Esarhaddon, King of Assyria 680-669 BC
Esarhaddon deports Manasseh, king of Judah to Nineveh, then he is restored to power.
2 Chron 33:10-13; 2 Kings 19:37; 21:10–15 Isaiah 37:37–38; Ezra 4:2
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Date of inscription |
Prism: 673 BC, Esarhaddon’s 8th regnal year |
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Annal years |
There are no campaign dates given in the prism. |
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Glyptic object |
Akkadian Inscription on hexagonal clay prism |
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Discovery |
Kuyunjik, Nineveh, Iraq, House of Sennacherib's son, 1878 AD |
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Current location |
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Bible names |
Manasseh king of Judah, Tyre, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, Byblos, Arvad, Ashdod |
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Bible texts |
2 Chron 33:10-13; 2 Kings 19:37; 21:10–15 Isaiah 37:37–38; Ezra 4:2 |
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Historic events |
In 685 BC Esarhaddon captures & deports Manasseh to Nineveh then restores him to this throne in Jerusalem after Manasseh prayed to YHWH. See Victory Stele of Esarhaddon. |
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Digging up Bible stories! “I summoned the kings of Hatti and Across the River (Syria-Palestine): (v 55) Ba'alu, king of Tyre, Manasseh, king of Judah, Qa'us-gabri, king of Edom, Musuri, king of Moab, Sil-Bel, king of Gaza, Mitinti, king of Ashkelon, Ikausu, king of Ekron, king of Byblos, (v 60) Mattan-Ba'al, king of Arvad, Abi-Ba'al, king of Samsimurruna, Bildi-il, king of Bit-Ammon, Ali-Milki, king of Ashdod — twelve kings from the shore of the sea; … (Lines v 73b-vi 1) I sent orders to all of them for large beams, tall columns, (and) very long planks (v 75) of cedar (and) cypress, grown on Mount Sirara and Mount Lebanon, which from early days grew thick and tall, (and) they had bull colossi (made of) pendu-stone, lamassu-statues, zebus, paving stones, slabs of marble, pendu-stone, breccia, colored marble, brownish limestone, (and) girimhilibu-stone, (everything that was) needed for my palace, dragged with much trouble (and) effort from the midst of the mountains, the place of their origin, to Nineveh, my capital city.” (The Royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. King of Assyria, Vol. 4, Erle Leichty, #1, p23-24, 2011 AD) “What you read in the book you find in the ground” |
See also:
1. For a complete list of Assyrian kings see: Detailed outline on Adad-Nirari III
2. Victory Stele of Esarhaddon (671 BC) pictured a standing Manasseh, king of Judah (695-642 BC). Kneeling is Pharaoh Tirhakah’s son Usanahuru (crown prince) as recorded in 2 Chronicles 33:11.
3. Prism A of Esarhaddon that names Manasseh who supplied materials for the Assyrian palace in 673 BC.
4. Chicago/Taylor Prisms of Sennacherib (689/691 BC) that describe the alliance of Hezekiah with Pharaoh Tirhakah in repelling the attack of Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC.
5. Prism A (Rassam) and Prism C of Ashurbanipal: Alliance of 22 kings, including Manasseh king of Judah attach Egypt and defeat Tirhakah.
6. Egyptian Pharaohs at the time of the Babylonian Captivity.
7. Josiah the chosen one: 640-609 BC
8. Jehoiakim the bible burner: 609-598 BC
9. Zedekiah the last hope: 597-587 BC
Introduction:
1. Importance of Prism A of Esarhaddon:
a. The inscription directly shows that Manasseh was a defeated vassal king in submission to Esarhaddon just like the Bible says.
b. The incredible story of Manasseh being captured and deported to Nineveh by Esarhaddon, who repented to YHWH and was restored as king of Judah, is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible. It proves that God will judge the wicked but forgive the penitent.
c. The irony is that Manasseh rejected to trust in YHWH but instead trusted in idol gods and was defeated by a pagan king who boasted that his victory over Manasseh (and everyone) was because he trusted in the gods of Assyria. Esarhaddon even chides those who trust in their own human might instead of the idol gods of Assyria who made him victorious.
