August 25, 2022
Sargon II was the last of three Assyrian kings to attack the Northern Tribes (Kingdom of Israel) 732 - 722 BC. He succeeded his older brother, Shalmaneser V, and was himself succeeded by his son Sennacherib, the most prominently mentioned Assyrian king in the Bible.
He was king for some 17 years, 722 - 705 BC, following a short five-year reign by his older brother. Historians note that since "Sargon" means "the faithful king" or "the legitimate king", Sargon II must have overthrown his brother and usurped the throne, as no legitimate king would feel the need to give himself such a name.
His reign initiated a dynasty named after him, the Sargonid dynasty, with six of his descendants on the throne until Assyria’s demise in 609 BC.
Historians are divided as to whether Samaria, the capital of the Kingdom of Israel, was conquered twice, first by Shalmaneser V and then again by Sargon II, or once, in which Sargon finished off what Shalmaneser started.
2 Kings 17 credits Shalmaneser V as having conquered Samaria. In Assyrian records, Sargon II claims, "I besieged and conquered Samaria and led away as booty 27,290 inhabitants of it." Either way, God used Assyria to punish the Kingdom of Israel by wiping it out and bringing non-Israelites to settle where the Northern Kingdom once was.
The intermingling of these non-Israelites with the remnant of Israelites would lead to the creation of the Samaritan people. These half-Israelite, half-non-Israelites were despised by the Jews in subsequent centuries down to the time of Jesus.
Samaritans figure prominently in the Parable of the Good Samaritan and in John 4, when Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman.
Unlike his brother Shalmaneser, Sargon was a warrior king, competent in both military and political affairs; he defeated or at least negotiated peace with his major enemies and rivals. He boosted Assyria’s domination over the region of Mesopotamia. Unfortunately, his habit of leading his troops into battle would cost him his life.
Sargon completed the destruction of the Northern Tribes - they would never return to their homeland, and their lineages would die out and be lost to history forever. Israel was now reduced to the Kingdom of Judah.
Sargon is mentioned only once by name in Isaiah 20:1, where Isaiah the prophet records his defeat of the small country of Ashdod, which was historically inhabited by the Philistines. This Assyrian victory prompted Isaiah to prophesy that Assyria will defeat Egypt and Cush (modern day Ethiopia), which in turn warned the Kingdom of Judah away from relying on the two countries for help against Assyria.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1847-0702-1-2
Sargon is on the left, facing a younger man who is most likely his son Sennacherib, the crown prince, who will succeed him as king.
Also note the common Assyrian practice of placing the superior person on the left, facing right, and the subordinate person on the right, facing left.
