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Ashurbanipal
Ashurbanipal (d. c.626 bc) (Assurbanipal) Last great king of Assyria (669–633 bc). During his reign, Assyria reached its largest extent, encompassing Upper Egypt, before a rapid decline. Excavations at Nineveh after 1850 revealed an advanced civilization....
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Benhadad
Benhadad , in the Bible, kings of Damascus. 1 The son of Tabrimon, ally of Asa of Judah against Baasha of Israel. 2 Probably the son and successor of 1, leader of the coalition that withstood Shalmaneser III of Assyria at Karkar on the Orontes; he continued the traditional enmity of his ki...
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Assyria
Assyria , ancient empire of W Asia. It developed around the city of Ashur, or Assur, on the upper Tigris River and south of the later capital, Nineveh.
Assyria's Rise
The nucleus of a Semitic state was forming by the beginning of the 3d millennium BC, but it was overshadowed by the greatne...
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Assurbanipal
Assurbanipal or Ashurbanipal , d. 626? BC, king of ancient Assyria (669-633 BC), son and successor of Esar-Haddon . The last of the great kings of Assyria, he drove Taharka out of Egypt and firmly established Necho in power there only to have Necho's son Psamtik revolt in 660 BC and wrest E...
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Menahem
Menahem , d. c.737 BC, king of Israel (c.749-c.737 BC). He was governor of Tirzah and murdered Shallum for the throne of Samaria. Menahem was made a tributary by Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria, who helped him to gain his throne. The book of Kings represents him unfavorably. His son, Pekahiah, succee...
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Pekah
Pekah , in the Bible, king of Israel. He was a general under King Pekahiah and murdered him for the throne. As the head of an anti-Assyrian coalition, he went to war with Ahaz of Judah. Ahaz requested and received help from Tiglath-pileser III, and as a result Pekah lost the northern and eastern par...
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Hazael
Hazael , fl. 840 BC, king of Damascus; successor and murderer of Benhadad . In the Bible he appears as the ally of the party of Elisha in Israel and later as the conqueror, taking all the Hebrew possessions E of the Jordan, ravaging Judah, and rendering Israel impotent. From inscriptions of Shalman...
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Hezekiah
Hezekiah , in the Bible, king of Judah, son and successor of Ahaz. During his reign Sennacherib of Assyria routed (701 BC) the rebellious Jews and exacted a high indemnity from them. However, a plague in the Assyrian army saved (690 BC) Judah from a second invasion by Sennacherib. Hezekiah's reign w...
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Reuben
Reuben , in the Bible, Jacob's eldest son and eponymous ancestor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He interceded for his brother Joseph's life and guaranteed the safe return from Egypt of another brother, Benjamin. When Palestine was occupied his tribe, with that of Gad, was allotted the pasture la...
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Jehu
Jehu . 1 King of Israel. He was anointed king by Elisha , who led the revolt against the house of Ahab. Jehu murdered King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah and the rest of the house of Ahab. Jehu's rapid chariot driving has become proverbial. To receive protection from Assyria, Jeh...
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