Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Prisms Naming Manasseh
Assyrian tribute lists that include 'Manasseh, king of Judah'
Found 1927 — Esarhaddon's Nineveh A prism was excavated at Nineveh (Kuyunjik) by R. Campbell Thompson for the British Museum in 1927–28; Ashurbanipal's prisms naming Manasseh come from Hormuzd Rassam's 1854 work in the North Palace and later British Museum digs
Where Nineveh (Kuyunjik) (Iraq)
Dates from c. 673–672 BCE (Esarhaddon Nineveh A) and c. 667 BCE (Ashurbanipal Prism C) · Neo-Assyrian · Reign of Menasheh (Manasseh)
Now at British Museum, London
Names a biblical person Manasseh, Esarhaddon, Ashurbanipal (Osnappar)
How Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Prisms Naming Manasseh was found
Clay prisms from the royal palaces at Nineveh. Esarhaddon's Nineveh A prism (673–672 BCE) lists 22 kings of the west, including 'Manasseh king of Judah', summoned to supply timber and stone for his palace; Ashurbanipal's Prism C and Rassam Cylinder list the same kings sending troops and tribute for his Egyptian campaign.
What it is
Multi-sided clay prisms in Akkadian. Esarhaddon names 'Manasseh (Menasi), king of Judah (Yaudi)' second in a list of vassal kings of Hatti and the seacoast, after Baal of Tyre, who hauled cedar and stone to Nineveh. Ashurbanipal lists the same 22 rulers, Manasseh again second, who 'brought their heavy tribute' and accompanied his army to Egypt.
Why it matters for the Bible
Manasseh's 55-year reign gets a very negative verdict in 2 Kings 21 but almost no political detail. The prisms show him as a loyal Assyrian vassal, ranked high among the western kings, paying tribute and sending labour and troops. This fits 2 Chronicles 33:11, which says the Assyrians took him in chains to Babylon (where Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal did hold court) before he repented and was restored — an episode with no other confirmation but a plausible setting.
The Hebrew word: min-CHAH
מִנְחָה
מִנְחָה is pronounced min-CHAH and means tribute, gift, offering (Strong's H4503).
People this discovery connects to
- Manasseh — מְנַשֶּׁה (me-nah-SHEH) — causing to forget
- Esarhaddon — אֵסַר־חַדֹּן (eh-sar-cha-DOHN) — Akkadian Ashur-aha-iddina, 'Ashur has given a brother'
Places
- Nineveh — נִינְוֵה (neen-VEH) — Assyrian Ninua
Events
Manasseh's vassalage to Assyria · Assyrian campaigns to Egypt (671–663 BCE)
Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Prisms Naming Manasseh in Scripture
2 Kings 20:21 First mention of Manasseh in Scripture.
2 Kings 21:1-2 Manasseh's long reign in Jerusalem — the king the prisms name as Assyria's vassal.
2 Chronicles 33:11-13 Manasseh taken to Babylon by the king of Assyria and later restored; the prisms place him at the Assyrian court's disposal.
Questions people ask
What is Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Prisms Naming Manasseh?
Multi-sided clay prisms in Akkadian. Esarhaddon names 'Manasseh (Menasi), king of Judah (Yaudi)' second in a list of vassal kings of Hatti and the seacoast, after Baal of Tyre, who hauled cedar and stone to Nineveh. Ashurbanipal lists the same 22 rulers, Manasseh again second, who 'brought their heavy tribute' and accompanied his army to Egypt.
When was Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Prisms Naming Manasseh discovered?
It was found in 1927 by Esarhaddon's Nineveh A prism was excavated at Nineveh (Kuyunjik) by R. Campbell Thompson for the British Museum in 1927–28; Ashurbanipal's prisms naming Manasseh come from Hormuzd Rassam's 1854 work in the North Palace and later British Museum digs, at Nineveh (Kuyunjik).
Where is Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Prisms Naming Manasseh today?
British Museum, London.
Which Bible verses does Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Prisms Naming Manasseh relate to?
2 Kings 20:21, 2 Kings 21:1-2, 2 Chronicles 33:11-13.
Related discoveries
- חֶרֶבThe Murder of Sennacherib in Assyrian and Babylonian RecordsEsarhaddon's account of his father's assassination by his brothers — Isaiah 37:38 from the Assyrian side
- מָצוֹרSennacherib's Prism (Taylor, Chicago and Jerusalem Prisms)Assyrian annals: 'Hezekiah the Judean I shut up like a bird in a cage'
- לָכִישׁLachish Reliefs of SennacheribWall carvings from Nineveh showing the Assyrian siege of a Judean city
- אַרְמוֹןArmon Hanatziv Royal EstateA 7th-century BCE palace outside the walls with miniature proto-Aeolic capitals and carved window balustrades
- אַשּׁוּרTell Jemmeh: Assyrian Vaulted BuildingA Philistine border town that became an Assyrian base, with the earliest true mudbrick vaults in the Land
- מִגְדָּלThe Israelite TowerAvigad's 8th–7th century BCE gate tower with Babylonian arrowheads in the ash of 586 BCE
Sources
- Leichty, The Royal Inscriptions of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria (RINAP 4, 2011)
- Pritchard (ed.), ANET, pp. 291, 294
- Armstrong Institute, 'Esarhaddon Prism Proves King Manasseh'
- Thompson, The Prisms of Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal Found at Nineveh, 1927–8 (British Museum, 1931)
- Bible Archaeology Report, 'King Manasseh: An Archaeological Biography'
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