The Relevance of Archaeology to Bible History and the Accuracy of the Bible Transmission Through the Ages
Archaeology, though limited by the very nature of looking through the "trash" or remains left behind by other civilizations, much of it often having been destroyed; has yet provided remarkable support to the accuracy of the written history of the Bible. As well, it has provided insight into the social and technological environment in which the people of the Bible lived and died. Below are just a handful of examples. Websites for further study are listed at the end of this section.
The Location of Sodom (about 1800-1600 B.C.)
(see also Trinity Southwest University online regarding Tall el-Hammam)
Location of Sodom as Revealed in the Bible:
Genesis 13:10-13
VS 10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere -this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah -like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.
VS 11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.
VS 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.
VS 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD. "
In the Old Testament of the Bible Sodom was a real place. It is thought by many now to be located at an archaeology site named Tall el-Hammam. This Tall is located east of the Jordan River directly across from Jericho in the kikkar (circular plain) of the Jordan River, and north of the Dead Sea. See also H.B. Tristram (1875) Natural History of the Bible, 25.
VS 10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere -this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah -like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go to Zoar.
VS 11 So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan, and Lot journeyed eastward. Thus they separated from each other.
VS 12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom.
VS 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD. "
In the Old Testament of the Bible Sodom was a real place. It is thought by many now to be located at an archaeology site named Tall el-Hammam. This Tall is located east of the Jordan River directly across from Jericho in the kikkar (circular plain) of the Jordan River, and north of the Dead Sea. See also H.B. Tristram (1875) Natural History of the Bible, 25.
Location of Sodom Based on Geographic Indicators in the Bible
Gen. 13:3,10-12: "And he" (Abram) "went on his journeys from the Negev as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,...And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere-this before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gommorrah...So Lot chose for himself all the valley of the Jordan; and Lot journeyed eastward. ...Abraham settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled in the cities of the valley, and moved his tents as far as Sodom." Note: "valley" is kikkar or plain circle/disc.
Deut. 34:1-3:"Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pishgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan....and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar."
Gen. 18:1,16: "Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre,.. Then the men rose from there and looked towards Sodom...
Gen. 19:28 "and he looked down"(from the oaks of Mamre) "toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward the land of the valley..."
Photo without graphics from NASA used with permission; Scriptures KJV pub dom..
Deut. 34:1-3:"Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pishgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan....and the Negev and the plain in the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar."
Gen. 18:1,16: "Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre,.. Then the men rose from there and looked towards Sodom...
Gen. 19:28 "and he looked down"(from the oaks of Mamre) "toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward the land of the valley..."
Photo without graphics from NASA used with permission; Scriptures KJV pub dom..
Letter to Editor Biblical Archaeology Society Regarding Location of Sodom written 2008
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
Archaeological Evidence for Sodom: Recent Findings Shed Light on Discoveries of ‘Biblical Proportions’
By Brian Nixon
Special to ASSIST News Service
"...Dr. Collins and his team began digging at a new site, Tall el-Hammam, which corresponded to several factors. Dr. Collins summarized the end result: 'To start with, the Tall el-Hammam site has twenty-five geographical indicators that align with the description in Genesis. Compare this with something well known—like Jerusalem—that has only sixteen. Other sites have only five or six. So this site has a greater number of indicators than any other Old Testament site. That is truly amazing.'
'Second, our findings—pottery, architecture, and destruction layers—fit the time frame profile. Meaning we should expect to find items like what we are finding from the Middle Bronze Age. This is exactly what we are uncovering...'
'To add further intrigue, this archaeological stratum was clearly within the Middle Bronze Age horizon. It was the terminal destruction of the city.' Tell me more about the skeletons, I asked.
'Two of our osteologists, Dr. John Leslie, PhD, MD, and Dr. John Moore, PhD, DDS, looked over the bones. The area they concentrated on was the bottom half of the body, including the pelvis region, legs, and feet—the upper portions on two of them were missing. The initial results were amazing and quite exciting archaeologically—but sad in how the people died. They found the bodies splayed out, face down, joints twisted, toes hyper-extended, with many signs of violent burial within collapsing debris. In short, the bodies were extremely traumatized in their death.
