This document provides historical context about Israel and Judah from approximately 1200 BCE to 700 BCE, including: 1) It mentions the earliest known record of "Israel" from the Merneptah Stele from 1210 BCE. 2) It describes the early kingdoms of Israel and Judah, including King Saul, King David establishing Jerusalem, and mentions of Israel and the House of David on the Tel Dan Stele. 3) It discusses the divided monarchies of Israel and Judah and their interactions with Assyria, including kings paying tribute to avoid conquest. Key Assyrian rulers mentioned are Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser V. 4) Biblical

1. Isaiah and Assyria

2. Israel before the Assyrian Empire

3. The Merneptah Stele (1210 B.C.E.) THE FIRST MENTION OF “ ISRAEL” AS A PEOPLE “ ISRAEL IS LAID WASTE, HIS SEED IS NOT.” Cairo Museum, Egypt “ The name Israel is included among the list of defeated peoples, hence the name Israel stele, referring not to a country but to a tribe of the same name. ”

4. Iron Age ca. 1200 – 586 B.C.E. United Monarchy ca. 1020 – 925 B.C.E.

6. The City of David (1000 B.C.E.) “ The King and his men set out for Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the region. David was told, “You will never get in here! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back. But David captured the stronghold of Zion; it is now the City of Zion.” 2 Samuel 5:6-7 Area G The Jebusite (Canaanite) Fortress Zion The Spring of Gihon

7. Dr. Eilat Mazar A monumental structure, dating back to the eleventh century BCE, was discovered in excavations in the City of David by archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar. Dr. Gabi Barkay , who has been awarded the Jerusalem Prize for Archaeology, believes it to be an official public structure, possibly Metzudat Zion or a palace from the time of Kings David and Solomon.

8. King David “… And the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.  So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron ; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel .  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.” SAMUEL 5:2-4

9. Tel Dan Stele Erected by Hazael, King of Aram (840 B.C.E.) Skirball Museum Jerusalem, Israel THE FIRST MENTION OF “ THE NATION ISRAEL” AND THE “ HOUSE OF DAVID” “ [I killed Jeho]ram son of [Ahab] KING OF ISRAEL … And [I] SLEW [the king] of the HOUSE OF DAVID . ”

10. Iron Age ca. 1200 – 586 B.C.E. Divided Monarchy ca. 925 – 721 B.C.E.

11. Pharaoh Shoshenq I (Shishak) of Egypt “ In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, King Shishak of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the King’s house; he took everything.” 1 Kings 14:25-26

12. Pharaoh Shoshenq I (925 B.C.E.) On an inscription at Karnak , Shoshenq boasts of his conquests of Arad, Gibeon and Megiddo (Armageddon) in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah . Five Years later, Shoshenq’s son Osorkon recorded giving gifts of silver and gold to the gods and goddesses of Egypt on a granite pillar in a temple at Bubastis. It seems unlikely to be a mere coincidence that almost immediately after Shoshenq had looted the wealth of Jerusalem that Osorkon could dispose so freely of so much gold. Amun Temple Karnak, Egypt

14. Assyria asserts itself in the Levant 859 BCE

15. King Ahab (853 B.C.E.) The Kurkh Stele mentions the battle of Qarqar, which King Shalmaneser III of Assyria fought against Israel and Aram. It reports that King Ahab of Israel sent 10,000 soldiers and 2,000 chariots to the battle. British Museum

16. King Mesha of Moab/ King Ahab of Israel “ King Mesha of Moab was a sheepmaster, and he used to pay the King of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams as tribute. But when Ahab died , the King of Moab rebelled against the King of Israel.” 2 Kings 3:4-5

17. The Moabite Stone (835 B.C.E.) Courtesy of The Louvre The Moabite Stone was erected by King Mesha the Moabite in 835 B.C.E. It mentions the name of Omri, King of Israel and “his son” King Ahab . “ Omri was the king of Israel, and he oppressed Moab for many days for Kemosh was angry with his land. And his son succeeded him.”

