Continued: Chapter X- The Divided Kingdom

A careful study of the facts as they are presented in II Kings 17 will throw a bright ray of light on the stirring events of that time. Verses 7-18 set forth the divine interpretation of the underlying causes which were operative in both Judah and Israel, which were bringing them rapidly to the precipice of national destruction, and which at that time issued in the complete collapse of the northern kingdom. The writer of Kings in the remaining part of the book, however, shows that the same destructive forces which had brought about Israel's downfall were silently yet actively operative in Judah and finally worked out in the destruction of Judah about a century and a quarter later.

One must be careful in his study of II Kings 17:19-23, because the term Israel is here used in two different senses. Its significance, however, in verse 23 is a reference to the northern kingdom. Here we read: "so Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day"--to the day of the writing of the book of Kings. Were all the inhabitants of the land deported? This question must be answered in the light of all the data. In the first place, let us note the fact that the Assyrian policy, established by Tiglath-pileser III, was to deport the leading citizens of a conquered territory and to settle them in some other province of his domains. This principle of government, we learn from the Assyrian history, was continued by his successors. But, in the second place, let us note the fact that, when the kingdom of Judah suffered under the sledge-hammer blows of Babylon in the reign of Jehoiachin, the same sacred historian declared that Nebuchadnezzar "carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land" (II Kings 24:14). The first statement of this quotation declares that all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were taken, but the writer instantly shows that he does not mean it in the absolute sense of the term. Zedekiah was placed upon the throne by Nebuchadnezzar and reigned over the kingdom for 11 years. At the expiration of this period Judah went down in defeat before the Babylonian armies.

A third line of evidence is found in II Kings 17:24-41 which divides into the following sections: verses 24-33; 34-40; and 41. According to verses 24-26, the Assyrians having deported the flower of the nation brought in certain Asiatic immigrants and settled them in the land of Israel. By having a heterogeneous population in a land, the Assyrians thought to reduce to the minimum the possibility of armed insurrection. This policy we see in operation here. Soon the newcomers had difficulty with the wild beasts and reported the same to Nineveh. They attributed their troubles to their lack of knowledge of the god of the land. Hence one of the exiled priests was brought back to teach them his religion. The sacred writer tells us that these immigrants continued to worship their gods and added Jehovah as one more to their pantheon. This fact is clear from verse 33: "they feared Jehovah and served their own gods," etc.

A class of people different from those whom we have been discussing is presented in verses 34-40. We are told that these here mentioned "fear not Jehovah, neither do they after their statutes," etc. A careful perusal of this section shows that the people of whom the writer was speaking were those to whom God gave His law when He brought them out of Egypt. They, of course, were none other than the people of the northern kingdom and were of those who, in Hebrew colloquial language, are the "Am-haarets." Let us note carefully the contrast between the two classes. The immigrants feared Jehovah and served their own gods, whereas the ones discussed in verses 34-40 did according to their former manner, in that they did not fear; that is, worship Jehovah, nor do according to His statutes. These facts indicate clearly that this latter class can be none other than the great mass of the people of the northern kingdom among whom the Asiatics had been colonized.

Our writer reverts to his discussion of the newcomers in verse 41 by stating that those nations served their graven images and at the same time feared Jehovah.

A fourth line of argument in support of our proposition is the fact that after the downfall of the northern kingdom, the historians of the period and the prophets living after that calamity all speak of Israel as still being in the land. (For a full discussion of this subject see my book British-Israelism under the Searchlight.)

From the reigns of Rehoboam in Judah and Jeroboam in Israel to the fall of Samaria was a period of 264 years. During this time the chronology of the rival kingdoms is locked and interlocked by the many Scriptural statements relative to the reigns of the monarchs of the two governments. The chronological history of one kingdom dovetails into that of the other so that we may be certain that the reckoning thus far is absolutely correct. From this point, however, onward to the days of Josiah we do not have such a check, neither is there need for it.

Hezekiah reigned 29 years, his last year being 287 of the disruption. His son Manasseh succeeded him to the throne and reigned 55 years. Hence his last year was 342 of this era. He was one of the most profligate and debased of the kings of Judah. When, however, he sinned, God permitted him to be taken to Babylon in chains (II Chron. 33:10-13) but, when he repented, he was restored to his throne. Amon, his son, followed him, reigned 2 years, but surpassed him in wickedness. Then Josiah came to the throne in 345 of the disruption and reigned 31 years. This brings us to the year 375 of this era.

