The Syro-Ephraimite War was a conflict which took place in the 8th century BCE between the

Kingdom of Judah The Kingdom of Judah was an Israelites, Israelite kingdom of the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. Centered in the highlands to the west of the Dead Sea, the kingdom's capital was Jerusalem. It was ruled by the Davidic line for four centuries ...

and an alliance of

Aram-Damascus Aram-Damascus ( ) was an Arameans, Aramean polity that existed from the late-12th century BCE until 732 BCE, and was centred around the city of Damascus in the Southern Levant. Alongside various tribal lands, it was bounded in its later years b ...

and the Kingdom of Israel based in

Samaria Samaria (), the Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Shomron (), is used as a historical and Hebrew Bible, biblical name for the central region of the Land of Israel. It is bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The region is ...

. One theory states that the war's sole goal was to force judah to join the anti-Assyrian coalition. In 735 BCE, kings

Rezin Rezin of Aram (, ; ; *''Raḍyan''; ) was an Aramean King ruling from Damascus during the 8th century BC. During his reign, he was a tributary of King Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria. Lester L. Grabbe, ''Ancient Israel: What Do We Know and How ...

of Aram-Damascus and

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 ...

of Israel, attempted to depose king Ahaz of Judah through an invasion. Judah was defeated and, according to 2 Chronicles 28, lost 120,000 troops in just one day. Many significant officials were killed, including the king's son Maaseiah. Many others were taken away as slaves. Telling of the same war, states that Rezin and Pekah besieged Jerusalem but failed to capture it. During the invasion, the

Philistines Philistines (; LXX: ; ) were ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan during the Iron Age in a confederation of city-states generally referred to as Philistia. There is compelling evidence to suggest that the Philistines origi ...

and Edomites were taking advantage of the situation and raiding towns and villages in Judah. In turn, Ahaz asked Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria for help.biblical literature :: The divided monarchy: from Jeroboam I to the Assyrian conquest - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
/ref> The Assyrians intervened on behalf of Judah, conquering Israel, Aram-Damascus and the Philistines. However, the post-war alliance only brought more trouble for the king of Judah. Ahaz had to pay

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...

to Tiglath-Pileser III with treasures from the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...

and the royal treasury. He also built idols of Assyrian gods in Judah to find favor with his new ally.

Immanuel prophecy

Isaiah tells King Ahaz that the invasion will be unsuccessful and tells him to ask God for a sign. Ahaz refuses, claiming he does not want to test God. Isaiah then announces that God himself will choose the sign: Isaiah 8 details another prophecy about a child by the name of

Maher-shalal-hash-baz "Maher-shalal-hash-baz" was the second prophetic name mentioned in Isaiah chapter 8– 9. Biblical accounts The name is mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible, both times in the Book of Isaiah chapter 8: Isaiah 8:1 :Moreover the said unto me, ...

(Hebrew: מַהֵר שָׁלָל חָשׁ בַּז "Hurry to the spoils!" or "He has made haste to the plunder!"). Isaiah then explains that the significance of this name is that before this child can speak, Assyria will plunder both Syria and Ephraim. Isaiah concludes these prophecies concerning his children, Shear-Jashub (meaning "the remnant shall return"), Immanuel (meaning "God with us"), and Maher-shalal-hash-baz, by saying, The context continues into chapter 9 which also uses a birth of a child as its object.

References

External links

* http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%207-12&version=NASB * http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/questions-a-answers-primary-234/68-the-jewish-messiah/374-messiah--the-criteria * http://www.ucgstp.org/bible/brp/2ki16a.htm * http://www.bsw.org/?l=71811&a=Ani17.html {{Authority control 8th-century BC conflicts 8th century BC in the Kingdom of Judah Ancient Israel and Judah Hebrew Bible battles Military history of the Assyrian Empire Military history of Aram-Damascus Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) Israelite civil conflicts

Immanuel prophecy

See also

References

External links