1.
Samaria (ancient city)
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Samaria was an ancient city in the Land of Israel. It was the capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries BC, the ruins of the city are located in the Samaria mountains of the West Bank and are under the jurisdiction of the Israel National Parks Authority. Israelite Shomron was located in the heart of the mountains of Samaria, the ruins of the Israelite town, as well the ruins of towns built at this same location later in history, are all adjacent or within the modern Palestinian village of Sebastia. The hill of Shomron is a hill, with steep but not inaccessible sides. Samaria, as the new capital of his instead of Tirzah. As such it possessed many advantages, Omri resided here during the last six years of his reign. According to biblical tradition, it appears Omri granted the Arameans the right to make streets in Samaria as a sign of submission and this probably meant permission was granted to the Aramean merchants to carry on their trade in the city. This would imply the existence of a considerable Aramean population and it was the only great city of Israel created by the sovereign. All the others had been consecrated by patriarchal tradition or previous possession. But Samaria was the choice of Omri alone, according to Biblical tradition, Samaria was frequently besieged. In the days of Ahab, Benhadad II came up against it with thirty-two vassal kings, Biblical tradition also holds that in the days of Jehoram, Benhadad again laid siege to Samaria. The fragment of a stela with an Assyrian inscription attributed to Sargon II was found on the slope of the acropolis testifying to their presence. In addition, according to inscriptions from Sargons palace at Khorsabad, I fought with them and decisively defeated them]. 50 chariots for my royal force, I deported the rest of them. Also, The inhabitants of Samaria/Samerina, who agreed with a king me, not to do service and not to bring tribute, I counted as spoil 27,280 people, together with their chariots, and gods, in which they trusted. I formed a unit with 200 of chariots for my royal force, I settled the rest of them in the midst of Assyria. I repopulated Samaria/Samerina more than before, I brought into it people from countries conquered by my hands. I appointed my eunuch as governor over them, and I counted them as Assyrians
2.
Saul
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Saul, according to the Hebrew Bible, was the first king of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, Sauls life and reign are described in the Hebrew Bible. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel and reigned from Gibeah and he fell on his sword to avoid capture in the battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, during which three of his sons were also killed. The succession to his throne was contested by Ish-bosheth, his surviving son, and his son-in-law David. A similar yet different account of Sauls life may be given in the Quran, according to the New Testament account, Saul reigned for a period of forty years. The Biblical accounts of Sauls life are found in the Books of Samuel, the narrative contains various internal inconsistencies, to the point that his biography is often embarrassingly confusing. According to the Tanakh, Saul was the son of Kish, of the family of the Matrites, and it appears that he came from Gibeah. Saul married Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz and they had four sons and two daughters. The sons were Jonathan, Abinadab, Malchishua and Ish-bosheth and their daughters were named Merab and Michal. Saul also had a concubine named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, Saul died at the Battle of Mount Gilboa, and was buried in Zelah, in the region of Benjamin. Three of Sauls sons – Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua – died with him at Mount Gilboa, Ish-bosheth became king of Israel, at the age of forty. At Davids request Abner had Michal returned to David, Ish-bosheth reigned for two years, but after the death of Abner, was killed by two of his own captains. Armoni and Mephibosheth were given by David along with the five sons of Merab to the Gibeonites, the only male descendant of Saul to survive was Mephibosheth, Jonathans lame son, who had been five when his father and grandfather Saul had died in battle. In time, he came under the protection of David, Mephibosheth had a young son, Micah, who had four sons and descendants named until the ninth generation. The Books of Samuel give three differing accounts of Sauls rise to the throne, Saul is sent with a servant to look for his fathers strayed donkeys. Leaving his home at Gibeah, they arrive at the district of Zuph. Sauls servant tells him that they happen to be near the town of Ramah, where a famous seer is located, the seer offers hospitality to Saul and later anoints him in private. A popular movement having arisen to establish a centralized monarchy like other nations, after having been chosen as monarch, Saul returns to his home in Gibeah, along with a number of followers
3.
