Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE
The Calah bull and marble-slab texts recording Hazael's defeat and Jehu's tribute
Found 1846 — Austen Henry Layard (Nimrud bull colossi, 1846–48); the 'Marble Slab' and a statue came from German excavations at Assur; the Kurba'il statue was found by David Oates at Fort Shalmaneser, Nimrud (1961)
Where Nimrud (Kalhu) and Assur, Iraq (Iraq)
Dates from c. 840–830 BCE · Neo-Assyrian · Divided Kingdom (Hazael of Aram; Jehu of Israel)
Now at Bull colossi left at Nimrud (present state unknown); Kurba'il statue in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad (IM 60497); Assur pieces in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums
Names a biblical person Hazael, Jehu
How Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE was found
Carved on the colossal bull statues in the centre of the Nimrud mound, on a marble slab and statue from Assur, and on the Kurba'il statue from Fort Shalmaneser, recovered in nineteenth- and twentieth-century excavations.
What it is
Several cuneiform editions of Shalmaneser's annals, written across the bodies of stone bulls and on slabs and statues. The eighteenth-year entry says he crossed the Euphrates for the sixteenth time, defeated 'Hazael of Damascus' who 'had seized the throne' (called 'son of a nobody'), besieged him in Damascus, and then received tribute from Tyre, Sidon and 'Jehu son of Omri'.
Why it matters for the Bible
These texts confirm that Hazael was a usurper, exactly as 2 Kings 8 tells of him smothering Ben-Hadad and taking the throne. They date Jehu's tribute (also pictured on the Black Obelisk) to 841 BCE, the same year the Bible's chronology puts Jehu's coup. Together they set a firm date at the heart of the Elisha stories.
The Hebrew word: MEH-lech A-RAHM
מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם
מֶלֶךְ אֲרָם is pronounced MEH-lech A-RAHM and means king of Aram (Syria) (Strong's H4428 + H758).
People this discovery connects to
- Hazael — חֲזָאֵל (Cha-zah-EL) — El has seen
- Jehu — יֵהוּא (Yay-HOO) — YHVH is He
Places
- Damascus — דַּמֶּשֶׂק (Dah-MEH-sek) — (uncertain)
Events
Hazael's usurpation in Damascus · Shalmaneser's siege of Damascus (841 BCE)
Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE in Scripture
1 Kings 19:15 First mention of Hazael in Scripture.
2 Kings 8:13-15 Hazael murders Ben-Hadad and becomes king; Assyria calls him 'son of a nobody' who seized the throne.
2 Kings 10:32 Hazael begins to cut Israel short — after Assyria stopped pressing Damascus, he turned on Israel.
Questions people ask
What is Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE?
Several cuneiform editions of Shalmaneser's annals, written across the bodies of stone bulls and on slabs and statues. The eighteenth-year entry says he crossed the Euphrates for the sixteenth time, defeated 'Hazael of Damascus' who 'had seized the throne' (called 'son of a nobody'), besieged him in Damascus, and then received tribute from Tyre, Sidon and 'Jehu son of Omri'.
When was Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE discovered?
It was found in 1846 by Austen Henry Layard (Nimrud bull colossi, 1846–48); the 'Marble Slab' and a statue came from German excavations at Assur; the Kurba'il statue was found by David Oates at Fort Shalmaneser, Nimrud (1961), at Nimrud (Kalhu) and Assur, Iraq.
Where is Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE today?
Bull colossi left at Nimrud (present state unknown); Kurba'il statue in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad (IM 60497); Assur pieces in the Istanbul Archaeological Museums.
Which Bible verses does Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE relate to?
1 Kings 19:15, 2 Kings 8:13-15, 2 Kings 10:32.
Related discoveries
- בֵּית דָּוִדTel Dan SteleAramean victory inscription naming the 'House of David'
- מִנְחָהBlack Obelisk of Shalmaneser IIIJehu of Israel bowing before the Assyrian king — the only known portrait of an Israelite king
- שַׁעַרTel Dan Iron Age Gate ComplexThe stone gate, plaza and 'seat of judgment' where the Tel Dan Stele was reused
- אַל־תִּירָאZakkur SteleA king of Hamath saved from 'Bar-Hadad son of Hazael' — Ben-Hadad III in stone
- מָצוֹרTell es-Safi/Gath: Hazael's Siege TrenchA 2-km ditch and burnt city marking the Aramean destruction of Gath
- גָּלְיָתGath (Tell es-Safi): Goliath's HometownThe 2005 ostracon with Goliath-like names and Hazael's siege trench
Sources
- Grayson, Assyrian Rulers of the Early First Millennium BC II (RIMA 3), A.0.102.8, 10, 12
- Wikipedia: Shalmaneser III
- COJS: Annals Edition 3 – The Kurba'il Statue, 839 BCE
- Bible Archaeology Report: King Jehu: An Archaeological Biography
Open Shalmaneser III's Annals of 841 BCE in Hebrew Explorer →