Temple of Zerubbabel (2) – the Period

This topic is the continuation and conclusion to “Temple of Zerubbabel (1) – the Building”.

The Temple of Zerubbabél in Jerusalem is also known as the Second Temple or Ezra’s Temple.  Part 1 traced the building of this 2^nd Temple, starting circa (c) 538 BC.  The historical timeline seen in Part 1 is from the book of Ezra chapters 1–6.  Prophecy from Haggai & Zechariah was interjected into the flow.

After 20 years, 2^nd temple construction was completed in 516 BC.  Ezr.6:15 in the 6^th year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.  Historians indicate he was Darius I the Great, 522–486 BC.

However, the timing of the Ezr.4:6-23 passage is debatable.  Bible commentators are divided in regards to dating it.  Discussion of that passage was postponed in Part 1; it is now addressed here in Part 2.

Ezr.4:1-5 during the reign of Cyrus II the Great of Persia, Samaritans living in the Holy Land wanted to join the Jews in building the (Second) Temple.  That was around 535–530 BC.  But the Jews rejected them.  As a result, Samaritans instead opposed the build.  The Jews feared to continue.  Construction was frustrated and halted.  It wouldn’t resume, Ezr.4:5 “until the reign of Darius king of Persia”.

There are basically two options of interpretation for the Ezr.4:6-23 passage.  Option #1 continues the chronological order.  Option #2 relates it to a later Samaritan opposition, after several decades passed.

Option #1: Ezr.4:6 Samaritans wrote a letter to King Ahásuerus, accusing the Jews.  Perhaps this king was Cámbyses II, 530–523 BC?  Ellicott Commentary Ezr.4:6 “This Ahasuerus, another name for Cambyses, reigned 7 years.”  Barnes Notes “Ahasuerus or Cambyses, son and successor of Cyrus [died 530 BC]. Persian kings had often two names.”  Cambyses II succeeded Cyrus II chronologically.

Ezr.4:7-22 Samaritan nobility also wrote to King Artaxérxes.  Gill Exposition Ezr.4:7 “Artaxerxes being a common name to the kings of Persia.”  cf. the titles Pharaoh & Caesar.  Was this Artaxerxes pseudo-Smérdis the magician posing as Cyrus’ younger son Bárdiya, 522 BC?  Ellicott Commentary Ezr.4:7 “Artaxerxes – This must be Gomates, the Mágian priest who personated Smerdis [Greek name], dead son of Cyrus, and reigned only 7 months.”  Pulpit Commentary “If Artaxerxes be the Pseudo-Smerdis…a usurper.”  The identity is uncertain.  Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 11:2:1 “To our Lord Cambyses [Ezr.4:11]…11:3:1 “The Mági, who, after the death of Cambyses, attained the government of the Persians for a year.”  The Magian pseudo-Smerdis briefly reigned after Cambyses II.

Persian support ceased.  Ezr.4:23-24 temple construction was stopped until the 2^nd year (520 BC) of Darius’ reign.  Ezr.6:15 building was then completed in Darius’ 6^th year (516 BC).

Eric Lyons Kingly Chronology in the Book of Ezra “Since Persian kings frequently had two or more names, it is not unfathomable to think that Cambyses and Smerdis also may have gone by the names of Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes.”  If that was the case, the king names in succession were: Cyrus II – Cambyses II/Ahasuerus – pseudo-Smerdis/Artaxerxes – Darius I.

Option #2: Ezr.4:6-23 isn’t in chronological order.  Rather, this passage is a parenthetical insert.  It flashes forward to times of opposition and work stoppage during the reigns of…Ahasuerus/Xérxes I 486–465 BC (Ezr.4:6), and Artaxerxes I/Longimánus 465-424 BC (Ezr.4:7-23).  In Ezr.4:7-23, the work at issue is the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its walls; work on a temple project isn’t mentioned.

JFB Commentary Ezr.4:6 “Ahasuerus… successor of Darius, the famous Xerxes.”  Gill Exposition Ezr.4:6 “According to Járchi, this was Ahasuerus the husband of Esther.”  Cambridge Bible Ezr.4:6 “Ahasuerus. The well-known Xerxes, the son of Darius [I], who reigned 20 years (485–465). He is generally identified with the Ahasuerus of Esther.”  Cambridge Bible Ezr.4:7 “Artaxerxes Longimanus succeeded his father Xerxes and reigned forty years (465–425). He is mentioned in Ezra 7:1, Neh.2:1.”

Lyons op. cit. “It is reasonable to conclude that…Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes (Ezr.4:6-7) are indeed the Ahasuerus (486–465) and Artaxerxes (465–424) of history (rather than the aforementioned Cambyses and Smerdis).”  John Oakes Evidence For Christianity “Ezra 4:6-23 is an interlude involving events which happened quite a bit later, during the reign of Artaxerxes and possibly Xerxes as well. If you don’t know the chronology of the kings, then Ezra 4:24 definitely could be confusing.”

The Persian or Achaeménid Empire lasted for 220 years (550–330 BC).  Following are its kings’ reigns: Cyrus II the Great (559–530 BC), Cambyses II (530–523 BC), pseudo-Smerdis/Bardiya (522 BC), Darius I the Great (522–486 BC), Ahasuerus/Xerxes I (486–465 BC), Artaxerxes I/Longimanus (465–424 BC), Xerxes II (424 BC), Darius II (423–404 BC), Artaxerxes II (403–359 BC), Artaxerxes III (359–338 BC), Árses (338–336 BC), Darius III (336–330 BC).  The Empire ends.

Most historians feel certain that Darius II and Artaxerxes II and their successors cannot be the kings in the book of Ezra…they lived too late.

Kings of Persia names in the KJV, Green’s Literal Translation, and the Jewish Tanakh: Ezr.4:5 Cyrus.  Ezr.4:6 Ahasuerus.  Ezr.4:7-23 Artaxerxes (as a common name for Persian kings?).  Ezr.4:24 Darius.  Ezr.7:1–8:1 Artaxerxes.  Ne.2:1 Artaxerxes.  Ne.5:14 Artaxerxes.  Est.1–10 Ahasuerus.

Kings of Persia names in the Greek Septúagint/LXX: Ezr.4:5 Cyrus.  Ezr.4:6 Assuérus.  Ezr.4:7-23 Árthasastha (as a common name for Persian kings?).  Ezr.4:24 Darius.  Ezr.7:1–8:1 Arthasastha.  Ne.2:1 Arthasastha.  Ne.5:14 Arthasastha.  Est.1–10 Artaxerxes.

Kings of Persia names in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews 11:1–6: Ezr.4:5 Cyrus.  Ezr.4:6 the Magi?  Ezr.4:7-23 Cambyses.  Ezr.4:24 Darius.  Ezr.7:1–8:1 Xerxes.  Ne.2:1 Xerxes.  Ne.5:14 Xerxes.  Est.1–10 Artaxerxes.  (The ancient Greek historians Heródotus and Thúcydides also noted Persian kings.)

