Biblical Profile: Assyria

Assyria

Assyria was a symbol of terror and tyranny in the Near East for more than three centuries. In the biblical account, we learn about its power and ruthlessness in its treatment of the people of Israel and Judah. But its fortune rose and fell with the strength of its leaders. Eventually, it was overpowered by those who were stronger.

Ashurnasirpal II (885–860 BC)

Ashurnasirpal II possessed all the qualities and defects of his successors to the extreme: He had the ambition, energy, courage, vanity, and magnificence of a ruthless and unrelenting empire builder.

Shalmaneser III (858–824 BC)

Shalmaneser III is well known for the Battle of Qarqar (853 BC), considered the most fully documented event from the ancient world. His invasion of Syria was repelled by a coalition that included King Ahab of Israel and several other states. It was years before Shalmaneser was able to conquer Israel and Syria. King Jehu of Israel is depicted on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III kissing the ground at his feet and offering tribute.

Repentance during the Time of Jonah

Sometime during the reign of King Jeroboam II in Israel (793–753 BC), the prophet Jonah grudgingly traveled to Nineveh to proclaim judgment (Jon 3–4). Assyria was then in decline, and as Jonah had feared, the king and people of Nineveh listened and repented of their sins. As a result, God granted them a reprieve, which lasted some 150 years.

Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC)

Tiglath-pileser III usurped the Assyrian throne and began to recover and consolidate control of all Assyria’s territories. He gained the throne of Babylon as well, establishing Assyria firmly as the dominant military and economic power in the Near East. He demonstrated political prudence not usually found in the ruthless Assyrian monarchs. King Menahem of Israel (752–742 BC) paid him tribute (2 Kgs 15:19-20), as did Tyre, Byblos, and Damascus. Responding to an appeal from King Ahaz of Judah (735–715 BC) to help resist Syria and Israel (2 Kgs 16:5-20), Tiglath-pileser conquered Damascus in 732 BC. (His successor, Shalmaneser V, would destroy Samaria in 722 BC, punctuating the end of the northern kingdom of Israel.)

Sennacherib (705–681 BC)

Sennacherib was occupied throughout his reign in a series of bitter wars. He is especially known in the biblical account for his campaign against Judah and siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC during the reign of King Hezekiah and the ministry of the prophet Isaiah (2 Kgs 18:13–19:37; Isa 36–37).

Ashurbanipal (668–627 BC)

Ashurbanipal captured No-amon (Thebes) in Egypt, thereby realizing the greatest victory in Assyrian history (see Nah 3:3-10). He also established a great library in Nineveh, which was excavated in 1860. Many tablets were found, containing a vast selection of Akkadian material. This library is now one of the principal treasures of the British Museum in London. Very little is known about Ashurbanipal’s reign after 639 BC, since his annals do not extend beyond that year. However, allusions in state correspondence, commercial documents, and prayers addressed to the gods suggest that Assyria was becoming increasingly unstable. When Ashurbanipal died in 627 BC, his empire declined quickly.

Final Decline and Destruction

In 626 BC, Nabopolassar became king of Babylon (626–605 BC) and formed an alliance with the Medes, making it almost inevitable that Babylon would succeed against Assyria. In 612 BC their combined forces launched a final assault against Nineveh, and after three months of siege the mighty city fell (see Nah 1:8). The last of the Assyrian forces were completely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar (then a general in his father’s army) at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC.

Passages for Further Study

2 Kgs 15:19–19:37