'Shortly after, we discovered a child body one meter north. The child’s skeleton showed the same destruction,..'
See online article for more information.
Archaeological Evidence for Sodom: Recent Findings Shed Light on Discoveries of ‘Biblical Proportions’
By Brian Nixon
Special to ASSIST News Service
"...Dr. Collins and his team began digging at a new site, Tall el-Hammam, which corresponded to several factors. Dr. Collins summarized the end result: 'To start with, the Tall el-Hammam site has twenty-five geographical indicators that align with the description in Genesis. Compare this with something well known—like Jerusalem—that has only sixteen. Other sites have only five or six. So this site has a greater number of indicators than any other Old Testament site. That is truly amazing.'
'Second, our findings—pottery, architecture, and destruction layers—fit the time frame profile. Meaning we should expect to find items like what we are finding from the Middle Bronze Age. This is exactly what we are uncovering...'
'To add further intrigue, this archaeological stratum was clearly within the Middle Bronze Age horizon. It was the terminal destruction of the city.' Tell me more about the skeletons, I asked.
'Two of our osteologists, Dr. John Leslie, PhD, MD, and Dr. John Moore, PhD, DDS, looked over the bones. The area they concentrated on was the bottom half of the body, including the pelvis region, legs, and feet—the upper portions on two of them were missing. The initial results were amazing and quite exciting archaeologically—but sad in how the people died. They found the bodies splayed out, face down, joints twisted, toes hyper-extended, with many signs of violent burial within collapsing debris. In short, the bodies were extremely traumatized in their death.
'Shortly after, we discovered a child body one meter north. The child’s skeleton showed the same destruction,..'
See online article for more information.
Tall el Hammam
(Probable Sodom-"house of the bath" in the Jordan Valley)
Tall el-Hammam in foreground within Jordan. Hills of Israel in distance across Jordan River Valley. Picture jgl.
Tall el-Hammam Probable Sodom-2011 report by S Collins and H Aljarrah. Click tab below for more information on geographic indicators and bone studies by JGL. Next two buttons for Season Seven Report 2012 by S Collins, Y Eylayyan, G Byers and C Kobs; and the Season Eight 2013 Report by S Collins, K Tarawd, G Byers and C Kobs.
"Discovering the City of Sodom" is now available in bookstores across the US
The long-awaited book, Discovering the City of Sodom, by Steven Collins and Latayne C. Scott is now available in bookstores across the country and online at www.Amazon.com" (I have no renumeration for this posting but I have been involved in the dig and recommend the book.Released in March 3013.)
The long-awaited book, Discovering the City of Sodom, by Steven Collins and Latayne C. Scott is now available in bookstores across the country and online at www.Amazon.com" (I have no renumeration for this posting but I have been involved in the dig and recommend the book.Released in March 3013.)
The Jordan Valley: Destruction of Sodom in about 1800 B.C. and Jericho in about 1400 B.C.
Joshua, when he brought the Israelites back to the land of Israel may well have stood on the destroyed city of Sodom (Tall el Hammam) and looked west to Jericho across the Jordan River (that is facing to the left from the east or right side of the picture). Per Dr S. Collins the destruction of Sodom was about 1650-1750 B.C.
Photograph from NASA used with permission.
Photograph from NASA used with permission.
The Destruction of Jericho (about 1400 B.C.)
Joshua 6:1) " Now Jericho was tightly shut because because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. 2) And the Lord said to Joshua, 'See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.' 3-4) 'And you shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days....on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.' 5) 'And it shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.'"...17) "And all the city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the Lord...'"24) "And they burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord." NASB with permission.