Wikipedia: Ezra “Josephus – He uses the name Xerxes for Artaxerxes I, reserving the name Artaxerxes for the later Artaxerxes II whom he identifies as the Ahasuerus of Esther, thus placing Ezra before the book of Esther. Josephus’ account of the deeds of Ezra derives entirely from 1Ésdras, which he cites as the ‘book of Ezra’. Contrariwise, Josephus does not appear to recognize Ezra–Nehemiah [then written as one scroll] as a biblical book, and relies on other traditions in his account of the deeds of Nehemiah.”

As we’ve seen, the Persian king names found in Bible versions and historical sources differ.

Option #1 and Option #2 for Ezr.4:6-23 both have their proponents.  I leave the choice to the reader.

The Temple of Zerubbabel, the 2^nd Temple, would stand for 500 years…until 20 BC!  Part 2 now continues to trace the period of its history.

Paul J. Bucknell Ezra Overview “There were at least three waves of returning [Jewish] exiles. Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah all led groups back. Ezra and Nehemiah then worked together. The book of Nehemiah focuses on the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s wall.”

The group of Jews led by Zerubbabel the governor returned c 538 BC. (see Part 1.)  After the Temple was completed (Ezr.6:15), most Bible historians say there is a 58-year gap between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7.

Ezra was a Levitical priest and a scribe (Ezr.7:1-6).  As a royal commissioner of the Persian Empire, he was sent to Judea with authority to administer God’s Law/Toráh to Jewish returnees.  Ezr.7–10 is about Ezra himself and the group he led back from Babylon.  Ezr.7:7-8 “They went up to Jerusalem in the 7^th year of King Artaxerxes [465–424 BC?].”  The date most historians give for this return is 458/457 BC (although a few disagree with this date).  Ezra led reforms, and established the ‘Men of the Great Assembly’ legislative body.  The synagogue system was eventually set up to teach the people.

Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer at the palace in Súsa, Persia (Ne.1:1, 11b).  The generally accepted date for the return of Nehemiah’s group is 445/444 BC.  Ne.2:1, 11 “In the 20^th year of King Artaxerxes (465–424 BC)….I came to Jerusalem.”  He joined Ezra there (ref Ne.8).  Nehemiah became governor of Judea (Ne.5:14), under Persian control.  During his tenure the walls of Jerusalem were repaired & built (Ne.2:12– 6:15), in spite of Samaritan opposition.  Nehemiah also abolished usury (Ne.5:1-13).  The final verse of his book, Ne.13:31b reads, “Remember me, O my God, for good”.

Jewish Encyclopedia: Temple, The Second “From the time of Zerubbabel to the time of Antíochus Epíphanes [160s BC] the history of the Temple was comparatively uneventful.”

Alexander the Great (356–323 BC) conquered the Persian Empire in 330 BC.  This began the Grecian or Macedonian Empire.  Ancient Greece was called Héllas.  The Hellenistic Period of Greek ideas and Greek way of life was 323 – 31 BC.  Hellenism spread into Judea and Jerusalem.

Upon Alexander’s death, the territory of his Empire divided into four kingdoms ruled by his four generals: Cassánder (Greece), Lysímachus (Asia Minor), Ptólemy (Egypt/Africa), Seleúcus (Syria/Near East).  In Daniel 11, Ptolemy is the “King of the South” and Seleucus is “King of the North”.

Wikipedia: Temple in Jerusalem “The Ptolemies came to rule over Judea and the Temple. The Jews were given many civil liberties and lived content. However, when the Ptolemáic army was defeated at Panium [near Mt. Hermon] by Antiochus III of the Seleucids in 198 BCE, this policy changed. Antiochus wanted to Hellenize the Jews, attempting to introduce the Greek Pantheon into the temple.”

Wikipedia: Second Temple “Following the conquest of Judea by Alexander the Great, it became part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt until 200 BCE, when the Seleucid king Antiochus III of Syria defeated Pharaoh Ptolemy V. Judea became at that moment part of the Seleucid Empire. When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and its religious services stopped, Judaism was effectively outlawed. In 167 BCE, Antiochus IV Epiphanes ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He also banned circumcision and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the Temple. Following the [Jewish] Maccabéan Revolt [167–160 BC] against the Seleucid Empire, the Second Temple was rededicated and became the religious pillar of the Jewish Hasmónean Kingdom, as well as culturally associated with the Jewish holiday of Hánukkah.”  (Hanukkah was the “Feast of Dedication”, ref Jn.10:22-23.)

Antiochus IV defiled the 2^nd Temple with an “abomination of desolation” (Da.11:31)…he set up an altar to a heathen god and offered swine’s flesh!  The Jewish priest Judas Maccabéus (called ‘the Hammer’) cleansed the sanctuary in 164 AD, and the custom of Hanukkah became celebrated (ref 1Mac.4:36-61).  At that time he rebuilt the city with high walls and towers around the temple, a citadel.

The Roman Republic and Roman Empire would become dominant.  In 63 BC, Roman general Pómpey conquered Jerusalem and desecrated the temple by entering the Most Holy Place (though the temple remained intact).

Kevin J. Conner The Temple of Solomon, p.212 “The Temple [the 2^nd, Zerubbabel’s] was taken by Pompey on the Day of Atonement after a 3-month siege, and then later on by Herod the Great [37 BC].”  Rome appointed the Edomite Herod ‘King of Judea’, ending 100 years of Jewish Hasmonean rule (from 140 BC).  Herod himself had been raised as a Jew.

The Temple of Zerubbabel existed for 500 years, until 20 BC…when Herod tore it down and removed its foundation.  He proceeded to build a splendid new temple on an expanded Temple Mount (cf. Jn.2:20).

Back around 520 BC when God’s “house” or 2^nd Temple was being built, Haggai had prophesied about the Lord’s temple.  Hag.2:9 “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former.”  The splendor of Herod’s Temple (the “latter”) was even greater than that of Solomon’s Temple (the “former”, built c 990s BC).  But not only because of its magnificence and outward physical beauty….

Easton’s Bible Dictionary “The temple, during the different periods of its existence, is regarded as but one house, the one only house of God. The glory here predicted is spiritual glory and not material splendor. Christ Himself, present bodily.”  Haggai’s prophecy was fulfilled by Jesus’ incarnation in the Holy Land.

Missing from Zerubbabel’s Temple was the Shekínah glory Presence and the Ark of the Testimony.  (see Part 1 and the topic “Ark of the Testimony – Journeys”.)  But c 425 BC the prophet Malachi foretold that the Lord would indeed come to His temple (Mal.3:1)!

Christ, the Lord Himself, was present at Herod’s Temple (“the latter”) complex!  e.g. Lk.2:46, 21:37.  Jesus said of Himself in Mt.12:6 KJV, “In this place is one greater than the temple”.  Jesus is greater than Moses’ Tabernacle, Solomon’s Temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple, and Herod’s Temple!  The King is greater than His house.  And God is now rebuilding the…Tabernacle of David (Ac.15:16, Am.9:11.  see “Tent/Tabernacle of David”.)  To God, the Master Builder, be the glory!

