Chapter XI: Appendix: II

Translation of a cylinder of Nabonidos, king of Babylonia, containing the name of Belshazzar. The cylinder is one of four, each containing the same text and buried at the four corners of the temple of Sin, the Moon-god, at Mugheir or Ur.

COL. I.

“Nabonidos, the king of Babylon, the beautifier of Bit-Saggil and Bit-Zida, the worshipper of the great gods, am I. The temple of the king who provides plenty (Sin), the tower of the temple of Gis-nu-gal,(15) which is within Ur, which Lig-Bagas, an ancient king, had made but did not finish, Dungi, his son, completed its work. I looked into the cylinders of Lig-Bagas and Dungi his son, and (read) how Lig-Bagas had made this tower but did not finish it, and how Dungi his son completed its work. Subsequently this tower became old, and accordingly above the old platform which Lig-Bagas and Dungi his son had made I built the walls(16) of this tower, as of old, with cement and brick, and I founded and erected them for Sin, the lord of the gods of heaven and earth, the king of the gods, even the gods of gods, who inhabit heaven, the great ones, the lord of the temple of Gis-nu-gal within Ur, my lord.”

COL. II.

“O Sin, lord of the gods, king of the gods of heaven and earth, even the gods of gods, who inhabit heaven, the great ones, for this temple, with joy at thy entrance, may thy lips establish the blessings of Bit-Saggil, Bit-Zida, and Bit-Gis-nu-gal, the temples of thy great divinity; set the fear of thy great divinity in the hearts of his (_i.e._, Nabonidos’) men that they err not; for thy great divinity may their foundations remain firm like the heavens. As for me, Nabonidos, the king of Babylon, preserve me from sinning against thy great divinity, and grant me the gift of a life of long days; and plant in the heart of Bilu-sarra-utsur (Belshazzar), the eldest son, the offspring of my heart, reverence for thy great divinity, and never may he incline to sin; with fulness of life may he be satisfied.”

INDEX.

Abraham, origin of word, 46;
birthplace of, 46;
campaign of, 47;
in Egypt, 50.

Accadian account of the Deluge, 27;
translation of, 29.

Accadian Olympos, 35.

Accadians, the, 20.

Achæmenian inscriptions, 10.

Adam, origin of word, 27.

Ahab, date of death of, 103.

Alphabet, origin of, 74.

Aram, 44.

Ararat, 35.

Arpad, fall of, 108.

Arphaxad, 43.

Asshur, or Assur, 43.

Assur-bani-pal, 131.

Assyrian king, the last, 132.

Assyrian prayers, 157.

Assyrian texts of inscriptions, 13.

Assyrians, rites of, 67.

Babel, Tower of, 37.

Babylon, description of, 138;
rebuilt by Esar-haddon, 129.

Babylonian empire, rise of, 135.

Babylonian gem, 25.

Babylonian king, the last, 151.

Babylonian libraries, 21.

Babylonian psalm, 159.

Babylonian Sabbath, 24.

Babylonians, rites of, 67.

Bel, prayer to, 68.

Canaan, 41.

Carchemish, battle of, 138.

Chaldæan account of the Deluge, 27;
translation of, 29.

Chaldæans, meaning of the word, 21.

Chedor-laomer, campaign of, 47.

Cherub, origin of word, 26.

Chronological tables, 133, 161.

Circumcision, rite of, 66.

Creation, legend of the, 22;
translation of, 23.

Cuneiform inscriptions, decipherment of, 9;
Grotefend’s guess, 10;
studies of Lassen and Rawlinson, 12;
discoveries of Layard, 14;
of Smith and Rassam, 15;
hieroglyphic origin of, 15.

Cush, 40.

Cyprus, names of, 40.

Cyrus, empire of, 141;
not a Persian, 143;
cylinder of, 146;
a polytheist, 149;
not King of Persia, 153;
language of, 156.

Damascus, capture of, 107;
overthrow of, 111.

Darius, 150.

Deluge, Accadian account of, 27.

Egypt during sojourn of Israelites, 58.

Egypt, the burden of, 130.

Egyptian traditions, 49.

Elam, 42.

Esar-haddon, 130.

Evil-Merodach, 141.

Exodus, the, time of, 60; stages of, 62.

Fall of man, Babylonian account of, 25.

Genesis, Book of, confirmations of, 19;
the creation, 22;
the Sabbath, 24;
the fall of man, 25;
the site of Paradise, 26;
the Deluge, 27;
monotheism of, 34;
site of Ararat, 35;
the Tower of Babel, 37;
dispersion of mankind, 38;
Abraham, 46;
Joseph, 51.

Gisdhubar, adventures of, 28.

Gomer, 39.

