Jehoahaz (Ahaz) pays tribute to Tiglath-pileser III in 732 BC
Tiglath-pileser III kills Rezin king of Aram and Pekah king of Israel, appoints Hoshea then deports many from Israel to Assyria in 732 BC exactly like the Bible says.
“South East Palace” tablet
Tiglath-pileser III, King of Assyria: 744-727 BC
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Date of inscription |
729 BC, Tiglath-pileser III’s 17th regnal year (palu) |
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Annal years |
Babylonia (745 BC, 731 BC, 729 BC), Namri and Media (744 BC, 737 BC), Ulluba and Habhu (739 BC), Urartu (743 BC, 735 BC), Samsi (733-732 BC), Rezin and Pekah killed, Jehoahaz pays tribute (732 BC) |
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Glyptic object |
Akkadian Inscription on clay tablet |
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Discovery |
South East Palace, Mosul, (Nimrud) by George Smith, 1866 AD |
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Current location |
British Museum # K.3751 |
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Bible names |
Jehoahaz king of Judah, Tiglath-pileser, Aram, Tyre, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Gaza, Ashkelon, Byblos, Arvad, Abi-Ba'al, Ashdod |
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Bible texts |
1 Chronicles 5:23–26; 2 Chronicles 28:5-22; 2 Kings 16:5-18; Isaiah 7:1-16; 9:11–12 |
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Historic events |
In 734 BC, Rezin and Pekah attack Jerusalem. Edom and the Philistines raid the Negev. Isaiah 7:14 messianic virgin birth prophecy is made. In 733 BC Isaiah has a child by his maiden. In 732 BC Tiglath-pileser III kills both Rezin and Pekah, appoints Hoshea as king of Israel, deports many from Israel to Assyria and makes Ahaz pay him tribute exactly like the Bible says. |
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Digging up Bible stories! Jehoahaz pays tribute: “What you read in the book you find in the ground” |
Introduction:
1. Importance of the “South East Palace” tablet of Tiglath-pileser III:
a. The inscription confirms the Bible story where Jehoahaz (Ahaz) pays tribute to Tiglath-pileser III.
b. The tablet does not name either Rezin king of Aram or Pekah king of Israel or that they were killed by Tiglath-pileser III. However, two other inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III specifically say they did. This text does say that Aram paid tribute.
c. The entire narrative is folded directly into Isaiah’s virgin birth prophecy. Tiglath-pileser III is the agent of God who kills the two dreaded kings (Rezin and Pekah) after Isaiah has a child with his own maiden. The secondary messianic fulfillment is when Herod the Great dies in 1 BC after the literal virgin birth of Jesus.
d. It confirms that Edom was still not living in the Negev in 732 BC, which proves Kadesh Barnea cannot be located at Qudeirat. In 1446 BC, Kadesh, which bordered Edom, was located at Petra because Edom was Transjordan.
2. Reigns of kings:
a. Tiglath-pileser III (Pul) king of Assyria: 744-727 BC
b. Shalmaneser V: 726-722 BC
c. Jehoahaz (Ahaz) king of Judah: Coregent with his father 735-731 BC. Sole rule: 731-728 BC. Coregent with his son Hezekiah: 728-715 BC
d. Pekah king of Israel/Gilead: 752-732 BC. Killed by Tiglath-pileser III
e. Rezin king of Aram: killed in 732 BC by Tiglath-pileser III
3. Babylonian Chronicles record the Assyrian Captivity in 723 BC by Shalmaneser V:
a. “(Lines i 24-28) The second year (727): Tiglath-pileser (III) died in the month Tebetu (X). Tiglath-pileser (III) ruled Akkad and Assyria for <eighteen> years. For two of those years he ruled in Akkad. On the twenty-fifth day of the month Tebetu, Shalmaneser (V) ascended the throne in Assyria <and Akkad>. He ravaged Samaria. (Lines i 29-32) The fifth year (722): Shalmaneser (V) died in the month Tebetu (X). Shalmaneser (V) ruled Akkad and Assyria for five years. On the twelfth day of the month Tebetu, Sargon (II) ascended the throne in Assyria. In the month Nisannu (I) Marduk-apla-iddina (II) (Merodach-baladan) ascended the throne in Babylon.”