David
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David was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah, reigning in c. He is described as a man after Gods own heart in 1 Samuel 13,14 and Acts 13,22. The Hebrew prophets regarded him as the ancestor of the future messiah, the New Testament says he was an ancestor of Jesus. God is angered when Saul, Israels king, unlawfully offers a sacrifice and later disobeys a divine instruction to not only all of the Amalekites. Consequently, he sends the prophet Samuel to anoint David, the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem, God sends an evil spirit to torment Saul. Sauls courtiers recommend that he send for David, a man skillful on the lyre, wise in speech, and brave in battle. So David enters Sauls service as one of the royal armour-bearers, and plays the lyre to soothe the king, war comes between Israel and the Philistines, and the giant Goliath challenges the Israelites to send out a champion to face him in single combat. David, sent by his father to bring provisions to his brothers serving in Sauls army, refusing the kings offer of the royal armour, he kills Goliath with his sling. Saul inquires the name of the heros father. Saul sets David over his army, all Israel loves David, but his popularity causes Saul to fear him. Saul plots his death, but Sauls son Jonathan, one of those who loves David, warns him of his fathers schemes and David flees. He becomes a vassal of the Philistine king Achish of Gath, but Achishs nobles question his loyalty, Jonathan and Saul are killed, and David is anointed king over Judah. In the north, Sauls son Ish-Bosheth is anointed king of Israel, with the death of Sauls son, the elders of Israel come to Hebron and David is anointed king over all Israel. He conquers Jerusalem, previously a Jebusite stronghold, and makes it his capital. He brings the Ark of the Covenant to the city, intending to build a temple for God, Nathan also prophesies that God has made a covenant with the house of David, Your throne shall be established forever. David wins more victories over the Philistines, while the Moabites, Edomites, Amalekites, Ammonites, during a battle to conquer the Ammonite capital of Rabbah, David seduces Bathsheba and causes the death of her husband Uriah the Hittite. In response, Nathan prophesies the punishment that shall fall upon him, in fulfillment of these words Davids son Absalom rebels. The rebellion ends at the battle of the Wood of Ephraim, Absaloms forces are routed, and Absalom is caught by his long hair in the branches of a tree, and killed by Joab, contrary to Davids order. Joab was the commander of Davids army, David laments the death of his favourite son, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom
4.
Solomon
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Solomon, also called Jedidiah, was, according to the Bible, Quran, hadith and Hidden Words a fabulously wealthy and wise king of Israel and a son of David, the previous king of Israel. The conventional dates of Solomons reign are circa 970 to 931 BC and he is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, which would break apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah shortly after his death. Following the split, his descendants ruled over Judah alone. According to the Talmud, Solomon is one of the 48 prophets, in the Quran, he is considered a major prophet, and Muslims generally refer to him by the Arabic variant Sulayman, son of David. Solomon was, according to the Quran, a king of ancient Israel as well as the son of David, the Hebrew Bible credits him as the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem. It portrays him as great in wisdom, wealth, and power any of the previous kings of the country. His sins included idolatry, marrying foreign women, and ultimately turning away from Yahweh, Solomon is the subject of many other later references and legends, most notably in the 1st-century apocryphal work known as the Testament of Solomon. Solomon was born in Jerusalem, the second child of David and his wife Bathsheba. The first child, a son conceived adulterously during Uriahs lifetime, had died before Solomon was conceived as a punishment on account of the death of Uriah by Davids order. Solomon had three named full brothers through Bathsheba, Nathan, Shammua, and Shobab, besides six known older half-brothers through as many mothers, according to the First Book of Kings, when David was old, he could not get warm. So they sought a young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite. The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, while David was in this state, court factions were maneuvering for power. Solomon greatly expanded his military strength, especially the cavalry and chariot arms and he founded numerous colonies, some of which doubled as trading posts and military outposts. Trade relationships were a focus of his administration, Solomon is considered the most wealthy of the Israelite kings named in the Bible. Solomon also built the First Temple, beginning in the year of his reign. Solomon was the Biblical king most famous for his wisdom, in 1 Kings he sacrificed to God and prayed for wisdom. God personally answered his prayer, promising him great wisdom because he did not ask for self-serving rewards like long life or the death of his enemies. Perhaps the best known story of his wisdom is the Judgment of Solomon, Solomon easily resolved the dispute by commanding the child to be cut in half and shared between the two
5.
