Siege of Azekah | |||||||
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Part of Sennacherib's campaign in Judah | |||||||
![]() Azekah Inscription | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Neo-Assyrian Empire | Kingdom of Judah | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sennacherib | Unknown | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Heavy |
The siege of Azekah was a battle between the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah. It preceded the Siege of Lachish, making it the first known clash between the two kingdoms during Sennacherib's campaign in Judah. The most important source for the battle is the Azekah Inscription. [1] The battle is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible.
Several kingdoms in the Levant ceased to pay taxes to the Assyrian King, Sennacherib; as a result, he set out on a campaign to once again subjugate the rebelling kingdoms, among them the Jewish Kingdom of Judah led by King Hezekiah. After defeating the rebels of Ekron in Philistia he set out to subjugate Judah and in his way to Jerusalem he came across Azekah, among the most important Jewish cities.
Azekah was a walled settlement situated on a hill, typical of important Jewish cities at the time.
The Assyrian Army was the most formidable fighting force of its time and was divided mostly into three different categories:
The Jewish military force was dwarfed compared to the large, professional Assyrian army. Jewish forces mostly included local militias and mercenaries. There were barely any cavalrymen and chariots in the Jewish army, which mostly included infantry, either for close combat (spearmen) or long range combat (archers); they were also significantly less organized than the Assyrians.
The battle is depicted in the Azekah Inscription, in which Sennacherib mentions some details about the battle. He mentions that he used battering rams to bring down the walls which was followed by close quarters combat between the opposing sides' infantry. Afterwards, Sennacherib ordered his cavalry to charge into the city, leading many of the defenders to rout.
Sennacherib then looted and razed the city.
After the destruction and looting of Azekah, Sennacherib led his army further into Judah, which he once again commanded during the Siege of Lachish.
Hezekiah, or Ezekias, was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible.
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Sennacherib's campaign in the Levant in 701 BCE was a military campaign undertaken by the Neo-Assyrian Empire to bring the region back under control following a rebellion against Assyrian rule in 705 BCE. After the death of Sargon II, Sennacherib’s father, a number of states in the Levant renounced their allegiance to Assyria. The rebellion involved several small states: Sidon and Ashkelon and Byblos, Ashdod, Ammon, Moab, and Edom who then submitted to the payment of tribute to Assyria. Most notably, Hezekiah of Judah, encouraged by Egypt, joined the rebellion and was subsequently invaded by the Assyrians who captured most of the cities and towns in the region. Hezekiah was trapped in Jerusalem by an Assyrian army and the surrounding lands were given to Assyrian vassals in Ekron, Gaza, and Ashdod, however, the city was not taken and Hezekiah was allowed to remain on his throne as an Assyrian vassal after paying a large tribute. The events of the campaign in Judah are famously related in the Bible which culminate in an “angel of the Lord” striking down 185,000 Assyrians outside the gates of Jerusalem prompting Sennacherib’s return to Nineveh.