4. Bible verses:
a. "Now the sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land; from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon they were numerous. These were the heads of their fathers’ households, even Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, heads of their fathers’ households. But they acted treacherously against the God of their fathers and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, even the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away into exile, namely the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara and to the river of Gozan, to this day." (1 Chronicles 5:23–26)
b. "Wherefore, the Lord his God delivered him into the hand of the king of Aram; and they defeated him and carried away from him a great number of captives and brought them to Damascus. And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who inflicted him with heavy casualties. For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah 120,000 in one day, all valiant men, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, slew Maaseiah the king’s son and Azrikam the ruler of the house and Elkanah the second to the king. The sons of Israel carried away captive of their brethren 200,000 women, sons and daughters; and they took also a great deal of spoil from them, and brought the spoil to Samaria. But a prophet of the Lord was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army which came to Samaria and said to them, “Behold, because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has even reached heaven. “Now you are proposing to subjugate for yourselves the people of Judah and Jerusalem for male and female slaves. Surely, do you not have transgressions of your own against the Lord your God? “Now therefore, listen to me and return the captives whom you captured from your brothers, for the burning anger of the Lord is against you.” Then some of the heads of the sons of Ephraim—Azariah the son of Johanan, Berechiah the son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah the son of Shallum, and Amasa the son of Hadlai—arose against those who were coming from the battle, and said to them, “You must not bring the captives in here, for you are proposing to bring upon us guilt against the Lord adding to our sins and our guilt; for our guilt is great so that His burning anger is against Israel.” So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the officers and all the assembly. Then the men who were designated by name arose, took the captives, and they clothed all their naked ones from the spoil; and they gave them clothes and sandals, fed them and gave them drink, anointed them with oil, led all their feeble ones on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers; then they returned to Samaria. At that time King Ahaz sent to the kings of Assyria for help. For again the Edomites had come and attacked Judah and carried away captives. The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the Negev of Judah, and had taken Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, and Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and they settled there. For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord. So Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria came against him and afflicted him instead of strengthening him. Although Ahaz took a portion out of the house of the Lord and out of the palace of the king and of the princes, and gave it to the king of Assyria, it did not help him. Now in the time of his distress this same King Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the Lord." (2 Chronicles 28:5–22)
c. "Then Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, came up to Jerusalem to wage war; and they besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome him. At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram, and cleared the Judeans out of Elath entirely; and the Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day. So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and deliver me from the hand of the king of Aram and from the hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and captured it, and carried the people of it away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin to death. Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship. So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the priest made it, before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus. When the king came from Damascus, the king saw the altar; then the king approached the altar and went up to it, and burned his burnt offering and his meal offering, and poured his drink offering and sprinkled the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. The bronze altar, which was before the LORD, he brought from the front of the house, from between his altar and the house of the LORD, and he put it on the north side of his altar. Then King Ahaz commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar burn the morning burnt offering and the evening meal offering and the king’s burnt offering and his meal offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their meal offering and their drink offerings; and sprinkle on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” So Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded. Then King Ahaz cut off the borders of the stands, and removed the laver from them; he also took down the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone. The covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of the LORD because of the king of Assyria." (2 Kings 16:5–18)
d. "Now it came about in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Aram and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not conquer it. When it was reported to the house of David, saying, “The Arameans have camped in Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind. Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller’s field, and say to him, ‘Take care and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the son of Remaliah. ‘Because Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, “Let us go up against Judah and terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” thus says the Lord GOD: “It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. “For the head of Aram is Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you will not believe, you surely shall not last.” ’ ” Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!” Then he said, “Listen now, O house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will try the patience of my God as well? “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. “He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. “For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken." (Isaiah 7:1–16)
e. "Therefore the Lord raises against them adversaries from Rezin And spurs their enemies on, The Arameans on the east and the Philistines on the west; and they devour Israel with gaping jaws. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out." (Isaiah 9:11–12)
5. Sources:
a. The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #47, p115-125, 2011 AD
b. ANET 282
I. Chronology
1. 734 BC:
a. Rezin king of Aram and Pekah king of Israel/Gilead attack Jerusalem, kills 120,000 and deports 200,000.
b. Edom made raids into the Judean Negev and took captives back to modern Jordan. Edom currently did not occupy any of the Judean Negev.
c. The Philistines attack Judah living in the Negev.
d. The great virgin birth prophecy of Christ in Isa 7 is made. Ahaz pays tribute to Tiglath-pileser III (Pul) king of Assyria for protection against Rezin, the Philistines and Edomites.
