Solomon's Request
Tyrian Arts
2 Chron. 2:77Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide. (2 Chronicles 2:7).—Send me now therefore a cunning man to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me.
PROF. GEORGE RAWLINSON, M. A.—Homer speaks especially of the Tyrians, beautifully embroidered robes and their bowls of silver. Their skill to hew timber, even at this remote time, was attested by their own historians, as also was their practice of making large metal pillars. Such remains of their art as have come down to us are of the character indicated. They consist of engraved gems and. cylinders, and of metal bowls, plain or embossed with figures.—Hist. Illust. of O. T., p. 114.
The Temple Enriched With Gold
W. R. COOPER, Sec. of Society of Bib. Archœ.—One of the most curious of the Assyrian Inscriptions lately discovered is that which has been translated by M. Charles Lenormant, and relates to the construction by Vulnarari of a golden temple to the great god Bel. Erected in seven stages, analogous to the present ruins of Bin Nimrud, the walls, the roof, the columns, and the sanctuary, the vessels, and the statues of the gods, were all alike plated, or composed of solid gold. It was founded, so runs the inscription, “To the glory of the great god Bel, my lord and master, whose servant I am, who has placed me on the throne of this people." That such an edifice could be erected of materials so costly and so rare, at a period very near to that of king Solomon, removes at once all dispute as to the credibility of the Biblical narrative concerning his temple, and affords a justification of the means employed by the wisest of kings for storing up a metal not then used as an article of currency.—Faith and Free Thought, p. 240.
The Molten Sea
2 Chron. 4:2, 32Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about. 3And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast. (2 Chronicles 4:2‑3).—Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof.... And under it was the similitude of oxen. AUSTEN H. LAYARD, M. P.-With the cauldrons were discovered at Nimrud two circular flat vessels, nearly six feet in diameter, and about two feet deep, which I can only compare with the brazen sea that stood in the temple of Solomon. The dimensions, however, of that vessel were far greater. It is singular that in some of the bas-reliefs large metal cauldrons supported on brazen oxen are represented.—Nineveh and Babylon, p. 152.
Tadmor
DR. JOHN KITTO.—In the Syrian desert there are the magnificent ruins of an ancient city, which made a conspicuous figure in ancient times under the name of Palmyra. This is not doubted to occupy the site of the “Tadmor " built by Solomon. The names Tadmor and Palmyra equally refer to the palm-trees which grew there; and the former is at this day the only name by which the spot is known to the natives, although the palms have now disappeared.—Pict. Bib., In loco.
2 Chron. 9-12.—And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon, etc.
See 1 Kings 10:1-101And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. 2And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 3And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. 4And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, 5And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her. 6And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. 7Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. 8Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. 9Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. 10And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. (1 Kings 10:1‑10).
Shishak's Invasion of Judea
PROF. GEORGE RAWLINSON, M. A.—Of the divided kingdom which followed on the death of Solomon, the Assyrian records furnish numerous, and the Egyptian a few illustrations. The most important Egyptian notice is contained in an inscription erected by Shishak (Sheshonk) at Karnak, which has been most carefully studied by modern scholars, and may be regarded as having completely yielded up its contents. This document is a list of the countries, cities, and tribes, conquered in his great expedition by Shishak, and regarded by him as tributaries. It contains, not only a distinct mention of " Judah" as a "kingdom" which Shishak had subjugated, but also a long list of Palestinian towns, from which an important light is thrown on the character of the expedition commemorated, and the relations subsisting between Judah and Israel in the early part of Solomon's reign.—Hist. Illust. of O. T., p. 117.
CHAMPOLLION.—In the marvelous palace of Karnak I have contemplated the portraits of most of the ancient Pharaohs, known for their great acts, and they are veritable portraits, each possessing its peculiar physiognomy... Here is Shishak dragging to the feet of the Theban Triad, the chiefs of more than thirty conquered nations, among whom I have discovered, letter for letter, Ioudah-amalek, “the kingdom of Judah."... According to the Bible, Shishak attacked and took Jerusalem, in the fifth year of the reign of Rehoboam. It is this victory which the bas-relief of Karnak refers to. The kingdom of Judah is here personified, and doubtless with that fidelity to physiognomy remarked in all the ancient works of art of the Egyptians, in reference to the foreign nations which they have represented upon their monuments: in the bas-relief there is found the physiognomy of the Jewish people, in the tenth century before the Christian era, according to the Egyptians. Indeed Rehoboam himself, perhaps, sat for the original of this picture.— In Comp. Comment., note In loco.
