Topical Bible: Sieges: Often Lasted for a Long Time

◄ Sieges: Often Lasted for a Long Time ►

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In the biblical narrative, sieges were a common military strategy employed by ancient armies to capture fortified cities. These prolonged military operations involved surrounding a city, cutting off its supplies, and waiting for the inhabitants to surrender due to starvation, disease, or despair. The Bible provides several accounts of sieges, illustrating their significance in the historical and theological context of Israel and its neighbors.

One of the most notable sieges in the Bible is the Siege of Jericho, as recorded in the Book of Joshua. Although this siege was unique in its brevity and miraculous nature, it set a precedent for the importance of divine intervention in Israel's military campaigns. Joshua 6:1-20 describes how the Israelites, under God's command, marched around the city for seven days before the walls miraculously collapsed, allowing them to capture Jericho.

Another significant siege is the Siege of Samaria, which occurred during the reign of King Ahab. In 1 Kings 20:1, Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, besieged Samaria with a vast army. The siege was marked by divine deliverance, as God promised victory to Ahab through a prophet, leading to the defeat of the Arameans (1 Kings 20:13-21).

The Siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians is perhaps the most devastating siege recorded in the Bible. This event, which led to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, is detailed in 2 Kings 25:1-4 and Jeremiah 39:1-2. The Babylonian army, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, besieged the city for approximately eighteen months. The prolonged siege resulted in severe famine, as described in Lamentations 4:9-10, where the dire conditions forced the inhabitants to resort to extreme measures for survival. Ultimately, the city was breached, the temple was destroyed, and the people were taken into exile.

The Siege of Lachish, mentioned in 2 Kings 18:13-17 and Isaiah 36:1-2, was part of the Assyrian campaign against Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah. The Assyrian king Sennacherib laid siege to Lachish, a fortified city, as he sought to expand his empire. The siege is famously depicted in the Lachish Reliefs, which provide archaeological evidence of the event. Although Lachish fell, Jerusalem was miraculously spared, as recorded in 2 Kings 19:35-36, when an angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.

The Bible also records the Siege of Rabbah, the Ammonite capital, during King David's reign. In 2 Samuel 11:1 and 12:26-31, Joab, David's commander, led the siege while David remained in Jerusalem. The siege lasted for an extended period, culminating in the capture of the city and the subjugation of the Ammonites.

These biblical accounts of sieges highlight the strategic importance of fortified cities in ancient warfare and the reliance on divine intervention for victory. The prolonged nature of sieges often tested the faith and resilience of the besieged, serving as a backdrop for God's deliverance and judgment.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Kings 17:5
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Heresies
... of such rigour that their lives were often endangered, if ... In a war of sieges De
Montfort's skill took from ... The war lasted for three years (1226-9); Louis VIII ...
/.../medley/the church and the empire/chapter xii heresies.htm

Christian Conversation
... of their Master's kingdom with regard to the time it has lasted. ... Often speak of it
while others amuse themselves with stories of sieges and battles ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 46 1900/christian conversation.htm

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
... Ishtar of Arbela had long been considered as the ... Sharezer and his party having time
to recover. His biographers depict Esarhaddon hurrying forward, often a day ...
/.../chapter iithe power of assyria 2.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... of the broken Obelisk, from which I have often quoted, contains in ... of the northeast
provinces; he was not long in setting out afresh, this time to the ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... allowed their critical faculties, and often their imagination ... the influence of his
teaching lasted throughout the ... For a long time after this no instance can be ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

That the Miseries Still Grew Worse; and How the Romans Made an ...
... advantage, in that their engines for sieges co-operated ... that way; for the fight had
lasted from the ... these iron weapons upon his shield, and often attempted to ...
/.../chapter 1 that the miseries.htm

The Rise of the Assyrian Empire
... in the mountain districts"Camps, battles, sieges; cruelty shown to ... This state of
affairs lasted for more than ... absorb all their resources, and often left them ...
/.../chapter iithe rise of the.htm