2. 733 BC:
a. Isaiah’s maiden wife has a child the following year in 732 BC fulfilling the first part of the virgin birth messianic prophecy.
3. 732 BC:
a. Tiglath-pileser III kills both Rezin king of Aram and Pekah king of Israel in 732 BC.
b. Tiglath-pileser III appoints Hoshea as king of Israel
c.
Ahaz king of Judah,
Aram and Israel all pay tribute to Tiglath-pileser III.
4. 729 BC:
a. Tiglath-pileser III creates the “South East Palace” tablet and dies the same year
5. 729 BC:
a. Shalmaneser V becomes King of Assyria (726-722 BC)
6. 723 BC:
a. Assyrian Captivity of the 10 tribes of Israel at the hands of Shalmaneser V.
b. Although Assyrian Chronicles are silent, the Babylonian Chronicles record the Assyrian Captivity.
7. 722 BC:
a. Shalmaneser V dies and Sargon II becomes King of Assyria (721-705 BC)
II. About the “South East Palace” tablet of Tiglath-pileser III:
1. “A large fragment of a clay tablet discovered at Kalbu preserves eighty-six lines of a long summary inscription of Tiglath-pileser III. The extant text represents about half of the original inscription. The size of the tablet appears to be similar in size to the one inscribed with text no. 49; however, the contents of this inscription are more detailed than that inscription. Composed in or shortly after Tiglath-pileser's 17th palu (729 BC) and written for his royal palace in Kalhu (the Central Palace), as indicated by its building report, this text is the most detailed of Tiglath-pileser's summary inscriptions. Sections, whose lengths vary in size, are separated by horizontal rulings. The inscription opens with the king's titles (obv. 1-4), which are followed by a geographical summary of historical events, beginning with the south, and continuing with events in the east, north, and west. The preserved text contains descriptions of his campaigns to Babylonia (745, 731, 729) (obv. 5-28), Namri and Media (744, 737) (obv. 29-42), Ulluba and Habhu (739) (obv. 43-44), Urartu (743, 735) (obv. 45-50), and after a long gap, which must have dealt with campaigns to the west (partly covered by text no. 48), the defeat of Samsi (733-732) (rev. 1'-6'a). The historical portion concludes with a list of western rulers who brought tribute before the Assyrian king (rev. 6'b-13'). After this list, there are two additional reports of military activities: an engagement against Tabal (rev. 14'-15') and another against Tyre (rev. 16'), the outcome of both resulting in new kings ascending the throne and immediately paying a heavy tribute to Assyria. Since both of these events appear after the list of tributaries and after the framework of the text had been fixed, these campaigns must have taken place sometime after 732 BC. The last preserved portion of text (lines 17'-36') contains the only complete building account of Tiglath-pileser from Kalhu that has survived. Tadmor referred to this text as Summary Inscription 7 (Summ. 7) in Tigl. III.” (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #47, p115, 2011 AD)
2. “The next mention is a tribute list of Tiglath-pileser III that refers to events ca. 732 B.C. The list names the first known Edomite king, “Kaushmalaku of Edom [U-du-mu-a-a]”. From that time on, references to Edom, or Edomite kings, in Assyrian sources are usual. The earliest local epigraphic material that can be confidently dated is a royal seal impression from Umm el-Biyara referring to a personality that has been identified as “Qos-Gabr, King of Edom” (qws g[br]/mlk ’[dm]). This ruler is mentioned twice in Assyrian inscriptions from the reigns of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, which date to ca. 670 B.C. While this seventh century B.C. impression only provides us with a terminus post quem for the site and its pottery, since Umm el-Biyara is essentially a one-period site, the date of the settlement cannot be too much earlier." (Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, Vol. 6, No. 56, p10, 2006 AD)
3. "Ahaz is also noted on a building inscription detailing Tiglath-Pileser III’s actions during military campaigns in Syria and Palestine. He is listed among a group who paid tribute to the Assyrian king, and is called by his longer name (Ia-u-ha-zi) or Jehoahaz" (LBD, Ahab, 2015 AD)