Goshen, land of, 56.

Grotefend, guess of, as to decipherment of inscriptions, 10.

Ham, 38.

Hamath, discovery of Hittite inscriptions at, 95.

Haran, site of, 46.

Hazael, contest of, with Shalmaneser, 105.

Hebrew inscriptions, 82.

Hezekiah, illness of, 116;
deliverance of, 126;
library of, 127.

Hiddekhel, origin of word, 26.

Hittite inscriptions, discovery of, 95.

Hittites, empire of, discovery of, 92;
cities of, 94;
origin of, 96;
dress of, 97;
art of, 98.

Hyksos, the, 50.

Istar, descent of, into Hades, 152.

Japhet, 38.

Javan, 39.

Jehovah, origin of the word, 63.

Jerusalem, capture of, by Shishak, 100;
capture of, by Sargon, 117.

Jerusalem, underground, 91.

Joseph in Egypt, 51.

Josiah, 137.

Kadesh, 94.

Kirjath-sepher, 94.

Klein, Dr., discovers Moabite Stone, 76.

Lassen’s studies of inscriptions, 12.

Lud, 44.

Madai, 39.

Media, 136.

Merodach, the god who raises the dead to life, 156.

Merodach-baladan, wars of, 116.

Mizraim, 40.

Moab, language of, 79.

Moabite Stone, the, discovery of 76;
translation of inscription, 77;
language of, 79;
forms of the letters, 82.

Months, names given to, 72.

Moses, origin of the word, 66.

Nabonidos, inscription concerning, 141.

Naville, M., discovery of, 62.

Nebuchadrezzar, 138;
wars of, 139;
inscription of, 140.

Nimrod, 44.

Nineveh, fall of, 132.

Nizir, land of, 35.

Omri, tribute of, 105.

Palestine, early travels in, 59.

Paradise, site of, 26.

Pharaoh, origin of word, 51.

Pharaoh Necho, 136.

Phœnician ritual, 68.

Phut, 41.

Pishon, origin of word, 26.

Pithom, site of, 62.

Pool of Siloam, site of, 84;
recent discoveries at, 90.

Ramses, sites of, 60.

Rawlinson’s studies of inscriptions, 12.

Rimmon, 104.

Rimmon-nirari, conquests of, 107.

Rowandiz, 35.

Sabbath, Babylonian, 24.

Samaria, capture of, 113;
re-settlement of, 114.

Sarah, origin of word, 46.

Sargon, wars of, 116;
capture of Jerusalem by, 117;
death of, 120.

Scythians, the, 131.

Sennacherib, wars of, 120;
inscription of, 120;
bas-relief of, 124;
at Lachish, 125;
defeat of, 126;
murder of, 127.

Shalmaneser II, campaigns of, 101;
inscription of, 102;
conquers Hazael, 105;
erects his own image, 105;
obelisk of, 106.

Shem, 38.

Shishak, capture of Jerusalem by, 100.

Siloam inscription, discovery of, 83;
site of, 84;
translation of, 87;
language of, 88;
date of, 88.

Sisuthros, adventures of, 28;
translation of legend concerning, 29;
meaning of the name, 36.

Sumirians, the, 20.

Tariff of Sacrifices, translation of, 69.

Tiglath-Pileser, campaigns of, 108;
death of, 112.

Two Brothers, Tale of the, 54.

Ur, site of, 46.

FOOTNOTES

1 Deut. ii. 23, Jer. xlvii. 4, Amos ix. 7.

2 Brugsch, “History of Egypt” (Eng. Tr.) I, p. 158.

3 Brugsch, “History of Egypt” (Eng. Tr.), I, pp. 309-311.

4 Called Anab, “(the city of) grapes,” in Josh. xi. 21.

5 The invention of the existing Masoretic system of vowel-points and
accents is ascribed to Mokha of Tiberias (A.D. 570) and his son
Moses, who are said to have based it on a system invented shortly
before by Akha the Babylonian. Only a very few MSS. are known
written in the Babylonian system of punctuation.

6 A coin from Gaza, of the fourth century B.C., is now in the British
Museum, on one side of which is the figure of the Canaanitish Baal
in a chariot of fire, but otherwise with the attributes of the Greek
Zeus, and with the word YHU (_i.e._, Yahu or Yeho) written above him
in old Phœnician letters.

7 The Assyrian inscriptions show that the true form of the name of the
king of Damascus was Rezon, like that of the founder of the kingdom
(1 Kings xi. 23), the Biblical form with _i_ being due to the same
vocalic change as that in _Toi_ (2 Sam. viii. 9) by the side of
_Tou_ (1 Chr. xviii. 9), or Hiram (1 Kings v. 1) by the side of
Huram (2 Chr. ii. 11). Hezion in 1 Kings xv. 18 is probably a
copyist’s error for Rezon.

