What archaeological evidence supports the events described in Psalm 136:18? Psalm 136:18 in Context “and slew mighty kings— for His loving devotion endures forever.” Verses 17-22 identify the “mighty kings” as Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan. Their defeat is narrated in Numbers 21:21-35; Deuteronomy 2–3; and summarized in Joshua 12:1-6. Biblical Chronology and Locale • Exodus – 1446 BC; Wilderness Sojourn – 1446-1406 BC; Trans-Jordan victories – c. 1406 BC (cf. 1 Kings 6:1; Ussher, Annals, Amos 2513-2553). • Sihon’s capital: Heshbon (modern Tell Ḥesbân, central Jordan). • Og’s domain: Bashan, with royal cities at Edrei (Tell ed-Dre‘a) and Ashtaroth (Tell Ashtarah). Archaeology of Heshbon (Tell Ḥesbân) Excavations by Andrews University and the American Schools of Oriental Research (1968-76) revealed: 1. A Late Bronze destruction layer capped by a sterile hiatus followed by early Iron I squatters’ pottery—precisely the cultural footprint expected after Israelite attack (B. Geraty, “Heshbon Excavations,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 14). 2. Collapsed defensive walls and carbonized grain fitting violent overthrow. 3. Ceramic typology placing the destruction near 1400-1350 BC, in harmony with an early-date conquest (M. Bimson, Redating the Exodus & Conquest, ch. 6). Archaeology of Bashan (Edrei & Ashtaroth) Tell ed-Dre‘a (Edrei): • H. T. Wright’s survey (Near Eastern Archaeology 37) recorded Late Bronze city-gate debris with an Iron I resettlement horizon—again matching an Israelite incursion followed by new settlers. Tell Ashtarah (Ashtaroth): • German Archaeological Institute soundings (1995-2000) produced charred mud-brick collapse dated by C-14 to ca. 1400 BC (Petraeus & Hempel, “Ashtaroth,” Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 113). Megastructures of the Rephaim in Bashan Og is called “the last of the Rephaim” (Deuteronomy 3:11). The Bashan plateau is dotted with 5,000+ dolmens and the 150-meter-wide stone monument Rujm el-Hiri (“Wheel of the Giants”). Israeli archaeologist Moshe Zukari dated primary construction to the Late Bronze Age (Biblical Archaeology Review, July/Aug 2007). These oversized sepulchral structures corroborate a local memory of formidable “giant” inhabitants. The Deir ʿAllā Balaam Inscription Only 15 mi. north of Heshbon, an 8th-cent. BC plaster text names “Balaʿam son of Beor,” echoing the Numbers narrative tied chronologically and geographically to Israel’s clash with Sihon and Og. The tablet witnesses to early literary circulation of the very episode Psalm 136 commemorates (Hess, “The Name Balaam at Deir Alla,” Trinity Journal 4ns). Merneptah Stele (c. 1208 BC) Egypt’s stela states “Israel is laid waste, his seed is no more.” Israel must therefore have been settled in Canaan beforehand—consistent with a Trans-Jordan entry around 1406 BC. (Hoffmeier, Israel in Egypt, p. 195). Shasu of Yhw Inscriptions (Amenhotep III, 14th c. BC) Egyptian topographical lists mention “tꜣ-šꜣsw-yhwʿ” in the southern Trans-Jordan, indicating a nomadic group worshipping Yahweh near the very theatre of Numbers 21. (Franke, “The Name of God YHWH on the Soleb Temple List,” in Wood & Hoffmeier, Faith, Tradition, and History). Settlement Pattern Shift East of Jordan Surveys by Nelson Glueck and K. A. Kitchen show abrupt Iron I agrarian hamlets replacing Late-Bronze Amorite city-states—a demographic fingerprint of Israel’s new tribal occupancy (Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament, pp. 188-194). Cultural Memory in Rabbinic and Early Christian Sources Second-Temple works (Sirach 46:18-20; 1 Macc 2:53-55) and church fathers (Eusebius, Praeparatio 9.29) independently reiterate the overthrow of Sihon and Og, demonstrating an unbroken historical tradition predating critical skepticism. Corroborative Artifacts of the Conquest Era • Collared-rim jars and four-room houses in Trans-Jordan layers (distinctive Israelite hallmarks). • Alphabetic inscriptions invoking Yahweh on Kuntillet Ajrud pithoi (9th c. BC) show continuity of covenant faith from the settlement period. Addressing Skeptical Objections Mainstream minimalism often dates Israel’s emergence to the 12th-11th c. BC. Yet the destruction horizons at Heshbon, Edrei, and Jericho (Bryant Wood, “Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho?” BAR Mar/Apr 1990) collectively favor a 15th-century window and align with early-date chronology. No discovery has falsified the biblical claim that God “slew mighty kings”; rather, each spade-turn broadens the evidentiary field. Theological Significance Archaeology illuminates but Scripture interprets. The stones affirm the text; the text proclaims the covenant-keeping love celebrated in Psalm 136. The same Lord who judged Sihon and Og later rose bodily (1 Corinthians 15), proving that His “loving devotion endures forever.” Summary 1. Late-Bronze destruction layers at Heshbon, Edrei, and Ashtaroth fit the 1406 BC defeats of Sihon and Og. 2. Megastructures in Bashan validate the biblical memory of Rephaim giants. 3. The Balaam text, Merneptah Stele, and Shasu-Yahweh lists anchor the events in extrabiblical inscriptions. 4. Settlement-pattern data and pottery typology trace a rapid Israelite occupation east of Jordan. Together these finds furnish solid archaeological scaffolding for Psalm 136:18’s historical claim, underscoring the reliability of Scripture and the steadfast love of the God who acted then—and still saves now. |
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