2. The date of the capture and deportation of Manasseh: 2 Chron 33:10-13
a. The date of the capture and deportation of Manasseh by Esarhaddon is uncertain.
b. Manasseh is the longest ruling (54 years) king in the Bible (696-642 BC). was coregent with his father Hezekiah from 696-686 BC. After Hezekiah died, Manasseh reigned 686-642 BC.
c. Esarhaddon was king of Assyria 680-669 BC.
d. Prism A was created in 673 BC and records how he had an older living brother at the time his father chose him, as second born to succeed him. Esarhaddon records the events of using Manasseh as part of a consortium of 12 kings who helped build his new palace in Nineveh which likely took place near the beginning of his reign.
e. The capture and deportation of Manasseh likely took place in during the second campaign against Egypt in 671 BC.
3. Bible verses:
a. "The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria (Esarhaddon) against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon. When he was in distress, he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God." (2 Chronicles 33:10–13)
b. "Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols; therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. ‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ‘I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies; because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.’ ”" (2 Kings 21:10–15)
c. "It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place." (2 Kings 19:37)
d. "So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place." (Isaiah 37:37–38)
e. "they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households, and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.”" (Ezra 4:2)
4. Sources:
a. ANET 291
b. The Royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. King of Assyria, Vol. 4, Erle Leichty, p9-26, 2011 AD
I. Chronology of Hezekiah, Manasseh, Josiah, Tirhakah, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal:
1. 701 BC: Chicago/Taylor Prisms of Sennacherib described the alliance of Hezekiah with Pharaoh Tirhakah to defend against Sennacherib’s (704-681 BC) siege of Jerusalem in Hezekiah 14th regnal year. The Chicago Prism/Taylor Prisms recorded that Hezekiah was like a “bird in a cage”. Tirhakah was only king of Upper Egypt (Kush/Ethiopia) and did not become Pharaoh of both Upper and Lower Egypt until 690 BC.
a. See: Chicago/Taylor Prisms of Sennacherib (689/691 BC) described the alliance of Hezekiah with Pharaoh Tirhakah in repelling the attack of Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC.
b. “This, in turn, settles another old problem. In 701, during his Palestinian campaign, Sennacherib is said to have had to watch out for "Tirhaqa, king of Kush" (2 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 37:9). Kush, may I emphasize, NOT Egypt! Which is how almost all commentators have stubbornly misunderstood it (myself included). In 701, Shebitku ruled Egypt, and Taharqa was his Nubian lieutenant, precisely as Shebitku himself had been for Shabako. There was thus a clear, practical Kushite policy for ruling their vast twin realm effectively - and that twice over, on Assyrian and West-Semitic data that are together consistent.” (The strengths and weaknesses of Egyptian chronology — A Reconsideration, Kenneth A. Kitchen, Egypt and the Levant, Vol. 16, p294, 2006 AD)
c. “A Serapeum stela linking Psammetichus I to Taharqa and other dated sources yield 690 BC as the latter’s [Taharqa] year 1. Dated documents of Taharqa’s predecessor Shebitku are few, but according to the Tang-i Var inscription, regnal year 1 of Shebitku corresponded to 706 BC at the latest. His predecessor Shabaka ruled at least into a year 15; at the beginning of his reign, he defeated Bocchoris of Memphis. Using dead reckoning 723/22 BC is the latest possible date for year 6 of Bocchoris.” (Ancient Egyptian Chronology, Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, and David A. Warburton, p473, 2006 AD)
2. 685 BC: Manasseh executed Isaiah the prophet by sawing him into two in a tree trunk: Heb 11:37
a. This was recorded in Hebrews: "They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated" (Hebrews 11:37)
b. “And they seized Isaiah the son of Amoz and sawed him in half with a wood saw. 12 And Manasseh, and Belkira, and the false prophets, and the princes, and the people, and all stood by looking on. 13 And to the prophets who (were) with him he said before he was sawed in half, “Go to the district of Tyre and Sidon, because for me alone the LORD has mixed the cup.” 14 And while Isaiah was being sawed in half, he did not cry out, or weep, but his mouth spoke with the Holy Spirit until he was sawed in two. 15 Beliar did this to Isaiah through Belkira and through Manasseh, for Sammael was very angry with Isaiah from the days of Hezekiah, king of Judah, because of the things which he had seen concerning the Beloved, 16 and because of the destruction of Sammael which he had seen through the LORD, while Hezekiah his father was king. And he did as Satan wished.” (Ascension of Isaiah 5:11-16, 200 BC – 400 AD)
