Bryant G. Wood<\/b><\/p>\n
There is one interval in the Old Testament period when Bible history can be profitably compared with secular history \u2014 the time of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, ca. 900-600 B.C. During this era, the Assyrian Empire expanded to the Mediterranean Sea, taking in Palestine, and, for a time, even Egypt. It was the Assyrians who devastated the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the eighth century B.C., and eventually brought the nation to an end with the sacking of Samaria in 721 B.C. They then turned their attention to Judah, bringing death and destruction to this tiny nation, until the Assyrians were finally overthrown by the Babylonians in 612 B.C. The Babylonians finished what the Assyrians had started, taking the citizens of Judah into captivity in 597,586 and 582 B.C., while setting the torch to Jerusalem in 586 B.C.<\/p>\n
The Old Testament, of course, carefully records these events and even provides detailed information on the people involved. At one time, the Assyrian kings named in the Old Testament were merely lifeless individuals on the pages of Holy Writ. But now, thanks to the discoveries of archaeology, they have taken their place on the stage of history as real flesh-and-blood characters. The clay-tablet records recovered from the ancient Assyrian palaces have provided us with much information about their activities. From these records an accurate <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 82<\/p>\n
chronology for their reigns has been established, as well as details on some of their contacts with Israel and Judah. In fact, it is these synchronisms with Assyrian chronology that have allowed scholars to reconstruct a reliable chronology for the kings of Israel and Judah.<\/p>\n
When the Assyrian and biblical records are compared, they are found to agree with astonishing precision, each one providing confirmatory as well as supplementary information on the other. The Bible has been around so long that we take it for granted. In reality, however, it is the most remarkable collection of ancient documents known to man. In discussing various historical sources from antiquity, A.K. Grayson, noted Assyriologist, recently wrote:<\/p>\n
In the books of the Old Testament historiography reaches an unprecedented height. The clarity and beauty of style found in the ancient Hebrew narratives is unique among historical documents from the ancient Near East. (Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles<\/i> by A.K. Grayson, 1975, p. 1)<\/p>\n
In this short sketch, we shall briefly discuss five Assyrian kings that are named in the Bible \u2014 Tiglath-pileser III, Shalmaneser V, Sargon II, Sennacherib, and Esarhaddon. Not only are these five kings named in the right order in the Bible, and correct information given about each one, but the accuracy of the recording and transmission process of the Old Testament is also attested by the proper spelling of their names in the Old Testament manuscripts which we possess today.<\/p>\n
Tiglath-pileser III<\/b><\/p>\n
In Akkadian, the language of the Assyrians, Tiglath-pileser III\u2019s name is given as Tukulti-apil-esharra,<\/i> meaning \u201cmy help is the son of Esharra.\u201d He ruled from 745 to 727 B.C. and is considered the founder of the Neo-Assyrian empire. He took a faltering nation and welded it into a conquering, imperialistic state. He reorganized the army and carried out administrative reform which gave Assyria much needed internal peace. Militarily, he made successful campaigns against nearby countries, turning many of them into Assyrian provinces. A very efficient system of communications was set up between the royal court and the provinces. Messengers constantly carried reports and letters sent by the governors and district chiefs or their subordinates to the king and the court officials, and the orders (the \u201cking\u2019s word\u201d) issued by the monarch. The main task of district chiefs and province governors was to ensure the regular payment of the tribute and of the various taxes and duties to which <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 83<\/p>\n
Assyrians and foreigners alike were subjected.<\/p>\n
One of Tiglath-pileser\u2019s initiatives was the practice of mass-deportation. Whole towns and districts were emptied of their inhabitants, who were resettled in distant regions and replaced by people brought by force from other countries. This cruel policy was followed by Tiglath-pileser\u2019s successors, but failed to bring about <\/p>\n
Tiglath-pileser III, or \u201cPul,\u2019\u2019 the great empire-builder of the Neo-Assyrian period<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 84<\/p>\n
FIVE ASSYRIAN KINGS NAMED IN THE BIBLE<\/b><\/p>\n
Tiglath-pileser III,<\/b> 745-727 B.C.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
2 Kings 15:19, 29; 16:7, 10; <\/p>\n
1 Chronicles 5:6, 26; <\/p>\n
2 Chronicles 28:20.<\/p>\n
Shalmaneser V,<\/b> 726-722 B.C.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