According to II Kings 23:31-35, Pharaoh-necoh king of Egypt deposed Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, who succeeded his father on the throne and reigned only 3 months. In his stead Pharaoh installed Eliakim, another son of Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Jehoahaz's 3 months fell within the limits of his father's last year for, if they had not, and he had been on the throne at the first of the year, he would have been given one year according to the Judahite method. That this position is correct will be proved when we check the reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, and Jehoiakim by the 23 years mentioned in Jeremiah 25.

Jehoiakim reigned in the year 376 of the disruption and continued on the throne 11 years, his death year being 386 of the disruption, which is in the Ptolemaic system 597 B.C.E.

Jehoiachin mounted the throne upon his father's death and reigned 3 months. At that time Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem, deposed Jehoiachin, installed Mattaniah, whose name he changed to Zedekiah, and deported the deposed monarch to Babylon. Jehoiachin's 3 months likewise fell within the 11th year of Jehoiakim, for, when the reigns of these monarchs are checked by longer periods found in the prophets, it is ascertained that his 3 months are included in his father's last year.

Zedekiah reigned 11 years (II Kings 24:18). In the 9th year of his administration the king of Babylon besieged the city of Jerusalem, which fell in the 4th month of Zedekiah's 11th year. In the 5th month and on the 7th day Nebuzaradan, the captain of Nebuchadnezzar's guard, burned the temple and the royal palace. This year was 586 B.C.E. in the Ptolemaic system. Nebuchadnezzar placed Gedaliah as governor in Judaea over the remnant of the land after the complete collapse of Jewish resistance in this fatal year, 586 B.C.E., which was 3539 A.H.

Jeremiah 25 is one of the most important passages in the entire revelation of God from a chronological standpoint, in that it synchronizes Biblical chronology with Babylonian history.

"The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah (the same was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon), which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: From the thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, even unto this day, these three and twenty years, the word of Jehovah hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. And Jehovah hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them (but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear), saying, Return ye now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that Jehovah hath given unto you and to your fathers, from of old and even for evermore: and go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith Jehovah; that ye may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt. Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Because ye have not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover, I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith Jehovah, for their iniquity and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it desolate for ever. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall make bondmen of them, even of them: and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands" (Jeremiah 25:1-14).

This passage, especially verses 1 to 3, enables us to check the reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, and Jehoiakim, because it begins with the year of Jeremiah's call, which event is dated as the 13th year of Josiah and continues to Jeremiah's 23rd year, which, in turn, is the 4th year of Jehoiakim. When we count the years from the 13th of Josiah to the 4th of Jehoiakim, we have exactly 23. This fact is the proof that the 3 months of Jehoahaz fell within the last year of his father, Josiah.

This 3rd year of Jehoiakim was the beginning of the Babylonian exile, which in the Ptolemaic dates is 605 B.C.E. and 3520 A.H. in the Biblical chronology. That there was a war against Judah in this year and that captives were deported to Babylon are clear from Daniel 1:1-7. We must understand that the Babylonian captivity began in this year, because subsequent chronology is dependent upon this fact. Nebuchadnezzar fought against Jerusalem in this year, not as king of Babylon, but as crown prince, who succeeded his father Nabopolasser the next year. This 3rd year of Jehoiakim was the beginning of the desolations of Jerusalem mentioned by Daniel in chapter 9:1,2. Unfortunately some commentators have mistakenly understood that the exile began in the 4th year of Jehoiakim, because in this year Jeremiah gave the revelation that many of the nations of western Asia and northern Africa should submit themselves to the yoke of the king of Babylon. As seen above, the Chaldeans first struck at Jerusalem in Jehoiakim's 3rd year, but the prophecy concerning Babylon's subjugation of the surrounding nations was given in the following year. In harmony with this position is the statement of Jeremiah 25:17,18 that Jerusalem was the first to feel the power of Babylon's strong hand. With the kingdom of Judah already suffering under the initial blow of Nebuchadnezzar as visible proof of his power and as a warning to others not to resist, Jeremiah made this astounding prediction in Jehoiakim's 4th year. The destruction wrought, therefore, in Judah gave point and cogency to his prophecy and doubtless struck terror to the hearts of the neighboring states.

Under section one, we have traced the course of events in both the northern and southern kingdoms. During this time Israel was in very close touch with neighboring countries, especially Egypt, Syria, and Assyria. In this section, however, we shall call attention only to those contacts, which assist in the chronological question, and which show in a marked degree the accuracy of the sacred writings.

Every one who is familiar with the writings of the Egyptologists knows that there is little unanimity among these experts. In fact, they vary as much as one thousand years in some of the chronological data which they present. At the present stage of investigation it is impossible for one to be dogmatic. The diversity of opinion relates largely to the earliest stages of her history. When, however, we come to the tenth century before the common era, the differences are not so great.