4. "Following Tiglath-pileser III’s campaigns in Palestine in 734 bce, Edom, too, came under Assyrian domination. Some of the Assyrian sources deal with the kingdom of Edom, and mention the names of some of its kings and their achievements: for example, the building inscription of Tiglath-pileser III refers to Qosmalku of Edom as one of the kings from whom he received tribute." (Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, V II, Edom, p 268, 2001 AD)
5. "Likewise, the Edomite name Kaush-Malak in the building inscription of Tiglath-pileser III (ANET, p. 282a) may mean “King gave.”" (ABD, Elkosh)
6. "The Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III (744–727) claims, in a building inscription, that he received tribute from Kaushmalaku (Qaushmalaku) of Edom. Payment of tribute to Assyria was burdensome and Edom, among other states (but not Judah), was encouraged to revolt by Egypt." (Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible, Edom, 2000 AD)
7. "Similarly, the building inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Sargon, Sennacherib, and Esarhaddon conventionally designate their royal houses by their materials: e.g., “Palaces of ivory, maple, boxwood, mulberry, cedar, cypress, juniper, pine and pistachio-wood, I erected herein for my royal dwelling”" (ISBE, Ivory, 1988 AD)
III. Translations of “South East Palace” tablet of Tiglath-pileser III
A. Translation by Yayim Tadmor in 2011 AD of selected portions:
1. Jehoahaz pays tribute: “(Lines Rev. 6'b-13') In all of the (foreign) lands that ... [... I received the paymen]t of Kustaspi of the land Kummuhu, Urik(ki) of the land Que, Sibitti-bi' il of the city [Byblos, Hiram of the land Tyre, Pisiris of the city Carchemish, Enl]-il of the land Hamath, Panammu of the city Sam' al, Tarbulara of the city Gurgum, Sulu[mal of the land Melid, Dadilu of the city Kaska, U]assurme of the land Tabal, Ushitti of the city Tuna, Urballa of the city Tuhana, Tuham[mi of the city Istunda, Urimmi of the city Hubisna, (rev. 1.0') Ma]ttan-bi'il (Mattan-Ba'al) of the city Arvad, Sanipu of the land Bit-Ammon, Salamanu of the land Moab, ...[... of ..., ... of ..., Mi]tinti of the land Ashkelon, Jehoahaz of the land Judah, Qaus-malaka of the land Edom, Mus...[... of ..., ... of ..., (and) Ha]nunu of the city Gaza: gold, silver, tin, iron, lead, multi-colored garments, linen garments, the garments of their lands, red-purple wool, [..., all kinds of] costly articles, produce of the sea (and) dry land, commodities of their lands, royal treasures, horses (and) mules broken to the yo[ke, ...]. (Rev. 14'-15') [U]assurme of the land Tabal acted as if he were the equal of Assyria and he did not come before me. [I sent] a eunuch of mine, the chief [eunuch, to the land Tabal....]. I placed [Hu]lli, a commoner (lit. "son of a nobody") on his royal throne. [I received] 10 talents of gold, 1,000 talents of silver, 2,000 horses, (and) [... mules as his audience gift]. (Rev. 16') I sent a eunuch of mine, the chief eunuch, to the city Tyre. [I received] from Metenna of the city Tyre 150 talents of gold (and) [2,000 talents of silver as his audience gift]. (Rev. 17'-19') With the keen understanding (and) broad knowledge that the sage of the gods, the prince, the god Nudimmud (Ea), granted to me, I built in Kalku a cedar palace, [... for my lordly residence] and a bit-hilani, a replica of a palace of the land Hatti (Syria-Palestine), for my pleasure. I made the dimensions of its site [... large cubits in length (and) sixty large cubits in width] larger than the former palaces of my ancestors [by (re)claiming] (land) from the Tigris River (by filling it in). (Rev. 20'-23'a) I cleverly made plans with (the help of) all of the skilled craftsmen and ... [...] [...]. Like the base of a mountain, I piled up heavy limestone (blocks to a depth of) twenty large cubits in the raging waters and I [... stopped its] flooding. I put up their terraces, secured their foundations, and raised high their summits. (To a height of) one half nindanu (and) two-thirds of a cubit, [I] constructed rooms of [...] and I made their gates face north. Rev. 23b-24') [I decor]ated (lit. "I established”) (them) with ivory, ebony, boxwood, musukkannu-wood, c[eda]r, sur[menu]-wood, [burdsu-Juniper, and] juniper — (which was) tribute from the kings of the land Hatti (Syria-Palestine) (and) from Aramean and Chaldean rulers whom I sub[dued (and) ...] with the power of my heroism — (and) I filled (them) with splendor. (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #47, p122, 2011 AD)
