The Old Testament in the Light of the Historical Records and Legends of Assyria and BabyloniaPinches, Theophilus G. (Theophilus Goldridge)
Religion
The Old Testament in the Light of the Historical Records and Legends of Assyria and Babylonia
Pinches, Theophilus G. (Theophilus Goldridge)
Bible. Old Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Azriau or Izriau (Azariah—Rost’s collation of the squeezes shows that both
spellings of the name were used) of Judah is mentioned at least four
times. The earlier references, however, are so very fragmentary that
nothing certain can be said concerning their connection—in one of the
passages containing his name the wording leads one to imagine that he was
captured by the Assyrian king, though, as Rost has shown, this may simply
mean that certain sympathizers of his had taken his part. But whatever may
have taken place in Judah, Azariah’s sympathizers did not get on so well
as their leader. No less than nineteen places were captured by the
Assyrian king, including “Usnû, Siannu, Ṣimirra (Simyra), Rašpûna, on the
sea-coast, together with the cities of the Sauê-mountains (mountains which
are in Lebanon), Ba’ali-ṣapuna (Baal-zephon) as far as Ammana (Amanus, or
according to Winckler, the anti-Lebanon), the mountain of _urkarinu_-wood,
the whole of the land of Sau, the province of Kar-Adad (fortress of
Hadad), the city of Ḫatarikka, the province of Nuqudina, Ḫasu with the
cities which are around it, the cities of Arâ, and the cities which are on
each side of it, with the cities (= villages) which are around them, the
mountain Sarbûa to its whole extent, the city Ašḫanu, the city Yadabu, the
mountain Yaraqu to its whole extent, the city ... -ri, the city
Elli-tarbi, the city Zitānu as far as the city Atinnu, the city ... (and)
the city Bumamu—XIX. districts of the city of Hamath, with the cities
which were around them, of the sea-coast of the setting of the sun, which
in sin and wickedness had taken to Azriau, I added to the boundary of
Assyria. I set my commander-in-chief as governor over them, 30,300 people
I removed from the midst of their cities and caused the province of the
city of Ku- ... to take them.”
Notwithstanding that there is no reference to the above in the Old
Testament, there is no reason to doubt that it is substantially correct.
Its omission is in all probability due to the fact, that neither Judah nor
Israel were menaced by the forces of the Assyrian king. Notwithstanding
this, the expedition and the success of Tiglath-pileser had its effect,
the result being that all the princes of middle and north Syria showed
their submission to the Assyrian king by paying tribute, thus ensuring the
safety of their territory, at least for a time. This took place after the
defeat of Kišî, the Aramean, and his forces, together with several other
districts, and the transportation of the inhabitants from their homes to
districts in other principalities, a proceeding calculated to destroy
national feeling and thus contribute to the safety of the empire by
rendering rebellion more unlikely. The following is the list of the
princes who secured immunity from attack by paying tribute:—
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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