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| | Nabataea: Bible Chronology: Solomon to Hezekiah Part II |
 | | During the reign of-Shal-maneser III of Assyria (860-825 BC, usual Assyrian dating) a series of campaigns into Syria were carried out, in which the Assyrians frequently came into contact with well known Biblical figures, among whom are found Ben-hadad (II) and Hazael, kings of Syria, and Jehu, king of Israel, is mentioned once. |
 | | Now this victory of Adad-nirari III over Mari' could not have been in any of the campaigns mentioned above, for as we have seen, Hazael was reigning when the first three took place, and the last campaign (805 BC) falls in the reign of Hazael's son, Ben-hadad III. |
 | | In his sixth year Shalmaneser III crossed the Euphrates for the second time, he tells us in inscriptions, and met and defeated a coalition of twelve kings, who had raised a great army under the leadership of "Bir-idri" (the Assyrian spelling for the Ben-hadad of Scripture, contemporary with Ahab and Jotham, kings of Israel). |
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