Temple of Zerubbabel (1) – the Building

From the history of ancient Israel…the Tabernacle of Moses, Temple of Solomon, and Herod’s Temple are familiar topics to many Bible students.  But it seems the Temple of Zerubbabel, also called the 2^nd Temple or Ezra’s Temple, is comparatively less lauded.  This is about the building of the 2^nd temple.

The Temple of Solomon (Israel’s 1^st temple) stood on Mt. Moriáh (2Ch.3:1) in Jerusalem for 400 years; from circa (c) 990 BC until it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnézzar of Babylon in 586 BC (2Ki.25:8-15).  He had taken Judah captive in 597 BC, exiling Jews to Babylon (2Ki.24:10-18).

Then c 572 BC, the exiled prophet Ezekiel envisioned a new temple in Jerusalem rebuilt (Ezk.40–48).  The dream of a future temple house for the Lord remained in the hearts of the Jewish people.  (This isn’t to say the Temple of Zerubbabél is the ‘fulfillment’ of that vision.)

In 539 BC Babylon fell to Cyrus II, the Great, of Persia.  Isaiah had prophesied about Cyrus (Is.44:28-45:1) some 150 years earlier.  Ezr.1:1-7 the Lord inspired King Cyrus to decree that exiled Jews could return to the Holy Land; c 538 BC (cf. Je.29:10).  Ezr.1:3 they were to build a 2^nd temple in Jerusalem.

Ezr.2:1-2-ff the first wave of Jewish returnees were led by Zerubbabel, who became governor of Judah (Hag.1:1-2).  He was the grandson of Judah’s penultimate King Jehoiachín/Jeconiáh (1Ch.3:17-19).

Hag.2:23 “Declares the Lord, ‘I will take you Zerubabbel, son of Shealtiél, and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you.”  A signet ring or seal was held by the sovereign or the legal authority.  Barnes Notes Hag.2:23 “Cyrus entrusted him with the return of his people, and made him (who would have been the successor to the throne of Judah, had the throne been re-established) his governor over the people.”  Pulpit Commentary “Zerubbabel is set at the head of the nation in the place of his grandfather Jeconiah.”  Though Zerubabbel wasn’t made king, he was as a signet ring, as Jeconiah had been (Je.22:24).  Joseph, Mary, and Jesus would descend from Zerubbabel (Mt.1:12, 16; Lk.3:23, 27)!

The first returnees numbered nearly 50,000 (Ezr.2:64-65), coming back in 538 BC or soon afterwards.

I’ll trace the history from the book of Ezra.  Zerubbabel and Yeshúa the high priest initially erected an altar in Jerusalem for regular burnt offerings; they then kept the Feast of Booths there (Ezr.3:1-6).

Ezr.3:7-13 it took two years to lay the foundation for the temple.  v.10-11 “The priests stood to praise the Lord…because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.”

Who was prince Sheshbazzár (Ezr.1:8-11, 5:14-16)?  Most commentators think he was Zerubbabel (‘sown in Babel’).  JFB Commentary Ezr.1:8 “Zerubbabel, that is, stranger or exile in Babylon. Shesh-bazzar, signifying ‘fire-worshipper’, was the name given him at court, as other names were given to Daniel and his friends [Da.1:6-7].”  cf. Ezr.3:8-10, 5:16.  Or, Sheshbazzar was Zerubbabel’s uncle Shenazzár (1Ch.3:17-19); possibly he began the work on the temple and Zerubbabel finished it.

Samaritans living in the Holy Land were descendants of peoples brought in when Israel’s northern kingdom of Samaria was deported by Assyria, many in 721 BC (2Ki.17:24).  Those peoples brought in gradually assimilated with remaining Israelites, and became known as Samaritans.  The Samaritan mixed peoples now wanted to join in building the temple.

Ezr.4:1-3 however, the Jews viewed them as adversaries and rejected them, c 535 BC.  v.4-5 as a result, the Samaritans instead opposed the build.  The Jews feared to continue.  Temple construction was frustrated and halted.  It wouldn’t resume (v.5) “until the reign of Darius king of Persia [522–486 BC]”.

The timing of Ezr.4:6-23 in history is debated by Bible commentators.  I’ll postpone discussion of that passage for now…until Part 2 of this topic, “Temple of Zerubbabel (2) – the Period”.

We pick up the account again with Ezr.4:24. “Work on the house of God in Jerusalem ceased, and it was stopped until the 2^nd year [520 BC] of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”  Darius I the Great.

Ezr.5:1-2 the prophets Haggai and Zechariah encouraged Zerubbabel & Yeshua to resume construction.

Ezr.5:3-17 Persian officials came to the Judah province to view the building project, and inquired of King Darius about its legitimacy.

Ezr.6:1-5 King Darius found in the archives Cyrus’ prior decree authorizing the Jews to rebuild the temple.  v.6-13 Darius then issued his own decree for temple construction to be resumed/carried out.

In those days, Haggai and Zechariah prophesied the temple would be finished.  Hag.2:4 “Take courage, Zerubbabel’, declares the Lord; ‘Take courage, Yehoshúa, the high priest, and all you people of the Land take courage, and work; for I Am with you’, says the Lord of hosts.”  Zechariah wrote in Zec.4:8-9. “The word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house [temple], and his hands will finish it.”

The Lord’s Spirit would see to it.  Zec.4:6 “The word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit.”  And Hag.2:5 “My Spirit is abiding in your midst; fear not.”  Again, the Lord had declared this temple was His will, way back in the days of Isaiah.  Is.44:28 “It is I who says of Cyrus, he is My shepherd, he will perform all My desire; who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built’, and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.”  The foundation was laid before Cyrus died in 530 BC.

Ezr.6:14-18 the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah came to pass.  After 20 years, the temple was completed.  v.15 “In the 6^th year of King Darius [516 BC].”  The Jews celebrated the event with much joy and offerings.  v.19-22 they ate the Passover.  (There’s no record of the Passover lawfully being eaten in exile, with no temple or central sanctuary existing outside the Holy Land.)

The temple was built on Mt Moriah.  (Not on Mt Zion; also see the topic “Zion in the Bible”.)  Wikipedia: Zion “Mount Moriah, better known as the Temple Mount, upon which the Temple of Solomon [2Ch.3:1] and the Second Temple were built.”

The restored Temple of Zerubbabel (the 2^nd) would stand for 500 years (until 20 BC)!  What is known about the appearance of and articles in this Second Temple?

My Jewish Learning: Building the Second Temple “While there is no complete description of the Temple built by Zerubbabel, considerable detail can be gleaned from various sources. Vessels from the First Temple [of Solomon], recovered by the Persians from the Babylonians whom they had conquered, were returned to the Jews.”  The returnees brought those vessels back to the Holy Land in c 538 BC.  A list of those temple articles is in Ezr.1:7-11, 5:14.  They were used in sacrificing.

