Ben-Hadad I and Tiglath-pileser III



 

Ben Hadad and Tiglath-pileser;

kings Hazael and Sennacherib

 

Part One:

Ben-Hadad I and Tiglath-pileser III

 

by

 

Damien F. Mackey

 

 

 

“Even the greatest king … in the region, Iarim Lim of Iamkhad, had only twenty kings in train. …. But Ben-Hadad’s coalition, raised for the siege of Ahab’s capital of Samaria, could boast of thirty-two kings. Surely Ben-Hadad I was no secondary king in his day, but a ‘Great King’; the dominant king … in the greater Syrian region - a true master-king.”

 

Mackey’s thesis

 

 

Ben-Hadad I and Tiglath-pileser III

 

Ben-Hadad I became something of a hired gun for the kingdom of Judah against Israel.

 

In 1 Kings 15:18, Ben-Hadad is designated as the son of son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion. In this passage, King Asa of Judah makes a treaty with Ben-Hadad to help protect himself against the king of Israel, who was threatening Judah. (This is also recorded in 2 Chronicles 16:2–4.) Ben-Hadad sent soldiers against Israel and King Baasha and conquered a number of towns, bringing some relief to Judah.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Ben-Hadad-in-the-Bible.html

Tiglath-pileser III became something of a hired gun for the kingdom of Judah against Israel.

 

Since the time that the kingdom of Israel and Judah had split into two separate parts, both kingdoms fought against each other for power. This situation created a long lasting rivalry that span hundreds of years. It was around 740 B.C., and King Pekah of Israel, and King Ahaz of Judah were going to war with each other. King Pekah of Israel decided to join forces with the King of the Arameans against King Ahaz and Judah. King Ahaz then appealed to Tiglath-Plilezer … so that he would aid him against this alliance.

https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/tiglath-pileser-iii/

 

 

 

 

 

But it cost Asa the king of Judah.

 

By an invasion of Northern Israel [Ben-Hadad] obliged Baasha to withdraw from Ramah and confine himself to the neighborhood of his own capital (1Ki 15:16 ff). Judah obtained relief, but the price paid for it was too great. Asa had surrendered his treasures, and very likely some of his independence. …

For his shortsightedness in laying himself under obligation to Benhadad and relying upon the help of Syria rather than upon the Lord his God, Asa was rebuked by the prophet Hanani (2Ch 16:1 ff). Benhadad had extended his territories by the transaction and seems to have exercised henceforward some sort of sovereignty over both the Hebrew kingdoms.

https://www.internationalstandardbible.com/B/benhadad.html

 

But it cost Ahaz the king of Judah.

 

King Ahaz then appealed to Tiglath-Plilezer by paying him with the treasure from the Temple so that he would aid him against this alliance. The Assyrian king complied, but he took advantage of the situation. He appears multiple times on the Bible Timeline for each event. God was angry with Ahaz, so he allowed King Tiglath-Pilezer to march into Judah and to harass him while he was there.

https://amazingbibletimeline.com/blog/tiglath-pileser-iii/

 

Ben-Hadad subsequently took some key cities of Israel (“Ijon”, “Abelbethmaachah”, “all the land of Naphtali”, etc.).

 

So Benhadad listened to king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abelbethmaachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 1 Kings 15:20

 

Tiglath-pileser III subsequently took some key cities of Israel (“Ijon”, “Abel Beth-Maakah”, “all the land of Naphtali”, etc.).

 

In the time of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maakah, Janoah, Kedesh and Hazor. He took Gilead and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and deported the people to Assyria.

2 Kings 15:29

 

Ben-Hadad besieged Samaria.

 

Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.

2 Kings 6:24

 

Tiglath-pileser III besieged Samaria.

 

Having taken care of Damascus, Tiglath-pileser turned his attention to the other partner in this alliance, Samaria. ….

