Politics · 4 · David
Kings, not kinship, first held Israel together
The populations of Israel and Judah weren't bound by an ancient shared identity. What first united them was a duty to a common king, and many resented it.
The first tie that binds was a tax bill.
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Taxes, forced labor, conscription, and land seizures bred unrest and secession. The Bible's own explanation for the split of North and South fits this: the northern tribes 'return to their tents' when Solomon's son demands too much.
Bible reference: 1 Kings 12
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 61–63
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