Kevin J. Conner The Temple of Solomon, p. 210 “Very few details are provided concerning the restored Temple. Zerubbabel’s Temple was 60 cubits high and 60 cubits broad and 100 cubits long (Ezr.6:3). It stood on its original site [Mt.Moriah] and seemed to follow much of Solomon’s Temple and some of Ezekiel’s visionary Temple in parts.”  A few newer translations render “60 cubits” as “90 feet”.

My Jewish Learning op. cit. “It [2^nd Temple] had two courtyards [1Mac.4:48]. Various chambers surrounded the Temple in both courtyards…and were used for the storage of tithes, equipment, and vessels [and priestly garments]. Certain high officials apparently merited private chambers within the Temple precincts. The Temple building was of hewn stone, with wooden beams reinforcing the walls from within.”

Zerubbabel’s Temple had both a Holy Place and a Holy of Holies innermost room, separated by a veil (1Mac.1:22), as Solomon’s Temple had.  Plural veils (probably two) are indicated in 1Mac.4:51.

Sacred divine fire originally sent from heaven to burn continually on God’s altar was also eventually present in Zerubbabel’s Temple (ref Le.9:24 & 6:12-13, 2Ch.7:1).  After Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem from Persia ca 444 BC, miracle fire (from naphtha) once again burned sacrifices on the altar.  ref 2Mac.1:18-35.  A wood offering was mandated for Jewish returnees, to keep that altar fire burning, Ne.10:34.  (see the topic “Fire From Heaven!”.)

Costly materials weren’t available for this 2^nd temple; it wasn’t as ornate as Solomon’s Temple.  Hag.2:3 “Who is left among you who saw this house [Solomon’s Temple] in her former glory? And how do you see it now? It seems like nothing in comparison.”  The 1^st Temple was beautiful!

Got Questions: What Was Zerubbabel’s Temple? “Zerubbabel’s temple was built on a smaller scale and with much fewer resources.”  Wikipedia: Second Temple “The Second Temple was originally a rather modest structure.”

1Mac.4:44-51 Zerubbabel’s Temple had an altar of stone (not bronze, cf. 2Ch.4:1) in the outer court for sacrifices.  It had only one candlestick, one table for showbread, and one incense altar.  Whereas the Temple of Solomon had: 10 candlesticks of gold (lampstands burning oil, 2Ch.4:7, 20), 10 tables (2Ch.4:8, 19), one golden incense altar (1Ki.7:48).

Yet Zerubbabel’s (lesser) Temple was still the Lord’s doing.  Zec.4:10 “Who has despised the day of small things? These seven eyes of the Lord (cf. Re.1:4, 5:6), which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”

{Sidelight: God’s church today will succeed not by human might nor power nor solely by our own resources…but by the empowerment of His Spirit (Zec.4:6).  God does great things, and He does small things, according to His will.  The Lord spoke in a still, small voice in instructing Elijah regarding His will, 1Ki.19:12-ff.  God’s growing Kingdom is like a mustard seed, smaller than other seeds, Mt.13:31-32.  Jesus affirms in Mt.19:26, “With God, all things are possible”.}

Significantly, there were 4 components missing from Zerubbabel’s Temple (according to various sources, including the Babylonian Talmud Yoma 22b), which Solomon’s 1^st Temple had:

#1) Ark of the Testimony/Covenant.  Conner op. cit. “No Temple since Solomon’s has had the Ark of God in it.”  cf. 2Ch.5:7.  (see the topic “Ark of the Testimony – Journeys”.)  With no Ark or mercy seat upon which to sprinkle blood on the annual Day of Atonement, they placed a ‘stone of foundation’ upon which the high priest put his censer on that day.

#2) Shekínah glory Presence of the Lord was missing.  There was no Ark for the Presence to rest upon.

#3) Urím & Thummím stones of judgment, which had been on the breastplate of high priests (cf. Ex.28:29-30), weren’t among the 2^nd temple articles.

#4) Holy Spirit didn’t inspire prophets then.  After Malachi (c 425 BC), the traditional ‘400 Silent Years’ ensued when there was no prophetic revelatory voice.  Only the Apocryphal books were written.

Nonetheless, the Temple of Zerubbabel became the main place of religious gathering and perpetuation of Israelite culture.  Conner op. cit., p.211 “The Divine purpose in allowing the Temple to be restored was to hold the nation in the Land until the coming of John [the Baptizer] and the Messiah [Jesus], even though these 4 things were missing from the nation’s central religious point.”

This topic is continued and concluded in “Temple of Zerubbabel (2) – the Period”.

Israelites Identification (1)

Who were the ancient Israelites and the Jews?  The land area known as modern Israel is disputed.  For decades, even centuries, the Holy Land has been an area of strife & warfare over who are the rightful inhabitants.  This topic will trace the identity of the Israelite people from the Bible.

We’ll begin with Abraham the Hebrew.  God promised Abraham ca 2000 BC, Ge.17:3-5 “I will make you the father of many nations”.  (In Ro.4:13, 17-18 Paul referred to God’s covenant with Abraham.)

In Ge.25:8-9, 1-2 are recorded Abraham’s sons.  Isaac, Ishmaél…also Zimrán, Jokshán, Medán, Midián, Ishbák, Shúah (perhaps Eliézer, Ge.15:1-2 Septúagint/LXX).

Isaac then had twin sons, Jacob and Esau.  God’s covenant with Abraham passed down through Isaac, and then Jacob.  (see the topic “Circumcision in the Bible”.)

Ge.35:10-12 “God appeared to Jacob, ‘Israel shall be your name. A nation and an assembly of nations will descend from you.”  God ‘changed’ Jacob’s name to Israel.  Jacob thereby became the first Israelite.  There were no Israelites prior to Jacob.  Abraham and Isaac weren’t Israelites.

The man Jacob/Israel had 12 sons, whose descendants grew into the 12 tribes of Israel.  Ge.35:22b-26 “The twelve sons of Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachár, Zebulún, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtalí, Gad, Ashér.”  Jacob/Israel’s 4^th son was Judah (Yehoodáh, Strongs h3063 Hebrew).  Judah was the first Jew.  There were no Jews prior to the man Judah.  And Judah’s brothers weren’t Jews.

In Bible genealogy: Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Midian, the twins Esau & Jacob/Israel…none of them were Jews.  But they were all Hebrews, descendants of Héber (LXX Ge.10:21, 11:14-17).  Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 1:6:4 “Heber, from whom they originally called the Jews, Hebrews.”  Ge.14:13 Abraham “the Hebrew” has been called the ‘first Jew’ by tradition, but not by scripture.

In scripture, all Jews are Israelites (Judah descended from Jacob/Israel); but not all Israelites are Jews.  Again, Judah’s 11 brothers weren’t Jews.  Joseph wasn’t Jewish, nor was Reuben, Zebulun, Gad, etc.