Tiglath-pileser's annals acknowledge that Pekah was assassinated by residents of the northern kingdom, but they do not specifically identify the individuals involved in the plot. Tiglath-pileser took credit for installing Hoshea as king in Samaria, but from the Biblical point of view this installation should be viewed more as a confirmation of what had already taken place. The annals add the detail of how much tribute Tiglathpileser took away from Samaria at this time, which is not mentioned in the Biblical account.

 

"They overthrew their king Pekah and I placed Hoshea as king over them. I received from them 10 talents of gold and 1,000(?) talents of silver as their [tribute and brought them to Assyria."

https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1980/01/the-last-years-of-samaria

 

A far greater significance is added to all this when we understand that Tiglath-pileser III was the same king as Shalmaneser (so-called V), the known besieger of Samaria:

 

According to 2 Kings 18:9-11, Shalmaneser (V) was the Assyrian king who conquered Samaria after a siege of three years.

"In the fourth year of the King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it and at the end of the three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, and put them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes" (R.S.V.).

Unfortunately for the historian, Shalmaneser V's annals have never been found.

 

Mackey’s comment: Oh, yes, but they have “been found”, in Tiglath-pileser III’s records.

 

 

Greatness of Ben-Hadad I.

 

As I wrote in my thesis regarding the mighty Ben-Hadad I (Volume One, p. 66):

 

Even the greatest king … in the region, Iarim Lim of Iamkhad, had only twenty kings in train. …. But Ben-Hadad’s coalition, raised for the siege of Ahab’s capital of Samaria, could boast of thirty-two kings. Surely Ben-Hadad I was no secondary king in his day, but a ‘Great King’; the dominant king in fact in the greater Syrian region - a true master-king.

 

Greatness of Tiglath-pileser III.

 

Tiglath Pileser III (745-727 BCE) was among the most powerful kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and, according to many scholars, the founder of the empire …. Tiglath Pileser re-organized the government, curtailed the power of the provincial rulers, re-structured the military, and revitalized the empire. Under his reign, the Assyrian Empire expanded and populations were forcibly re-located throughout the region to maximize the efficiency of the communities and discourage revolt. He was an adept administrator and is regularly regarded as one of the greatest military leaders in history.

….

Having secured his position and stabilized the government, he next turned his attention to the military, which also underwent drastic reformation. Previously, the army had been made up of conscripts who were forced to fight, often against their will, and primarily in the summer (the traditional time for campaigns as the crops would have already been planted and the harvest was still ahead). The new king changed this policy so that now there was a levy of a certain number of men each province had to provide who would be thoroughly trained to be a member of the Assyrian army and could campaign year-round. In doing so, Tiglath Pileser III created the first professional army in history. ….

…

According to the historian Gwendolyn Leick, Tiglath Pileser III “was a tireless campaigner, leading his powerful army for every year but one of his 17-year reign. He began by subduing Aramaean tribes in Babylonia, where he garnered support on a grand tour of the major sanctuaries” …..  Once the king of Babylon had sued for peace, Tiglath Pileser III left the city alone and paid homage to the gods of the land at the temples (as Leick alludes to regarding the `grand tour’). He then marched north to defeat the kingdom of Urartu, which had long been a powerful enemy of the Assyrians, in 743 BCE. With Urartu under Assyrian control, he then marched west into Syria and punished the kingdom of Arpad, which had been Urartu’s ally, in 741 BCE. He lay siege to the city for three years and, when it fell, he had it destroyed and the inhabitants slaughtered. He then divided Arpad’s kingdom into provinces under the rule of Assyrian governors (who were eunuchs, as per his policy) and deported huge segments of the population to other regions. ….

 

 

Tiglath-pileser (so-called III) looms as even greater yet, when he is coupled with his alter ego, Shalmaneser (so-called V). See e.g. my article:

 

Book of Tobit a guide to neo-Assyrian succession

 

https://www.academia.edu/37602841/Book_of_Tobit_a_guide_to_neo-Assyrian_succession