Testament?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Old Testament timeline begins with creation around 4000 BC and continues through key events like the Flood, the lives of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), and the Israelites’ exile in Egypt. It covers the Exodus led by Moses, the period of judges, and the establishment of the monarchy with Saul, David, and Solomon. After the kingdom split, the Northern Kingdom (Israel) lasted until its destruction by Assyria in 725 BC, while the Southern Kingdom (Judah) lasted until the Babylonian exile in 590 BC. The exile period included captivity under Babylon and the subsequent Persian Empire, followed by the return and rebuilding of Jerusalem’s temple. The timeline concludes with the intertestamental period leading into the New Testament era, highlighting how these historical events set the stage for Jesus’s coming as the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Creation to the Flood: The following timeline of the Old Testament has been compiled with the assumption that the genealogies are literal and complete. If so, God created the world about 6000 years ago. All years are approximate.
• Creation: 4000 BC (we don't know how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden before their exile.) (Genesis 1:1)
• Adam: 4000 BC–3070 BC (Genesis 2:7; 5:5)
• Methuselah: 3350 BC–2350 BC (Genesis 5:21; 5:27). Note that Methuselah died a very short time before the Flood. It is possible that his name, literally "death/spear/violence—bring," was the prophecy "his death shall bring." His death certainly did herald a significant event.
• Noah: 2950 BC–2000 BC (Genesis 5:29; 9:29)
• Flood: 2350 BC (Genesis 6–9)
• The Flood to Abraham: The genealogies in the Old Testament show that Noah died while Abraham's father was living. Noah's father, Lamech, was born about eighty years before Adam died. It's very possible that the story of creation could have been passed down through very few steps.
• Flood: 2350 BC (Genesis 6–9)
• Tower of Babel: 2250 BC (Genesis 11:1–9)
• Abraham: 2165 BC–1990 BC (Genesis 11:26; 25:8)
• Abraham to the Exile: After the Flood, lifespans drastically decreased. Noah lived to be 950 years old. Abraham, who was born shortly after Noah died, lived to be only 175.
• Abraham: 2165 BC–1990 BC (Genesis 11:26; 25:8)
• Abraham goes to Canaan: 2090 BC (Genesis 11:31)
• Ishmael: 2080 BC–? (Genesis 16:11)
• Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed: 2065 BC (Genesis 19:1–29)
• Isaac: 2065 BC–1885 BC (Genesis 21:1; 25:29)
• Jacob: 2005 BC–1855 BC (Genesis 25:26; 49:33)
• Joseph: 1910 BC–1800 BC (Genesis 30:23–24; 50:26)
• Joseph sold into slavery: 1895 BC (Genesis 37:18–36)
• Jacob and family move to Egypt: 1870 BC (Genesis 46–47)
• Exile to Egypt: 1870 BC–1450 BC (Genesis 46; Exodus 12:33–41)
• The Exile to the Monarchy: The timeline of the Old Testament shows the Israelites were in Egypt for about 400 years and then were ruled by judges for about 400 years. They then demanded a king.
• Exile to Egypt: 1870 BC–1450 BC (Genesis 46; Exodus 12:33–41)
• Moses: 1530 BC–1410 BC (Exodus 2:2; Deuteronomy 34:5)
• Moses flees to Midian: 1490 BC (Exodus 2:15–25)
• Exodus from Egypt: 1450 BC (Exodus 12:33–14:31)
• Forty years in the Wilderness: 1450 BC–1410 BC (Exodus 16–Joshua 1)
• Joshua's rule: 1410 BC–1390 BC (Deuteronomy 34:9–Judges 2:8)
• Conquest of Canaan Completed: 1400 BC (Judges 1)
• Deborah serves as Judge: 1245 BC–1200 BC (Judges 4–5)
• Gideon serves as Judge: 1195 BC–1155 BC (Judges 6)
• Samuel serves as Judge: 1090 BC–1045 BC (1 Samuel 1:1–25:1)
• The Unified Monarchy
• Saul Reigns: 1095 BC–1015 BC (1 Samuel 10:17–12:13)
• David Reigns: 1015 BC–970 BC (2 Samuel 1:1–1 Chronicles 19:1)
• Solomon Reigns: 970 BC–930 BC (1 Chronicles 19:1–2 Chronicles 9:31)
• The Kingdom Splits: 930 BC (2 Chronicles 10)
• Israel
• Israel, the Northern Kingdom: 930 BC–725 BC (1 Kings 12:16–20; 2 Kings 17:5–6)
• Elijah serves as Prophet: circa 870 BC (1 Kings 17:1–2 Kings 2:11)
• Obadiah serves as Prophet: circa 845 BC (Obadiah 1:1)
• Elisha serves as Prophet: circa 840 BC (2 Kings 2:13–13:20)
• Jonah serves as Prophet: circa 780 BC (2 Kings 14:25; Book of Jonah)
• Hosea serves as Prophet: circa 760 BC (Hosea 1:1)
• Assyria destroys Israel: 725 BC (2 Kings 17:5–6)
• Judah: After being ruled by judges for 400 years, the nation of Israel only lasted about 165 more years united under one king. The Northern Kingdom of Israel so rebelled against God that it was only another 200 years before the Assyrians destroyed them. The Southern Kingdom of Judah managed to last about 340 years before the Babylonian captivity.
• Judah, the Southern Kingdom: 930 BC–590 BC (1 Kings 12:17–20; 2 Kings 24–25)
• Joel serves as Prophet: circa 825 BC (Joel 1:1)
• Amos serves as Prophet: circa 750 BC (Amos 1:1)
• Micah serves as Prophet: circa 725 BC (Micah 1:1)
• Isaiah serves as Prophet: circa 690 BC (Isaiah 1:1)
• Zephaniah serves as Prophet: circa 640 BC (Zephaniah 1:1)
• Nahum serves as Prophet: circa 625 BC (Nahum 1:1)
• Habakkuk serves as Prophet: circa 620 BC (Habakkuk 1:1)
• Nineveh destroyed: 612 BC (Nahum 3:7, 18–19; secular history confirms this date)
• Jeremiah serves as Prophet: circa 600 BC (Jeremiah 1:1–3)
• Babylonian exile: 590 BC (2 Kings 25:1–21; Jeremiah 52:4–27)
• Exile in Babylon: Jeremiah was right—the time from the fall of Judah to the first refugees returning to Jerusalem was about seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11). But the Old Testament timeline doesn't tell the whole story. Not all the Jews left, and there are still small pockets of Jews in such places as Iran and India.
• Babylonian Empire: 1984 BC–539 BC (Genesis 10:10; Daniel 2:36–38)
• Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon: 605 BC–562 BC (Daniel 1:1; 2 Kings 24:1)
• Daniel taken to Babylon: 605 BC (Daniel 1:1–6)
• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survive the fiery furnace: 595 BC (Daniel 3:1–30)
• Ezekiel serves as Prophet: circa 593 BC (Ezekiel 1:1–3)
• Daniel's confrontation with Belshazzar: 539 BC (Daniel 5:1–31)
• Persian Empire: 539 BC–330 BC (Daniel 10:1; Ezra 1:1)
• Cyrus, King of the Great Persian Empire: 576 BC–530 BC (Ezra 1:1–2; Isaiah 45:1)
• Jews start returning to Jerusalem: 536 BC (Ezra 1:5–11)
• Temple Rebuilt: 530 BC–515 BC (Ezra 6:14–15; Haggai 1:14)
• Haggai serves as Prophet: circa 525 BC (Haggai 1:1)
• Zechariah serves as Prophet: circa 525 BC (Zechariah 1:1)
• Xerxes (Ahasuerus), King of Persia: 485 BC–465 BC (Esther 1:1–3)
• Esther becomes Queen: 475 BC (Esther 2:16–17)
• Esther saves the Jews: 470 BC (Esther 7:1–10; 9:1–22)
• Ezra serves as Priest: 460 BC–430 BC (Ezra 7:6–10)
• Nehemiah, Governor of Jerusalem: 460 BC–430 BC (Nehemiah 2:1–8; 5:14)
• Malachi serves as Prophet: circa 440 BC (Malachi 1:1)
• The Intertestamental Period: Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament have much to say about the timeline between Malachi and the birth of John the Baptist. Most of what we can gather from this period comes from the Apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees, as well as secular historical records.
• Alexander the Great reigns in Greece: 336 BC–323 BC
• Judea ruled by the Greek Empire: 330 BC–308 BC
• Judea ruled by Egypt: 308 BC–195 BC
• Judea ruled by Syria: 195 BC–130 BC
• Maccabean Revolt: 164 BC–63 BC
• Judea ruled by the Roman Empire: 65 BC–AD 70
• Julius Caesar rules Roman Empire: 46 BC–44 BC
• Herod the Great reigns as King of the Jews: 37 BC–4 BC
• Jesus born: 6–4 BC

