The following article is part of the "Biblical Obscurities" blog series by Mike Velthouse, author of Journey Through the Psalms. For years, Mike has been writing articles for his church's monthly newsletter on a number of "obscurities" within the Bible. We will be reprinting many of those articles here on the RFPA blog. Join our email list here to receive a notification in your inbox for new additions to this blog series! PC: Sennacherib's Prism, Pinterest. https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/834010424728578224/

As you recall, our previous article dealt with the history of Assyria. We took a broad view from its beginnings in Genesis to its final destruction at the hands of the Babylonians and Medes.

Today, we will zoom our lens in quite a bit closer and concentrate on the third stage of Assyria's history, known as the Neo-Assyrian Empire. This period begins in 912 B.C. and ends with the empire's demise in 609 B.C. We know the most about this era because this period coincides with the history of Judah and Israel given in the books of Kings and Chronicles. 

Let’s look at the Assyrian kings who played a prominent role in this Bible history.

Do you know how many Assyrian kings appear in Old Testament narratives? Seven in total, including six by name. 

Although not recorded in Scripture, archeological discoveries corroborate the existence of the earliest Assyrian king who invaded Israel, Shalmaneser III (858–824). The Black Obelisk, discovered in 1845, depicts King Jehu, or possibly one of his servants, bringing gifts to Shalmaneser and kneeling at his feet. The Kurhk Monolith, discovered in 1861, names King Ahab as an opponent of Shalmaneser in the Battle of Qarqar.

In 2 Kings 13, we read of an attack on Israel by the nation of Syria. Although a wicked king, Jehoahaz still asked the Lord for deliverance. In response, "And the Lord gave Israel a savior," which caused Syria to retreat. This "savior" was the Assyrian king Adad-Narari, who reigned from 810 to 783.

The next Assyrian king found in Scripture is one of the most powerful kings in Assyrian history. Although the Bible sometimes calls him Pul, he is better known in world history as Tiglath-Pileser II (744–727). A couple of notable events surrounding him are recorded for us in 2 Kings. In chapter 15:17–20 we read of Israel’s King Menahem paying Tiglath-Pileser 1,000 talents of silver (an enormous amount!) to protect Israel from other enemies. We also read of Tiglath in 2 Kings 16, where Ahaz of Judah asks him to help fight Israel and Syria. In return, Judah becomes Assyria's vassal. Ahaz even meets Tiglath in Damascus, bringing a tribute of gold and silver from Judah’s temple and bowing before him. Tiglath-Pileser ruled Assyria’s largest empire up to that point – including Israel, Syria, Tyre and Sidon, Philistia, Babylon, Egypt, and more lands to the north and west.

Next is when things really start going south for the ten tribes of Israel. Shalmaneser V (726–722) ascends to the throne of Assyria. After Shalmaneser installs Hoshea as his puppet king in Israel, Hoshea makes a not-so-wise decision. He tries to ally with Egypt in a rebellion against Assyria. The outcome is as you might expect. 1 Kings 17–18 recounts Shalmaneser's capture and imprisonment of Hoshea and the dispersal of the first wave of Israelite captives throughout the Assyrian empire. Shalmaneser then proceeds to besiege the capital city of Samaria. However, before the siege ends after three long years, Shalmaneser meets his own cruel fate. He is assassinated, paving the way for the next king.

Sargon II (721–705) completes the siege and destruction of Samaria (Isaiah 20). After scattering the citizens of Samaria throughout the Assyrian empire, he refills Samaria with other captives from areas such as Syria and Babylon. This dispersal and repopulation provides the background for the people we know in the New Testament as the Samaritans. (As you recall from a previous article, the Jews hated these unclean, mixed-breed Samaritans.) Sargon’s life ends as he fights a battle in Anatolia (Turkey). His death leads to the rise of the most famous king in Assyrian history.

We all know the story from 2 Kings 18–19 and Isaiah 37 about Sennacherib’s (705–681) siege around Lachish. During the siege, Sennacherib sends his field commander Rabshakeh to Jerusalem to taunt Hezekiah and Jehovah. In reply, God directs the angel of the Lord in the middle of the night to kill 185,000 of Sennacherib's soldiers. After that, the Assyrian king is left with no choice but to retreat. At the beginning of this article is a famous archeological discovery called the Sennacherib Prism, a 6-sided clay tablet that boasts of Sennacherib's achievements. On it, Sennacherib claims to have had Hezekiah "captured in his own royal city like a caged bird." Unsurprisingly, the Prism fails to mention the real reason for Sennacherib's retreat from Lachish.

The Sennacherib Prism lists many of the Assyrian king's other successes, including how he sacked the city of Babylon, diverted the water from one of the canals there, and flooded the ruins so completely that Babylon was left uninhabited for eight years. Although we are likely familiar with Nebuchadnezzar’s Hanging Gardens, the existence of Sennacherib’s own gardens is also recorded on this Prism. The aqueducts he built during his reign brought water from nearby mountains to irrigate his gardens and sustain parks filled with exotic trees and plants. Sennacherib famously moved the Assyrian capital from Ashur to Nineveh. Finally, he built the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, which city we know as the apostle Paul's hometown.

But one day, as Sennacherib worshipped in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer murdered him. “And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead” (Is. 37:38). Esarhaddon (668–627) eventually rebuilt Babylon after his father’s destruction of it. Historians surmise that his mother might have been from this area, so it's possible he did so out of love for her.

After decades of rule, Esarhaddon died fighting a battle in Egypt. Assyrian history tells of one last great king after that. 

Ashurbanipal (668–627) reigned during the time of Manasseh, King of Judah. Manasseh violated an agreement with Ashurbanipal, so the Assyrian king "took Manasseh among the thorns, bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon" (2 Chr. 33:10–13). Under Ashurbanipal, the Assyrian empire grew to its greatest size in the nation's history, spreading as far west as Cyprus. Ashurbanipal also built the great Library of Nineveh, the world’s first systematically organized library. The Library held over 30,000 cuneiform clay tablets (an ancient form of documentation), which told of Assyria’s history, culture, and military achievements.

But this long, proud, accomplished empire of Assyria came to a crash in a hurry. Nineveh fell in 612 B.C. to Babylon’s Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar’s father. Babylon and the Medes finally defeated Assyria in 609, marking the end of an ancient line of Assyrian kings and of Assyria as a nation. As Daniel 4:17 tells us, “The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.”

The Assyrian Empire may have ended, but our study of Assyria hasn't. In our next article, we'll zoom our lens in one more time and take a look at Nineveh, that great city.

Like what you've read? Click the image below to read more from author Mike Velthouse in the thirty-day devotional Journey Through the Psalms, available now on rfpa.org and in Christian bookstores near you!