2 Kings 17:3; 18:9.<\/p>\n
Sargon II,<\/b> 721-705 B.C.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
Isaiah 20:1.<\/p>\n
Sennacherib,<\/b> 704-681 B.C.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
2 Kings 18:13; 19:16, 20, 36. 2 Chronicles 32:1, 2, 9, 10, 22; Isaiah 36:1; 37:17, 21, 37.<\/p>\n
Esarhaddon,<\/b> 680-669 B.C.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38, Ezra 4:2.<\/p>\n
the expected results: it did not prevent rebellions from breaking out with increasing frequency and, together with the devastations of war, contributed to the dislike of the Assyrians throughout the ancient Near East.<\/p>\n
Tiglath-pileser pushed steadily west, eventually taking all of Syria and probably Phoenicia by ca. 740 B.C. This prompted several princes of the area to bring presents and tribute to the king. Among them were Rezin, king of Damascus (Syria) and Menahem, king of Israel. Tiglath-pileser\u2019s record of Menahem\u2019s part in this is simply \u201cI received tribute from…Menahem of Samaria…\u201d (ANET<\/i> 283). The Old Testament records:<\/p>\n
And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth, of each man fifty shekels of silver, to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back, and stayed not there in the land. (2 Kings 15:19\u201320)<\/p>\n
In 2 Kings 15:19, Tiglath-pileser is called \u201cPul.\u201d This is a throne name which was given to Tiglath-pileser when he was proclaimed king of Babylon in 729 B.C. The value of the talent mentioned in these records is about 75 pounds.<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 85<\/p>\n
After bringing the west under control, Tiglath-pileser turned his attention east and marched as far as the \u201csalt desert\u201d in Iran, southeast of modern Tehran. In 734 B.C., however, he was forced to return to the Mediterranean where conditions were unsettled. His records speak of a campaign to Philistia that year and his annals record his subjugation of the lands \u201cadjacent to Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after Tiglath-pileser\u2019s Philistia campaign, Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin, king of Damascus formed an anti-Assyrian league. They placed great pressure on Ahaz, king of Judah, to join them. When he refused, Pekah and Rezin brought their forces against Jerusalem with the intent of removing Ahaz from power. This prompted Ahaz to send a message to Tiglath-pileser for help. He quickly responded, for in 732 B.C. he brought his armies back into the region. This time he conquered Damascus, annexed half of Israel, and established Hoshea in place of Pekah on the throne of Israel. The corresponding Assyrian and biblical records of these events are as follows:<\/p>\n
Annals of Tiglath-pileser III<\/b><\/p>\n
[I received] the tribute of… Jehoahaz of Judah… (ANET 282<\/i>).<\/p>\n
I laid siege to and conquered the town Hadara, the inherited property of Rezon of Damascus, the place where he was born. I brought away as prisoners 800 of its inhabitants with their possessions,… their large and small cattle. 750 prisoners from Kurussa,… prisoners from Irma, 550 prisoners from Metuna I brought away. 592 towns… of the 16 districts of the country of Damascus I destroyed making them look like hills of ruined cities over which the flood had swept. (ANET<\/i> 283)<\/p>\n
Israel… all its inhabitants and their possessions I led to Assyria. They overthrew their king Pekah and I placed Hoshea as king over them. I received from them ten talents of gold, 1,000 talents of silver as their tribute and brought them to Assyria. (ANET<\/i> 284)<\/p>\n
The Biblical Record<\/b><\/p>\n
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am thy servant and thy son: come up, and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, which rise up against me. And Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king\u2019s house and sent it for a present to the king of Assyria. And the king of Assyria hearkened unto him: for the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried the people of it captive to Kir, and slew Rezin. (2 Kings 16:7\u20139)<\/p>\n
In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abelbeth-Maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. And Hoshea the son of Elah made a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Ramaliah, and smote him, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. (2 Kings 15:29, 30)<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 86<\/p>\n
As indicated in 2 Kings 15:29, Tiglath-pileser carried his campaign into Transjordan. Of events there, I Chronicles 5 records:<\/p>\n
Beerah his (Joel\u2019s) son, whom Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria carried away captive: he was prince of the Reubenites (verse 6).<\/p>\n
And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Put, king of Assyria, even the spirit of Tiglath-pilneser, king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozen, unto this day (verse 26).<\/p>\n
