Rose Publishing - 50 Proofs For the Bible. Old Testament

Assyrian troops are shown advancing with stone slingers and archers. Siege towers were wheeled up ramps to batter the city wall. Arvel Witte

These Nineveh palace carvings of the Lachish defeat amplify the biblical record concerning the siege of the kingdom of Judah in the days of King Hezekiah. In 2 Kings 18:13 it says, Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah did Sennacherib, king of Assyria, come up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. However, before the Assyrians could capture Jerusalem, they were destroyed by Gods angel and Sennacherib withdrew (2 Kings 20:35; 2 Chronicles 32).

2 Kings, 2 Chron.

A 15-inch tall, six-sided baked clay prism from ancient Assyria contains the story of the invasion of the kingdom of Judah by Sennacherib in 701 BC . The prism was found at Nineveh.

King Sennacherib of Assyria is mentioned in 2 Kings 18-19. Isaiah prophesied that God would protect Jerusalem against attack by Sennacherib (Isaiah 36-37, 2 Chronicles 32). While the prism does say that the Assyrians trapped Hezekiah in Jerusalem like a bird in a cage, like the biblical record, it says nothing of them conquering the city.

The Bible says that God spared Jerusalem. The prism, together with the Lachish reliefs and excavations, adds detail to the biblical account. King Hezekiah prayed to the L ORD . Isaiah brought him Gods message. That night the L ORD smote 185,000 Assyrians, and Sennacherib went back to Nineveh and later was killed by his sons (Isaiah 37:35-38).

2 Kings, 2 Chron., Isaiah

In an elaborate tomb complex cut into the wall of Jerusalems Kidron Valley is a Hebrew inscription identifying the burial cave as belonging to the descendants of Hezir.

The names of three generations of priestly Hezir family members also appear in the inscription, verifying the existence of this priestly family mentioned in 1 Chronicles 24:15 and Nehemiah 10:20.

A list of the Levitical priests during King Davids time found in 1 Chronicles 24 includes the name of Hezir. Later, in Nehemiah 10, another priest named Hezir (possibly a descendant of the former Hezir) is listed as one of the priests who signed a covenant to keep Gods Law in the restored Temple around 450 BC .

1 Chron., Nehem.

This city is mentioned only three times in the Bible, but archaeology reveals that it was in a strategic location, desired by the Hittites, Assyrians, and Babylonians.

Carchemish was important in biblical history for one key battle. In 605 BC , the Babylonians defeated the Assyrian and Egyptian armies there. This destroyed the Assyrians and paved the way for the Babylonians to conquer much of the biblical world, including the kingdom of Judah.

In 586 BC , the Babylonians stormed Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. Jeremiah 46 and 2 Chronicles 35-36 speak of the prophecies and circumstances leading up to the Battle of Carchemish, and the devastating chain of events that followed.

2 Chron., Jeremiah

In 1935 an archaeologist unearthed several letters, written about 588 BC , on 21 pottery pieces (ostraca) from among the burned ruins of the ancient city of Lachish of Judah.

The Lachish messages were desperate pleas by the Judean defenders of the city for military assistance. Apparently the city was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar before the letters could be sent.