2. Outer materialism vs. Inner righteousness:
a. Jehoiakim won the competition of cedar but lost his soul
b. “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness And his upper rooms without justice, Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay And does not give him his wages, Who says, ‘I will build myself a roomy house With spacious upper rooms, And cut out its windows, Paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.’ “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the Lord. “But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, And on shedding innocent blood And on practicing oppression and extortion.” Therefore thus says the Lord in regard to Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, “They will not lament for him: ‘Alas, my brother!’ or, ‘Alas, sister!’ They will not lament for him: ‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’ “He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem." (Jeremiah 22:13–19)
c. Tiglath-pileser III palaces of cedar”: Cuneiform tablet of Tiglath-pileser III dating to 729 BC: “(Lines Rev. 26"-271 I roofed them with long beams of cedar, which are as sweet to smell as the scent of tt, akiru-wood, a product of Mount Am[anus], Mount Lebanon, (and) Mount Ammanana, thus I demonstrated appropriate care (for their roofing). In order to splendidly provide appropriate decorations for the locks [...] ..., I fashioned stones of the stonecutter's craft and (thus) made (its) gate(s) befitting (a royal palace). (Rev. 28'-29'a) I fastened bands of shiny silver (zahalu) and <esmaru-silver> on double doors of cedar (and) sur-menu-wood, which bestow (great) pleasure on those who enter them (and) whose fragrance wafts into the heart, and I hung (them) wherever there were gates. Rev. 29'b-30') I set up in (its) entrances, (statues of) lions, sedu, (and) lamassu, whose features are very skillfully wrought (and) which are clothed with splendor, (rev. 30') and I erected (them there) as objects of wonder (for the people). I laid threshold slabs of gypsum (and) parutu-alabaster at their feet (lit. "beneath them") and (thus) I brightened the(ir) exit(s). (Rev. 31') Moreover, I placed stone images, guardians of the great gods, creatures of the apsu (i.e., fish-men), around (the palace's) supporting wall, thus I endowed (them) with a terrifying quality. (Rev. 32') To put the finishing touch on them (the palatial halls), I arranged knobbed pegs of gold, silver, and bronze around them, and (thus) I made their appearance bright. (Rev. 33'-34') For my royal abode, I set up therein a glittering chamber inlaid with precious stones. I named them "(The) Palatial Halls of Joy Which Bear Abundance, Which Bless the King, (and) Which Make Their Builder Long-[Liv]ed." (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #47, p124, 2011 AD)
B. Translation #2 in ANET 282:
"I installed Idi-bi’li as a Warden of Marches on the border of Musur. In all the countries which … [I received] the tribute of Kushtashpi of Commagene (Kummuḫu), Urik of Qu’e, Sibitti-be’l of Byblos, … Enil of Hamath, Panammu of Sam’al, Tarhulara of Gumgum, Sulumal of Militene, … Uassurme of Tabal, Ushhitti of Tuna, Urballa of Tuhana, Tuhamme of Ishtunda, … [Ma]tan-be’l of Arvad, Sanipu of Bit-Ammon, Salamanu of Moab, … Mitinti of Ashkelon, Jehoahaz (Ia-ú-ḫa-zi) of Judah (Ia-ú-da-a-a), Kaush-malaku of Edom (Ú-du-mu-a-a), Muzr[i … ], Hanno (Ḫa-a-nu-ú-nu) of Gaza (Ḫa-za-at-a-a) (consisting of) gold, silver, tin, iron, antimony [a rare metal], linen garments with multicolored trimmings, garments of their native (industries) (being made of) dark purple wool … all kinds of costly objects be they products of the sea or of the continent, the (choice) products of their regions, the treasures of (their) kings, horses, mules (trained for) the yoke.… (66) I sent an officer of mine, the rabšaq, to Tyre [and received] from Metenna of Tyre 150 talents of gold.…" (ANET, 282)
