SENNACHERIB'S CAMPAIGN (IRON AGE, 8th c. B.C.E.): = [ANET., pp. 287-88] The Siege of Jerusalem and the campaign of Sennarcherib are recorded on the Oriental Institutes Prism of Sennacherib. Further references to the campaign (particularly the siege of Lachich) are found on the palace reliefs.
(ii -
iii 49)
II Kings18:14
In my third campaign I marched against
Hatti.Luli, king of Sidon, whom the terror-inspiringglamor of my lordship had
overwhelmed, fled faroverseas and perished.ˇ The awe-inspiring splendor of the
"Weapon" of Ashur, my lord,overwhelmed his strong cities (such as)
GreatSidon, Little Sidon, Bit-Zitti, Zaribtu, Mahalliba, Ushu (i.e. the
mainland settlement of Tyre), Akzib (and) Akko, (all) his fortress cities,
walled (and well) provided with feed and water for his garrisons, and they
bowed in submission to my feet. I installed Ethba'al(Tuba'lu) upon the throne
to be their king and imposed upon him tribute (due) to me (as his)overlord (to
be paid) annually without
interruption.
As to all the kings of Amurru Menahem (Mi-inhi-im-mu) from Samsimuruna, Tuba'lu from Sidon,
Abdili'ti from Arvad, Urumilki from Byblos, Mitinti from Ashdod, Buduili from
Beth-Ammon, Kammusunadbi from Moab (and) Aiarammu from Edom, they brought
sumptuous gifts (igisu)
and
fourfold their heavy tamartu -presents to me and kissed my feet. Sidqia, however, king of Ashkelon, who did
not bow to my yoke, I deported and sent to Assyria, his family gods,himself,
his wife, his children, his brothers,all the male descendants of his family. I
set Sharruludari, son of Rukibtu, their former king, over the inhabitants of
Ashkelon and imposed upon him the payment of tribute (and
of)
katru -presents (due) to me (as) overlord and he (now) pulls the straps (of my
yoke) !
In the continuation of my campaign I
besieged Beth Dagon, Joppa, Banai-Barqa, Azuru, cities belonging to Sidqia who
did not bow to my feet quickly (enough); I conquered (them) and carried their
spoils away. The officials, the
patricians and the (common) people of Ekron who had thrown Padi, their king,
into fetters (because he was) loyal to (his) solemn oath (sworn) by the god
Ashur, and had handed
him over to Hezekiah, the Jew (Ha-za-qi-(i)a-u
ame~la-u'-da-ai) (and) he (Hezekiah) held him in prison, unlawfully, as if he
(Padi) be an enemy had become afraid and had called (for help) upon the kings
of Egypt (Mu,s(u)ri) (and)the bowmen, the chariot(-corps) and the cavalry of
the king of Ethiopia (Meluhha), an army beyond counting and they (actually) had
come to their assistance( II Kings
19:9)
. In
the plain of Eltekeh(A1-ta-qu-u), their battle lines were drawn up against me
and they sharpened their weapons.Upon a trust(-inspiring) oracle (given) by
Ashur, my lord, I fought with them and inflicted a defeat upon them. In the mle
of the battle, I personally captured alive the Egyptian charioteers with
the(ir) princes and (also) the charioteers of the king of Ethiopia.I besieged
Eltekeh (and) Timnah (Ta-amna-a),conquered (them) and carried their spoils
away.
I assaulted Ekron and killed the officials
and patricians who had committed the crime and hung their bodies on poles
surrounding the city. The(common) citizens who were guilty of minor crimes, I
considered prisoners of war. The rest of them, those who were not of crimes and
misbehavior, I released. I made Padi, their
king,
come from Jerusalem (Ur-sa-li-im-mu) and set him as their lord on the throne,
imposing upon him the tribute (due) to me (as) overlord.
As to Hezekiah, the Jew, he did not submit
to my yoke, I laid siege to 46 of his strong cities, walled forts and to the
countless small
villages
in their vicinity, and conquered (them) by means of well-stamped (earth-)ramps
and battering-rams brought (thus) near (to the
walls)
(combined with) the attack by foot soldiers, (using) mines, breeches as well as
sapper work. I drove out (of them)
200,150
people,
young and old, male and female, horses,mules, donkeys, camels, big and small
cattle beyond counting, and considered (them) booty.