We are told that Shishak came against King Rehoboam in the fifth year of his reign, taking away the treasures of the house of the Lord and of the king's palace, besides many shields of gold, etc. (I Kings 14:25, 26; II Chronicles 12:2-9).

As we know, Shishak was the founder of the twenty-second or Bubastite Dynasty. Near the close of his twenty-first year Shishak commissioned his chief of public works to execute a memorial of his conquests on the walls of the temple of Amon at Karnak. In this great bas-relief he mentioned the name of 130 cities of the kingdom of Judah, which he took during his invasion of Palestine. When I was in Luxor (1937), I had the privilege of looking upon this inscription. Shishak does not give us the exact date of his conquest of Palestine. Authorities differ in regard to it. Although we cannot settle this chronological question, the inscription on the walls at Karnak is confirmatory evidence of the Biblical record. As one will see if he turns to the tables at the end of this chapter, the fifth year of Rehoboam, when the invasion occurred, was 978 B.C.E. or 3147 A.H. Thus the monument confirms the Biblical record.

The celebrated Moabite stone brings additional confirmation of the Biblical account. Herewith, I give a translation of it:

"I Mesha am son of Chemosh-(Gad?), King of Moab, the Dibonite. My father reigned over Moab 30 years, and I reigned after my father. And I erected this high place to Chemosh at Kahara (a Stone of Sal) vation for he saved me from all despoilers (?) and let me see my desire upon all my enemies. Omri was King of Israel, and oppressed Moab many days, for Chemosh was angry with his land. His son succeeded him, and he also said, I will oppress Moab. In my days he said, Let us go and I will see my desire on him and on his house, and Israel said I shall destroy it for ever. Now Omri took the land Medeba and occupied it his days and half his son's days (or he and his son and his son's) son forty years. And Chemosh had mercy on it in my days; and I built Baal Meon, and made therein the reservoir and I built Kirjathaim. And the men of Gad dwelled in the land ('Ataro)th from of old, and the King of Israel restored (At)aroth, and I assaulted the city and captured it."

Mesha claims that his father reigned over Moab for 30 years. Following that period his country was under the domination of Israel for 40 years--during the reigns of Omri, Ahab, and Jehoram. (See II Kings 1:1 and 3:1-27.) A glance at the chart at the end of this chapter shows that Omri began to reign in 936 B.C.E., Ahab in 925, and Jehoram in 904. Thus it was during the reigns of these 3 monarchs that Israel held sway over Moab, but in the reigns of Ahaziah and Jehoram Mesha rebelled and finally gained freedom for the land. Thus this famous monument is corroborative evidence of the accuracy of the Scriptural account.

The most important discoveries have been made in the Tigris-Euphrates valley. The mounds, covered by centuries of dirt and sand, have yielded their secrets in a great measure to us. We now find confirmatory evidence concerning many things recorded in the Scriptures. The monuments from the Assyrian rulers are of special importance to Bible students. I can, however, examine only those which have special bearing upon the chronological question.

I wish to call attention to two inscriptions of Shalmaneser. The first, bearing on our question, is known as the Kurkh Monolith. The translation may be seen in Rawlinson's Cuneiform Inscriptions, Volume III, page 8. This monument speaks of Shalmaneser's leaving Nineveh in his sixth year, his crossing the Tigris and the Euphrates, his war against Syria and her allies, and his capturing 12,000 chariots, 1200 carriages, and 20,000 men from Benhadad of Syria; 700 chariots, 700 carriages, and 10,000 men of Irhuleni of Hamath; 2,000 chariots, and 10,000 men of Ahab of Sirhala (Israel).

The second momument is known as the Bull inscription. It may be found in Rawlinson's Cuneiform Inscriptions, Volume III, page 5. Shalmaneser speaks in this record of his crossing the Euphrates river in his 18th year and of his conquest at that time.

"In my 18th year the sixteenth time the river Euphrates I crossed. Hazael of Syria ... I overthrew. 18,000 men of his army with weapons I destroyed. 1,121 of his chariots, 470 of his carriages, with his camp, I took from him. To save his life he fled. After him I pursued, in Damascus his royal city I besieged him. ... In those days the tribute of Tyre and Zidon, of Jehu son of Omri, I received."

This war is also referred to on the black obelisk of this same monarch. The inscription is as follows:

"Tribute of Jehu son of Omri, silver, gold, bowls of gold, cups of gold, bottles of gold, vessels of gold, maces, royal utensils, and rods of wood I received from him."