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The New Testament highlights the importance of the Old Testament timeline by showing continuity in God’s redemptive plan unfolding through history. It emphasizes that the promises and covenants made to the patriarchs and Israel (e.g., Abraham, Moses, David) form the foundation for understanding Jesus’s life, ministry, death, and resurrection (Luke 24:27, 44; Romans 15:4).
• Jesus and the apostles frequently reference Old Testament events and prophecies to reveal that Christ fulfills them in their proper historical context (Matthew 5:17; Acts 3:18).
• The timeline helps us grasp God’s faithfulness over time and the progressive revelation that culminates in the New Covenant (Hebrews 1:1–2).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Knowing the Old Testament timeline enriches our comprehension of God’s unfolding plan of salvation and the redemptive story by helping us see how each event, covenant, and promise builds upon the last, revealing a deliberate and faithful plan across generations. This understanding deepens our appreciation of how Jesus’s life and mission were not isolated incidents, but the climax of centuries of God’s work with His people. When we recognize the historical context—such as God’s covenant with Abraham, the Exodus, the reign of David, and the prophetic promises—we better understand God’s character and His work in human history. When we see the Old Testament timeline from creation to the fall to the actions that took place in the period of the judges and kings, we grasp why Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection were necessary and how they fulfill earlier promises. This strengthens our faith, showing us that God’s plan is consistent, trustworthy, and sovereign, working through history to bring salvation. Applying this, we can trust God’s timing in our own lives, remain patient through challenges, and find hope in the certainty that He is actively working out His purposes just as He did throughout biblical history.

UNDERSTAND

• The Old Testament timeline spans from creation to the intertestamental period.
• The exile and return set the stage for the intertestamental period and Jesus’s coming.
• The New Testament highlights the Old Testament timeline as God’s faithful plan fulfilled in Christ.

REFLECT

• How does understanding the Old Testament timeline deepen your trust in God’s faithfulness throughout history?
• How does seeing God’s unfolding plan through the Old Testament encourage you during your own life challenges?
• How might recognizing the historical context of Jesus’s coming based on the Old Testament change the way you relate to your faith today?

ENGAGE

• How do the key events in the Old Testament timeline reveal God’s character and purposes for humanity?
• What impact does the continuity between the Old and New Testaments have on how we understand God’s redemptive plan?
• How can studying the exile and return periods inform our perspective on restoration and hope in difficult times?