Assyrian Period

The biblical narrative describes the Assyrian Period as a time of escalating imperial expansion that fundamentally altered the geography and sovereignty of the Hebrew kingdoms. The text records this era through the interactions of kings and prophets, beginning with the rise of Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria who captured northern territories and initiated the first major deportations of the people of Israel (2 Kings 15:29). During this transition, Menahem attempted to secure his reign by paying a massive tribute of silver to the Assyrians (2 Kings 15:19–20). In the southern kingdom, Ahaz sought an alliance with the Assyrians to protect Judah from his neighbors, even going so far as to command Uriah the Priest to build a foreign altar in the Temple based on a design he saw in Damascus (2 Kings 16:10–11).

The tension culminated during the reign of Hoshea, the final king of the northern kingdom, who stopped paying tribute and was subsequently imprisoned when the Assyrians captured Samaria and exiled the population (2 Kings 17:4–6). The focus then shifted to Jerusalem, where Hezekiah prepared for a siege by reforming the Temple and fortifying the city (2 Kings 18:1–7). During this crisis, The Rabshakeh stood before the city walls and delivered a speech in the Hebrew language to mock the God of Israel and demoralize the defenders (2 Kings 18:26–28). In response, the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz provided divine counsel to the king, assuring him that the invaders would not enter the city (2 Kings 19:2–7).

The conflict reached its peak when Sennacherib surrounded Jerusalem, only to have his army decimated by an angel of the LORD, forcing his retreat to Nineveh (2 Kings 19:35–36). The text notes that Sennacherib was later assassinated by his own sons, and Esarhaddon succeeded him as king (2 Kings 19:37). This period also includes the account of Jonah, who was sent to preach to The King of Nineveh, resulting in a temporary national repentance that delayed the city's destruction (Jonah 3:6–10). These events serve as the backdrop for the total collapse of the northern kingdom and the near-extinction of the southern kingdom, illustrating the shift from local tribal conflicts to the dominance of a world empire.