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The Nimroud Central Saloon.--The Black Obelisk.
pp. 137-139
The next section of the Museum that is upon our programme is named The Nimroud
Gallery, and contains slabs depicting hunting, battle scenes, and mythological subjects,
together with the figure of the Assyrian King Ashur-nasir-pal, and table cases of
domestic, agricultural and military articles. While much of interest may cause the visitor
to linger, there is not much of peculiar Biblical interest to record.
Passing into the Nimroud Central Saloon we notice a black basalt seated figure of
Shalmaneser II, found on the site of the City of Ashur, the most ancient capital of
Assyria. The annals of this king become of great interest by reason of the introduction in
his inscriptions of the names of Bible kings.
A black alabaster monolith stands near the center of the Saloon, and is commonly
known as the Black Obelisk. It is four-sided, and each side is divided into four sections,
which represent the offerings of tribute that were brought to him by his vanquished
enemies. The inscription that runs round the second series of figures reads:--
"The tribute of JEHU, THE SON OF OMRI, silver, gold, a golden cup, golden vases,
golden buckets, lead, a stuff for the hand of the king, and sceptres, I received."
In the text that runs round the four sides of the obelisk, mention is made of another
king. In the eighteehth year of the reign of Shalmaneser II he tells us that he captured
1121 chariots and 470 battle horses and the whole camp of "Hazzel, King of Damascus".
The Scriptures bring together as contemporary monarchs Hazael of Damascus and Jehu
of Israel, and Elijah was instructed to anoint both these kings.
Now, on this obelisk, in the fourteenth year of Shalmaneser, Benhadad is spoken of
as reigning at Damascus. In Shalmaneser's eighteenth year, we find Hazael has
succeeded him, and in this same year Jehu is mentioned for the first time. It may be
asked, Why did Jehu give tribute to the Assyrian King? No record is made of the
Assyrian invading Jehu's territory, and therefore we seek an explanation elsewhere. In
II Kings 10: 31, 32 we read:--
"But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart:
for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin. In those days
the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel."
Jehu evidently saw an opportunity of obtaining relief from this enemy, he offered
tribute to the Assyrian king, trusting in the power of his gold and the chariots of the
Assyrian rather than in the God of Israel.
There is also in this saloon a stele of Shalmaneser II which records that in his sixth
year the Assyrian king attacked the King of Hamath, together with his allies; among these
allies is found "Ahab of the land of Israel".