Just five years after devasting the Northern Kingdom, Tiglath-pileser, the great empire builder, \u201cwent to his destiny\u201d and his son Shalmaneser V came to the throne.<\/p>\n
Israelite wall at Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom conquered by Shalmaneser V in 722 B.C<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 87<\/p>\n
Shalmaneser V<\/b><\/p>\n
Shalmaneser V ruled for only five short years, from 726 to 722 B.C. His name means \u201cShulman is preeminent.\u201d Little is known of his reign other than what we are told of him in the Old Testament.<\/p>\n
For reasons unknown to us, Hoshea, king of Israel, decided to rebel against Assyria in the year 724. Shalmaneser reacted quickly, taking Hoshea prisoner and laying siege to Samaria. The siege lasted for three years and, although Shalmaneser\u2019s successor Sargon II took credit for it, it seems certain that the city fell to Shalmaneser. This probably occurred in the late summer or early spring of 722 B.C., shortly before the death of Shalmaneser V and the beginning of the reign of Sargon II. The extra-biblical records of that tragic event come from a brief mention in the Babylonian Chronicles and from Sargon II\u2019s palace at Khorsabad.<\/p>\n
Babylonian Chronicles<\/b><\/p>\n
On the twenty-fifth day of the month Tebet Shalmaneser (V) ascended the throne in Assyria (and Akkad). He ravaged Samaria. The fifth year: Shalmaneser (V) died in the month Tebet. For five years Shalmaneser (V) ruled Akkad and Assyria. (ABC<\/i> 73)<\/p>\n
Sargon\u2019s Display Inscription<\/b><\/p>\n
At the beginning of my royal rule, I… the town of the Samarians I besieged, conquered… for the god… who let me achieve this my triumph… I led away as prisoners 27,290 inhabitants of it and equipped from among them soldiers to man 50 chariots for my royal corps… The town I rebuilt better than it was before and settled therein people from countries which I myself had conquered. I placed an officer of mine as governor over them and imposed upon them tribute as is customary for Assyrian citizens. (ANET<\/i> 284)<\/p>\n
The Biblical Record<\/b><\/p>\n
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his servant, and gave him presents. And the king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes… And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof. (2 Kings 17:3\u20136, 24)<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 88<\/p>\n
Sargon II<\/b><\/p>\n
The name Sargon means, \u201cthe legitimate.\u201d The original Sargon, who ruled in the late third millennium, had become legendary. It was probably his grandson, Naram-Sin, who was responsible for sacking Ebla\u2019s tablet palace in ca. 2250 B.C. (see Bible and Spade,<\/i> Summer 1978, pp. 73-76).<\/p>\n
Sargon II, who was Shalmaneser V\u2019s brother, ruled from 721 to 705 B.C. The only mention of Sargon in the Bible is in Isaiah 20:1 which, in fact, was the only mention of Sargon in any record for centuries. For this reason, scholars doubted that there ever was an Assyrian king named Sargon who lived in the days of Isaiah, and the biblical passage was called into question. Then, during the sensational discoveries of the ancient Assyrian cities in Iraq in the mid 1800\u2019s, Sargon\u2019s palace was discovered. Georges Roux gives a summary description of the palace in his Ancient Iraq<\/i> (pp. 285-286):<\/p>\n
As a war-chief Sargon liked to live in Kalhu (Nimrud), the military capital of the empire, where he occupied, restored and modified Ashurnasirpal\u2019s palace. But moved by incommensurable pride, he soon decided to have his own palace in his own city. In 717 B.C. were laid the foundations of \u201cSargon\u2019s fortress,\u201d Dur-Sharrukin,<\/i> a hitherto virgin site 15 miles to the northeast of Nineveh, near the modern village of Khorsabad. The town was square in plan, each side measuring about one mile, and its wall was pierced by seven fortified gates. In its northern part an inner wall enclosed the citadel, which contained the royal palace, a temple dedicated to Nabu and the sumptuous houses of high-ranking officials, such as Sin-ah-usur, the vizier and king\u2019s brother. The palace itself stood on a 50 foot-high platform overriding the city wall and comprised more than 200 rooms and 30 courtyards. Part of it, erroneously called \u201charem\u201d by the early excavators, was later found to be made of six sanctuaries, and nearby rose a ziggurat whose seven stories were painted with different colors and connected by a spiral ramp. A beautiful viaduct of stone linked the palace with the temple of Nabu, for in Assyria the religious and public functions of the king were closely interwoven. As expected, the royal abode was lavishly decorated. Its gates and main doors \u2014 as, indeed, the gates of the town and of the citadel \u2014 were guarded by colossal bull-men; blue glazed bricks showing divine symbols were used in the sanctuaries, and in most rooms the walls were adorned with frescoes and lined with sculptured and inscribed orthostats, a mile and a half long. Thousands of prisoners of war and hundreds of artists and artisans must have worked at Dur-Sharrukin, since the whole city was built in ten years. Yet there is ample evidence that it was scarcely inhabited and almost immediately abandoned. In one of his so-called \u201cDisplay Inscriptions\u201d Sargon says: \u201cFor me, Sargon, who dwells in this palace, may he (Ashur) decree as my destiny long life, health of body, joy of heart, brightness of soul.\u201d But the god hearkened not to his prayer. One year after Dur-Sharrukin was officially inaugurated <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 89<\/p>\n
