Assyria

In the Bible

• Genesis: The Hiddekel, one of the rivers flowing out of Eden, is said to go "toward the east of Assyria" (Genesis 2:14). Asshur appears as the name of one of the sons of Shem (Genesis 10:22). The building of Nineveh and Calah is also recorded (Genesis 10:11).
• 2 Kings: Tiglath-pileser (Pul) attacks the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 15:19, 29). In the time of Shalmaneser, Samaria falls, its people are carried away, and other peoples are settled in the land (2 Kings 17). Sennacherib invades Judah in the days of Hezekiah but withdraws after the angel of the LORD strikes down 185,000 of his soldiers (2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 36–37).
• The Prophets: Isaiah calls Assyria "the rod of mine anger," yet declares that God will punish its pride (Isaiah 10:5–19). He also speaks of a day when Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will be blessed together (Isaiah 19:23–25). Jonah goes to Nineveh, the great city of Assyria, to proclaim judgment, and Nahum prophesies Nineveh's destruction.

Background

The Hebrew name Ashshur is identical to the name of the nation's ancient capital, Assur, and of its chief god. Assur, Calah, and Nineveh served in succession as its principal cities. In the eighth and seventh centuries BC, Assyria ruled most of the ancient Near East, and it was known for its policy of forcibly deporting the inhabitants of conquered lands and resettling them elsewhere. After Nineveh fell to a coalition of Babylon and the Medes in 612 BC, the empire soon collapsed. Jehu is famously mentioned on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, and Hezekiah in the annals of Sennacherib.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Assyria serves as an instrument of judgment against Israel, which had turned away from God. At the same time, it is portrayed as a worldly power that grows proud and is itself judged. The intermingling of foreign settlers with the remaining Israelites after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel is commonly cited as the background to the Samaritan question.

The New Testament does not mention Assyria directly. Jesus, however, rebukes the people of his generation by pointing to the men of Nineveh, who repented at the preaching of Jonah (Matthew 12:41). "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali" in Isaiah 9:1–2, a passage commonly associated with the Assyrian invasion, is applied in Matthew 4:15–16 to Jesus' ministry in Galilee.

Interpretation and Debates

• The Hebrew text of Genesis 10:11 can be read either as "Nimrod went out into Assyria" or as "Asshur went out," and translations differ accordingly.
• The death of the 185,000 has traditionally been understood as a supernatural judgment of God, though some scholars connect it with a natural cause such as an epidemic. Sennacherib's own records reportedly do not claim the capture of Jerusalem but state that he received tribute from Hezekiah; 2 Kings 18:14–16 likewise records the payment of tribute.
• Many Korean denominations generally accept Nineveh's repentance in the book of Jonah as a historical event. Another view, noting that the event is not attested in Assyrian records, reads the account as a didactic narrative.

In the Korean Church

Hezekiah's prayer in the face of Sennacherib's threats (2 Kings 19) is frequently cited in sermons as a model of prayer in times of crisis. The God who spares even Nineveh, an enemy city (Jonah 4:11), is a common sermon theme in preaching on God's compassion and on mission.