See 1 Kings 22:8, 228And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. (1 Kings 22:8)
22And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. (1 Kings 22:22).
Palms of Engedi
Chron. 22:2.—Behold they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
PROF. H. B. TRISTRAM, LL. D., F. R. S.—Engedi has been unmistakably identified with the modern Ain Jidy, on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Its name signifies “the felling of the palm trees;" it was the contemporary of Sodom and Gomorrah-an existing city when Hebron first arose. Through its groves of palm trees passed the Assyrian hordes of Chedarlaomer, on the first great organized expedition recorded in history. Now not a palm remains in these lonely recesses; but they have left the evidence of their former abundance in the deep glens which open on the little plain. Copious springs of fresh water percolate through the cliffs on all sides, and perform the functions of a dropping well, rapidly petrifying the vegetation which clings to the rocks, and lining the valleys with a thick crust of carbonate of lime. On breaking this soft incrustation, we found masses of palm leaves quite perfect, and even whole trees petrified where they stood, grown as it were to the rock, entire from the root of the stem to the last point of the frond.—Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 380.
Sennacherib before Lachish
2 Chron. 32:99After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, (2 Chronicles 32:9).—After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying, etc.
AUSTEN H. LAYARD, M. P.—During the latter part of my residence at Mosul a chamber was discovered in which the sculptures were in better preservation than any before found at Kouyunjik. Some of the slabs, indeed, were almost entire, though cracked, and otherwise injured by fire; and the epigraph, which fortunately explained the event portrayed, was complete. These bas-reliefs represented the siege and capture by the Assyrians, of a city evidently of great extent and importance. It appears to have been defended by double walls, with battlements and towers, and by fortified outworks. The country around it was hilly and wooded, producing the fig and the vine. The whole power of the great king seems to have been called forth to take this stronghold. In no other sculptures were so many armed warriors seen drawn up in array before a besieged city. In the first rank were the kneeling archers, those in the second were bending forward, whilst those in the third discharged their arrows standing upright, and were mingled with spearmen and slingers; the whole forming a compact and organized phalanx. The reserve consisted of large bodies of horsemen and charioteers. Against the fortifications had been thrown up as many as ten banks or mounts, compactly built of stones, bricks, earth, and branches of trees; and seven battering rams had already been rolled up to the walls. The besieged defended themselves with great determination. Spearmen, slingers and archers thronged the battlements and towers, showering javelins, arrows, stones, and blazing torches upon the assailants. On the battering rams were bowmen discharging their arrows, and men, with large ladles pouring water upon the flaming brands, which, hurled from above, threatened to destroy the engines.
Ladders, probably used for escalade, were falling from the walls upon the soldiers who mounted the inclined ways to the assault. Part of the city had, however, been taken. Beneath its walls were seen Assyrian warriors impaling their prisoners, and from the gateway of an advanced tower, or fort, issued a procession of captives, reaching to the presence of the king, who, gorgeously arrayed, received them seated on his throne, which was richly carved or encased in embossed metal, and standing on an elevated platform. Several prisoners were already in the hands of the torturers. Two were stretched naked on the ground to be flayed alive, others were being slain by the sword before the throne of the king. The haughty monarch was receiving the chiefs of the conquered nation, who crouched and knelt humbly before him. Above the head of the king was this inscription:
"Sennacherib, the mighty king, king of the country of
Assyria, sitting on the throne of judgment, before the
city of Lachish: I give permission for its slaughter."
Here therefore was the actual picture of the taking of Lachish, the city, as we know from the Bible, besieged by Sennacherib, when he sent his generals to demand tribute of Hezekiah, and which he had captured before their return; evidence of the most remarkable character to confirm the interpretation of the inscriptions, and to identify the king who caused them to be engraved with the Sennacherib of Scripture. This highly interesting series of bas-reliefs contained, moreover, an undoubted representation of a king, a city, and a people, with whose names we are acquainted, and of an event described in Holy Writ. They furnish us, therefore, with illustrations of the Bible of very great importance.—Nineveh and Babylon, p. 125-128.
