Who were the Assyrians in the Bible?

In the holy Scriptures the land of Assyria is early brought to our notice, so that we are not surprised to find the Assyrian has a prominent place in the ways of God with His people. From Genesis 2:13 we learn that one of the four heads of Eden's river was the river Hiddekel, "which goeth toward the east of Assyria." Nimrod, who established the first of the world's kingdoms, began his building at Babel, then moved into Assyria and built Nineveh. The Assyrian race is doubtless descended from Asshur, the second son of Shem, the son of Noah (Gen. 10:22).

The great kingdom of Assyria was situated near the river Tigris, having Armenia on the North, Mount Zagros and Media on the east, Babylonia on the south, Syria and the Syrian desert on the west; but its boundaries were doubtless not always the same. Nineveh became its capital. The first allusion to Assyria is found in Gen. 2:14, where we read that one of the rivers of Paradise went "toward the east of Assyria," or "went eastward to Assyria," margin.

The name of Assyria appears to have arisen from its first capital, Asshur (now called Kalah Sherghat) on the Tigris. Apparently a monarchy was established there by some from Babylonia, and there were several kings before SHALMANESER I. (about B.C. 1300), whose family kept the throne for six generations until TIGLATH-PILESER I. (about B.C. 1130), who may be said to be the founder of the first Assyrian Empire. He beautified Nineveh and carried his arms in various directions. After him the kingdom became feeble until RIMMON-NIRARI II., B.C. 911, but his victorious career was excelled by his grandson, the great ASSUR-NATSIR-PAL, B.C. 883, who made conquests over the Phoenicians and the 'Kaldu' (Chaldeans).

SHALMANESER II succeeded, B.C. 858. He carried his arms still farther. We have his conquests told by himself on three monuments in the British Museum, one of which is known as the Black Obelisk. If the names are correctly interpreted he mentions as allied against him Benhadad king of Syria and Ahab king of Israel. These were defeated at the battle of Karkar, B.C. 853. Hazael of Damascus was also defeated; and from Yahua, the son of Khumri, that is, Jehu, whom he incorrectly calls son of Omri, king of Israel, he received tribute; but of this scripture says nothing.

Assyria was used by God as His rod to punish His guilty people Israel, and then, as in other instances, the rod itself, for its pride and wickedness, had to bear God's judgement. See Isa. 10:5-19; Isa. 14:25; Ezek. 31:3-17; Nahum 3:18-19; Zeph. 2:13. Some of the passages that speak of the kings of Assyria are prophetic, and refer to the still future, when as 'kings of the north' they will again have to do with Israel and will be judged of God. The indignation against Israel ceases in the destruction of the Assyrian: see Isa. 10:12; Isa. 14:25; Isa. 30:27-33. One remarkable passage speaks of Assyria with Egypt and Israel as being brought into blessing, Isa. 19:23-25, "Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance." We thus see that the Assyrians have a large place in scripture both in the past and in the future, doubtless because they have had, and will yet have, to do with Jehovah's earthly people, "the Israel of God." The Assyrian is the over-flowing scourge of God's anger because of Israel's connection with idolatry.

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire. Her founder was Nimrod who lived shortly after the flood (Gen. 10:8-12). There was rivalry between Assyria and Babylon from the very beginning. Babylon is the picture of worldly might in a religious garment. Assyria pictures the haughty, cruel and high-handed world, which knows nothing but her own importance.

Nineveh reached great importance around 900 BC. Shalmaneser III of Assyria defeated king Ahab of Israel in the battle of Carcar around the year 843 BC. According to an inscription on the “black obelisk” of Shalmaneser king Jehu shall have been tributary to him too. The Scriptures however do not mention this. Jonah was sent to Nineveh around the year 800 BC to turn them off their cruel ways. In 734 BC the two and a half tribes Reuben, Gad and Manasseh who settled on the eastern side of Jordan were deported by Tiglath-pileser and in 722 BC the whole northern kingdom of Israel was brought into Assyrian captivity under Shalmaneser and Sargon (2 Kings 17). Shanherib attacked the kingdom of Judah at king Hezekiah’s time around 701 BC but had to return without having achieved his object. After Assurbanipal’s death (who had conquered Thebes in Egypt in 663 BC) the might of Assyria and Nineveh declined noticeably. Finally the great city was conquered and totally destroyed in 612 BC by the Medes under Cyaxares and the Babylonians under Nabopolassar. It was only in the 19 th century that Nineveh’s ruins were excavated with their mighty buildings, sculptures and Assurbanipal’s library with over 20,000 clay plates.

