- 103-
- Possibly the Assyrian proclivities of the southern Philistine cities may be explained by
their proximity to Egypt, and their fear of absorption in that empire.
Thus the period of Shalmaneser's weakness was being utilized by Hezekiah, not only for
his religious reformation, but for securing his flank in any future contest with Assyria, as
well as for works of internal defense, to which reference will be made in the sequel.
The aspect of matters changed with the accession of Sargon. That monarch did not indeed
feel himself strong enough immediately, after the taking of Samaria, to advance south
against Egypt. Besides troubles nearer home, especially the subdual of Merodach
Baladan, engaged his attention. But in the second year after his accession we find him
engaged in a western expedition. In this campaign the rebellion of Hamath was crushed,
and the great battle of Karkar won. But what most concerns our history is the expedition
of Sargon against the hostile league formed by Seve of Egypt and Hanno, king of Gaza -
as we conjecture a dependent of Hezekiah, who sympathized with, though he does not
seem actually to have taken part in the anti-Assyrian combination. Sargon was
completely successful. In the battle of Raphia the allies were defeated; Seve fled, and was
allowed to make his peace by paying tribute, while Hanno was taken prisoner. On this
occasion Hezekiah appears to have been called to account, and to have been obliged to
make submission. An Assyrian inscription speaks of Sargon as "the subduer of Judah,"
though without any added mention of battle or triumph. From its date we conclude that it
refers to something that had taken place during the expedition of Sargon against Seve and
Hanno.*
- To complete this history we may mention that, in the eleventh year of his reign, Sargon
undertook another expedition to quell the rebellion of Ashdod, which had been instigated
by Egypt, or rather Ethiopia. Sargon was again victorious. Ashdod was taken; the
Egyptian army did not venture to make its appearance, and its king surrendered to Sargon
the leader of the Ashdod rebellion, who had fled to him. It is to these events that the
prophecy in Isaiah 20 refers, where mark especially verse 5. "The Tartan" was the official
designation of the Assyrian commander-in-chief. On this occasion Judah does not seem
to have been touched.
Sargon reigned altogether seventeen years.* In the defective condition of the
inscriptions, it is impossible to know for certain whether or not he was killed by an
assassin. He was succeeded by his son Sennacherib, who, after a reign of twenty-four
years, perished at the hands of his own sons (2 Kings 19:37).**
- In view of these dates the notice in 2 Kings 18:I3, about "the fourteenth year of King
Hezekiah," must be regarded as a spurious gloss, which a copyist may possibly have
transferred from a marginal note into the text.
(^)