Mesha Stele
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The Mesha Stele is a stele set up around 840 BCE by King Mesha of Moab. Mesha describes his many building projects and it is written in the Phoenician alphabet. The stone was discovered intact by Frederick Augustus Klein, an Anglican missionary, at the site of ancient Dibon, Klein was led to it by a local Bedouin, although neither of them could read the text. Before it could be seen by another European, the year it was smashed by local villagers during a dispute over its ownership. A squeeze had been obtained by a local Arab on behalf of Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau, the squeeze and the reassembled stele are now in the Louvre Museum. It is also one of four known contemporary inscriptions containing the name of Israel, the others being the Merneptah Stele, the Tel Dan Stele, and the Kurkh Monolith. Its authenticity has been disputed over the years but the stele is regarded as genuine, the stele is currently on display in France at the Louvre museum and Jordan has demanded its return. The stele is a block of basalt approximately one meter tall,60 cm wide and 60 cm thick. On 8 February 1870, George Grove of the Palestine Exploration Fund announced the find of the stele in a letter to The Times, on 17 February 1870, the 24-year-old Clermont-Ganneau published the first detailed announcement of the stele in the Revue de l’Instruction Publique. The previous year the Bani Hamida had been defeated by an expedition to Balqa led by Reşid Pasha, a squeeze of the full stele had been obtained just prior to its destruction. Pieces of the original stele containing most of the inscription,613 letters out of about a thousand, were recovered and pieced together. The remainder of the stele was reconstructed by Ganneau from the squeeze obtained by Caravacca, there is no authoritative full edition of the Moabite inscription. The translation used here is that published by James King, based on translations by M. Ganneau, line numbers added to the published version have been removed. I am Mesha, son of Chemosh-gad, king of Moab and my father reigned over Moab thirty years, and I have reigned after my father. And I have built this sanctuary for Chemosh in Karchah, a sanctuary of salvation, for he saved me from all aggressors, Omri was king of Israel, and oppressed Moab during many days, and Chemosh was angry with his aggressions. His son succeeded him, and he said, I will oppress Moab. In my days he said, Let us go, and I will see my desire upon him and his house, now Omri took the land of Madeba, and occupied it in his day, and in the days of his son, forty years. And Chemosh had mercy on it in my time, and I built Baal-meon and made therein the ditch, and I built Kiriathaim
6.
Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
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For the band see, Black Obelisk The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III is a black limestone Assyrian sculpture with many scenes in bas-relief and inscriptions. It comes from Nimrud, in northern Iraq, and commemorates the deeds of King Shalmaneser III and it is on display at the British Museum in London, and several other museums have cast replicas. It is the most complete Assyrian obelisk yet discovered, and is significant because it is thought to display the earliest ancient depiction of a biblical figure - Jehu. The traditional identification of Yaw as Jehu has been questioned by some scholars and its reference to Parsua is also the first known reference to the Persians. Tribute offerings are shown being brought from identifiable regions and peoples and it was erected as a public monument in 825 BC at a time of civil war, in the central square of Nimrud, close to the much earlier White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I. It was discovered by archaeologist Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1846 and is now in the British Museum and it features twenty relief scenes, five on each side. They depict five different subdued kings, bringing tribute and prostrating before the Assyrian king, from top to bottom they are, Sua of Gilzanu, Jehu of Bit Omri, an unnamed ruler of Musri, Marduk-apil-usur of Suhi, and Qalparunda of Patin. Each scene occupies four panels around the monument and is described by a cuneiform script above them, on the top and the bottom of the reliefs there is a long cuneiform inscription recording the annals of Shalmaneser III. It lists the military campaigns which the king and his commander-in-chief headed every year, some features might suggest that the work had been commissioned by the commander-in-chief, Dayyan-Assur. The second register from the top is thought to include the earliest surviving picture of a biblical figure, the name appears as mIa-ú-a mar mHu-um-ri-i. Hincks letter was published by Athenaeum on the day, entitled Nimrud Obelisk. Hincks identification is now the commonly held position by biblical archaeologists, the identification of Yaw as Jehu was questioned by contemporary scholars such as George Smith as well as in more recent times by P. Kyle McCarter and Edwin R. Thiele, based on the fact that Jehu was not an Omride, as well as transliteration, however, the name read as Yaw, son of Omri, is generally accepted to follow Hincks as the Biblical Jehu, king of Israel. The stele describes how Jehu brought or sent his tribute in or around 841 BC, Jehu severed Israel’s alliances with Phoenicia and Judah, and became subject to Assyria. Horn Museum at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI and in the library of the Theological University of the Reformed Churches in Kampen, the Netherlands
7.