c. “Because of these visions and prophecies Sammael Satan sawed Isaiah the son of Amoz, the prophet, in half by the hand of Manasseh. 42 And Hezekiah gave all these things to Manasseh in the twenty-sixth year of his reign. 43 But Manasseh did not remember these things, nor place them in his heart, but he became the servant of Satan and was destroyed.” (Ascension of Isaiah 11:41, 200 BC – 400 AD)
d. “When Manasseh arose, he pursued Isaiah, wanting to kill him. Isaiah fled from him. He escaped to a cedar, which swallowed him up, except for the show fringes of his cloak, which revealed where he was. They came and told him. He said to them, “Go and cut the cedar down.” They cut the cedar down, and blood showed [indicating that Isaiah had been sawed also.] (Jerusalem Talmud Sanh.10:2, III.1.OO–PP, 400 AD)
3. 681 BC: Esarhaddon and his brothers assassinated their father Sennacherib and fight for succession rights for a year. Esarhaddon was victorious and became king then and began a 3-year siege of Sidon.
4. 677 BC: Esarhaddon defeated and beheaded Abdi-Milkuti, the king Sidon and rebuilt Sidon as the “Port of Esarhaddon”.
5. 676 BC: Prism A of Esarhaddon described how 22 vassal kings, including Manasseh of Judah, contributed building materials for the palace of Esarhaddon at Nineveh. See: Prism A of Esarhaddon
6. 673 BC, 5th Adar: Esarhaddon’s failed first campaign against Egypt. Tirhakah and Neco I (673-664 BC) were principles in the successful rebellion.
a. “The seventh year [of Esarhaddon]: On the fifth day of the month Adar the army of Assyria was defeated in Egypt.” (Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles, A. Kirk Grayson, Babylonian Chronicle 1.iv.16, p84, 2000 AD)
b. “ln the winter of 673 B.C., at the end of Esarhaddon's seventh year, the Assyrian army set out to conquer Egypt. The campaign ended in what was probably one of Assyria's worst defeats. A few months later, Esarhaddon went to war against Shubria, a small kingdom at the foot of the Taurus Mountains, east of the upper Tigris and west of Lake Van.” (Esarhaddon, Egypt, and Shubria: Politics and Propaganda, Israel Eph’al, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol 57, p99, 2005 AD)
7. 672 BC: Tirhakah’s defeat of Esarhaddon prompted Manasseh, king of Judah, to join with Egypt in rebellion against Assyria.
8. 671 BC, Nisan-Tammuz/Tishri: Victory Stele of Esarhaddon pictured the defeat of Egypt. Esarhaddon defeated Pharaoh Tirhakah at Memphis, but he escaped. Neco I was appointed a vassal Pharaoh at Sais. Esarhaddon appointed new governors of Egypt and deported Tirhakah’s son Usanahuru (crown prince), and Manasseh, king of Judah to Assyria. The Victory Stele of Esarhaddon showed him holding ropes attached to nose rings of Egypt’s crown prince Usanahuru and Manasseh. Notice that the crown of Manasseh (king of Judah) in the victory Stele is the same as the crown of Jehu (king of Israel) in the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III in 841 BC.
a. “Second Chronicles 33:11–16 indicates that he [Manasseh] was taken as a prisoner of war to Babylon, that he genuinely repented there, that God restored him as king, and that he tried to abolish his former pagan practices and to restore proper worship of God alone. Skepticism about this account is not warranted, even though unparalleled in 2 Kings. Surviving Assyrian records twice mention Manasseh, saying that he faithfully provided men to transport timber from Lebanon to Nineveh for the Assyrian king Esar-haddon (681–669 BC) and that he paid tribute to King Ashurbanipal (669–627 BC) after an Assyrian military campaign in Egypt in 667 BC.” (Tyndale Bible dictionary, Manasseh)
9. 669 BC, 10th Marcheshvan: Esarhaddon’s health problems worsened which likely prompted Pharaoh Tirhakah to rebel again against Assyria. This prompted a third attack on Egypt. However, Esarhaddon died in November (10th Marcheshvan) at Harran while marching to Egypt during the third Egyptian campaign. About this time, Manasseh’s penitent prayer to God resulted in him being restored as a vassal king in Judah. It is likely that Manasseh accompanied Esarhaddon’s army as a token of the alliance against Egypt and was finally released at Harran after the king died.
