Bible Archeology Discoveries

Azekah Inscription
Discovered: Library of Ashurbanipal (1850)
From: (c. 700 BC)
Current Home: British Museum

Azekah, under the control of Judah, became a strategic stronghold under the Davidic monarchy. It is listed in 2 Chronicles 11:9 as one of the cities that King Rehoboam fortified. In the eighth century BC, the Assyrians dominated the Middle East. The northern kingdom of Israel had already beentaken captive, and near the end of the eighth century, Assyria returned under the rule of King Sennacherib to squash the Judahite kingdom, ruled at the time by King Hezekiah.

Azekah Inscription tablets are several Akkadian cuneiform tablets, discovered in 1903 by Henry Rawlinson in the Library of Ashurbanipal, Initially scholars believed that the one tablet belonged to the military campaign of Tiglath-pileser III, while another tablet belonged to the military campaign of Sargon II. While some argue that the joined text now refers to the Sennacherib’s second campaign in 689 BC, most scholars still maintain the campaigns are those of Sargon II.

The relevance for biblical studies is that the tablets reportedly mention the Assyrian attack by Sennacherib against Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and the conquest of Azekah (2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32).

"Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah did Sennacherib king of Assyria come up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.
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.
And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of Jehovah, and in the treasures of the king's house."

2 Kings 18:13-15

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Notable Finds

Much of what is described in Bible text is lost to history, requiring readers to assume the historicity of the scriptures.

However, many of the places and events described in the Old and New Testaments are periodically corroborated by archeological finds.

Some finds simply help us to better understand things from the ancient world. However, others provide important evidence as to the truth of scripture regarding things about which there had previously been skepticism.

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