Rehoboam
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Rehoboam was an Israelite king mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. He was a son of Solomon and a grandson of David and his mother was Naamah the Ammonite. One of the most difficult issues in identifying Shishak with Shoshenq I is the statement that King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. Solomons wisdom and power were not sufficient to prevent the rebellion of several of his border cities, Damascus under Rezon secured its independence of Solomon, and Jeroboam, a superintendent of works, his ambition stirred by the words of the prophet Ahijah, fled to Egypt. Thus before the death of Solomon the apparently unified kingdom of David began to disintegrate, with Damascus independent and a powerful man of Ephraim, the most prominent of the Ten Tribes, awaiting his opportunity, the future of Solomons kingdom became dubious. Conventional Bible chronology dates the start of Rehoboams reign to the mid-10th century BC and his reign is described in 1 Kings 12 and 14, 21-31 and in 2 Chronicles 10-12 In the Hebrew Bible, Rehoboam was 41 years old when he ascended the throne. The assembly for the coronation of Solomons successor, Rehoboam, was called at Shechem, before the coronation took place the assembly requested certain reforms in the policy followed by Rehoboams father, Solomon. The reforms requested would materially reduce the royal exchequer and hence its power to continue the magnificence of Solomons court, the older men counseled Rehoboam at least to speak to the people in a civil manner. However, the new king sought the advice from the people he had grown up with, who advised the king to show no weakness to the people, and to tax them even more, which Rehoboam did. He proclaimed to the people, Whereas my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, Whereas my father chastised you with whips, so shall I chastise you with scorpions. For my littlest finger is thicker than my fathers loins, and your backs, the two sections had acted independently until David, by his victories, succeeded in uniting all the tribes, though the Ephraimitic jealousy was ever ready to develop into open revolt. The building of the Temple was a blow for the various sanctuaries scattered through the land. Josephus makes the rebels exclaim, We leave to Rehoboam the Temple his father built, Jeroboam and the people rebelled, with the ten northern tribes breaking away and forming a separate kingdom. The new breakaway kingdom continued to be called Kingdom of Israel, the realm Rehoboam was left with was called Kingdom of Judah. Rehoboam went to war against the new Kingdom of Israel with a force of 180,000 soldiers, however, he was advised against fighting his brethren, and so returned to Jerusalem. The text reports that Israel and Judah were in a state of war throughout his 17-year reign, in the 5th year of Rehoboams reign Shishaq, king of Egypt, brought a huge army and took many cities. According to Joshua, son of Nadav, the mention in 2 Chron,11,6 sqq. that Rehoboam built fifteen fortified cities, indicates that the attack was not unexpected. The account in Chronicles states that Shishaq marched with 1,200 chariots,60,000 horsemen and troops who came with him from Egypt, Libyans, Sukkites, shishaqs armies captured all of the fortified towns leading to Jerusalem between Gezer and Gibeon
8.
Jeroboam
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Jeroboam I /ˌdʒɛrəˈboʊ. əm/ was the first king of the northern Kingdom of Israel after the revolt of the ten northern Israelite tribes against Rehoboam that put an end to the United Monarchy. William F. Albright has dated his reign from 922 to 901 BC, the name Jeroboam יָרָבְעָם is commonly held to have been derived from riyb רִיב and ʿam עַם, signifying the people contend or he pleads the peoples cause. It is alternatively translated to mean his people are many or he increases the people, in the Septuagint he is called Hieroboam. Jeroboam was the son of Nebat, a member of the Tribe of Ephraim of Zereda and his mother, named Zeruah was a widow. He had at least two sons—Abijah and Nadab, who succeeded him on the throne, after this event he returned and participated in a delegation sent to ask the new king Rehoboam to reduce taxes. After Rehoboam rejected their petition ten of the tribes withdrew their allegiance to the house of David, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remaining with the new kingdom of Judah, and Rehoboam. Although criticised for his activities in I Kings 12, 25–33, calf worship was not new in Israelite ritual. Bethel and Dan were already established cultic sites, according to 1 Kings 13, 1–6, while Jeroboam was engaged in offering incense at Bethel, a man of God warned him that a son named Josiah will be born to the house of David who would destroy the altar. Attempting to arrest the prophet for his words of defiance, Jeroboams hand was dried up. At his urgent entreaty his hand was restored him again, and this man of God who warned Jeroboam has been equated with a seer named Iddo. In 1 Kings 14, Jeroboams son Abijah gets sick, ahijahs message, however, is that Abijah will die, which he does. Jeroboam was in constant war with the house of Judah, in the eighteenth year of Jeroboams reign, Abijah, Rehoboams son, became king of Judah. During his short reign of three years, Abijah went to lengths to bring the Kingdom of Israel back under his control. He waged a battle against Jeroboam in the mountains of Ephraim. According to the Book of Chronicles Abijah had a force of 400,000, the Biblical sources mention that Abijah addressed the armies of Israel, urging them to submit and to let the Kingdom of Israel be whole again, but his plea fell on deaf ears. Abijah then rallied his own troops with a phrase which has become famous. The biblical account states that his elite warriors fended off a movement to rout Jeroboams troops—killing 500,000 of them. Jeroboam was crippled by this defeat to Abijah and posed little threat to the Kingdom of Judah for the rest of his reign
9.