IV. Other inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III that he killed Pekah and Rezin and appointed Hoshea and deported many from the northern tribes to Assyria in 732 BC:
1. Colossal pavement slab of Tiglath-pileser III:
a. “This summary inscription is found on a large, fragmentarily preserved stone slab, most likely a colossal pavement slab like the one inscribed with text no. 39. The object was discovered in the mid-nineteenth century at Kalhu, but left in situ. It is probably the second slab of a long summary inscription that was written from beginning to end on three consecutive slabs; the first and third slabs of the series have not survived, save perhaps for a tiny fragment (text no. 45) containing part of a description of Tiglath-pileser's Babylonian campaigns. The extant text contains reports of the following events in the west: the annexation of northern and central Syria (738) (lines 1'-5'a); the annexation of Damascus (733-732) (lines 5'b-8'a); the campaign against Hanunu of Gaza (734) (lines 8'b-15'a); the partial annexation of Israel (733-732) (lines 15'b-19'a); the campaign against Samsi (733) (lines 19'b-27'a); the receipt of tribute from Arab tribes (733-732) (lines 27'b-33'); the appointment of Idibi'ilu as the "gatekeeper facing Egypt" (734) (lines 34'-35'); and possibly the setting up of a stele (lines 36’-38’). … The inscription could not be collated (checked) from the original since the slab was left at Kalhu. G. Smith copied the text from squeezes then in the British Museum.” (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #42, p104, 2011 AD)
b. Translation of the colossal pavement slab of Tiglath-pileser III: “(Lines 5'b-8'a) I annexed to Assyria [..., the city Kas]puna, which is on the shore of the Upper (text: "Lower") Sea, the cities [...]nite, Gil[ead, and] Abil-sitti, which are the border of the land Bit-Humri[a] (Israel), the extensive [land of Bit-Haza'i]li (Hazael-Damascus) in [its] en[tirety, (and) I pla]ced [... eunuch]s of mine as provincial governors [over them]. (8'13-10'a) (As for) Hanunu of the city Gaza, [who] fle[d before] my weapons [and] escaped [to] Egypt — (10') [I conquered] the city Gaza, [his royal city, (and) I carried off] his property (and) [his] gods. (10'b-12'a) [I fashioned (a statue bearing) image(s) of the god]s, my [lo]rds, and my royal image [out of gold, erected (it) i]n the palace [of the city Gaza], (and) I reckoned (it) [am]ong the gods of their land; I established [their sattukku offerings]. (12’b-15'a) Moreover, [as for him (Hanunu), the terrifying splendor of (the god) Assur, my lord over]whelmed him and he flew (back) [from Egypt] like a bird and [...]. I returned him to his position. [I considered his ... a]s [an Assyrian] em[porium. I re]ceived [gold], silver, multi-colored garments, linen garments, (15') large [horses], ... [...]. (15'b-17'a) (As for) the land Bit-Humria (Israel), I brought [to] Assyria [..., its "au]xiliary [army" ...] (and) all of its people, [...]. (17'b-19'a) [I] killed Peqah (Pekah), their king, and I placed Hoshea [as king o]ver them. I received from them ten talents of gold, ... talents of silver, [together with] their [proper]ty, and [I brou]ght them [to Assyria]. (19'b-22'a) As for Samsi, queen of the Arabs, at Mount Saqurri, [I] de[feated 9,400 (of her people)]. I took away (from her) 1,000 people, 30,000 camels, 20,000 oxen, [...] ..., 5,000 (pouches) of all types of aromatics, ..., thrones of her gods, [the military equipment (and) staffs of her goddess(es)], (and) her property.” (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #42, p105, 2011 AD)
c. “The “gatekeeper” of Egypt: Two years after setting up his triumphant stele at the Brook of Egypt, Tiglath Pileser followed up his defeat of Damascus and Samaria in the Levant with a reinforcement of Assyrian presence in the Sinai. Two inscriptions from Kalhu record the fact that, in 732 B.C.E., the king “appointed Idibi’ilu as the ‘gatekeeper’ (lit. to the office of ‘gatekeepership facing Egypt”. Idibi’ilu is first attested in a broken passage of Tiglath-Pileser’s annals in the context of his campaign in the previous year. This individual has been connected with the similarly-named Idiba’ilāyu (the biblical Adbeel), a nomad group from North Arabia, probably between Gaza and el-Arish (Elat 1978: 28), and it may be that the duties were assumed by the tribe, with their leader officially in charge.” (Before the Assyrian Conquest in 671 B.C.E., Silvie Zamazalová, master’s dissertation, 2009 AD)