There were six kings of Assyria in the days of Israel's kings; Pul, Tiglath-Pileser, Shalmaneser, Sargon, Sennacherib and Esarhaddon (2 Kings 15:19, 29; 2 Kings 17:3; Isa. 20:1; Isa. 36:1; Isa. 37:38). The first, Pul, was bought over by Menahem, king of Israel, with a thousand talents of silver. Tiglath-Pileser came against Israel in the days of Pekah the son of Remaliah, captured a number of cities, and took the captives to Assyria. The remainder of the ten tribes, in the days of Hoshea, king of Israel, were taken by Shalmaneser, and carried "away into Assyria, and placed" in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.

Asshur

Assyria was used of God as the rod of His anger for the chastisement of Israel (Isa. 10:5-6) and other nations; but he was only the instrument in God’s hand for the execution of His judgments; and not understanding this, he boasted as if it was by his own power he was so successful in his military campaigns (verses 7–14). Therefore the Lord said, “Shall the axe boast itself against him that hews therewith?…as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up” (verse 15); and, “When the Lord has performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks” (verse 12).

It is such an episodical notice as seems to account for the mention in this place of a counter movement on the part of the Shemite Asshur, of whom we read in his due place afterward. A step forward among men naturally finds imitation ere long. And the record of the new policy in the south is followed by that of a similar course in the north as far as the building of cities is concerned, though this may not have been at all contemporary but later than that. Their kindred nature sufficiently explains the mention of both at this point.

"From that land went forth Asshur, and built Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah: this is the great city" (vers. 11, 12). It is not intimated that Asshur was driven out by the Hamitic race, but rather is it inferred from the language that the success of Nimrod set the example, and gave the impulse to a like ambition. How completely Noah's authority (for he still lived) was forgotten by all, is evident by all that is revealed. Patriarchal place yielded to men's thoughts and will.

Of these four cities, the first is beyond any just question. Yet it is late in the history of the world when we hear of Nineveh. Then in the days of Jonah it was a "very great city," according to some of still greater extent than Babylon when the "golden city" rose to its zenith. But human accounts of cities long passed away need to be read with caution, as the chroniclers long after were apt to stray through exaggeration. Still the Biblical intimation of its later existence is of immense extent, vast population, and exceeding splendour. The remains exhumed in our day attest that the words of scripture are here as reliable as everywhere else. Yet we need not conceive anything more when Asshur wrought his work than a little beginning of that which was at length to attain such power and magnificence. This it retained to triumph over the ten tribes of Israel and to menace Judah and David's house, when it received a blow so manifestly divine that it never troubled the holy land again. Ere long it fell never to rise, when God was pleased to bring forward Babylon from a provincial position, though with a king and sometimes independent, to become the mistress of the world, and the captor of the guilty capital and king and people of the Jews.

On Asshur there is the less motive for dilating, as every reader of scriptural history knows how splendid a part their race played in the comparatively early history of the world, when the struggle for predominance seemed to lie between Assyria and Egypt. Of this we find authentic accounts in the O.T. especially when both came into collision, the Assyrian especially, with the chosen people in its decay through idolatry, sweeping away the kingdom of Israel, and menacing that of Judah. But the awful check given to Sennacherib in the height of his scornful pride soon proved no real opportunity to Egypt; for Babylon that joined in destroying Nineveh was destined of God to be the head of power, as all know according to God's word. Here again shall mercy triumph over judgment; and Isa. 19 is express that in the day of Messianic power and glory Israel shall be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth. We need not speak of Israel, but may say that this was never the case with Egypt and with Assyria in the past. Both wrought innumerable evils for man; both sinned shamelessly against God. But what cannot, will not, mercy work on God's part, even for the enemies of His guilty and chastised people? What a monument will not the trio be "in that day"!

After Nimrod and Mizraim, for Ham began, the great powers of later days have been Japheth; Asshur was Shem, but he never pulled down Jerusalem, nor built it up as others did; perhaps Nebuchadnezzar was Ham, the first Chaldean empire was. I suppose "went forth Asshur" (v. 11) is right, for certainly they had Asshur for their first great god in Assyria. They had really the longest, and, on the whole, greatest empire; but though a rod for Israel, they never came into collision with God's throne in Jerusalem, nor supplanted it; Sennacherib would have done so. As far as Assyria is concerned, the alleged monotheism of Shem is a fable; they were idolators as the rest.

In Gen. 10:11 it would appear from the A.V. that a son of Ham named Asshur built Nineveh; and then in Gen. 10:22 and 1 Chr. 1:17 Asshur is named as the son of Shem. But in the margin of ver. 11 it reads that "he went out into Assyria," that is, Nimrod went forth into Asshur or Assyria (the Hebrew is the same). This is confirmed by Micah 5:6, where Assyria and Nimrod are associated together. Assyria is traced to Asshur or Assur, a son of Shem. Nimrod came afterwards and may have subdued the country, but with what result is not shown.