Himself
I made a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage. I
surrounded him with earthwork in order to
molest
those who were his city's gate. His towns which I had plundered, I took away
from his country and gave them (over) to Mitinti,
king
of Ashdod, Padi, king of Ekron, and Sillibel, king of Gaza. Thus I reduced his
country, but I still increased the tribute and
the
katru -presents (due) to me (as his) overlord which I imposed (later) upon him
beyond the former tribute, to be delivered
annually.
Hezekiah himself, whom the terror-inspiring splendor of my lordship had
overwhelmed and whose irregular and elite
troops
which he had brought into Jerusalem, his royal residence, in order to strengthen
(it), had deserted him, did send me, later, to
Nineveh,
my lordly city, together with 3 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver,
precious stones, antimony, large cuts of red
stone,
couches (inlaid) with ivory, nimedu-chairs (inlaid) with ivory,
elephant-hides,
ebony-wood, boxwood (and) all kinds of valuable treasures, his (own) daughters,
concubines, male and female
musicians. In orer to deliver the tribute to do
obeisance as a slave he sent his (personal) messenger.
Another similar inscription reads:
“I drew nigh to Ekron and I slew
the governors and princes that had transgressed, and I hung upon poles, round
about the city, their dead bodies. The people of the city who had done wickedly
and had committed offences, I counted as spoil, but those who had not done
these things and who were not taken in inquity, I pardoned. I brought their
king Padi forth from Jerusalem and I stablished him upon the throne of dominion
over them, and I laid tribute upon him.
I then beseiged Hezekiah of Judah,
who had not submitted to my yoke, and I captured forty six of his strong cities
and fortresses, and innumerable small cities which were round about them, with
the battering rams and the assault of engines, and the attack of foot soldiers,
and by mines and breaches. I brought out therefrom two hundred thousand and one
hundred and fifty people, both small and great, male and female, and horses,
and mules, and asses, and camels, and oxen, and innumerable sheep I counted as
spoil. Himself, like a caged bird, I shut up within Jerusalem, his royal city.
I threw up mounds against him, and I took vengeance upon any man who came forth
from the city”.
His cities, which I had captured, I
took from him and gave to Mitinti, king of Ashdod, and Padi, king of Ekron, and
Silli-bel, king of Gaza, and I reduced his land. I added to their former yearly
tribute, and increased the gifts which they paid unto me. The fear of the
majesty of my sovereignty overwhelmed Hezekiah, and the Urbi and his trusty
warriors, whom he had brought into his royal city of Jerusalem to protect it,
deserted.
And he despatched after me his
messenger to my royal city Nineveh to pay tribute and to make submission with
thirty talents of gold, eight hundred talents of silver, precious stones,
eye-paint, … ivory couches and thrones, hides and tusks, precious woods, and
divers objects, a heavy treasure, together with his daughters, and the women of
his palalce, and male and female musicians.
The Greek historian Herodotus,
recorded a startling account of Sennacherib's final retreat back to Assyria.
After surrounding Jerusalem, Sennacherib must have also sent troops to do
battle against the Egyptians. Herodotus wrote that an Egyptian priest told him
that as the Assyrians approached the boundary of Egypt:
"Behold an army of field mice plagued their enemy by
night . . . chewed through their arrows and their bows, and the hand grips on
their shields, so that on the next morning they fled without their weapons and
a great number of them perished in battle. This Egyptian king still stands in
Hephaestus's sanctuary holding a mouse in his hand, and bearing the
inscription, "Look to me and live in safety."
Although this was not referring to what happened to
the Assyrians in II Kings 19:35,
Some scholars have used this as an explaination for
the Assyrians leaving the siege of Jerusalem.A better explaination would be a
battle with the Ethiopians.Such
a meeting has been recorded in Egyptian history.II
Kings 19:8-9 states that Rabshakeh the Assyrian believed that Tirhakah the
Ethiopian had come to defend Jerusalem.It is apparent that the Ethiopians,who
ruled Egypt at that time,were come to meet Assyria in the battlefield.
From the Palace of Sennachrib:
'On the twentieth day of the month
Tebet Sennacherib king of Assyria his son slew him in rebellion... Esarhaddon
his son sat on the throne of Assyria.'(II Kings 19:37)