Evidence that the current site thought to be Jericho (northeast of Jerusalem and in the Jordan Valley) is correct: 1) The city was strongly fortified in the Late Bronze 1 period, the time of the Conquest according to Biblical chronology (Joshua 2:5, 7,15; 6:5, 20). 2) The city was massively destroyed by fire (Joshua 6:24). 3) The fortified walls collapsed at the time the city was destroyed, possibly by earthquake activity (Joshua 6:20). 4) The destruction occurred at harvest time in the spring, as indicated by the large quantities of grain stored in the city (Johsua 2:6; 3:15; 5:10). 5) The siege of Jericho was short, since the grain stored in the city was not consumed (Joshua 6:15, 20). 6) The grain was not plundered, as was usually the case in antiquity, in accordance with the Divine injunction (Joshua 6:17-18). From Randell Price The Stones Cry Out 1997, pg. 152.
He is quoting Dr. Bryant Wood.
Evidence that the current site thought to be Jericho (northeast of Jerusalem and in the Jordan Valley) is correct: 1) The city was strongly fortified in the Late Bronze 1 period, the time of the Conquest according to Biblical chronology (Joshua 2:5, 7,15; 6:5, 20). 2) The city was massively destroyed by fire (Joshua 6:24). 3) The fortified walls collapsed at the time the city was destroyed, possibly by earthquake activity (Joshua 6:20). 4) The destruction occurred at harvest time in the spring, as indicated by the large quantities of grain stored in the city (Johsua 2:6; 3:15; 5:10). 5) The siege of Jericho was short, since the grain stored in the city was not consumed (Joshua 6:15, 20). 6) The grain was not plundered, as was usually the case in antiquity, in accordance with the Divine injunction (Joshua 6:17-18). From Randell Price The Stones Cry Out 1997, pg. 152.
He is quoting Dr. Bryant Wood.
Jericho Composite View
King David and the Temple in Jerusalem 1010-931 B.C.
"David (/ˈdeɪvɪd/; Hebrew: דָּוִד, דָּוִיד, Modern David, Tiberian Dāwîḏ; ISO 259-3 Dawid; Arabic: داوُود Dāwūd; Syriac: ܕܘܝܕ Dawid; Ancient Greek: Δαυίδ; Greek: Δαβίδ; Strong's: Daveed) was, according to the books of Samuel, the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel, and according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus. His life is conventionally dated to c. 1040–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c. 1010–970 BCE...The Books of Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles are the only Old Testament sources of information on David, although the Tel Dan Stele (dated c. 850–835 BCE) contains the phraseבית דוד (Beit David), read as "House of David", which many scholars confirm to be a likely plausible match to the existence in the mid-9th century BCE of a Judean royal dynasty called the House of David.[3]Depicted as an acclaimed courageous warrior, and a poet and musician credited for composing much of the psalms contained in the Book of Psalms, King David is widely viewed as a righteous and effective king in battle and civil justice. He is described as 'a man after God's own heart' in the books of I Samuel and Acts." From Wikipedia online 4-29-15.
"Solomon (/ˈsɒləmən/; Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Modern Shlomo, Tiberian Šəlōmō ISO 259-3 Šlomo; Syriac: ܫܠܝܡܘܢ Shlemun; Arabic: سُليمان Sulaymān, also colloquially: Silimān or Slemān;Greek: Σολομών Solomōn), also called Jedidiah (Hebrew יְדִידְיָהּ), was, according to the Bible (Book of Kings: 1 Kings 1–11; Book of Chronicles: 1 Chronicles 28–2, 2 Chronicles 1–9), Qur'an, and Hidden Words[2] a king of Israel and the son of David.[3] The conventional dates of Solomon's reign are circa 970 to 931 BC. He is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, which would break apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah shortly after his death...The Hebrew Bible credits Solomon as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem.[3] It portrays him as great in wisdom, wealth, and power, but ultimately as a king whose sins, including idolatry and turning away from Yahweh, led to the kingdom's being torn in two during the reign of his son Rehoboam." From Wikipedia online 4-29-15.