2. Broken slab of Tiglath-pileser III:
a. “A broken slab discovered by A.H. Layard in the ruins of the South-West Palace at Kalhu preserves eighteen lines of a summary inscription of Tiglath-pileser III. Layard noted in his field journal (MS A p. 68) that the "slab [was] much destroyed. Inscription across large figure with mace." The text of this fragmentarily preserved inscription contains accounts of the following events: the delivery of tribute, possibly from a pharaoh of Egypt (name not preserved) to Kalhu (734 or 733) (lines 1 "-2'); the defeat of Samsi (733) (lines 3'-8'a); the submission of Arabian tribes (733-732) (lines 8"b-15'); the appointment of Idibi'ilu as the "gatekeeper facing Egypt" (734) (line 16'); and the partial annexation of Israel (733-732) (lines 17'-18'). Because the text is badly damaged and inscribed on a sculpted orthostat like the text of the Annals (Series C), there has been some debate among scholars whether this inscription belongs to the category of annals or summary inscriptions. As pointed out by H. Tadmor (Tigl. III pp. 198-199), comparison of the events in the west as recorded in Tiglath-pileser's Kalbu Annals and other summary inscriptions suggests that this text is indeed a summary inscription, although of a special category that contains a different and shorter version of the events of his reign. This text was edited as Summary Inscription 13 (Summ. 13) in Tadmor, Tigl. III. The inscription could not be collated from the original since the slab was left at Kalhu. Therefore, the present edition is based on Layard’s published copy in ICC page 66.” (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #44, p110, 2011 AD)
b. Translation of the broken slab of Tiglath-pileser III: “(Lines 17'-18') [The land Bit-tjumria] (Israel), all [of whose] cities I [utterly devastated i]n former campaigns of mine, whose [...] (and) livestock I carried off, and (whose capital) Samaria I isola[ted] — (now) [they overthrew Peqa]h (Pekah), their king.”(The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #44, p110, 2011 AD)
3. Three fragments of a clay tablet of Tiglath-pileser III:
a. “A large fragment of a clay tablet that was reconstructed from three smaller fragments and that was discovered in the Nabu temple (Ezida) at Kalbu preserves fifty-eight lines of a long summary inscription of Tiglath-pileser III. The beginning of the obverse and the end of the reverse are now missing, and the extant text contains descriptions of the following events: the defeat of Sarduri (743), the campaign to Urartu in which the Assyrians marched as far as Turugpa (735) (obv. 1'-5'); the conquest and annexation of Urartu (739, 736-735) — the conquest of Ulluba (obv. 6'-8'), the enlargement of the provinces of Aggur-iqiga (obv. 9'-10'), the chief steward (obv. 11'-13'), the chief cupbearer (obv. 14'-16'), the land Na'iri (obv. 17'-19'), and the turteinu (obv. 20'-23'); the conquest of Bit-Agusi (743-740) (obv. 24'-25'); the conquest of Unqi (740, 738) (obv. 26'-27'); the annexation of the north Syrian coast (738) (rev. 1-2); the conquest of Bit-Haza'ili (733-732) (rev. 3-4); the submission of Tyre (733-732) (rev. 5-8); the conquest of northern Israel (733-732) and the replacement of its king, Peqah, with Hoshea (731) (rev. 9-11); the forceful extraction of tribute from a king (of Ashkelon?) (rev. 12); the campaign against Haniinu of Gaza and the submission of Gaza (734) (rev. 13-16); the defeat of Samsi (733) (rev. 17-22); the acknowledgment of Assyrian sovereignty by an unknown ruler, possibly an Egyptian pharaoh (734 or 733) (rev. 23-25); the receipt of tribute from Metenna of Tyre (730?) (rev. 26); the receipt of tribute from lju111 of Tabal (730 or 729?) (rev. 27-29); and the receipt of tribute, probably from some distant Arabian tribes (733-732) (rev. 30-31). Although the beginning of the inscription is missing, the text must have originally included an account concerning events in Babylonia and Media since the inscription follows a geographic pattern that is common to other summary inscriptions. Either text no. 51 or text no. 52 may represent that missing portion. Tadmor referred to this text as Summary Inscription 9 (Summ. 9) in Tigl. III. … In its current state of preservation, the tablet is reconstructed from three smaller fragments, all of which were discovered during Mallowan's excavations of the Nabft Temple in 1955 and published by DJ. Wiseman in Iraq 18 (1956) and Iraq 26 (1964).” (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #49, p128, 2011 AD)
