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!

Baghdad. Basra. Fallujah. The names of these Iraqi cities are forever etched in the minds of those who watched the Iraq War unfold before their eyes, beginning on March 20, 2003. Every day, the news cycle contained stories about attacks, battles, bombings, and the devastating effects of warfare, much of which seemed to occur in these locations.

You may also remember Mosul, another important city of the Iraq War. On December 21, 2004, a suicide bomber, disguised in an Iraqi soldier’s uniform, entered an American ally mess tent in Mosul and set off an explosion from a vest inside the uniform, killing 22 people and injuring 72 more. Even though the Iraq War ended in 2011, Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, remained a strategic target for the terrorist group ISIS. In 2014, ISIS took control of Mosul and held that power until their defeat at the hands of the Iraqi Freedom Coalition in the 2016-17 Battle of Mosul, which saw the liberation of the city from ISIS control.

Located on the east bank of the Tigris River in northern Iraq, Mosul has a population of about 1.8 million. But what connects Mosul to us as we study biblical history is what’s located on the other side of the Tigris River. In the middle of the urban sprawl of Mosul, west of the Tigris, and underneath dusty roads and forgotten fields, lie the ruins of that great city, Nineveh.

Now, we might not consider a city with a population of 120,000 to be a great city (about the size of Ann Arbor, which is a great city to some for other reasons). But during the height of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib (705-681), Nineveh was the largest city in the world. As you may recall from Genesis 10, the most important Assyrian city had always been Asshur. So, how did Nineveh come to such prominence?

Sennacherib's father, Sargon II, had led Assyria into battle in what is today southeastern Turkey. But Sargon died in battle, and for some reason, his body was never recovered. When Sennacherib succeeded Sargon to the throne, he saw his father’s misfortunes as "bad luck" and a curse from the gods. He didn't dare rule Assyria from his father’s royal city. So, he made Nineveh the capital in 705 B.C. and took it upon himself to transform what the prophet Nahum called the “bloody city” (Nah. 3:1) into the world's most cosmopolitan and beautiful city. And that's precisely what it became.

Ever the master architect, Sennacherib built a massive stone city wall that spanned seven miles, more than 50 feet high and 45 feet thick. The walls contained 15 monumental gateways, including the Nergau Gate, guarded by two colossal 40-ton sculptures of winged bulls with human heads. His new stately palace in southwest Nineveh even had a title: "The Palace Without Rival." It contained 80 rooms, many lined with slabs of gypsum and limestone and engraved with narrations of construction and military achievements from Assyrian history.

Sennacherib also loved creating a lush and colorful landscape in and around Nineveh. He constructed many canals from nearby rivers and tributaries, providing a constant flow of water throughout the city. He even engineered an enormous aqueduct to bring in even more water from the mountains 30 miles away from the city. Made from over two million stones, it’s said to be the oldest aqueduct in the world. It's no wonder many historians believe that the famous Hanging Gardens were actually in Nineveh, not Babylon.

Ashurbanipal, Assyria's last great king and Sennacherib's grandson, added to Nineveh's grandeur. He celebrated victories over Egypt, Babylon, and Elam by constructing his own spectacular palace on the north side of Nineveh. Many of the rooms in his palace featured wall reliefs depicting him hunting lions and defeating his enemies in battle. But he is most known for his crown jewel project: the Great Library of Nineveh. During excavations in the 1800s, archaeologists discovered over 30,000 clay tablets and fragments recording legal documents, literary works, medical texts, and astronomical recordings. (The 30,000 only represents what they found. The original number must have been dramatically higher!)

Nineveh. The greatest city in the world. The most beautiful landscapes ever created. The capital of the world empire. Invincible!

But God had other intentions.

Zephaniah 2:13: “And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.” 

The year was 625 B.C., and Babylon, under King Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, began to attack Assyria from the south. By 612 B.C., he was joined by Cyaxares, King of the Medes to the east and the uncle of Cyrus the Great. Three months after laying siege to Nineveh, the joint forces finally breached the previously impregnable wall. They ransacked, looted, and obliterated Nineveh, that great city. By 609 B.C., Assyria had ceased to exist and would never be a nation again.

Nahum 2:8: "But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water; yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry, but none shall look back."

But there's one more question that needs to be answered, isn't there? The one question all Christians have about Nineveh.

What about Jonah?

Did Assyria, that brutal, bloody, oppressive power with all its false gods, really repent?

Of course, we know they did—for a time, at least—because God's inspired, infallible word says so. But what about any extrabiblical evidence? Well, we may hope for some discovery on a relief wall or prism that would refer to this repentant period, but none have been discovered yet. However, there is historical information about Assyria's behavior during a period that can't be a mere coincidence.

Between 783 and 745 B.C., the same period that would include Jonah's visit, Assyrian history tells us about something totally out of character for the nation. It’s known as the “Period of Stagnation.” After 41 straight years of recorded battles against enemies, they stopped going to war. Now, does that sound like Assyria? The Assyrian kings during these years were not named in the Bible. That's because, during this time frame, they left Israel and many other nations alone. Jonah 4:8 records this statement from the Assyrian king: "Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God; yeah let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.” The documented phrase during those years is translated as "and the king stayed home." The stagnation period coincides with Jonah's call for Nineveh to repent. No coincidence!

It’s no wonder we praise God for his providence in history, “the almighty and everywhere present power of God, whereby, as it were by His hand, He upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures” (Heidelberg Catechism, Question 10, Answer 27). He ordained Assyria to rise. He ordained Assyria to fall. It was his good pleasure to add to his church for a short time, including those believers in Nineveh. (Maybe also some in Mosul.) All of history is in his eternal counsel: for the good of the church and for the glory of His name.

“Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance” (Is. 40:15).

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!