Omri
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Omri was, according to the Bible, the sixth king of Israel. He was a successive military campaigner who extended the kingdom of Israel. Other monarchs from the House of Omri are Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram, although the Hebrew Bible is silent about his actions during his reign, he is called more wicked than all the kings who preceded him. Other than the Hebrew Bible, extrabiblical sources such as the Mesha stele, Omri is also credited with the construction of Samaria and establishing it as his capital. In the Biblical narrative, Omri was commander of the army of King Elah when Zimri, commander of half the kings chariots, murdered Elah and made himself king. Instead, the troops at Gibbethon chose Omri as king, to avoid the certain tortures of capture, Zimri set fire to the palace and died after a reign of only seven days. Although Zimri was eliminated, half of the people supported Tibni in opposition to Omri and it took Omri four years to subdue Tibni and at last proclaim himself undisputed king of Israel. Nothing is said in Scripture about the lineage of Omri and his name is either Amorite or Arabic. Omri became king of Israel in the 31st year of Asa, king of Judah, the biblical reference to the period of rivalry with Tibni is from the 27th year of Asa to the 31st year. William F. Albright has dated his reign to 876–869 BC, the fortress at Jezreel was situated on one of the main east-west routes through kingdom. The Moabite Mesha stele indicates that Omri expanded his holdings to include northern Moab east of the Jordan River and it makes reference to the oppression of Moab by Omri King of Israel. Israel would later become identified in sources as the House of Omri, thomas L. Thompson, however, interprets the Mesha stele as suggesting that Omri is an eponym, or legendary founder of the kingdom rather than an historical person. The Assyrian Black Obelisk in the British Museum has been interpreted as referring to Jehu son of Omri, the short-lived dynasty founded by Omri constitutes a new chapter in the history of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It ended almost fifty years of constant civil war over the throne, on the other hand, peace with Sidon also resulted in the penetration of Phoenician religious ideas into the kingdom and led to a kulturkampf between traditionalists and the aristocracy. In foreign affairs, this period paralleled the rise of the Kingdom of Aram based in Damascus, and Israel soon found itself at war in the northeast. It was the first in a series of wars that would lead to the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. In 841 BC, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III campaigned along the Mediterranean coast, Assyrian kings frequently referred to Omris successors as belonging to the House of Omri. History of ancient Israel and Judah Smiths Bible Dictionary, Omri
10.
Arabic
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Arabic is a Central Semitic language that was first spoken in Iron Age northwestern Arabia and is now the lingua franca of the Arab world. Arabic is also the language of 1.7 billion Muslims. It is one of six languages of the United Nations. The modern written language is derived from the language of the Quran and it is widely taught in schools and universities, and is used to varying degrees in workplaces, government, and the media. The two formal varieties are grouped together as Literary Arabic, which is the language of 26 states. Modern Standard Arabic largely follows the standards of Quranic Arabic. Much of the new vocabulary is used to denote concepts that have arisen in the post-Quranic era, Arabic has influenced many languages around the globe throughout its history. During the Middle Ages, Literary Arabic was a vehicle of culture in Europe, especially in science, mathematics. As a result, many European languages have borrowed many words from it. Many words of Arabic origin are found in ancient languages like Latin. Balkan languages, including Greek, have acquired a significant number of Arabic words through contact with Ottoman Turkish. Arabic has also borrowed words from languages including Greek and Persian in medieval times. Arabic is a Central Semitic language, closely related to the Northwest Semitic languages, the Ancient South Arabian languages, the Semitic languages changed a great deal between Proto-Semitic and the establishment of the Central Semitic languages, particularly in grammar. Innovations of the Central Semitic languages—all maintained in Arabic—include, The conversion of the suffix-conjugated stative formation into a past tense, the conversion of the prefix-conjugated preterite-tense formation into a present tense. The elimination of other prefix-conjugated mood/aspect forms in favor of new moods formed by endings attached to the prefix-conjugation forms, the development of an internal passive. These features are evidence of descent from a hypothetical ancestor. In the southwest, various Central Semitic languages both belonging to and outside of the Ancient South Arabian family were spoken and it is also believed that the ancestors of the Modern South Arabian languages were also spoken in southern Arabia at this time. To the north, in the oases of northern Hijaz, Dadanitic and Taymanitic held some prestige as inscriptional languages, in Najd and parts of western Arabia, a language known to scholars as Thamudic C is attested
11.
