Sacred Chronology of the Hebrew Kings is an erudite and rigorously researched contribution to biblical studies, offering a fresh and compelling harmonization of the regnal years of Israel and Judah’s monarchs. Written with scholarly depth and a deep reverence for the authority of Scripture, the book challenges prevailing academic norms by proposing that the Bible—rather than secular Egyptian or Assyrian sources—should serve as the primary chronological anchor for ancient Near Eastern history.
At its core, this work is a call to reexamine the long-held assumption that the Bible’s chronological data is flawed or unreliable. It argues convincingly that the sacred text, when rightly interpreted, provides an internally consistent and historically accurate timeline for the Hebrew kings. This confidence is not based on blind faith but on meticulous cross-referencing, internal synchronizations, and careful attention to the nuances of ancient record-keeping.
The book is divided into seven chapters and several appendices. Chapters One and Two serve as a critical overview of previous scholarly efforts, including those by James Ussher, W.F. Albright, and Edwin R. Thiele. Bruce acknowledges Thiele’s pioneering contributions in harmonizing the reigns of the Hebrew kings but points out a fundamental flaw: Thiele’s chronology ultimately required dismissing some biblical data as corrupted by ancient scribes to conform to secular sources like the Assyrian Eponym Canon. Bruce, by contrast, insists on preserving every detail of the biblical text, refusing to compromise its integrity.
In Chapter Two, Bruce introduces his own “New Kingdoms Chronology,” a system grounded entirely in the internal testimony of the Hebrew Bible. The most notable innovation here is his use of Daniel chapter 4, interpreting the allegorical “seven times” of judgment as a prophetic period of 1,596 Passovers (7 x 228 years, see the footnote for how the definition of a Danielic “time” is derived). This insight allows him to identify 964 BCE as the year when the kingdom was rent from Rehoboam—a date that serves as the cornerstone of his entire timeline. From this anchor, he works forward and backward, aligning the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah with an impressive degree of coherence and accuracy.
What sets this work apart is its attention to scribal methods and regnal accounting systems. Bruce carefully reconstructs how ancient scribes in Israel and Judah may have counted regnal years differently—using accession-year versus non-accession-year methods, starting calendars in Nisan versus Tishri, and including or omitting co-regencies. These factors, he argues, have long confused scholars trying to reconcile the data. By applying a consistent hermeneutic that respects these ancient conventions, Bruce arrives at a harmonized timeline that requires no emendation of Scripture and fits seamlessly within the historical context.
Beyond the Hebrew kingdoms, Bruce also examines how this biblical chronology synchronizes with Egyptian pharaohs and Assyrian kings. In Chapter Six and Seven, he shows how the reigns of rulers like Shoshenq I (biblical Shishak) and Tiglath-pileser III align with the new timeline—again without bending the biblical text to fit external data. His treatment of the Bûr-Saggilê eclipse and the debated reign length of Tiglath-pileser III is particularly insightful, proposing solutions to long-standing puzzles that have vexed scholars for decades.
Supplementary appendices offer valuable tools for further study, including an expanded synchronized Bible timeline, discussions on Jubilee and Sabbath year cycles, and a theological analysis of the word “time” in Daniel 4 that shows how the year of divided kingdoms can be determined. These materials are helpful for readers who want to explore the practical implications of Bruce’s chronology for other areas of biblical interpretation.
While deeply scholarly, Sacred Chronology of the Hebrew Kings is written with clarity and purpose. Bruce does not assume the reader is a specialist in ancient languages or archaeology, yet he never talks down to his audience. Instead, he guides the reader through a complex maze of data with calm confidence, laying out each interpretive step with transparency and rigor.
Critics may find Bruce’s rejection of traditional Assyrian and Egyptian anchors controversial, especially given the prestige of secular chronologies in academic circles. However, even skeptical readers will be impressed by the internal consistency of his system and the breadth of evidence marshaled in its support. Whether one agrees with all of Bruce’s conclusions or not, this book demands to be taken seriously.
In conclusion, Sacred Chronology of the Hebrew Kings is a landmark work in the field of biblical chronology. It restores confidence in the Bible as a historical document, offers a revolutionary but well-argued chronology of the Hebrew monarchs that totally agrees with the biblical text, and provides a compelling case that sacred history can—and should—be used to interpret secular history, not the other way around. For anyone interested in biblical studies, ancient history, or the intersection of faith and historical analysis, this book is not just recommended—it is essential.
Complete book available for free download here.
Footnote
During the Exile, the Jews continued to observe their traditional lunisolar calendar, which consisted of twelve months of 29 or 30 days each. To keep their calendar aligned with the solar agricultural seasons—essential for correctly timing festivals like Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot—they had long known the importance of periodically inserting a leap month. This knowledge was rooted in an astronomical insight that became a defining feature of Hebrew timekeeping: the recognition that 235 lunar months equal almost exactly 19 solar years, a cycle now known as the Metonic cycle.
This 19-year cycle ensured that Jewish festivals, which were tied to the grain harvest and seasonal planting cycles in the Land of Israel, remained synchronized with the solar year. While Babylonian astronomers—known as Chaldaeans—are often credited with formalizing the cycle during the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, there is good reason to believe that the Hebrews were already using it before the Exile. In fact, it is likely that Daniel, a highly educated Hebrew in the Babylonian court, introduced this understanding to Babylonian timekeepers, who then refined it and eventually institutionalized it under the Persian administration.
Twelve full Metonic cycles equal 228 years. This period is astronomically significant because it marks the point at which the small discrepancy between lunar and solar time—roughly two hours per 19-year cycle—accumulates to a full day. To keep the calendar precisely aligned, one day must be subtracted every 228 years. Without that adjustment, the date of Passover would gradually drift forward, eventually losing alignment with the spring barley harvest—a key biblical requirement for its observance (see Deuteronomy 16:1).
It is this 228-year period—an ancient and precise unit of time—that forms the basis for understanding the prophetic term “time” in Daniel 12:7, where the prophecy refers to “a time, times, and a half.” In that context, a “time” is not symbolic or indefinite, but a well-defined chronological marker equal to 228 years, or as the Hebrews would have counted it, 228 Passovers. This system not only preserved the integrity of Israel’s sacred calendar but also provides a solid chronological key for interpreting Daniel’s chrono-specific prophecies.
In summary, the use of “time” as a 228-year period reflects an astronomical and calendrical insight that predates the Exile and was likely transmitted to Babylonian astronomers by Daniel himself—thereby influencing the development of the regional calendar while anchoring biblical prophecy in the observable, orderly design of God’s creation.