Topical Encyclopedia
The term "Assyrian" refers to the people, culture, and empire associated with Assyria, an ancient Mesopotamian kingdom and empire that played a significant role in the history of the Near East and the biblical narrative. The Assyrians are frequently mentioned in the Bible, particularly in the context of their interactions with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
Historical BackgroundAssyria was located in the northern part of Mesopotamia, with its heartland in what is now modern-day northern Iraq. The Assyrian Empire reached its height between the 9th and 7th centuries BC, becoming one of the most powerful empires of the ancient world. Its capital cities included Assur, Nineveh, and later, Calah (Nimrud).
Biblical ReferencesThe Assyrians are prominently featured in the Old Testament, where they are often depicted as instruments of God's judgment against the Israelites due to their disobedience and idolatry. The prophets frequently warned Israel and Judah of the impending Assyrian threat.
1.
Assyrian Conquest of Israel: The Assyrians are most notably recognized for their conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel. In
2 Kings 17:6 , it is recorded: "In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes." This event marked the end of the northern kingdom and the beginning of the Assyrian captivity.
2.
Threat to Judah: The Assyrians also posed a significant threat to the southern kingdom of Judah. During the reign of King Hezekiah, the Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah and besieged Jerusalem. In
2 Kings 19:35 , it is recounted how God delivered Jerusalem: "That night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!"
3.
Prophetic Warnings and Judgments: The prophets Isaiah, Hosea, and Micah, among others, spoke extensively about Assyria.
Isaiah 10:5-6 describes Assyria as the rod of God's anger: "Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to seize the spoil and to plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets."
4.
Nineveh's Repentance: The book of Jonah provides a unique narrative where the prophet Jonah is sent to the Assyrian city of Nineveh to call for repentance.
Jonah 3:5 states: "And the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least."
Cultural and Religious InfluenceThe Assyrians were known for their military prowess, advanced engineering, and architectural achievements, including the construction of grand palaces and the extensive use of cuneiform writing. Their religious practices were polytheistic, centered around gods such as Ashur, the chief deity, and Ishtar, the goddess of love and war.
LegacyThe fall of the Assyrian Empire came in 612 BC with the destruction of Nineveh by a coalition of Babylonians, Medes, and others. Despite their eventual downfall, the Assyrians left a lasting impact on the region's history and are remembered in the biblical narrative as both a formidable adversary and a tool used by God to fulfill His purposes.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
a.) Of or pertaining to Assyria, or to its inhabitants.
2. (n.) A native or an inhabitant of Assyria; the language of Assyria.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN LIBRARIESSeeNINEVEH, LIBRARY OF.
Strong's Hebrew
6322. Pul -- anAssyrian king... Pul. 6323 . an
Assyrian king. Transliteration: Pul Phonetic Spelling: (pool) Short
Definition: Pul.
... Pul, the name of an
Assyrian king and of an Ethiopian tribe
...620. Asenappar -- anAssyrian king
... 619, 620. Asenappar. 621 . anAssyrian king. Transliteration: Asenappar
Phonetic Spelling: (os-nap-par') Short Definition: Osnappar....
634. Esarchaddon -- "Ashur has given a brother," anAssyrian king
... "Ashur has given a brother," anAssyrian king. Transliteration: Esarchaddon Phonetic
Spelling: (ay-sar' Chad-dohn') Short Definition: Esarhaddon....
3377. Yareb -- "let him contend," the name of anAssyrian king
... 3376, 3377. Yareb. 3378 . "let him contend," the name of anAssyrian king.
Transliteration: Yareb Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-rabe') Short Definition: Jareb....
8407. Tiglath Pileser -- anAssyrian king
... Tiglath Pileser. 8408 . anAssyrian king. Transliteration: Tiglath Pileser Phonetic
Spelling: (tig-lath' pil-eh'-ser) Short Definition: Tiglath-pileser....
5623. Sargon -- a king of Assyr.
... NASB Word Usage Sargon (1). Sargon. Of foreign derivation; Sargon, anAssyrian king --
Sargon. 5622, 5623. Sargon. 5624 . Strong's Numbers.
3638. Kilmad -- a place of unc. location
... location NASB Word Usage Chilmad (1). Chilmad. Of foreign derivation; Kilmad, a
place apparently in theAssyrian empire -- Chilmad. 3637, 3638. Kilmad. 3639...
152. Adrammelek -- "Adar is prince," an Assyr. idol, also a son of...
... Adrammelech. From 'adar and melek; splendor of (the) king; Adrammelek, the name
of anAssyrian idol, also of a son of Sennacherib -- Adrammelech....
671. Apharckay -- official
... fapharcathkay (Aramaic) {af-ar-sath-kah'ee}; of foreign origin (only in the plural);
an Apharsekite or Apharsathkite, an unknownAssyrian tribe -- Apharsachites...