We can see from these quotations that Shalmaneser came into contact with Israel twice: First in the 6th year of his reign and later in his 18th. His 6th year was 854 B.C.E. (Assyrian date), 905 (Ptolemaic reckoning), and 3220 A.H. In I Kings 22:1, 2, we read that there was a truce between Israel and Syria for 3 years; but in the 3rd year Ahab formed an alliance with Jehoshaphat of Judah and went to war against the Syrians at Ramoth-gilead. The account is found in I Kings 22. These 3 years of truce were evidently the 19th, 20th, and 21st years of Ahab, in the last of which we find Ahab joined in an alliance of 12 nations with Ben-hadad king of Syria against Shalmaneser of Assyria. The confederated kings were defeated according to the Assyrian monuments. This coalition evidently was broken up immediately after the battle, because we see Ahab of Israel and Jehoshaphat of Judah warring against Ramoth-gilead in an effort to reclaim certain portions of the Transjordanic territory, which had earlier been seized by the Syrians.

Shalmaneser's 6th year could not have been later than the 21st of Ahab, for in his 22nd and last year he was not in alliance with Ben-hadad of Syria, but at war with him. At this time, the 21st year of Ahab's reign, 905 B.C.E. and 854 B.C.E. (Assyrian date), Ben-hadad and Ahab fought against Shalmaneser and were defeated. In this year Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, was associated with his father as co-rex--during his father's absence at the battle-front. In the following year he was no longer in alliance with Ben-hadad, but with Jehoshaphat was fighting against him at Ramoth-gilead.

In Shalmaneser's 18th year, which was 842 B.C.E. (Assyrian date), 893 B.C.E. (Ptolemaic count), and 3232 A.H., he made his sixteenth campaign west of the Euphrates. On this occasion he fought against Hazael of Damascus and received tribute from the kings of Tyre and Sidon and from Jehu of Israel. Evidently Jehu was on the throne of Israel at that time. Had this campaign been made the year before, Jehu would not have been king, for Jehoram was still reigning.

The set-up of the forces of the conflict in the 6th year of Shalmaneser was not possible a year later, because Israel and Syria were then at war. Neither could the campaign of his 18th year have been earlier, for Jehu, who paid tribute at this time, only came to power during that year. The situation reflected on the monuments fits exactly that set forth in the Scriptures. The synchronism is perfect. There is no reason for doubting any point of the entire situation; therefore, we see confirmation of the accuracy and genuineness of the Sacred Writings. This synchronism is also determinative. It helps to fix every other well-established date at which Assyria came in contact with Israel and Judah.

We, therefore, have been able to synchronize the Assyrian dates with the Ptolemaic system by means of the sixth and the eighteenth years of Shalmaneser. We see that 860 B.C.E. of the Assyrian reckoning was in reality 911 in the Ptolemaic system and 3214 in the anno homonis dates. Beginning with 962 B.C.E. in the Ptolemaic dating and counting forward for 129 years, we have an unbroken period that is established by the Assyrian eponym method of counting time. These years through the synchronism afforded by the Shalmaneser monuments have been detached from 782 B.C.E. and pushed backward. Thus there is a gap of 51 years in Assyrian chronology. This period so far as our present knowledge is concerned is a perfect blank. From 782 B.C.E. and forward the Assyrian dates agree with the Ptolemaic reckoning.

The Assyrian eponym list reaches from 962 B.C.E. (the first year of king Asa) to 647 B.C.E. (the 49th year of Manasseh). This list has been compiled by Assyriologists from fragmentary accounts that have been discovered. Admittedly there are gaps, as seen above, here and there. One of these was 51 years in duration. It occurred between 834 and 783 B.C.E. There have arisen, therefore, two camps of Assyriologists: the advocates of the longer chronology and the adherents of the shorter scheme. In view of the synchronism noted above, I am convinced that the longer chronology is correct.

There are other points of contact between Israel and Assyria, which are most interesting and very illuminating, but these do not affect the chronological problem as it has been worked out in Section I and presented in the tabulation that follows.

The tabulation on the following page continues the chronology of the monarchical period from the disruption of the kingdom to the time of the Babylonian captivity. This is the pictorial representation of the facts presented in the foregoing discussion. As in the chart at the conclusion of chapter VIII, each line represents a year. We have already learned that there were two methods of computing time during the first part of this period: The Judaite and the Israelite reckonings.

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES OF THE PERIOD FROM THE DISRUPTION OF THE KINGDOM TO THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

Each year is represented by a line across the page. Four columns are at the left side of the page. The three first are the same as were seen in the former chart. The fourth is the reckoning for the years of the disruption. From the division of the kingdom to the fall of Samaria the two kingdoms run parallel. The years are a check one against the other. To the right is the column for events, references, etc.

Continue to tables on next page