8 Compare 2 Kings xv. 29.

9 The name of Baladan in 2 Kings xx. 12 (and Isa. xxxix. 1) is due to
the error of a copyist, like Berodach for Merodach. His eye must
have run back to the name of Merodach-baladan in the preceding line.
Merodach-baladan means “Merodach has given a son,” and without
“Merodach” would be incomplete.

10 “That day” in the A. V. should be corrected into “to-day” (Isa. x.
32).

11 The following chronological table will enable the reader to
understand without difficulty the order of the events described in
the preceding chapter:—

B.C.

1130. Reign of Tiglath-Pileser I, in Assyria: campaigns in Syria and
Cilicia.

900. Recovery of Assyria after a period of decline.

858. Accession of Shalmaneser II.

853. Battle of Karkar.

851. Death of Ahab.

850. Campaign of Shalmaneser against Hadadezer (Ben-hadad II).

845. Campaign against Hadadezer.

843. Murder of Hadadezer by Hazael.

841. Campaign against Hazael; tribute paid to Shalmaneser by Jehu.

823. Shalmaneser II succeeded by Samas-Rimmon.

810. Samas-Rimmon succeeded by Rimmon-nirari.

804. Damascus captured by the Assyrians: tribute paid by Samaria.

781. Rimmon-nirari succeeded by Shalmaneser III.

773. Campaign against Damascus.

745. April. Pul, who takes the name of Tiglath-Pileser II, usurps
the Assyrian throne.

743-40. War with Hamath; submission of Uzziah; fall of Arpad.

738. Tribute paid to the Assyrians by Menahem and Rezon.

734. Damascus besieged; the tribes beyond the Jordan carried away;
Jehoahaz (Ahaz) of Judah becomes an Assyrian vassal.

733 (? 729). Pekah put to death; Hosea succeeds.

732. Damascus taken; Rezon slain. Ahaz at Damascus.

727. Tiglath-Pileser succeeded by Shalmaneser IV.

722. Sargon seizes the throne and captures Samaria.

721. Merodach-baladan conquers Babylonia.

720. Hamath conquered; Sabako (So) of Egypt defeated at Raphia.

712. Embassy of Merodach-baladan to Hezekiah.

711. Capture of Jerusalem and Ashdod by Sargon.

710. Merodach-baladan driven from Babylonia.

705. Murder of Sargon; his son Sennacherib succeeds on the 12th of
Ab.

704. Merodach-baladan holds Babylon for six months.

701. Campaign against Judah; battle of Eltekeh; retreat of
Sennacherib from Jerusalem.

681. Murder of Sennacherib; accession of Esar-haddon.

676. Manasseh appears among the Assyrian tributaries. Egypt
conquered.

670. Assur-bani-pal (Sardanapalus) associated in the government on
the 12th of Iyyar.

668. Esar-haddon dies; Assur-bani-pal succeeds on the 27th of Ab.

665. Destruction of Thebes (No-Amun) by the Assyrians.

?606. Fall of Nineveh, Esar-haddon II or Sarakos being the last
king.

12 See Jer. xlvii. 1.

13 Compare Ezek. xxvii. 18.

14 The following chronological table will assist the reader in
understanding the sequence of events in the preceding chapter:—

B.C.

609. Battle of Megiddo; Josiah slain; Pharaoh Necho overruns Western
Asia.

606. Necho defeated at Carchemish by Nebuchadrezzar; foundation of
the Babylonian empire.

604. Nebuchadrezzar succeeds his father Nabopolassar.

599. Jerusalem captured; Jehoiachin sent to Babylon.

588. Destruction of Jerusalem; murder of Gedaliah.

567. The Babylonians overrun Egypt, then governed by Amasis.

561. Nebuchadrezzar succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach.

559. Nergal-sharezer, son of Bel-sum-iskun, seizes the Babylonian
crown.

555. Nergal-sharezer succeeded by Laborosoarchod.

555. The crown seized by Nabonidos, son of Nabu-balatsu-ikbi.

552. The dream of Nabonidos.

549. Conquest of Astyages of Ekbatana (Media) by Cyrus, king of
Elam.

548. Death of “the king’s mother” (Nitokris).

538. Overthrow and death of Nabonidos; Cyrus occupies Babylon.

529. Death of Cyrus and accession of Kambyses.

521. Darius, the son of Hystaspes, elected to the throne of Persia.

520-19. Revolt of Babylon under Nidinta-Bel.

513. Second revolt of Babylon under Arakha.

15 “The wood of the great prince.”

16 Literally, “I took the framework.”