7024. Qiyr -- "wall," a city in Moab
... Kir The same as qiyr; fortress; Kir, a place inAssyrian; also one in Moab -- Kir.
Compare Qiyr Cheres. see HEBREW qiyr. see HEBREW Qiyr Cheres. 7023, 7024....
Library
TheAssyrian
... Names And Titles of the Antichrist 13. TheAssyrian. "OAssyrian, the rod of
Mine anger, and the staff in their hand in Mine indignation...
TheAssyrian Captivity
... Prophets of the Northern Kingdom Chapter 23 TheAssyrian Captivity. The closing
years of the ill-fated kingdom of Israel were marked...
TheAssyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... CHAPTER I"THEASSYRIAN REVIVAL AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SYRIA. Assur... animal.
[Illustration: 009.jpg ANASSYRIAN HORSEMAN ARMED WITH THE SWORD]....
The Rise of theAssyrian Empire
... CHAPTER II"THE RISE OF THEASSYRIAN EMPIRE. PHOENICIA AND THE NORTHERN NATIONS
AFTER THE DEATH OP RAMSES III.--- THE FIRSTASSYRIAN...
That Rome was Founded when theAssyrian Kingdom Perished, at which...
... Book XVIII. Chapter 22."That Rome Was Founded When theAssyrian Kingdom
Perished, at Which Time Hezekiah Reigned in Judah. To...
The Destruction of the Sodomites by theAssyrian Wall.
... Three Years. From The Creation To The Death Of Isaac. CHAPTER 9. The
Destruction Of The Sodomites By TheAssyrian Wall. At this...
Of the Three Most Famous Kingdoms of the Nations, of which One...
... Book XVI. Chapter 17."Of the Three Most Famous Kingdoms of the Nations, of Which
One, that is theAssyrian, Was Already Very Eminent When Abraham Was Born....
Tiglath-Pileser iii. And the Organisation of theAssyrian Empire...
... CHAPTER II"TIGLATH-PILESER III. AND THE ORGANISATION OF THEASSYRIAN EMPIRE FROM
745 TO 722 BC.... AND THE ORGANISATION OF THEASSYRIAN EMPIRE FROM 745 to 722 BC...
History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7
... THEASSYRIAN REVIVAL AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SYRIA.... The line ofAssyrian kings after
Assurirba, and the Babylonian dynasties: the war between Ramman-nirari III....
England's Strength
... You heard then how this greatAssyrian conqueror, Sennacherib, after taking all
the fortified towns of Judah, and sweeping the whole country with fire and sword...
Thesaurus
Assyrian (18 Occurrences)... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN LIBRARIES. See NINEVEH,
LIBRARY OF. Multi-Version Concordance
Assyrian (18 Occurrences).
...Carchemish (3 Occurrences)
... TheAssyrian form of the name is Kargamis or Gargamis, but its meaning is doubtful,
the interpretation "Fort of the god Chemosh" having been suggested before...
Tirhakah (2 Occurrences)
... TheAssyrian armies under Esarhaddon, and again under Assur-bani-pal, invaded Egypt
and defeated Tirhakah, who afterwards retired into Ethiopia, where he died...
Ashurbanipal (1 Occurrence)
... His sister's son Tanut-Amon (Tandami) then took up the cause, and after the departure
of theAssyrian army he advanced against theAssyrian vassal governors....
Sennacherib (13 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 22, 24, 29, and 2 Chronicles 32:1-8). His own account of this invasion, as
given in theAssyrian annals, is in these words: "Because Hezekiah, king of...
Jareb (2 Occurrences)
... ja'-reb, jar'-eb (yarebh, "let him contend"; Septuagint Iareim): 1. Obscurity of
the Name: Is mentioned twice in Hosea (5:13; 10:6) as anAssyrian king who...
Aramaic (12 Occurrences)
... Further, it shows that Aramaic was the ordinary language ofAssyrian diplomacy....
To the end,Assyrian was largely ideographic and hieroglyphic....
Tiglath (3 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Tiglath-Pileser I. (not mentioned in Scripture) was the
most famous of the monarchs of the firstAssyrian empire (about BC 1110)....
Pileser (3 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Tiglath-Pileser I. (not mentioned in Scripture) was the
most famous of the monarchs of the firstAssyrian empire (about BC 1110)....
Sargon (1 Occurrence)
... the god] has appointed the king; also "Sarru-kinu, " the legitimate king.) On the
death of Shalmaneser (BC 723), one of theAssyrian generals established...
Resources
Who were the Assyrians in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the significance of Assyria in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgWho was Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz? | GotQuestions.orgAssyrian: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
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