Ge.46:2-4 “God spoke to Israel [Jacob], ‘In Egypt I will make of you a great nation [goy].”  (goy h1471 is the Hebrew term.)  Israel’s descendants would become a great nation!  (see “Gentiles in the Bible”.)

Ge.37:3, 9 Israel’s son Joseph is to have preeminence over his 11 brothers, including Judah.  Ge.49:10 the Messiah Yeshúa/Jesus and kings would come from the tribe of Judah.  v.22-26 but the blessing went to brother Joseph.  Ge.48:15-20 the name Israel would be upon Joseph’s sons Ephráim & Manasséh; they’d become a “multitude of nations [goyim]”.  1Ch.5:1-2 “Though from Judah came the leader, the birthright belonged to Joseph.”  Again, Joseph was distinct from Judah/the Jews.  Jewish Encyclopedia: Tribes, The Twelve “Joseph and Judah typify two distinct lines of descent.”

By the time of Moses & Joshua, the sons/tribes of Israel with a “mixed multitude” had become a large people, 1550 BC.  (Ex.12:37-38, see “Levites and the Exodus Multitude”.)  The unified kingdom of Israel would achieve prominence in the Land during the reigns of David and Solomon (Jewish kings).

1Ki.11:11-13 after Solomon’s death, in the 900s BC Christ split the united nation of Israel into two (v.28-32).  See 1Ki.12:15, 20-24.  Thereafter the northern kingdom, consisting of 10 tribes, retained the name Israel.  The southern kingdom of Judah, consisting of the other 2–3 tribes, became known as the Jews.  The tribal territory of Benjamin (and most of the Levites) was given to Judah.

Donald Kauffman Dictionary of Religious Terms “The name Jew derives from Judah, the Israelite tribe whose name was transferred to the Southern Kingdom.”  2Ki.16:5-6 the first time the term “Jew” (Yehoodeé h3064) occurs in the Bible, they’re fighting against…Israel (and Syria)!  After Solomon, Israel and the Jews/Judah became separate nations.

Later, the kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria. (see “Israelite Deportations by Assyria”.)  2Ki.17:19-24 “Israel was carried away into exile from their own Land to Assyria until this day.”  v.6 “In the ninth year of Hoshéa, the king of Assyria settled them in Haláh and Habór, on the river of Gozán, and in cities of the Medes.”  Israel (also called Samaria) in the north, the 10 tribes, was removed from the Land (721 BC).  They were resettled in the area of old Mesopotamia, at the Tigris & Euphrates, and beyond.  They became the so-called ‘Lost 10 Tribes’ of Israel, living far away to the (north) east.  The northern kingdom of Israel ceased as a nation.  Samaria became an Assyrian province.

2Esdras 13:40 KJV 1611 edition “Those are the ten tribes, which were carried away prisoners out of their owne land in the time of Osea the king, whom Salmanasar the king of Assyria ledde away captive, and hee carried them ouer the waters, and so came they into another land.” (KJV Middle English spelling.)  cf. Tob.1:1 Tobit, from the tribe of Naphtali, was taken captive.

Josephus op. cit. 9:14:1 “Shalmanéser, the king of Assyria, besieged Samaria, and transplanted all the people into Média and Persia, among whom he took King Hoshea alive; and when he had removed these people out of this their land, he transplanted other nations into Samaria, into the country of the Israelites.”  The other peoples transplanted into the Land became known as Samaritans.

Assyria placed heathen foreigners into Israel to replace the Israelites (2Ki.17:24).  Probably not every last Israelite was removed from the Land.  (Earlier some had fled south to Judah to escape the Assyrian invaders.)  Over the decades, the imported foreigners were assimilated with any few remaining Israelites…as Samaritans.  Those Samaritans held pagan beliefs mixed with God’s ways (ref Je.41:5).

Over 100 years later, the southern kingdom of Judah went into captivity to Babylon.  The prophet/priest Ezekiel was taken captive in 597 BC.  In Ezk.8:1 & 20:1, Ezekiel interchangeably called the captive elders the “elders of Israel” and the “elders of Judah” (592–591 BC).  By this time, these descendants from the southern kingdom Judah were being referred to as descendants of Israel.  Since Judah/Jews did descend from Jacob/Israel, ancestrally Jews are Israelites too.  (But not all Israelites are Jews.)  Babylon went on to sack Jerusalem in 586 BC.  The southern kingdom of Judah ceased as a nation.

Some Jews were allowed to return to the Land of Judah with Zerubabbél ca 538 BC.  More returned with Ezra & Nehemiah between 460–440 BC.  From which tribes of Israel were those returning Jews?

Ezr.1:5 “Judah and Benjamin and the priests and Levites, everyone God had stirred to rebuild the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.”  Ezr.4:1 “The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the Lord.”  Ezr.2:64, 70 “The whole assembly together 42,360.”  In Ezra, the only tribes who returned were Judah, Benjamin, and the priestly tribe of Levi…the Jews.  Ne.11:3-4, 7 “In the cities of Judah lived each on his own property, Israelites, priests, Levites. And some of the sons of Judah and sons of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem. From the sons of Judah…From the sons of Benjamin.”  v.36 “From the Levites, some divisions in Judah belonged to Benjamin.”  In Nehemiah, as in Ezra, the only tribes of Israel mentioned are Judah, Benjamin, Levi!  Non-priests or laymen were referred to as common “Israelites”…Ezekiel too had referred to Jewish elders as “Israel”.

None of the other 10 tribes returned from deportation/captivity…not Reuben, Simeon (other than those who’d moved to Judah centuries earlier & intermarried), Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, nor Joseph (Ephraim & Manasseh).  Those tribes weren’t Jews.  They remained long gone from the Land!

However, after the Babylonian captivity, many Jews were living east in Persia.  They were descendants of Judah/Benjamin/Levi from the southern kingdom.  It’s likely some descendants of the resettled 10 tribes (and others) living in Medes cities and Persia intermarried with Jews there in the days of the Jewess Esther (400s BC).  The Persian king married her (Est.4:13-14).  Est.8:17 “Many among the peoples of the land (Persia) became Jews.”

In New Testament (NT) times, Judaea was a Roman province.  Few tribes of Israel are identified in the NT.  He.7:14 Yeshua/Jesus is from the tribe of Judah.  Lk.1:26-33 His mother Mary/Miriam and legal father Joseph were Jews descended from David.  Lk.1:5, 13 John the Baptizer was from the priestly tribe of Levi.  Ro.11:1 the apostle Paul was a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin.  Those were the 3 tribes (comprising the old southern kingdom of Judah, the Jews) who’d returned from Babylonian captivity.

