Cuneiform Inscriptions of Kings Named in the Old Testament

Isaiah 20:1 - "In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon, the king of Assyria sent him, and fought against Ashdod, and took it."

The Bible reveals the names of kings in the ancient world, and many of these kings have been discovered through the efforts of archaeologists. The lands of the Bible have been excavated and among the ruins have been thousands of cuneiform tablets. Monuments with inscriptions of names and events dealing with ancient kingdoms that have vanished in history. Among these ruins are some inscriptions of the names of kings from ancient Assyria, Babylon, and Persia all mentioned in the Bible.

Jesus confirmed all of the nations and monarchs mentioned in the Old Testament (Luke 11:49-51).

Below is a list of names of kings mentioned in the Bible, etched on clay tablets or monuments, and deciphered in their original cuneiform text.

List of Kings Named in the Old Testament
Cuneiform Inscriptions Discovered in Archaeology
Assyrian Kings
Tiglath - pileser
Tiglath-pileser in Assyrian Cuneiform Text
 Tukultipalisharra

2 Kings 15:29 - In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.


Pul
Pul in Assyrian Cuneiform Text
Pulu

2 Kings 15:19 - Pul the king of Assyria came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul one thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand.


Shalmaneser
   Shalmaneser in Assyrian Cuneiform Text
Shulmanuasharid

2 Kings 18:9 - And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which [was] the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it. 


Sargon
 Sargon in Assyrian Cuneiform Text
Shargina

Isaiah 20:1 - In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it; 


Sennacherib
Sennacherib in Assyrian Cuneiform Text
Sinakhiirba

2 Kings 19:16 - LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. 


Esar - haddon
  Esarhaddon in Assyrian Cuneiform Text
Ashurakhiddinna

2 Kings 19:37 - And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead. 


Asnapper
        Asnapper in Assyrian Cuneiform Text
Ashurbanipal

Ezra 4:10 - and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the city of Samaria, and in the rest of the country beyond the River, and so forth, wrote.
 

Babylonian Kings
Merodach-baladan
         Merodach-baladan in Ancient Cuneiform Text
Mardukpaliddin

Isaiah 39:1 - At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. 


Belshazzar
  Belshazzar in Ancient Cuneiform Text
Belsharusur

Daniel 5:30 - In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 


Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar in Ancient Cuneiform Text
Nabukudurriusuur

2 Kings 25:1 - And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth [day] of the month, [that] Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 


Evil-Merodach
Evil-Merodach in Ancient Cuneiform Text
AmeluMarduk

2 Kings 25:27 - In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;


Nergal-sharezer
Nergal-sharezer in Ancient Cuneiform Text
Nirgalsharusur

Jeremiah 39:3 - And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, [even] Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.

 

Persian Kings
Cyrus
Cyrus in Ancient Cuneiform Text
Kurraash

2 Chronicles 36:23 - Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God [be] with him, and let him go up.


Cyrus (in Persian)
Cyrus in Persian Cuneiform Text
Kuru

Isaiah 44:28 - That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. 


Darius
Darius in Ancient Cuneiform Text
Dariyaash

Ezra 4:5 - And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 


Artaxerxes
Artaxerxes in Ancient Cuneiform Text
Artakshatsu

Ezra 6:14 - And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished [it], according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 


"I am Shalmaneser, King of multitudes of men, prince and hero of Assur, the strong King, King of all the four zones of the Sun (and) of multitudes of men, the marcher over the whole world; Son of Assur-natsir-pal, the supreme hero, who his heroism over the gods has made good and has caused all the world to kiss his feet"
- Text on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

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The Story of the Bible - Part One - The Old Testament


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Isaac, Son of Promise
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Welcome to Free Bible: Unearthing the Past, Illuminating the Present! Step into a world where ancient history and biblical narratives intertwine, inviting you to explore the rich tapestry of human civilization.

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