A Historiographic Study of the Military Campaigns of the House of Omri
Studies in Biblical Archaeology, Geography, and History
KYLE R. GREENWOOD AND DAVID B. SCHREINER
Series Editor: Barry J. Beitzel
Ahab’s House of Horrors: A Historiographic Study of the Military Campaigns of the House of Omri
Studies in Biblical Archaeology, Geography, and History
Copyright 2023 Kyle R. Greenwood and David B. Schreiner
Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225
All rights reserved. You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are the authors’ own translation.
Print ISBN 9781683596486
Digital ISBN 9781683596493
Library of Congress Control Number 2022948724
Series Editor: Barry J. Beitzel
Lexham Editorial: Douglas Mangum, Neal Huddleston, Amy Balogh, Danielle Burlaga, Mandi Newell, Abigail Stocker
Cover Design: Brittany Schrock
Bill Arnold and Lawson Stone:
scholars, mentors, friends
Tel Dan, 2 Kings 9–10, and the Historical Tension: A Study in Method
Conclusions and Reflections on the Omride Wars and Biblical Historiography
figures
Figure 2: A relief of Shalmaneser III
Figure 3: The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, depicting vassal kings bringing tribute
Figure 4: A stele of the Assyrian queen Sammu-Rāmat
Figure 5: The Zakkur Inscription
Figure 6: The Kurkh Monolith Inscription, referencing the Battle of Qarqar and Ahab’s role in the Syro-Palestinian coalition
Figure 7: Capra Nubiana clashing horns, a specific genus that may be behind the imagery of 1 Kings 20:27
Figure 8: The Tel Dan Stele, angle view
Figure 9: The topography around Arad—the Israelite coalition would have passed through this territory en route to Moab
Map 2: Hazael takes Israel east of the Jordan
Map 3: Israel against the Ammonites and Syrians
Map 4: Ahab versus Ben-Hadad of Aram
Map 5: Jehu’s assassination of the Omrides
Map 6: Mesha of Moab fights Joram and Jehoshaphat
tables
Table 3: The occurrences of melek yiśrāʾēl and Ahab in 1 Kings 20
Table 4: Occurrences of melek in the Deuteronomistic History (DtrH)
Table 5: Categories of anonymity in Joshua 10
Table 6: Variations in the ordering of 1 Kings 19–22
Table 7: Comparison of 1 Kings 22:4 and 2 Kings 3:7
Table 8: Comparing the use of the messenger formula in 1 Kings 20 and 2 Kings 18–19
|
About Ahab’s House of Horrors: A Historiographic Study of the Military Campaigns of the House of OmriReconciling biblical and extrabiblical history. The extrabiblical testimony surrounding Israel’s early history is difficult to assess and synthesize. But numerous sources emerging from the ninth century BC onward invite direct comparison with the biblical account. In Ahab’s House of Horrors: A Historiographic Study of the Military Campaigns of the House of Omri, Kyle R. Greenwood and David B. Schreiner examine the historical records of Israel and its neighbors. While Scripture generally gives a bleak depiction of the Omride dynasty, extrabiblical evidence appears to tell another story. Inscriptions and archeological evidence portray a period of Israelite geopolitical influence and cultural sophistication. Rather than simply rejecting one source over another, Greenwood and Schreiner press beyond polarization. They propose a nuanced synthesis by embracing the complex dynamics of ancient history writing and the historical difficulties that surround the Omri dynasty. Ahab’s House of Horrors is an important contribution to the ongoing discussion of biblical historiography and, specifically, to our understanding of 1-2 Kings and the Omri family. |
| Support Info | schreinergreenwoodahab |