The confederacy was utterly defeated in Kom magene, 72,95o prisoners falling into the hands of the Assyrians, and the way was opened into Syria.
The siege of Arpad (now Tel Erfad) began B. C. 742 and lasted two years. Its fall brought with it the submission of Northern Syria, and it was next the turn of Hamath to be attacked.
Hamath was in alliance with Uzziah of Judah, and its king Eniel may have been of Jewish ex traction. But the alliance availed nothing. Ha math was taken by storm, part of its population transported to Armenia, and their places taken by colonists from distant provinces of the em pire, while nineteen of the districts belonging to it were annexed to Assyria.
The kings of Syria now flocked to render hom age to the Assyrian conqueror. Among them we read the names of Menahem of Samaria, Rezon of Syria, Hiram of Tyre, and Pisiris of Carchern ish. This was the occasion upon which, as we learn from 2 Kings xv:t9, Menahem gave a thou sand talents of silver to the Assyrian king Pul, the name under which Tiglath-pileser continued to be known in Babylonia, and in Palestine also, as we learn from the Old Testament. (Sec 2 Kings xv:i9, and i Chron. v:26). He is also repeatedly called Tiglath-pileser in 2 Kings xvi and other places. Three years later Ararat was again invaded. Van, the capital, was besieged, and though it successfully resisted the Assyrians, the country was devastated far and near, for a space of four hundred and fifty miles. It was long before the Armenians recovered from the blow, and for the next century they ceased to be formidable to Assyria.
Tiglath-pileser's northern frontier was now se cure, and he therefore gladly seized the oppor tunity of interfering in the affairs of the west which was offered him by Ahaz the Jewish king. Ahaz, whom the Assyrian inscriptions call Jeho Ahaz, had been hard pressed by Rezon of Damas cus and Pekah of Israel, who had combined to overthrow the Davidic dynasty and place a vassal prince. "the son of Tabeal," on the throne of Jerusalem.
(3) Servility of Ahaz. In his dismay and terror Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser, imploring his intervention and offering to become his vassal as the price of his deliverance (2 Kings xvi :7; 2 Chron. xxviii :t6). He delib erately threw away the independence of his coun try by his abject message to the effect that, "I am thy slave and thy son" (2 Kings xvi :7).
The term "slave" indicated his willingness to pay regular tribute, and the word "son" signified the homage and obedience which he was willing to render to his new lord (comp. Mal. 1:6). There was a small but energetic party in Jerusalem. which was maintained by the prophet Isaiah, that held this movement on the part of Ahaz to be entirely unnecessary. Before any agreement could be made, and perhaps even before the message was sent, Isaiah went to him and vainly tried to impress him with the folly of his course, urging him to leave the Assyrians out of his plans, and trust in Jehovah for deliverance.
But Ahaz was an apostate, who "did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord his God, like David, his father," and lie had even "made his son to pass through the fire according to the abominations of the heathen" (2 Kings xvi :2, 3).
(4) The Prophet's Warning. Isaiah's inter view with Ahaz occurred while the king was in specting the water supply of the city, in view of the impending siege. (See Illustrative Sketches in Stade, GVI. I, 59o, sq.) The prophet foresaw that the alliance between Damascus and Ephraim would soon be dissolved, and that their destruction was only a matter of time, but he announced that the continued exist ence of the "House of David" would depend upon their trust in Jehovah.
So sure was the prophet of the ruinous results of an Assyrian alliance that the temporary relief thus obtained seemed to him as only a brief episode in the tragic history of Judah's decline.
(5) Invasion of Syria. But Aliaz persisted in his course, and Tiglath-pileser was very willing to avail himself of the situation. He accordingly marched into Syria. Rezon was defeated in battle and besieged in Damascus, the city being closely invested and the valuable trees around it de stroyed. The districts which were dependent upon it were ravaged, and forces were despatched to punish the Israelites, Ammonites, Moabites, and Philistines, who had been the allies of Rezon. Gilead and Abel-beth-maachah were burned, and the tribes beyond the Jordan were carried into captivity.
The Philistine cities were compelled to open their gates. The King of Ashkelon committed suicide to escape the hands of the enemy, and Khanun of Gaza fled into Egypt.
After a siege of two years.Damascus was forced by famine to surrender. (B. C. 732.) The king was killed and the inhabitants transported to Kir.
Syria became en Assyrian province, and all its princes were summoned to do homage to the conqueror, while Tyre was fined one hundred and fifty talents of gold, or about $2,000,000.
"And king Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria. and saw an altar that was at Damascus: and the king sent to Uri jail the priest, the fashion of the altar and the pat tern of it" (2 Kings xvi :to).
(6) Capture of Babylon. Tiglath-pileser again marched into Chaldtea. (B. C. 731.) Babylon and other great cities were captured. and under his original name of Pul, Tiglath-pilcser assumed the title of "King of Sumer (Shinar) and Ac cad." (B. C. 729.) He lived only two years after this, dying B. C. 727, when the crown was seized by Elulteos of Tinu, who took the name of Shalmaneser IV. (See A. H. Sayce, Assyria, pp. 33-37; "The Times of Isaiah," pp. 42-46.)