a. “In 669, tensions in Egypt had flared up. Esarhaddon was en route to invade the country for a third time when he fell ill and died. Because Ashurbanipal was involved in matters closer to home, Taharqa and his supporters took the opportunity to consolidate their autonomy over Egypt. The Kushite pharaoh marched to Memphis, entered the city, and began ridding Egypt of Assyria and its influence, starting with the garrisons stationed there by Esarhaddon. Upon hearing the news, Ashurbanipal dispatched a large army to Egypt. Along the way, numerous western vassals paid tribute and sent troops and equipment (including boats) to aid in the fight. Assyrian and Egyptian forces clashed at the city Kar-Banitu. Assyria won the day and, when news of this reached Memphis, Taharqa and his supporters fled to Thebes and then further south, beyond the reach of Ashurbanipal's army. The Assyrians once again occupied Memphis and dealt appropriately with anti-Assyrian conspirators. Afterwards, some of the local rulers who had supported or conspired with Taharqa, Necho and sarru-lu-dari in particular, were taken to Assyria. In the Assyrian capital, Ashurbanipal made Necho swear a new oath of fealty before he was permitted to return to his post. When the exiled Taharqa died [664 BC], his nephew Tanutamon, the son of Shabako, proclaimed himself pharaoh, secured Thebes and Heliopolis, and marched to Memphis. When news of the attack reached Nineveh, Ashurbanipal dispatched his army to Memphis. As soon as the Assyrians set foot on Egyptian soil, Tanutamon is reported to have fled south, first to Thebes, then to Kipkipi. The former city, a bustling metropolis and major religious center, was captured and plundered; in addition to an abundance of gold and silver, two metal obelisks were sent to Nineveh as part of the vast spoils of war. Psammetichus I (Nabu-sezibanni) was installed as ruler in Sais and Memphis; Tanutamon, however, remained the ruler of Kush and ruled from the south. After the sack of Thebes, Assyrian sources are silent on events in Egypt, apart from the fact that at some point Psammetichus had severed ties with Assyria and that the Lydian king Gyges had sent him troops.” (The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668-631 BC), Part I, Jamie Novotny, Joshua Jeffers, p17, 2018 AD)
10. 667 BC Prism A (Rassam) and Prism C of Ashurbanipal: Vassal Pharaoh Necho I (Neco) rebelled, triggering Ashurbanipal’s first campaign against Egypt in an alliance of 22 kings, including Manasseh king of Judah, resulted in the defeat of Pharaoh Tirhakah first at Memphis, then at Thebes. Tirhakah escaped and fled south into Nubia. Ashurbanipal reappointed Necho I and others as vassal rulers. Manasseh founded a Jewish military outpost at Elephantine in 667 BC as a function of his alliance with Ashurbanipal in defeating Tirhakah. In 536-526 BC, the Jews built a temple at Elephantine within ten years of the decree of Cyrus in 536 BC that predated Ezra’s Jerusalem temple by at least 10 years (515 BC). Heroditus (Hist. 2.29.2–30.5) noted a military outpost in the days of Psammetichus I and the Aramaic Elephantine Papyri remarked that when Cambyses, the king of Persian who succeeded Cyrus the Great, conquered Egypt in 525 BC, that he saw the Jewish temple standing at Elephantine. The Hebrew sacrifice of rams in their Elephantine temple was an open point of conflict with the Egyptians who worshipped the ram god Khnum at their nearby temple. The “Razing of Temple and Petition for Aid” Elephantine Papyri dated to 410 BC and indicates that it was these Egyptian priests who burned the Hebrew Temple.