However, Anna was from the tribe of Asher (Lk.2:36).  Asher had been part of the northern kingdom of Israel (one of the 10 tribes), not aligned with the Jews of the southern kingdom.  Lk.2:36 Cambridge Commentary indicates some individuals from the lost 10 tribes had preserved their old genealogies.  Ellicott Commentary “Some, at least, of its [the ten tribes] members survived and cherished the genealogies of their descent.”  Sometime in the past, Anna’s ancestors of Asher had begun dwelling with Jews.  But the vast majority of the 10 tribes were gone from the Land.  Ac.2:22 Peter addressed diaspora Jews as Israel.  Such verses don’t mean all Israelite tribes had returned or mixed with the Jews.

Josephus op. cit. 11:5:2 (written 93–94 AD) “Wherefore there are but two tribes in Asia and Europe subject to the Romans, while the 10 tribes are beyond Euphrates till now, and are an immense multitude, and not to be estimated by numbers.”  In 94 AD, the 10 tribes were still gone!  Talmud Yebamot 17b “The 10 tribes of scattered Israel in their places of exile are legally gentiles for all intents and purposes.”  As Hoséa had foretold, 755–725 BC…Ho.8:8 “Israel is swallowed up; they are now among the nations.”  It happened.  The bulk of Israel remained in lands of the gentiles/nations.

Let’s tie-in more Old Testament prophecies which help to further identify NT Israel.  Am.1:1 Amos was a Jew in Judah who the Lord had sent to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel around 750 BC.  Am.7:10-17 Amaziah, the “priest” at the Bethél shrine in Israel, expressed animosity and told Amos to leave Israel and return to his people in Judah, the Jews.  Am.9:8-12 LXX Amos prophesied the future of the northern kingdom. “Saith the Lord, ‘I will sift the house of Israel among all nations [gentiles]. In that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David which is fallen, and will rebuild the ruins of it. That the remnant of men and the gentiles upon whom My name is called may earnestly seek Me.”

The breach of the ancient divided kingdom is to be closed. (cf. KJV Jdg.21:15.)  see “Tent/Tabernacle of David”.

James spoke of the above old Greek/LXX passage regarding the northern kingdom Israel by referring to God having now taken from among the gentiles/nations a people for His name and salvation.  Ac.15:13-18 “I will rebuild the tabernacle of David. That the rest of men may seek the Lord, and all the gentiles upon whom My name is called,’ saith the Lord.”  Acts 15 council leaders tied ancient Israel to…gentiles!

Ezk.37:15-22 “The word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Take one stick for Judah, for the sons of Israel his companions; then take another stick for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim [Joseph’s son, to whom was given Jacob’s name Israel, Ge.48:16] and all the house of Israel, his companions. Then join them, that they may become one.”  Again, Joseph wasn’t Jewish.  Yet Judah and Joseph…the Jews (who also are Israelites) and the northern kingdom of Israel/Ephraim…are to be reunited under King Jesus!

The Lord told Hosea to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel.  Ho.1:4-11 “I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. For you are not My people and I Am not your God. Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sands of the sea which cannot be measured or numbered. And it will come about that it will be said to them, ‘You are the sons of the living God.’ And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together.”

The disobedient 10 tribes would be exiled from the Land, and become a multitude in Assyria, Persia, and elsewhere.  But then Ho.2:23, “And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!”

Eventually in the future, descendants of the 10 tribes would become people of God again!  Israel gathered together to Christ with the descendants of Judah.  Praise the Lord!

This topic is continued and concluded in “Israelites Identification (2)”.

Israelite Deportations by Assyria

The Lord God is to be obeyed.  Humanity’s first sin was an act of disobedience to God (Ge.3:1-ff).  The result…Adam & Eve were cast out, away from their garden home and God’s Presence (Ge.3:22-24).

Anciently, the nation of Israel was the people Christ loved above all other peoples.  Moses said of them rhetorically in De.4:5-8, “What great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God? What great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law?”  None other!  Christ was their God YHVH, their Rock, 1Co.10:4. (see the topic “Jesus Was The Old Testament God”.)  Christ their Passover (1Co.5:7) ‘passed over’ Egypt and freed the Israelites from bondage.  Years after the exodus, as Israel (then consisting of 13 tribes) was entering the Promised Land, the people were given God’s conditions which they must obey to remain in their new home-Land.

De.28:1-2 “If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, the Lord will set you above all the nations of the earth. Blessings will come upon you, if you obey the Lord.”  Blessings were promised to Israel for obedience.  v.15-16 “But if you will not obey the Lord your God, then all these curses shall come upon you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed in the country.”  Many curses for disobedience follow.  v.32-33 “Your sons and daughters shall be given to another people you do not know. And you shall be oppressed and crushed.”  Captivity!  v.36 “The Lord will bring you to a nation neither you nor your fathers have known.  Exile!  v.49 “The Lord will bring against you a nation from afar.”  Invasion!  v.63-64 “You shall be torn from the Land you are entering to possess. Moreover, the Lord will scatter you among all peoples.”  If Israel disobeyed Christ their God, they would be cast out of the Holy Land.

After the death of King Solomon, in the 900s BC Christ divided the united nation of Israel into two (1Ki.12).  The northern kingdom retained the name Israel, the southern kingdom was called Judah, the Jews.  (In 2Ki.16:5-6, the Jews/Judah were actually fighting against an alliance of Israel and Syria!)

The northern kingdom of Israel disobeyed Christ!  The prophet Hosea lived in Israel, and prophesied to them circa (c) 755–725 BC.  The northern kingdom was also known as Ephráim (son of the patriarch Joseph), and Samaria (the capital city, located in the area of Israel allotted to Ephraim’s descendants), and the Ten Tribes.  Ho.5:3, 9 “Ephraim has played the harlot. Israel has defiled itself. Ephraim will become a desolation in the day of rebuke. Among the tribes of Israel I will declare what is sure.”  God would bring upon Israel the curses of De.28!  Ho.11:1-6 “When Israel was a youth I loved him, out of Egypt I have called My son. They kept sacrificing to Báal and burning incense to idols. Assyria will be their king. The sword will whirl against their cities, and consume them.”  When Hosea prophesied, their captivity to Assyria was imminent!  Ho.13:16 “Samaria will be held guilty, for she has rebelled against her God.”  Christ the Lord proceeded to cast out Israel from the Land.

Between c 734 and c 669 BC, in four periods of invasion the Assyrians removed the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel (and took many cities of Judah the southern kingdom).  Later c 610 BC, Christ told Jeremiah to write to Judah, Je.7:15b “I have cast out all your brothers of Ephraim.”  Most of the northern kingdom of Israel didn’t return to the Land!  (1^st century AD Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 11:5:2 “The ten tribes are beyond [east of] Euphrates until now, an immense multitude.”)