A reconstruction of Sargon\u2019s royal citadel at Khorsabad with his palace and associated temples and royal buildings<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
Sargon \u201cwent against Tabal and was killed in the war\u201d (705 B.C). His successors preferred Nineveh to the Mesopotamian Brazilia, and Khorsabad, deserted, slowly fell into ruins.<\/p>\n
Not only was the existence of Sargon II verified by the discovery of his palace, but the very event mentioned in Isaiah 20:1, which took place in 712 B.C., was described by Sargon on the walls of his palace.<\/p>\n
Sargon\u2019s Display Inscription<\/b><\/p>\n
In a sudden rage I marched quickly \u2014 even in my state-chariot and only with my cavalry which never, even in friendly territory, leaves my side \u2014 against Ashdod, his (Azuri\u2019s) royal residence, and I besieged and conquered the cities Ashdod, Gath and Asdudimmu. (ANET<\/i> 286)<\/p>\n
The Biblical Record<\/b><\/p>\n
In the year that the commander-in-chief who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and took it. (Isaiah 20:1, R.S.V.)<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 90<\/p>\n
Sargon and his commander-in-chief, from Sargon\u2019s palace at Khorsabad<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 91<\/p>\n
In addition to the record of Sargon\u2019s capture of Ashdod, a relief which depicts Sargon and his commander-in-chief, possibly the same man referred to in Isaiah 20:1, was also found. As if that were not enough, during the excavation of the site of Ashdod in 1973, three fragments of a basalt stele memorializing Sargon\u2019s conquest of 712 B.C. were discovered. So archaeology has provided us with a three-fold confirmation of the veracity of Isaiah\u2019s reference to Sargon.<\/p>\n
By the end of Sargon\u2019s reign, the Assyrians ruled the entire Fertile Crescent and parts of Iran and Asia Minor. They controlled the entire course of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, had access to the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf, and dominated the major trade routes of the day.<\/p>\n
Sennacherib<\/b><\/p>\n
Sargon\u2019s descendants, the Sargonids, as they are sometimes called, governed Assyria in unbroken succession for almost a century (704-609 B.C.), bringing the Assyrian empire to its furthest limits and the Assyrian civilization to its zenith. One of the greatest of these kings was Sennacherib, who ruled from 704 to 681 B.C. His name means \u201cSin has compensated (the death of) the brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sennacherib spent much of his time putting down revolts on his eastern frontier, even destroying the sacred city of Babylon in the process. He was also engaged in conducting campaigns to the north and west. In spite of his military activities, however, Sennacherib was able to do an enormous amount of construction work at home, as described by Georges Roux (Ancient Iraq,<\/i> pp. 292-293):<\/p>\n
Not only were temples and public buildings erected or restored in several towns and colossal hydraulic works undertaken throughout the country, giving a fresh impulsion to agriculture, but the very old city of Nineveh (Ninua<\/i>), hitherto a simple \u201croyal residence,\u201d was enlarged, fortified, embellished and turned into a capital-city worthy of the vast empire it commanded. Within a few years its circumference passed from about two miles to nearly eight miles, embracing two separate boroughs now represented by the mounds of Kuyunjik and Nebi Yunus, opposite Mosul, on the left bank of the Tigris. The outer wall, made of great limestone blocks, was \u201craised mountain high,\u201d while the inner wall was pierced by 15 gates leading in all directions. The squares of the town were widened; its avenues and streets were paved and \u201ccaused to shine like the day.\u201d In the northern part of the city (Kuyunjik) stood the old palace, but it had been neglected, and an affluent of the Tigris, the Tebiltu river, had ruined its foundations. The monument was torn down, and on a large terrace thrown over the Tebiltu was built Sennacherib\u2019s magnificent abode, the \u201cPalace without a Rival\u201d:<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 92<\/p>\n
