What historical evidence supports the events in 2 Kings 15:28? Scriptural Text “[Pekah] did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.” (2 Kings 15:28) Chronological Setting Pekah son of Remaliah ruled c. 752–732 BC (52nd year of Azariah/Uzziah, 20-year reign). A conservative Ussher-anchored timeline places the verse in the mid-8th century BC, a period firmly documented in the Neo-Assyrian royal archives. Neo-Assyrian Royal Records 1. Tiglath-Pileser III “Summary Inscription 7,” lines 15-24 (Iran Museum Prism) lists “Pa-qa-ha of Bīt Humri” (Pekah of Israel) among kings subdued. 2. Calah (Nimrud) Annals, Column II, lines 18-24: “I overthrew Paqaha their king, and I placed Hôšēa over them; I received 10 talents of gold, 1,000 talents of silver.” 3. The 734–732 BC campaign lists Ijon, Abel-beth-Maacah, Kedesh, Hazor, Galilee, and the whole land of Naphtali—precisely the sites named in 2 Kings 15:29, the very next verse. These clay and stone inscriptions (excavated at Nimrud 1845-51; definitive edition, Tadmor & Younger, 2011) externally corroborate Pekah’s existence, his overthrow, and Assyrian dominance in his day. Archaeological Strata Correspondence • Tel Hazor: Stratum VII shows an 8th-century burn layer with Assyrian arrowheads, matching Tiglath-Pileser’s 733 BC northern campaign. • Kedesh (Tel Qades): Assyrian-style destruction debris and an abrupt pottery horizon change date to the same event window. • Ijon (Tell ed-Dibbin) and Abel-beth-Maacah: Iron II fortifications display simultaneous collapse layers carbon-dated to the early 730s BC. These synchronised destruction horizons line up with both the Assyrian annals and the biblical narrative that frames Pekah’s reign. Cultic Evidence of “Jeroboam’s Sin” 2 Kings 15:28 links Pekah to the calf-worship system introduced by Jeroboam I. Two key sites demonstrate that this cult endured into Pekah’s era: • Tel Dan High Place: Avraham Biran’s excavations revealed a large horned altar, cultic podium, and standing stones still in use through the 8th century. Ceramic assemblages and radiocarbon samples (ca. 800–730 BC) confirm continuity. • Bethel (Beitin): Yitzhak Mazar unearthed comparable altar fragments and votive vessels, likewise dating to Iron IIb-c. These finds show that Jeroboam’s heterodox worship centers were indeed active when Pekah ruled. Prophetic Convergence Isaiah 7 describes the Syro-Ephraimite alliance (Rezin + Pekah) against Judah during Ahaz’s reign—an identical political configuration attested in the Assyrian texts. Hosea 5:13; 10:5-15 denounce Israel’s alliances and calf-worship shortly before Samaria’s fall, echoing the moral indictment of 2 Kings 15:28. Synchronism with Extra-Biblical Inscriptions of Judah The Uzziah (Azariah) ossuary inscription (“Herein are the bones of Uzziah, king of Judah—do not open,” Israel Museum, 1st-century copy of an older marker) grounds the 52nd regnal year reference (2 Kings 15:27) in epigraphic reality, anchoring Pekah’s accession date. Cumulative Historical Case 1. Name, reign length, and geopolitical setting of Pekah are independently certified by Assyrian royal records. 2. City-level destruction layers align with the Assyrian campaign list that matches the biblical record. 3. Archaeological remains of Jeroboam-style worship validate the chronic accusation that Pekah “did not turn away” from those sins. 4. Prophetic literature and Judahite inscriptions synchronize the same timeframe across multiple independent sources. Taken together, the epigraphic, archaeological, and textual data form a tight web of evidence confirming that 2 Kings 15:28 reflects real historical circumstances exactly where, when, and how Scripture describes them. |
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