11. 664 BC: Ashurbanipal’s second campaign against Egypt. After Tirhakah died in exile, his nephew, Tanutamon, recaptured Memphis and Thebes, killing Neco I. Psammetichus I (Psamtik I), the son of Neco I, fled to Assyria. Assyrian armies of Ashurbanipal and the armies of Psamtik I join forces and travel from Assyria to attack Egypt. When Ashurbanipal defeated Tanutamon at Memphis he fled south Thebes, then further south to Kipkipi where he continued to rule until being defeated by Psamtik I (Psammetichus I) in 656 BC. In 664 BC, Ashurbanipal appointed Psammetichus I as vassal Pharaoh at Sais (located 60 km south of Rosetta on the Canopic Branch of the Nile Delta) and Memphis. See the Prism A (Rassam) and Prism C of Ashurbanipal
12. 664-656 BC: Manasseh and Gyges sent troops to Psamtik I to help defeat Nubia. Psamtik I and Manasseh form an alliance and rebel against Assyria which is growing weaker with the rising Babylonian empire.
a. Manasseh declared independence from Ashurbanipal and helped Psamtik I (Psammetichus I) defeat Nubia by sending troops. See: Letter of Aristeas 13, 250 BC. Gyges, king of Lydia sent troops to Psamtik I in assistance see Prism A (Rassam) and Prism C of Ashurbanipal.
b. “Already in earlier times as well a fair number had entered the country with the Persian, and before them other confederate troops (i.e of Manasseh) had been dispatched to fight with Psammitichus against the king of the Ethiopians, but they were not so many in number as those brought over by Ptolemy the son of Lagos.” (Letter of Aristeas 13, 250 BC)
c. “664-663 BC: Gyges contacts Assyria; somewhat after that, a Cimmerian invasion of Lydia is defeated. 662-658 BC: Gyges sends mercenaries to Psammetichus [I]; Sais begins to expand in the Delta. 657 BC: Second wave of Cimmerians attack Lydia; last year of the Kushite domination of Thebes; Psammetichus rules over the entire Delta. 656 BC: Egypt unified under Sais.” (Date of the Death of Gyges and Its Historical Implications, Anthony J. Spalinger, Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol 98, no. 4, p405, 1978 AD)
13. 650 BC: Elephantine expanded by Manasseh. Although Elephantine was founded by Manasseh in 667 BC as a military outpost when he sent troops to help defend against Ashurbanipal I (Assyria), it was greatly expanded by Manasseh in 655 BC when Manasseh joined Pharaoh Psammetichus I and Gyges, king of Lydia where Nubia was defeated, and Egypt and Judea declared independence from Assyria.
14. 642 BC: Manasseh died, and Amon became king of Judah (642-640 BC).
15. 641 BC: Psammetichus I begins the 29-year siege of Ashdod which fell around 612 BC.
16. 640 BC: Amon died, and Josiah became king of Judah 640-609 BC. Josiah vacillated between alliances with Egypt and Assyria:
a. "Also the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes Have shaved the crown of your head." (Jeremiah 2:16)
b. “But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt, To drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, To drink the waters of the Euphrates?" (Jeremiah 2:18)
c. “Why do you go around so much Changing your way? Also, you will be put to shame by Egypt As you were put to shame by Assyria." (Jeremiah 2:36)
17. 612 BC: Fall of Assyria to Babylonians, and Ashdod is captured by Psamtik I after 29-year siege.
a. Nabopolassar captured Nineveh in alliance with the Medes.
b. In 605 BC, Jeremiah noted that Ashdod had recently been destroyed: “remnant of Ashdod” (Jer 25:20)
18. 610 BC: Psamtik I died, and Neco II becomes king who killed Josiah in 609 BC.
19. 609 BC: Neco II killed Josiah and appointed Jehoiakim king and pays tribute.