b. Translation of three fragments of a clay tablet of Tiglath-pileser III: (Lines Rev. 3-4) [I annexed] to Assyria the extensive [land of Bit]-Hazaili (Hazael-Damascus) in its entirety, from Mount [Lebanon as far as the cities Gilead (and) Abil-sitti, which are on the bor]der of the land Bit-Humria (Israel), (and) [I placed a eunuch of mine as provincial governor over them]. (Rev. 5-6a) [(As for) Hi]ram of the land Tyre, who conspired with Rahianu (Rezin king of Aram) (against me), [...] —I captured (and) plun[dered the city] Mahalab, his fortified city, together with (other) large cities (of his). Rev. 6b-8) [...] he came [be]fore me and kissed my feet. [I received] twenty talents of [gold, ...], multicolored [garments], linen garments, eunuchs, male (and) female singers, ... [...], Egypt[ian horses, ...]. (Rev. 9) [I conquered the land Bit-Humri]a (Israel) in [its] entire[ty (and) I brought] t[o Assyria ..., together with] their [belon]gings. (Rev. 10-11) [... (and) I placed Hoshea as] king over them. [They brought ... to the city] Sarrabanu, before me. (Rev. 12) I removed [... (and) ... and] 100 talents of silver and [brought] (it) t[o Assyria]. (The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III, Vol. 1, Yayim Tadmor, #49, p131, 2011 AD)
Conclusion:
1. With stunning accuracy, four inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III confirms the Bible story in 732 BC
a. Tiglath-pileser III kills Rezin king of Aram.
b. Tiglath-pileser III kills Pekah king of Israel.
c. Tiglath-pileser III appoints Hoshea as king of Israel.
d. Tiglath-pileser III deports many from Israel to Assyria
e. Jehoahaz (Ahaz) king of Judah, Israel and Aram were vassals of, and paid tribute to, Tiglath-pileser III.
2. Assyrian Captivity of 723 BC: Although Assyrian Chronicles are silent, the Babylonian Chronicles record the event.
3. Witness of Scripture: 1 Chr 5:23–26; 2 Chron 28:5-22; 2 Ki 16:5-18; Isa 7:1-16; 9:11–12
a. This inscription of Tiglath-pileser III gives us the names of the kings of Judah, Ammon, Moab, Edom, Tyre and Gaza, just to name a few.
b. Scripture says that Rezin king of Aram or Pekah king of Israel were killed by Tiglath-pileser III, initially fulfilling the messianic “virgin birth” prophecy of Christ in Isa 7:14.
c. The secondary messianic fulfillment is when Herod the Great dies in 1 BC after the literal virgin birth of the Messianic Jesus Christ, named Emmanuel.
4. In 1446 BC, Kadesh, which bordered Edom, was located at Petra because Edom was Transjordan. “South East Palace” tablet of Tiglath-pileser III confirms that Edom was still not living in the Negev as late as 732 BC. This proves Kadesh Barnea cannot be located at Qudeirat because the border of Edom was 50 km east.
5. Sometimes what we find in the ground gives us new information not found in the Bible!
a. "The name Ahaz, is a hypocoristicon: a shortened form of names such as Ahaziah and Jehoahaz, “the LORD holds.” These names probably reflect confidence in God’s imminent presence, as in Ps 73:23, “I am always with you, you hold (ʾāḥaztā) my right hand”) (ABD, Ahaz)
b. "His name [Ahaz] is probably an abbreviated form of Jeho-ahaz (יְהוֹאָחָז), since it appears on the Assyr. inscriptions as Ia-u-ḫa-zi." (A Dictionary of the Bible: Dealing with Its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, Volumes I–V, Ahaz, 1912 AD)
c. Stunningly, the inscription gives us the full name of Ahaz where the Bible is silent: Jehoahaz.
6. What you read in the book you find in the ground! Find me a church to attend in my hometown this Sunday!
By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.
