Part 1:
The stresses that were in the Jewish kingdom became apparent even throughout the continuance of King Solomon.
The Jewish people, by nature, are very challenging to consolidate. They are strongly individualistic and independent-minded. The alliance that was throughout the reigns of Kings Saul, David and Solomon were not unnatural, but it depended upon the importance of the leader’s character. Common leaders are incompetent at keeping the Jewish people unitedly. Regrettably, the Sauls, Davids, and Solomons of the world are limited. That is why most of the time the Jewish people do not find themselves consolidated.
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Part 2:
The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire (circa 722 BCE), and the Kingdom of Judah by the Neo-Babylonian Empire (586 BCE). In the fall of the Babylonian Empire by the Achaemenid Empire following Cyrus the Great (538 BCE), the Jewish aristocracy turned to Jerusalem, and the Second Temple was constructed.