19. Seal of Jezebel (9 th - 8 th c. B.C.E.) This richly ornamented Seal of Jezebel bears the name “Jezebel” in Phoenician script. Jezebel is mentioned in the Bible as the wife of King Ahab, ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel. Israel Museum Jerusalem, Israel

20. Asherah Queen Jezebel financially supported 450 prophets of the god Baal and 400 of the god Asherah (1 Kings 18:19). In a great showdown on Mount Carmel, the prophet Elijah demonstrated the lack of power held by these gods and their prophets. This incident caused Jezebel to threaten Elijah’s life, which led him to escape to the Sinai desert.

21. King Jehu “ So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks  , and his priests, until he left none remaining.” 2 Kings 10:11

22. Shalmaneser III’s Black Obelisk (840 B.C.E.) “ I received tribute from Jehu successor of Omri : silver, gold, a gold bowl, a gold tureen, gold vessels, gold buckets, tin, the staffs of the king’s hand, spears.” Black Obelisk British Museum, London, England

23. King Adad-nirari III ca. 797 B.C.E. In the first decade of the eighth century BCE, King Adad-nirari III of Assyria campaigned against Damascus in southwestern Syria. While in the region, the Assyrian monarch also extracted tribute from King Joash of Israel, whom he calls by name in a boastful victory inscription –– the recently discovered Tell al-Rimah stela, which was published in 1968.

24. King Tiglath-Pileser III (Pul) of Assyria King Pul of Assyria invaded the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver that he might support him and strengthen his hold on the kingdom. 2 Kings 15:19

25. King Tiglath-Pileser III (730 B.C.E.) Tiglath-Pileser is shown here in an eighth-century B.C.E. limestone Stele from his palace at Nimrud. In 738, he erected this inscription commonly referred to as the Iran Stele, in which he recounts the imposition of tribute on King Menachem of Israel. British Museum

26. The Annals of Tiglath-Pileser III “ In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor – Gilead, Galilee, the entire region of Naphtali; and he deported the inhabitants to Assyria. Hoshea son Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah, attacked him, and killed him.” 2 Kings 15:29-30 “ Israel (lit.: “Omri-Land Bit Humria ) . . . All its inhabitants (and) their possessions I led to Assyria. They overthrew their king Pekah ( Pa-qa-ha ) and I placed Hoshea ( A-ú-si-’ ) as king over them. I received from them 10 talents of gold, 1,000 (?) talents of silver as their [tri]bute and brought them to Assyria.” Summary inscription 4

27. The Annals of Tiglath-Pileser III “ [Jeho]ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria to say, “I am your servant and your son; come and deliver me from the hands of the king of Aram and from the hands of the king of Israel, who are attacking me. Ahaz took the gold and silver that were on hand in the House of the Lord and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent them as a gift to the king of Assyria.” II Kings 16:7-8 “ In all the countries which . . . [I received] the tribute of . . . Jehoahaz ( Ia-ú-ha-zi ) of Judah ( Ia-ú-da-a-a ) . . . (consisting of) gold, silver, tin, iron, antimony, linen garments with multicolored trimmings . . .” Summary inscription 7

28. Jonah Jonah Thrown into the Sea, Catacomb of Saint Peter and Saint Marcellino, Rome, 4th century CE According to the biblical Book of Jonah, God commanded Jonah to travel to the great Assyrian capital, Nineveh, and threaten its destruction: 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying ,2 " Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you ." 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD . Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three - day journey in extent . 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk . Then he cried out and said, “ Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown .” (Jonah 3:1-4) The date of the Book of Jonah is uncertain, but it clearly reflects a reality in which Assyria was a major power in the Middle East.

31. King Shalmaneser V (727-722 B.C.E.) “ King Shalmaneser marched against him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute… In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria. He deported the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, at the [River] Habor, at the River Gozan, and in the towns of Media. -2 Kings 17:3,6 The Destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel – “The Ten Lost Tribes”

32. Babylonian Chronicle 1 (7 th c. B.C.E.) “ On the twenty-fifth day of the month of Tebet Shalmaneser (V) ascended the throne in Assyria <and Akkad>. He ravaged Samaria .”

