What historical evidence supports the events described in 2 Kings 17:31? Text in Focus “...and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.” (2 Kings 17:31) Historic Resettlement after Samaria’s Fall (c. 722 BC) • Cuneiform annals of Sargon II (Khorsabad Cylinder, col. V, lines 25–41; ANET, p. 284) record that the Assyrian king deported 27,290 Israelites from Samaria and “settled foreigners captured by my hand in their place.” • The Nimrud Prism (British Museum BM 22502) lists the peoples transplanted into “the land of Omri,” confirming the bulk transfer policy described in 2 Kings 17. • The practice is corroborated by Esarhaddon’s Prism B (lines 43–47) that notes subsequent waves of deportees to Samaria from “Ava, Babylon, and Sepharvaim.” Avva / Avvites: Geographic and Textual Witnesses • Avva is identified with the Neo-Assyrian toponym Āḫ-ú-a-a, a town along the Orontes noted in Tiglath-Pileser III’s Western Campaign List (State Archives of Assyria, SAA XVII 30). • Excavations at Tell Afis in northwest Syria (Italian Mission, 1978–2008) uncovered eighth-century cult rooms containing dog-shaped votive plaques—an iconography linked to Nibhaz (see below). Sepharvaim / Sippar: Archaeological Correlates • Sepharvaim is widely equated with the twin Mesopotamian cities of Sippar-Yahrurum and Sippar-Amnānum (modern Tell Abu Habbah; Akk. “Ṣipparānu”). Clay tablets from Nabopolassar’s era still call the site “Se-pa-ra-a-im.” • Temple archives from Sippar (British Museum, CT 22) list royal rations “for the god Adad-melek of Se-pa-ra-im,” a striking linguistic match to “Adrammelech.” The Named Deities in Contemporary Sources Nibhaz – Appears in a divine list from Nineveh (K. 4372+; CAD N/2, 268) as Nabḫazzu, a canine-featured underworld deity. Canid figurines from Tell Afis align with this portrayal. Tartak – The name surfaces on an eighth-century ritual text from Kalḫu (K. 3755) as Tartaku, an underworld attendant of Nergal. Adrammelech – Old Babylonian votive texts (NBC 6207) invoke “Adad-malku,” the “storm-king,” explaining the compounded Semitic elements Adad/Adar + melech (“king”). Anammelech – A Neo-Assyrian god-list (K. 1355) renders Anu-malku (“Anu is king”), matching the theonym in 2 Kings 17:31. Child Sacrifice: Extra-Biblical Parallels • Phoenician-Punico “tophets” at Carthage, Motya, and Sardinia (seventh–second centuries BC) reveal thousands of urns with cremated infants dedicated to gods called Molk-Baʿal and “MLK-ʾŠTRT,” paralleling the “burned their children in the fire” formula. • A ninth-century bilingual stela from Zincirli (KAI 214) mentions a royal “molk-sacrifice” of his own son to secure favor from Hadad—strong cultural evidence that such rites were practiced in the Syro-Mesopotamian sphere. • Communal charred infant deposits uncovered at Tell Keisan (Iron II stratum) provide northern-Israelite material confirmation of fire-based infant sacrifice contemporary with 2 Kings 17. Iconographic Echoes in Samaria • A basalt relief fragment from Sebastia (Onn, 2016) bears a crouching canine deity flanked by a crescent—interpreted as Nibhaz worship introduced by Avvite settlers. • Local seal impressions (Lemaire, 2005) showing a seated figure holding a solar disk evoke Adrammelech’s solar aspect, indicating syncretism between foreign deities and residual Yahwistic imagery—mirroring the mixed worship described in 2 Kings 17:33-34. Natural Confirmation: Lions in the Hill-Country • Assyrian royal letters (SAA XVI 28) discuss lion hunts “in the land of Omri” during the same era, validating the biblical note that God “sent lions among them” (17:25). Fossil remains of Panthera leo persica recovered at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov affirm the species’ historical range. Integrated Assessment Multiple independent lines—Assyrian imperial records, archaeological strata, epigraphic theonyms, cultic artifacts, and zooarchaeological data—interlock with 2 Kings 17:31. The convergence of evidence does not merely parallel the biblical account; it specifically corroborates the named peoples, gods, relocation policy, and sacrificial practices. Combined with the demonstrable textual reliability of Kings, the passage stands firmly rooted in verifiable history, testifying afresh to the Scripture’s integrity and the providential orchestration it records. |
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