"Solomon (/ˈsɒləmən/; Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה, Modern Shlomo, Tiberian Šəlōmō ISO 259-3 Šlomo; Syriac: ܫܠܝܡܘܢ Shlemun; Arabic: سُليمان Sulaymān, also colloquially: Silimān or Slemān;Greek: Σολομών Solomōn), also called Jedidiah (Hebrew יְדִידְיָהּ), was, according to the Bible (Book of Kings: 1 Kings 1–11; Book of Chronicles: 1 Chronicles 28–2, 2 Chronicles 1–9), Qur'an, and Hidden Words[2] a king of Israel and the son of David.[3] The conventional dates of Solomon's reign are circa 970 to 931 BC. He is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, which would break apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah shortly after his death...The Hebrew Bible credits Solomon as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem.[3] It portrays him as great in wisdom, wealth, and power, but ultimately as a king whose sins, including idolatry and turning away from Yahweh, led to the kingdom's being torn in two during the reign of his son Rehoboam." From Wikipedia online 4-29-15.
King Hezekiah of Jerusalem the Events Regarding the Army of Senecharib 701 B.C.
Sennacherib King of Assyria (from 705-681 B.C.) invaded Syria and Palestine (so called later on by the Romans) and conquered 46 towns and boasted that he captured 200,150 (two hundred thousand and one hundred and fifty) captives which he deported to other countries. The siege at Lachish occured in 701 B.C. It was the 2nd largest city in the Levant-Jerusalem being the first. George Smith (ed by A.H. Sayce) in his book, 1878, translated many of the cuneiform regarding Sennacherib's war with Hezekiah in section 4 titled The War with Hezekiah.
As will be seen in the following reports, it was clear that Sennacherib intended to come against Jerusalem and destroy it. Yet, while there is significant documentation of his success against Lachish no such evidence supports his claim that he "turned the key of Jerusalem." The scriptures proclaim that he will turn away from Jerusalem (against the Egyptians?), and he does so. It also predicts that he will fall by the sword at the hands of his sons. The report of Esar-haddon, another son who took the rule from the brothers who killed the father, states that this did indeed happened.
This is a classic story where Hezekiah, a believer in Jehovah, becomes afraid of a greater nation and gives him all the gold and silver he has, but even this does not satisfy that ruler. He intends to destroy the Jewish nation, and mocks their God. Yet, God who rules in the affairs of men hears Hezekiah's cry for help to Him. It is Hezekiah turning to God instead of the strength of the arm that eventually saves him and his nation. The event is chronicled by the Jewish and the Assyrian records, and even panels portray part of it on the Walls of the palace in Nineveh.
The Assyrian Report (Prism of Sennacherib-691 B.C.) went as:
As for Hezekiah the Judahite, who did not submit to my yoke: forty-six of his strong, walled cities, as well as the small towns in their area, which were without number, by levelling with battering-rams and by bringing up siege-engines, and by attacking and storming on foot, by mines, tunnels, and breeches, I besieged and took them. 200,150 people, great and small, male and female, horses, mules, asses, camels, cattle and sheep without number, I brought away from them and counted as spoil. From: Prism of Sennacherib. Note that here he does not mention taking Hezekiah captive or overthrowing Jerusalem 9-10 years after the event.
The Biblical Report went as:
2 Kings 18:13-33
13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house.
16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. ( Please note that Sennacherib himself did not go up as he was at Lachish.)...
19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
24 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25 Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it....
29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
32 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.
33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?...
2 Kings 19:1-37
1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz....
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land...