20. 608 BC: Jehoiakim submits to Nabopolassar in 608 BC when he conquered Neco II in Egypt
II. About Prism A of Esarhaddon:
“Numerous hexagonal clay prisms from Nineveh, Assur, and Susa have an Akkadian inscription that records Esarhaddon's military campaigns and the construction of the armory at Nineveh. Copies of this text were written in 673 and in 672 BC; several exemplars were inscribed just prior to the official nomination of Ashurbanipal and S'amag-guma-ukin as heirs to the thrones of Assyria and Babylon respectively. This text is commonly referred to as Nineveh Prism A (Nin. A).” (The Royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. King of Assyria, Vol. 4, Erle Leichty, #1, p9, 2011 AD)
III. Translations of Prism A of Esarhaddon:
A. Translation by Erle Leichty in 2011 AD of selected portions:
1. Second born chosen king over firstborn: “(Lines i 8-16) I am my older brothers' youngest brother (and) by the command of the gods Assur, Sin, Samas, Bel, and Nabu, attar of Nineveh, (and) Istar of Arbela, (my) father, who engendered me, elevated me firmly in the assembly of my brothers, saying: 'This is the son who will succeed me.' He questioned the gods Samas and Adad by divination, and they answered him with a firm 'yes,' saying: 'He is your replacement.' (i 15) He heeded their important word(s) and gathered together the people of Assyria, young (and) old, (and) my brothers, the seed of the house of my father. (Lines i 17-22) Before the gods Assur, Sin, Samas, (and) Marduk, the gods of Assyria, the gods who live in heaven and netherworld, he made them swear their solemn oath(s) concerning the safe-guarding of my succession. (i 20) In a favorable month, on a propitious day, in accordance with their sublime command, I joyfully entered the House of Succession, an awe-inspiring place within which the appointing to kingship (takes place). (Lines i 23-31) Persecution (and) jealousy fell over my broth¬ers and they forsook (the will) of the gods. They trusted in their arrogant deeds, and they were plotting evil. They started evil rumors, calumnies, (and) slander about me against the will of the gods, and they were constantly telling insincere lies, hostile things, behind my back. They alienated the well-meaning heart of my father from me, against the will of the gods, (but) deep down he was compassionate and his eyes were permanently fixed on my exercising kingship.” (The Royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. King of Assyria, Vol. 4, Erle Leichty, #1, p11-12, 2011 AD)
2. Trusting in your own power rather than the power of the gods: “(Lines iii 20-38) Moreover, Sanda-uarri, king of the cities Kundi and Sissu, a dangerous enemy, who did not fear my lordship (and) abandoned the gods, trusted in the impregnable mountains. He (and) Abdi-Milkuti, king of Sidon, (iii 25) agreed to help one another, swore an oath by their gods with one another, and trusted in their own strength. I trusted in the gods Assur, Sin, Samas, Bel, and Nabu, the great gods, my lords, (iii 30) besieged him, caught him like a bird from the midst of the mountains, and cut off his head. "In Tasritu (VII) — the head of Abdi-Milkuti! In Addaru (XII) — the head of Sanda-uarri!" I beheaded (both) in the same year: 35) With the former I did not delay, with the latter I was quick. To show the people the might of the god Assur, my lord, I hung (the heads) around the necks of their nobles and I paraded in the squares of Nineveh with singer(s) and lyre(s).” (The Royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. King of Assyria, Vol. 4, Erle Leichty, #1, p17, 2011 AD)