Kings of Israel and Judah
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This article is an overview of the kings of the United Kingdom of Israel as well as those of its successor states. Abimelech – the son of Gideon, was the first man declared a king in Israel, according to the Bible, the Tribes of Israel lived as a confederation under ad hoc charismatic leaders called judges. In around 1020 BCE, under threat from foreign peoples. Samuel anointed Saul from the Tribe of Benjamin as the first king, Saul Ish-bosheth David – made Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Under Hezekiah rule in the Kingdom of Judah, the Neo-Assyrian Empire conquered and destroyed the northern kingdom 722 BCE leaving only the kingdom of Judah
12.
Ahab
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Ahab was the seventh king of Israel since Jeroboam I, the son and successor of Omri, and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, according to the Hebrew Scriptures. Ahab is considered a king in the Hebrew Bible. He is criticised for going after his wife Jezebel, killing Naboth, the existence of Ahab is historically supported outside of the Bible. Shalmaneser III documented 853 BC that he defeated an alliance of a dozen kings in the Battle of Qarqar, Ahab became king of Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa, king of Judah, and reigned for twenty-two years, according to 1 Kings. William F. Albright dated his reign to 869–850 BC, while E. R. Thiele offered the dates 874–853 BC, most recently, Michael D. Coogan has dated Ahabs reign to 871–852 BC. Omri seems to have been a military leader, he is reported in the text of the Moabite Mesha Stele to have oppressed Moab for many days. During Ahabs reign, Moab, which had been conquered by his father, Ahab was allied by marriage with Jehoshaphat, who was king of Judah. Only with Aram Damascus is he believed to have had strained relations, Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of the King of Tyre. 1 Kings 16–22 tells the story of Ahab and Jezebel, and indicates that Jezebel was a dominant influence on Ahab, Ahab was succeeded by Ahaziah and Jehoram who reigned over Israel until Jehus revolt of 842 BC. Ahabs contribution was estimated at 2,000 chariots and 10,000 men, in reality, however, the number of chariots in Ahabs forces was probably closer to a number in the hundreds. If, however, the numbers are referring to allies it could possibly include forces from Tyre, Judah, Edom, a treaty was made whereby Ben-hadad restored the cities which his father had taken from Ahabs father, and trading facilities between Damascus and Samaria were granted. Jezreel has been identified as Ahabs fortified chariot and cavalry base, in the Biblical text, Ahab has five important encounters with prophets. The first encounter is with Elijah, whom Ahab refers to as the troubler of Israel and this encounter ends with Elijah victorious over the official Baal prophets of Israel in a contest held for the sake of the Israelites and their king, Ahab. The contest ends when Elijahs God consumes the offering which the Baal worshipers could not induce their god to touch, the second encounter is between Ahab and an unnamed prophet in 1 Kings 20,22. The third is again between Ahab and a prophet who condemns Ahab for his actions in a battle that had just taken place. The fourth is when Elijah confronts Ahab over Ahabs and Jezebels execution of Naboth, upon the prophets remonstration, Ahab displayed sincere remorse. Three years later, war broke out east of the Jordan River, during this battle Ahab disguised himself, but was mortally wounded by an unaimed arrow. The Hebrew Bible says that dogs licked his blood, according to the prophecy of Elijah, but the Septuagint adds that pigs also licked his blood, symbolically making him unclean to the Israelites, who abstained from pork
