JUDAH AT ITS GLORY" א" תשע כסלו ג כ

NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Ahaz 735-727Hezekia 727-697Manasseh 697-642Amon 642-640Josiah 640-609

AHAZ 735-727BCE

Ahaz 735-727BCE

Evil King Was under the influence of

Assyrian expansion He called on Assyria to attack

Israel and Damascus The Attack led to the destruction

of Damascus Ahaz was influenced by the

Assyrian Avodah Zarah and even brought his own son to Molech

They brought sacrifices to Avodah Zarah throughout the land of Judah

He traveled to Damascus to meet with Tiglath- pileser

While there he saw and Assyrian Altar and built a copy of an Assyrian Altar in the Beis Hamikdash

HEZEKIAH 727-698 BCE

Hezekiah 727-698 BCE

Population Influx

Assyrian Avodah Zarah – sun worship

After the destruction of Samaria the people of Israel who were not deported moved to Judah

Judah’s population doubled in the decade after the fall of Samaria

Imported were all the craftsmen, traders, and people who live in the big cities

With the people of Israel also came much of the syncretistic worship that they practiced

Hezekiah 727-698 BCE

Relations with Assyria

the New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavation in the Holy LandA victory stele of Sargon II written in cuneiform, of which just three tiny pieces have been recovered, used to be the only archaeological evidence of an Assyrian presence at Ashdod. However, the recently discovered palace just north of Tel Ashdod now confirms that, after conquering and exiling the local peoples, the Assyrians built a provincial center here from which to rule a part of their western empire. This black basalt fragment measures approximately 9 inches square and is written in a different hand from the other two fragments, so there may have been more than one victory stele. The attribution to Sargon II is based on parallel inscriptions by him listing a number of peoples whose land he laid waste during his conquests.

716 BCE Sargon invaded the coast of Israel all the way down to the “City of the Brook of Egypt”

He wanted to open up trade with Egypt

713 BCE Ashdod revolted and the revolt was put down by Sargon and he put his brother in charge of the city

The next year the people of Ashdod rebelled against Sargon’s brother, appointed a new king who attempted to bring Edom, Moab, Egypt and Judah to rebel

As Sargon invaded Hezekiah pulled his support from Ashdod and Judah was not harmed for joining the rebellion

Hezekiah 727-698 BCE

Relations with Assyria

Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NYHolding the staff of kingship and wearing the royal conical crown, Sargon II (721–705 B.C.E.) meets with one of his court officials. This alabaster bas-relief is one of several from Sargon’s palace at Khorsabad that depicts themes of procession and tribute. It is now in the Louvre.

Sargon dies in battle in 705 BCE his body is not recovered

This led to widespread rebellion

In Egypt the 25th dynasty just came to power◦ They are the Nubian dynasty◦ They get stronger ◦ Look to resist Assyria

Merodach-baladan takes control of Babylon and starts to plot against Assyria

With these two allies Hezekiah decided to rebel along with Ashdod and Ekron

Hezekiah 727-698 BCE

Preparation for War

Hezekiah’s water tunnel

Hezekiah’s rebellion would cause the Assyrians to put a siege on Jerusalem

Hezekiah fortified its walls

Food stored Built a water

tunnel

Hezekiah 727-698 BCE

Sennacherib 705-681 BCE The Lachish relief First puts down the Babylonian

revolt Then puts down the revolt in the

Levant Took Moab, Ammon, Edom,

Philistia Egypt sent an army and battled

Assyrian forces indecisively They besieged and captured 46

cities in Judah They captured Lachish the second

city of Judah Claim to have taken 210,000

people to exile Sannacherib – mixed up the

nations according to "ל and we חזno longer have prohibitions against marrying certain nations

The Lachish Relief

Hezekiah 727-698 BCE

Siege of Jerusalem The Assyrian annals say that they

captured Jerusalem and Hezekiah paid tribute

The Navi says that there was a miracle and an angle of Hashem killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers at night

We clearly believe the Navi Historically, one could easily

reconcile the propaganda that was recorded as the Assyrian annals a

Assyria stopped expanding after this campaign

Assyria accepts Judean independence

Hezekiah 727-698 BCE

Religious Reforms 2 Kings ch. 18 He did what was right in the eyes

of Hashem as all that David his father did. He removed the high places and broke the altars and cut down the Asheros and ground up the copper snake that Moses made because until then the children of Israel had been burning incense to it and they called it Nechushtan. He trusted in Hashem and after him there were none like him of all the kings of Judah and with those before him.

יח פרק ב מלכים ככל יקוק בעיני הישר ויעש

: אביו וד ד עשה הסיר אשר הואהמצבת את ושבר הבמות אתנחש וכתת האשרה את וכרת

עד כי משה עשה אשר הנחשתישראל בני היו ההמה הימים

: נחשתן לו ויקרא לו מקטריםבטח ישראל אלהי ביקוק

בכל כמהו היה לא ואחריו: לפניו היו ואשר יהודה מלכי