Manasseh
INSCRIPTIONS OF ESAR-HADDON.—I count among the prisoners of my reign twelve kings of the Hittites, who dwell beyond the mountains,—Bahlon, king of Tyre; Manasseh, king of Judah, together with the kings of the isles of the Mediterranean Sea.—Revue Archeologique, 1864.
PROF. GEORGE RAWLINSON, M. A.—We have in the annals of Esar-haddon a curious illustration of what is at first sight most surprising in the Sacred Narrative, namely, the statement that "the captains of the host of the king of Assyria," when they took Manasseh prisoner, carried him with them, not to Nineveh, but to Babylon. It appears by the inscriptions, that Esar-haddon not only, like his grandfather, Sargon, took the title of the "king of. Babylon," but that he actually built himself a palace there, in which he must undoubtedly have occasionally resided. Thus there is nothing strange in an important prisoner being brought to him at the southern capital, though such a thing could scarcely have happened to any other Assyrian sovereign.—.Hist. Illust. of O. T., p. 149.
Pharaoh Necho
DR. JOHN SAUL HAWSON.—Megiddo was the modern el Lejjun, the Legio of Eusebius and Jerome, an important and well-known place in their day. Van de Velde visited the spot in 1852. About a month later in the same year, Dr. Robinson was there, and convinced himself of the correctness of his former opinion. Both writers mention a copious stream flowing down this gorge, and turning some mills before joining the Kishon—here are probably" the waters of Megiddo."—Smith's Dict. of the Bible, p. 1873.
HERODOTUS.—Pharaoh Necho made war by land upon the Syrians, and defeated them in a pitched battle at Magdolus (Megiddo). —Herodt., II., 159.
General Testimony to the Foregoing Historic Books
PROF. GEORGE RAWLINSON, M. A.—The direct historical illustrations which profane sources furnish of Jewish history, include notices of almost every foreign monarch mentioned in the course of the narrative—of Shishak, Zera, Benhadad, Hazael, Mesha, Rezin, Pul, Tiglathpileser, Shalmaneser, So, Sargon, Sennacherib, Tirhaka, Merodach-Baladan, Esar-haddon, Necho, Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-merodach, and Apries—and of the Jewish or Israelite kings, Omri, Ahab, Jehu, Ahaziah, Menahem, Pekah, Ahaz, Hoshea, Hezekiah, and Manasseh. All these monarchs occur in profane history in the order, and at or near the time which the sacred narrative assigns to them. The synchronisms, which that narrative supplies, are borne out wherever there is any further evidence on the subject. The general condition of the powers which come into contact with the Jews is rightly described; and the fluctuations which they experience, their alternations of glory and depression, are correctly given. No discrepancy occurs between the sacred and the profane throughout the entire period, excepting here and there a chronological one. And these chronological discrepancies are in no case serious.
The later narrative of the Books of Chronicles and Kings receives a further illustration, of an indirect character, from a consideration of the incidental notices which are dropped with respect to the manners and customs of the foreign nations, with which the Jews are in this part of their history represented as coming into contact. Though the sacred narrative is far from giving us in this place such a complete portraiture of the Assyrians or Babylonians as it furnishes in the Pentateuch of the Egyptians, yet, if we add to the picture drawn in Chronicles and Kings the further touches furnished by the contemporary prophets, especially Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, we shall find that we possess, altogether, a description of these peoples, which is capable of comparison with the account of them that has reached us from profane sources. And this comparison, though it cannot be carried to the extent which was found possible in the case of Egypt, will be found to embrace so many and such minute points as to constitute it an important head of evidence, and one perhaps to many minds more convincing than the direct illustrations adduced hitherto.—The (scripture) picture thus presented to us is in striking accord also with the character of the Assyrians, of their monarchy, of their mode of warfare, of their favorite habits and practices, as they may be gathered from the sculptured monuments and inscriptions.—Hist. Illust. of the O. T., p. 154-160.