Is.7:8 is a significant prophecy. “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered.”  Isaiah prophesied the removal of Israel would be complete in 65 years.  It happened between c 734 and c 669 BC.  Targum of Isaiah 7:8 “At the end of 65 years, the kingdom of the house of Israel shall cease.”  Adam Clarke Commentary “It was 65 years to the total depopulation of the kingdom of Israel by Esarháddon, who carried away the remains of the ten tribes which had been left by Tíglath-Piléser and Shalmanéser.”  International Standard Bible Encyclopedia “It appears certain there were various episodes of deportation and repopulation connected to the Northern Kingdom.”

The Assyrian invasions and subsequent exile of most in the ten tribes took place during the time of Israel’s last four kings. Menahém, Pekahiáh (no invasion during his two-year reign, 2Ki.15:23-24), Pékah, Hoshéa.  Hoshea would be their final king.  The northern kingdom of Israel would cease being a nation.  Ho.1:4 “The Lord said, ‘I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.”

Following are the four main invasions and four deportations in the prophesied 65-year period:

Deportation #1: The first period of invasion and first deportation of Israelites occurred near the time of Isaiah’s prophecy.  The progressive captivity of Israel began with King Tiglath Pileser III (an assumed name) of Assyria, who ruled from c 745–727 BC.  He was a great military leader and conquered much of the known world.  His birth name was Pulu or Pul.  2Ki.15:19 “Pul, king of Assyria, came against the Land, and Menahem gave him 1,000 talents of silver.”  In Pul’s invasion, he exacted tribute from King Menahem of Israel.  Pekah (after Pekahiah) then succeeded Menahem as king in Israel.

Pul lessened the chances of revolts against Assyrian rule by forcing deportations of peoples across his empire.  He continued his attacks.  2Ki.15:29 “In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria came and took…Hazór, Gileád and Galilee, all the land of Naphtalí; and carried them captive to Assyria.”  1Ch.5:26 “The God of Israel incited Pul, king of Assyria, even Tiglath Pileser. He carried them away into exile; namely Reuben [v.6], Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasséh.”  Those 2 ½ Israelite tribes east of the Jordan River plus the tribe of Naphtali were deported initially, c 734 BC.  These weren’t reunited later with Judah.  (ref 2Ch.29:1-3, 30:1-12, 18 this later letter from King Hezekiah of Judah went to other tribes not taken by Tiglath Pileser III in the first deportation.)

Deportation #2: Progressive captivity continued during the reigns of the Assyrian kings Shalmaneser V (727–722 BC) and Sargón II (722–705 BC).  Hoshea was king in Israel (730–721 BC).  2Ki.17:1-7 “Shalmaneser king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea, so the king of Assyria bound him in prison. He then invaded the whole Land and besieged Samaria 3 years. In the 9^th year of Hoshea he captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Haláh and Habór on the River of Gozán, and in the cities of the Medes.”  v.23 “The Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their Land to Assyria until this day.”  This Assyrian invasion led to the second deportation.  The accepted date is 721 BC.

Josephus op. cit. 9:14:1 “Shalmaneser, king of Assyria besieged Samaria three years, quite demolished the government of the Israelites, and translated all the people into Média and Persia.”  Shalmaneser V began the attack, but died toward the end of the siege.  Most of the remaining tribes of Samaria were removed by Shalmaneser before he died.  His successor Sargon completed this in 721 BC.

Sargon II (Is.20:1) recorded his campaign on the palace walls at Dur-Shárrukin (Khorsabad). “In my first year of reign, the people of Samaria to the number of 27,290 I carried away. Fifty chariots for my royal equipment I selected. The city I rebuilt. I made it greater than it was before. People of the lands I had conquered I settled therein. My official I placed over them as governor.”  Sargon called his rebuilt city Samarina.  Assyrian records say they took captive the “House of Omrí”.  (Omri had been Israel’s king c 875 BC, ref 1Ki.16:23-24.)  The kingdom/government of Israel ceased to exist as such.

The 6 ½ tribes of Ephraim, Zebulún, Ashér, Issachár, Dan, Simeón, half of Manasseh (west of the Jordan), those not previously removed by Pul, were now also gone from the Land.  The Land of Samaria became an Assyrian province with an Assyrian governor.  2Ki.17:24 “The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cutháh, Avvá, Hamáth, Sepharváim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities.”  The Land area of the ten tribes of Israel was repopulated with non-Israelites.

Some Bible historians think Sargon II didn’t remove all remaining peasants from northern Israel.  Over the years, any remaining peasants from the northern tribes became assimilated into the foreign peoples Assyria conquered and resettled in Samaria.  The (new) inhabitants of northern Israel became known as Samaritans.  The remaining southern kingdom consisted of Judah (some from Simeon lived in Judah), Benjamin, Levi.

The foreigners Assyria placed in the Land were a mongrel people who held various pagan beliefs.  2Ki.17:25-34 Assyria returned a captive (apostate) Israelite “priest” to the Land of Samaria to teach the new residents about God.  The result was mongrel religion which mixed corrupt pagan practices and superstitions with God’s ways.  e.g. 2Ch.34:6-7 many of the imported foreigners continued in their idolatry.  Je.41:5 these residents even gashed their own bodies (forbidden in Le.19:28 & De.14:1).

2Ki.18:9-12 is a recap. “In the 4^th year of [Judah’s] King Hezekiah, which was the 7^th year of Hoshea king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria besieged Samaria. At the end of 3 years they captured it [721 BC]; in the 6^th year of Hezekiah and 9^th year of Hoshea, Samaria was captured. The king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile, because they did not obey the Lord their God.”  Some think Hezekiah was co-regent in Judah with his father Aház for 12 years…the exact regnal dates are hard to pinpoint.  The northern kingdom of Israel was cast out because they continued to disobey Christ the Lord.  Over all their years of existence, the southern kingdom of Judah had a few good kings, e.g. Hezekiah.  But the northern kingdom of Israel had no good kings…they were all bad!

Deportation #3: Assyria’s third period of invasion of the holy Land was by King Sennacheríb (705–681 BC), who succeeded his father Sargon II. (Sargon may have been a son of Tiglath-Pileser III.)  2Ki.18:13 “In the 14^th year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria seized all the fortified cities of Judah.”  This invasion of the southern Land is dated 702 BC.  1Ki.18:1-2 Hezekiah’s 29-year total regency was possibly c 727–698 BC.  If there’d been an initial joint reign of Hezekiah with his father Ahaz within that time, then the 14^th year of Hezekiah’s remaining sole reign is c 702 BC.

Assyrian (Akkádian) annals claim Sennacherib sacked 46 cities of Judah and captured 200,150 people!  Mic.1:8-13 lists some of the cities.  It may have been a dual campaign.  A number of Jews were carried away into Assyria.  2Ki.19:14-34 but when Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem, it was spared due to Hezekiah’s prayers.  v.35 “That night the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian camp.”  v.36 “Sennacherib departed, and returned home to Nineveh.”  He made Nineveh the capital of the empire, and it became the largest city in the world for 50 years.  There is no known deportation of any cities of Samaria (in the north) during Sennacherib’s rule.

