Ep. 68: What Was Happening In the World When Jonah Was Written? (Neo-Assyrian Empire explained)

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What was happening in the world when the book of Jonah was written? In this clip, we talk about the rise of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and why Israel would have feared them. You will hear a beginner-friendly overview of the major empires in the region, where the Assyrians were located, and why Nineveh mattered to Jonah’s story. The conversation also explains how Assyrian cruelty was displayed in their own artwork and how that created terror among their enemies. Finally, we discuss how Israel responded by paying for peace, including an example of Israel’s king Jehu paying tribute. If you are new to the Bible, this helps you read Jonah with more historical context and take God’s call seriously even when it is hard. If this was helpful, share it with a friend who is Bible-curious. Like, comment, and subscribe for more.

Chapters

00:00:00 - What is the world context for Jonah?: Setting up the question about Jonah’s time period

00:00:08 - Big question: Jonah’s world: Asking what was happening when Jonah was written

00:00:23 - Major empires in the region: Egypt, Babylon, and the rise of Assyria

00:00:30 - What is the Neo-Assyrian Empire?: Explaining the “new” Assyrian expansion

00:01:26 - How Israel felt about Assyria: “Terror” and why the fear was intense

00:01:48 - Nineveh and Assyrian evidence: Archaeology and Assyrian artwork references

00:02:12 - Assyrian cruelty shown in art: Descriptions of violence depicted in reliefs

00:03:17 - Assyria as a terroristic regime: Why enemies were intimidated into submission

00:04:24 - Paying for peace: How enemies tried to avoid conquest

00:04:42 - Jehu’s tribute to Assyria: Example of Israel’s king paying off the Assyrian king

Links

SunlitStudios.com

@TheBibleShowPodcast

@UnderTheHoodFL

Hashtags

#BookOfJonah #JonahExplained #Nineveh #Assyrians #NeoAssyrianEmpire #OldTestament #BibleBackground #BibleStudy #ChristianFaith #NewChristian #BibleExplained #BibleHistory #Israel #LearnTheBible