\u201cBeams of cedar, the product of mount Amanus, which they dragged with difficulty out of (these) distant mountains, I stretched across their roofs. Great door-leaves of cypress, whose odor is pleasant as they opened and closed, I bound with a band of shining copper and set them up in their doors. A portico patterned after a Hittite palace, which they call in the Amorite tongue bit hilani,<\/i> I constructed inside for my lordly pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enormous copper pillars resting on lions of bronze were cast in moulds \u201clike half-shekel coins\u201d \u2014 a technique which Sennacherib boasts of having invented \u2014 and adorned the palace gates. Protective genii of silver, copper and stone were set \u201ctowards the four winds,\u201d Huge slabs of limestone sculptured with war scenes were dragged through the doors and made to line the walls. Finally, at the side of the palace was opened \u201ca great park like unto mount Amanus, wherein were planted all kinds of herbs and fruit-trees.\u201d To increase the vegetation in and around the town, water was brought from far-away districts by means of a canal cut \u201cthrough mountain and lowland,\u201d and the remains of a remarkable aqueduct visible near the village of Jerwan testify to the veracity of the royal annals as well as to the ability of the king\u2019s engineers. Proud of himself and of his work, Sennacherib liked to be portrayed on the hills of his own country, of this \u201cland of Assur\u201d to which he was fanatically devoted. At Bavian, near Jerwan, at Maltai, near Dohuk, and on the Judi Dagh, on the Turkish-Iraqi frontier, can still be seen, carved on the rock, the gigantic image of the \u201cmighty king, ruler of widespread peoples.\u201d<\/p>\n
We have dealt at length with Sennacherib\u2019s 701 B.C. campaign against Judah in previous issues and will not do so again here. (See Bible and Spade,<\/i> Spring-Summer 1975, pp. 33-53, and Spring 1979, pp. 33-57.) The Bible describes Sennacherib\u2019s campaign in 2 <\/p>\n
An imaginative reconstruction of Sennacherib\u2019s palace at Nineveh by Sir Henry Layard, the first to find and excavate the palace<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 93<\/p>\n
Kings 18 and 19, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36 and 37. Sennacherib also devoted much space to this campaign in his annals. The two records may be compared as follows:<\/p>\n
Sennacherib\u2019s Annals<\/b><\/p>\n
As to Hezekiah, the Jew, he did not submit to my yoke, I laid siege to 46 of his strong cities, walled forts and to the countless small villages in their vicinity, and conquered (them) by means of well-stamped (earth-)ramps, and battering-rams brought (thus) near (to the walls) (combined with) the attack by foot soldiers, (using) mines, breeches as well as sapper work. I drove out (of them) 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, big and small cattle beyond counting, and considered (them) booty. Himself I made a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage. I surrounded him with earthwork in order to molest those who were leaving his city\u2019s gate. His towns which I had plundered, I took away from his country and gave them (over) to Mitinti, king of Ashdod, Padi, king of Ekron, and Sillibel, king of Gaza. Thus I reduced his country, but I still increased the tribute and the Katru<\/i>-presents (due) to me (as his) overlord which I imposed (later) upon him beyond the former tribute, to be delivered annually. Hezekiah himself, whom the terror-inspiring splendor of my lordship had overwhelmed and whose irregular and elite troops which he had brought into Jerusalem, his royal residence, in order to strengthen (it), had deserted him, did send me, later, to Nineveh, my lordly city, together with 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, precious stones, antimony, large cuts of red stone, couches (inlaid) with ivory, nimedu<\/i>-chairs (inlaid) with ivory, elephant-hides, ebony-wood, boxwood (and) all kinds of valuable treasures, his (own) daughters, concubines, male and female musicians. In order to deliver the tribute and to do obeisance as a slave he sent his (personal) messenger. (ANET<\/i> 288)<\/p>\n
The Biblical Record<\/b><\/p>\n
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, \u201cI have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear\u201d. And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold. And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria…<\/p>\n
And that night the angel of the Lord went forth, and slew 185,000 in the camps of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold these were all dead bodies. Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home, and dwelt at Nineveh, (2 Kings 18:13\u201316, 19:35\u201336, R.S.V.)<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 94<\/p>\n
A large bronze plaque depicting Esarhaddon and his mother Naqia, wife of Sennacherib<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
Esarhaddon<\/b><\/p>\n
