Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

The northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians, beginning in approximately 740 BC under King Pul (who was also known as Tiglath-pileser). First Chronicles 5:26 notes, “So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria...and he took them into exile (namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh), and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.” These tribes, located east of the Jordan River, were the first ones conquered by Assyria.

Nearly 20 years later, about 722 BC, the capital city, Samaria, was overtaken by the Assyrians under Shalmaneser V. After first forcing tribute payments, Shalmaneser later laid siege to the city when it refused to pay. Following a three-year siege, 2 Kings 17:5-6 notes that, “in the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”

June 11 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report