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
35 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.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
Assyrian Records (by Esar-haddon 680 B.C.):
"In the month of Nisan...I made my joyful entrance into the royal palace, the awesome place wherein abides the fate of kings. A firm determination feel upon my brothers. They forsook the gods and returned to their deeds of violence, plotting evil...They revolted. To gain the kingship they slew Sennacherib, their father." (From S. Craiger, 1994, Bible and Spade- An Introduction to Biblical Archaeology, London, England: Oxford University Press. A review by Professor Simo Parpola in From Death in Mesopotamia, XXVIeme Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, edited by Professor Bendt Alster, Akademisk Forlag, 1980. supports this view in more detail)
As will be seen in the following reports, it was clear that Sennacherib intended to come against Jerusalem and destroy it. Yet, while there is significant documentation of his success against Lachish no such evidence supports his claim that he "turned the key of Jerusalem." The scriptures proclaim that he will turn away from Jerusalem (against the Egyptians?), and he does so. It also predicts that he will fall by the sword at the hands of his sons. The report of Esar-haddon, another son who took the rule from the brothers who killed the father, states that this did indeed happened.
This is a classic story where Hezekiah, a believer in Jehovah, becomes afraid of a greater nation and gives him all the gold and silver he has, but even this does not satisfy that ruler. He intends to destroy the Jewish nation, and mocks their God. Yet, God who rules in the affairs of men hears Hezekiah's cry for help to Him. It is Hezekiah turning to God instead of the strength of the arm that eventually saves him and his nation. The event is chronicled by the Jewish and the Assyrian records, and even panels portray part of it on the Walls of the palace in Nineveh.
The Assyrian Report (Prism of Sennacherib-691 B.C.) went as:
As for Hezekiah the Judahite, who did not submit to my yoke: forty-six of his strong, walled cities, as well as the small towns in their area, which were without number, by levelling with battering-rams and by bringing up siege-engines, and by attacking and storming on foot, by mines, tunnels, and breeches, I besieged and took them. 200,150 people, great and small, male and female, horses, mules, asses, camels, cattle and sheep without number, I brought away from them and counted as spoil. From: Prism of Sennacherib. Note that here he does not mention taking Hezekiah captive or overthrowing Jerusalem 9-10 years after the event.
The Biblical Report went as:
2 Kings 18:13-33
13 Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them.
14 And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house.
16 At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. ( Please note that Sennacherib himself did not go up as he was at Lachish.)...
19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
20 Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?
21 Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.
22 But if ye say unto me, We trust in the Lord our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem?
23 Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
24 How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
25 Am I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it....
29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
31 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:
32 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The Lord will deliver us.
33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?...
2 Kings 19:1-37
1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz....
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land...
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
35 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.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
Assyrian Records (by Esar-haddon 680 B.C.):
"In the month of Nisan...I made my joyful entrance into the royal palace, the awesome place wherein abides the fate of kings. A firm determination feel upon my brothers. They forsook the gods and returned to their deeds of violence, plotting evil...They revolted. To gain the kingship they slew Sennacherib, their father." (From S. Craiger, 1994, Bible and Spade- An Introduction to Biblical Archaeology, London, England: Oxford University Press. A review by Professor Simo Parpola in From Death in Mesopotamia, XXVIeme Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale, edited by Professor Bendt Alster, Akademisk Forlag, 1980. supports this view in more detail)
Cyrus The Great and the Persian Empire -see Old Testament section on this website.
Destruction of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem (70 A.D.)
In 70 A.D. the Roman troops of Titus (and Vespasian) destroyed the 2nd Temple, in Jerusalem, casting the marble blocks off the Temple Mount onto the Roman street below. The stones crushed the sewer system below the stone road. This area has been recently opened up by excavation. Dating of the area was done partly by the coins found in the rubble, and also by associated descriptions with the writings of the Jewish writer Josephus in about 300 A.D. and the Roman writer Tacitus in about 100 A.D..As well, the Roman Arch de Triumph portrays the removal of the Temple worship utensils. One Hebrew script engraving was found in the rubble and it has been thought to be from the corner of the Temple where the priest blew the shofar and reads "the place of trumpeting"- picture (of a copy of it) to right hand side.
Jesus is quoted in the book of Matthew 24:1-2,Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things ? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down."
Jesus is quoted in the book of Matthew 24:1-2,Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things ? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down."