Esarhaddon, whose name means \u201cthe god Ashur has given a brother,\u201d is only mentioned in the Old Testament in connection with the death of his father Sennacherib in 681 B.C. Esarhaddon was Sennacherib\u2019s youngest son and the fact that he had been chosen to be the next king evidently aroused the jealousy of his brothers. They attempted to take the throne forceably by murdering their own father and setting themselves up as rightful heirs. Esarhaddon was able to marshal enough support in the army and among the people, however, to dislodge the usurpers. He then went on to rule for 12 years.<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 95<\/p>\n
The Assyrian Chronicle<\/b><\/p>\n
On the 20th day of the month Tebet Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was killed by his son in a rebellion. For 25 years Sennacherib ruled Assyria. The rebellion continued in Assyria from the 20th day of the month Tebet until the second day of the month Adar. (i.e., for a month and a half). On the 28th (or 18th) day of the month Adar Esarhaddon, his son, ascended the throne in Assyria. (ABC<\/i> 81\u201382)<\/p>\n
Annals of Esarhaddon<\/b><\/p>\n
But they (Esarhaddon\u2019s brothers), the usurpers, who had started the rebellion, deserted their most trustworthy troops, when they heard the approach of my expeditionary corps and fled to an unknown country. (ANET<\/i> 290)<\/p>\n
The Biblical Record<\/b><\/p>\n
And it came to pass as he (Sennacherib) was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. (2 Kings 19:37)<\/p>\n
Esarhaddon\u2019s Annals in which he tells of overthrowing his brothers to regain the crown<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 8:3-4 (Summer-Autumn 1979) p. 96<\/p>\n
Transmission Accuracy of the Old Testament<\/b><\/p>\n
A.R. Millard of the University of Liverpool in England has done a comparison of the spelling of the names of the Assyrian kings in the Old Testament and in contemporary Assyrian records. It must be remembered that the documents from which our Old Testament is translated date to the tenth century A.D. and therefore the portions dealing with the kings of Assyria have been copied and recopied for a period of 1600-1700 years. The Assyrian tablets, on the other hand, are original records dating back to the period of the Assyrian kings. Millard\u2019s remarks on the accuracy of these names make a fitting conclusion to our brief survey of Assyrian kings in the Bible:<\/p>\n
This examination has shown how closely the Hebrew writings of Assyrian royal names conform to their contemporary appearance in Assyria and Babylonia in conformity with ancient orthographic custom….<\/p>\n
The distinctively Assyrian forms (in the Old Testament) may be assumed to derive from Hebrew sources set down in writing at or near the times of the various episodes, a conclusion reached on other grounds by many commentators who assign the passages in Kings containing them to some official analistic compilation. Nevertheless, we may remark upon their remaining unchanged by any compiler or editor of Kings or Isaiah during the exile in Babylonia, or later, when the Assyrian forms had become obsolete….<\/p>\n
The remarkably accurate preservation of these Assyrian names for a couple of centuries in the case of the Ahiqar papyrus,1 and for far longer in the case of the Hebrew texts is striking testimony to the care of the ancient Semitic scribe faced with incomprehensible forms. That care is highlighted when the wide range of variation in the Greek manuscripts of the Septuagint and the various Hellenistic historians is set out for comparison.<\/p>\n
Sources:<\/p>\n
ABC \u2014 Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles<\/i> by A.K. Grayson, J.J. Augustin Publisher, Locust Valley, NY, 1975.<\/p>\n
ANET \u2014 Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament,<\/i> edited by James B. Pritchard, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1969.<\/p>\n
Ancient Iraq<\/i> by Georges Roux, Penguin Books, Baltimore, MD, 1976 edition.<\/p>\n
\u201cAssyrian Royal Names in Biblical Hebrew\u201d by A.R. Millard, in Journal of Semitic Studies,<\/i> Vol. 21 (1976): pp. 1-14.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bryant G. Wood There is one interval in the Old Testament period when Bible history can be profitably compared with secular history \u2014 the time of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, ca. 900-600 B.C. During this era, the Assyrian Empire expanded to the Mediterranean Sea, taking in Palestine, and, for a time, even Egypt. It was the … Continue reading “ASSYRIAN
\nKINGS IN THE BIBLE”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14930","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14930"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14930\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14930"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14930"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14930"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}