33. King Sargon II of Assyria (720 B.C.E.) “ Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”  (2 Kings 17:5-6)

34. King Sargon II (720 B.C.E.) Sargon II succeeded Shalmaneser V as king of Assyria during or shortly after the siege of Samaria, which is described in 2 Kings 17:1-6 . Sargon nevertheless took credit for the capture of Samaria and the final elimination of the northern kingdom of Israel. Following the lead of his predecessor Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon ordered the forced relocation of the conquered Israelites. British Museum

35. The Assyrian Repopulation of Samaria “ The king of Assyria brought [people] from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and he settled them in the towns of Samaria in place of the Israelites; they took posession of Samaria and dwelt in its towns.” 2 Kings 17:24

37. Iron Age ca. 1200 – 586 B.C.E. Judah Under Assyrian and Babylonian Domination ca. 721-586 B.C.E.

38. Assyria Attacks Lachish Hezekiah ignored Isaiah’s warning that revolt against Assyria was a mistake: &quot;Woe to the obstinate children, declares the LORD, to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge.&quot; Isaiah 30:1-2 “ In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched against all the fortified towns of Judah and seized them. King Hezekiah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: “I have done wrong: withdraw from me; and I shall bear whatever you impose on me,” So the king of Assyria imposed upon king Hezekiah of Judah a payment three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.” 2 Kings 18:13 - 14

41. The Siloam Tunnel “ When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib intended to attack Jerusalem, he planned with his civil and military officers to stop up the water of the springs outside the city; and they helped him. They gathered together a large number of people and stopped up all the springs and the stream which flowed through the land. ‘Why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?’ they asked … Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David .” 2 Chronicles 32:2–4

44. King Sennacherib of Assyria “ And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.”  2 Kings 19:35-36

48. “ May The Lord bless you and keep you . The Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” THE PRIESTLY BLESSING Numbers 6:22-27:

49. The Oldest Biblical Scripture: The Silver Scroll Amulet (650 B.C.E.) Israel Museum This silver plaque and another silver plaque found next to it are the earliest known fragments of a biblical text, predating the oldest of the Dead Sea scrolls from Qumran by almost four hundred years . Inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew and rolled up into tiny scrolls, both plaques served as protective amulets for the dead and were uncovered in a burial cave at Ketef Hinnom. The inscriptions were written in the cursive style by a non-professional scribe.

50. First Example of “Ethical Monotheism” “ If ever you take your neighbors garment in pledge , you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, if it is his mantle for his body, in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” Exodus 22:25-26

55. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon “ At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.  And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.” 2 Kings 24:10-11

57. King Jehoiachin “ And he (Nebuchadnezzar) carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon , and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.” 2 Kings 24:15

62. Gemariah Son of Shaphan “ It was then that Baruch—in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, near the new gateway of the House of the Lord—read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll to all the people in the House of the Lord.” Jeremiah 36:10

66. The Persian Empire and Isaiah 2 ca. 536 – 333 B.C.E.

68. Prayer for King Nabonidus of Babylonia (555-539 B.C.E.) “ I was afflicted [ with an evil ulcer ] for seven years…and an exorcist pardoned my sins . He was a Jew from among the [ children of the exile of Judah, and said, ] ‘Recount this in writing to [ glorify and exalt ] the Name of the [ Most High God ] ’” ( I . 3-5.)

69. Belshazzar's Feast and the Writing on the Wall, Rembrandt ( 1606-1669)

72. King Cyrus of Persia and the First Return to Zion “ King Cyrus of Persia, in the first year of his reign made a decree that the house of God should be rebuilt (in Jerusalem). ‘Take these vessels ( Cyrus said to Sheshbazzar , whom he had made governor of Judea) go and put them in the Temple in Jerusalem and let the house of God be rebuilt on its site.’” (Ezra 5:13-15)

75. Darius I, 522-486 BCE

80. Second Return to Zion, 433 BCE &quot;this Ezra came up from Babylon . He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.“ (Ezra 7:6) &quot;Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire .“ (Nehemiah 1:3)

83. The Jewish Community in Elephantine