2Ki.19:37 “Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.”  This is several years later.  Esarhaddon succeeded his father Sennacherib, and ruled for 12 years from 681–669 BC.

Deportation #4: The fourth period of invasion and deportation was by King Esarhaddon, during the reign of Manasseh (c 698–643 BC) king of Judah.  2Ch.33:10-13 “The army of the king of Assyria captured Manasseh and took him to Babylon. And when he was in distress he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself. He was moved by his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom.”  Barnes Notes 2Ch.33:11 “Esarhaddon mentions Manasseh among his tributaries and from time to time, held his court at Babylon.”

In 680 BC, Esarhaddon rebuilt Babylon and resided there.  He conquered Judah.  King Manasseh of Judah (he wasn’t from the tribe of Manasseh) was Esarhaddon’s vassal and became one of his deportees.  Manasseh then repented to God and was restored as vassal king in Jerusalem.  Talmud scholar David Kimchí said Manasseh was carried to Babylon by the king of Assyria’s captains in the 22^nd year of his reign.  Circa 676 BC.

Around 140 years later, more than 40,000 Jews (Ezr.2:64) returned to the Land from exile.  Ezr.1:5 & 2:1 “Judah and Benjamin and the priests…The people who returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his city.”  Pulpit Commentary Ezr.2:1 “Jerusalem wasn’t the only site occupied by the people on their return. Many took up their abodes in the neighboring towns and villages, such as Jericho, Tekoah, Gibeon, Mizpah, etc.”  In 538 BC, these Jews came back to the prior tribal areas of Judah and Benjamin.

In the 530s BC, descendants of the foreigners that Assyria had moved into the Land opposed the returning Jews’ new work of rebuilding the temple.  Ezr.4:1-3 “The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord God. They said to Zerubbabél, ‘We have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon who brought us here.”  The mixed foreign peoples now assimilated in the Land were suspicious of the Jews who just recently returned from Babylon.  These local adversaries alleged they too worshiped the God of Israel, and demanded they be included in the rebuilding…v.10 “The people whom the great and noble Asnappár deported and resettled in the cities of Samaria and the rest.”  Peoples previously imported into Samaria (Samaritans), Judah, and elsewhere.  Asnappar’s identity is uncertain; most think he was either Esarhaddon’s crown prince Ashurbánipul or chief officer.  Ashurbanipul may have finished the deporting done by his father.

Besides Israelites, Esarhaddon replaced others from “the rest” of the general area with easterners.  Ernest Martin People That History Forgot, p.121 “Eastern peoples were brought by the Assyrians in the 7^th century BC into the whole region we now call Syria, and not into Samaria alone.”  James Pritchard Ancient Near Eastern Texts, p.290…After completely destroying Sidon, Esarhaddon said of the Sidonian king, “I drove to Assyria his teeming people which could not be numbered.”

Charles Fensham The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah “We know from a cylinder of Esarhaddon that he conquered Sidon [c 677 BC?]…and it is most likely that northern Israel (Samaria) was also involved in the rebellion against the Assyrians.”  A rebellion in the Land that had been inhabited by the northern tribes of Israel.  Ezr.4:10 indicates further repopulation of Samaria…Ashurbanipul brought in more foreigners to become Samaritans.

Ashurbanipul (669–628 BC) succeeded Esarhaddon.  Jnh.3:5-10 God had sent the prophet Jonah from the northern kingdom of Israel to warn Nineveh c 770 BC (prior to Tiglath Pileser III).  The king and his people repented of wickedness.  But it wasn’t lasting.  After the death of Ashurbanipul, Nineveh was sacked in 612 BC…and never rebuilt (Nah.1:1, 9).  The Assyrian empire existed from 911–609 BC.

Again, the Is.7:8 prophecy said the northern kingdom of Israel would be destroyed in 65 years.  Gill Exposition “Israel entirely ceased to be a people when new colonies were introduced by Esarhaddon, the son of Sennacherib. This being exactly 65 years…Esarhaddon, after he had settled all his affairs in Syria, marched into Israel and there took captive all those who were the remains of the former captivity (excepting only some few), and carried them into Babylon and Assyria.”  From Lifeway Explore the Bible Quarterly notes, “The 65 years of Ephraim probably refers to 670 BC, when the Bible records the last of the Israelites were exiled by Assyrian ruler Esarhaddon and foreigners were put into Israel/Samaria”.  An amazing fulfillment!  God fulfills His prophecies.

JFB Commentary Ezr.4:2 “On a large cylinder in the British Museum is inscribed a long and perfect copy of the annals of Esarhaddon, in which details are given of a large deportation of Israelites from Palestine, and a subsequent settlement of Babylonian colonists in their place.”  The Esarhaddon Prism was mentioned by Colonel Rawlinson (1861 AD) the English explorer.

In Is.7:8, Isaiah prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah about the shattering that would befall the northern kingdom of Israel in 65 years.  v.9 the Lord continues with a warning to Judah. “If you will not believe, you surely will not be established.”  Gill Exposition “If ye will not believe; the Targum adds, ‘the words of the prophet’, surely ye shall not be established, that is, in their own land.”  If the Jews don’t believe the prophecies, including the destruction of brother Israel, then the Jews too won’t remain as a kingdom!  v.17-25 Sennacherib subsequently invaded Judah and Deportation #3 occurred.

Then in 597 BC, King Nebuchadnézzar II began his exiling of Jews to Babylon.  In 587-586 BC, he destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.  The southern kingdom of Judah ceased as a nation (2Ch.36:20, 2Ki.24:14-15, e.g.).  God’s word through Isaiah was fulfilled!

Previously we read Je.7:15b, where Jeremiah wrote to Judah.  To now quote the entire Je.7:15. “I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brothers of Ephraim”.  Christ the Lord said He would cast out disobedient Judah, as He had disobedient Israel.  That happened, as He said.  (For events of the next period, see the topic “Temple of Zerubbabel”.)

And our belief that Christ loves us and died for our sins doesn’t give us Christians a get out of jail free card if we were to continue to disobey God and adamantly refuse to repent!  Jesus said in Lk.6:46, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’, and do not the things that I say?”  Christ requires the obedience of those who are His.

We began with God’s conditions & warnings to His people in De.28.  Let’s conclude with De.30.  v.1-2 “When all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart, then the Lord will restore you from captivity and have compassion on you.”

Yes, Christ is more than able to re-graft Israel (Ro.11:23), whom He loved!  De.30:6 “Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord with all your heart.”  v.9-11 “Then the Lord will prosper you in the work of your hand and rejoice over you; if you obey the Lord your God.”  Christ concluded in v.19, “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.”  (also see the topics “Two Covenants – Heart of the Matter” and “Repentance from Sin”.)

We can learn from the sad lesson of ancient Israel’s history…and can choose a life of obedience to the Christ who died for us!  Let’s us be among the blessed saints at the end of the Book who “Keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Re.14:12).  We’ll be with Him forever!  Jesus is Lord!