3. Recycling the idol statues of the Arabian gods by inscribing the name of your own god on theirs to show superiority: “(Lines iv 1-16) (As for) the city Adumutu, the fortress of the Arabs, which Sennacherib, king of Assyria, (my) father, who engendered me, conquered and whose goods, possessions, (and) gods, together with Apkallatu, the queen of the Arabs, (iv 5) he plundered and brought to Assyria — Hazael, the king of the Arabs, came to Nineveh, my capital city, with his heavy audience gift and kissed my feet. He implored me to give (back) his gods, and I had pity on him. (iv 10) I refurbished the gods Atar-samayin, Daya, Nubaya, Ruldawu, Abirillu, (and) Atar-quruma, the gods of the Arabs, and I inscribed the might of the god Assur, my lord, and (an inscription) written in my name on them and gave (them) back to him. (iv 15) I placed the lady Tabriz, who was raised in the palace of my father, as ruler over them and returned her to her land with her gods.” (The Royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. King of Assyria, Vol. 4, #1, Erle Leichty, p19, 2011 AD)
4. Capture of Manasseh king of Judah: “(Lines v 54-73a) I summoned the kings of Hatti and Across the River (Syria-Palestine): (v 55) Ba'alu, king of Tyre, Manasseh, king of Judah, Qa'us-gabri, king of Edom, Musuri, king of Moab, Sil-Bel, king of Gaza, Mitinti, king of Ashkelon, Ikausu, king of Ekron, king of Byblos, (v 60) Mattan-Ba'al, king of Arvad, Abi-Ba'al, king of Samsimurruna, Bildi-il, king of Bit-Ammon, Ali-Milki, king of Ashdod — twelve kings from the shore of the sea; Ekistura, king of Idalion, Pilagura, king of Kitrusi, (v 65) Kisu, king of Salamis, Ituandar, king of Paphos, Eresu, king of Soloi, Damasu, king of Curium, Admesu, king of Tamassos, Damysos, king of Qarti-hadasti, (v 70) Unasagusu, king of Lidir, Bususu, king of Nuria — ten kings of Iadnana (Cyprus) in the midst of the sea; in total, twenty-two kings of Hatti (Syria-Palestine), the seacoast, and the midst of the sea. (Lines v 73b-vi 1) I sent orders to all of them for large beams, tall columns, (and) very long planks (v 75) of cedar (and) cypress, grown on Mount Sirara and Mount Lebanon, which from early days grew thick and tall, (and) they had bull colossi (made of) pendu-stone, lamassu-statues, zebus, paving stones, slabs of marble, pendu-stone, breccia, colored marble, brownish limestone, (and) girimhilibu-stone, (everything that was) needed for my palace, dragged with much trouble (and) effort from the midst of the mountains, the place of their origin, to Nineveh, my capital city.” (The Royal inscriptions of Esarhaddon. King of Assyria, Vol. 4, Erle Leichty, #1, p23-24, 2011 AD)
B. Translation #2 in ANET 291:
“I called up the kings of the country Hatti and (of the region) on the other side of the river (Euphrates) (to wit): Ba’lu, king of Tyre, Manasseh (Me-na-si-i), king of Judah (Ia-ú-di), Qaushgabri, king of Edom, Musuri, king of Moab, Sil-Bel, king of Gaza, Metinti, king of Ashkelon, Ikausu, king of Ekron, Milkiashapa, king of Byblos, Matanba’al, king of Arvad, Abiba’al, king of Samsimuruna, Puduil, king of Beth-Ammon, Ahimilki, king of Ashdod—12 kings from the seacoast; Ekishtura, king of Edi’il (Idalion), PilAssura (Pythagoras), king of Kitrusi (Chytros), Kisu, king of Sillu’ua (Soli), Ituandar, king of Pappa (Paphos), Erisu, king of Silli, Damasu, king of Kuri (Curium), Atmesu, king of Tamesi, Damusi, king of Qarti-hadasti (Carthage), Unasagusu, king of Lidir (Ledra), Bususu, king of Nuria,—10 kings from Cyprus (Iadnana) amidst the sea, together 22 kings of Hatti, the seashore and the islands; all these I sent out and made them transport under terrible difficulties, to Nineveh, the town (where I exercise) my rulership, as building material for my palace: big logs, long beams (and) thin boards from cedar and pine trees, products of the Sirara and Lebanon (Lab-na-na) mountains, which had grown for a long time into tall and strong timber, (also) from their quarries (lit.: place of creation) in the mountains, statues of protective deities (lit.: of Lamassû and Shêdu) made of a š n a n -stone, statues of (female) abzaztu, thresholds, slabs of limestone, of a š n a n -stone, of large- and small-grained breccia, of alallu-stone, (and) of g i. r i n. ḫ i. l i. b a -stone.” (Esarhaddon, Prism A, Columns V:54–VI:1, ANET 291)
Conclusion:
1. Prism A of Esarhaddon corroborates the Bible story that Manasseh was a vassal of Esarhaddon.
a. While the inscription doesn’t provide details of his capture, deportation to Nineveh and restoration to the throne in Jerusalem, it does directly connect the two kings in history.
2. 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.
