Rezin of Aram (, ; ; *''Raḍyan''; ) was an Aramean King ruling from

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

during the 8th century BC. During his reign, he was a tributary of King Tiglath-Pileser III of

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

. Lester L. Grabbe, ''Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How Do We Know It?'' (New York: T&T Clark, 2007): p.134

Biography

Rezin conspired with a number of

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

ine kings (e.g.,

Hiram II Hiram II (''Hi-ru-mu'') was the Phoenician king of Tyre from 737 to 729 BC. In 738 he was listed as a tributary of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III. His predecessor, Ithobaal II, was also stated to have paid tribute in that year. It is possi ...

of Tyre) to rebel against Tiglath-Pileser III. Rezin's reign ended in 732 BC, when Tiglath-Pileser III sacked Damascus and annexed Aram:

In order to save his life, he (Raḫiānu) fled alone and entered the gate of his city ikea mongoose. I maled his foremost men alive while making (the people of) his land watch. For forty-five days I set up my camp rond his city and confined him (there) like a bird in a cage. I cut down his plantations, ....., (and) orchards, which were without number; I did not leave a single one (standing). I surrounded (and) captured he city ...��ādara, the ancestral home of Raḫiānu (Rezin) of the land Damascus, he plce where he was born. I carried off 800 people, with their possessions, their oxen, (and) their sheep and goats. I carried off 750 captives from the cities Kuruṣṣâ (and) Samāya, (as well as) 550 captives from the city Metuna. Like tell(s) after the Deluge, I destroyed 591 cities of 16 districts of the land Damascus. (RINAP 1, Tiglath-Pileser III 20, l. 8’-17’)
Hayim Tadmor Hayim Tadmor (born Frumstein) (; November 18, 1923, Harbin, China–December 11, 2005, Jerusalem) was a leading Israeli Assyriologist. As a student of Benno Landsberger and Sidney Smith, his knowledge was grounded in immediate knowledge and exper ...
and Shigeo Yamada, ''The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726-722 BC), Kings of Assyria.'' (The Royal Inscriptions of the Neo-Assyrian Period 1; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011).

Assyrian inscriptions indicate that Tiglath-pileser made a three-year campaign in the Levant from 734 to 732 BC. In the first year he attacked the Phoenicians and sacked the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. In the second year he devastated the land of Aram and the Arabs living in the Trans-Jordan under Queen Shamsi. Although he beat the Arameans in the field, he failed to take Damascus. In the third year he managed to take Damascus, where he slew King Rezin. He also destroyed and leveled the villages in Northern Israel. He boasted of slaying King Pekah, and he installed Hoshea on the throne. Only the fortified capital of Samaria remained, and the entire land was brought low. Archaeology confirms that many cities destroyed during this time period were never rebuilt. According to the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

(

2 Kings 16 2 Kings 16 is the sixteenth Chapters and verses of the Bible, chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. The book is a compilation o ...

), the sack of Damascus was instigated by King

Ahaz Ahaz (; ''Akhaz''; ) an abbreviation of Jehoahaz II (of Judah), "Yahweh has held" (; ''Ya'úḫazi'' 'ia-ú-ḫa-zi'' Hayim Tadmor and Shigeo Yamada, ''The Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-pileser III (744-727 BC) and Shalmaneser V (726-722 BC), ...

of Judah and ended in Rezin's execution (). The execution of Rezin is neither confirmed nor disconfirmed by independent evidence. According to

2 Kings The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of ancient Israel also including ...

Rezin allied with

Pekah Pekah (, ''Peqaḥ''; ''Paqaḫa'' 'pa-qa-ḫa'' ) was the eighteenth and penultimate king of Israel. He was a captain in the army of king Pekahiah of Israel, whom he killed to become king. Pekah was the son of Remaliah. Pekah became king in ...

, son of Remaliah, against

. The defeat of both kings is promised to Ahaz in the

Immanuel Immanuel or Emmanuel (, "God swith us"; Koine Greek: ) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the House of David. The Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 1:22 –23) interprets this as a prophecy o ...

prophecy Isaiah 7:14, linked to the birth of a child who will be an infant, possibly Ahaz' royal heir

Hezekiah Hezekiah (; ), or Ezekias (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Kingdom of Judah, Judah according to the Hebrew Bible.Stephen L Harris, Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible''. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. "G ...

, when this takes place.Whittaker, H. A. ''Isaiah'' Biblia, Cannock

References

External links

{{Authority control 8th-century BC Aramean kings Kings of Aram-Damascus Monarchs in the Hebrew Bible

Biography

See also

References

External links