I had an interesting idea on your identification of Zobah with Assyria. 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 speak of Zobah coming to the aid of Ammon in it's wars against David. Psalm 83, written by Asaph who lived in the time of David, says," Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot's descendants." This is the same role that Hadadezer king of Zobah played in David's war with Ammon, thus possibly confirming your theory. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Excellent observation, Samuel! Shamshi Adad IV, aka Hadadezer, was a Hurrian-Aramean usurper whose mother may have been a daughter of Tiglath Pileser I. Shamshi Adad conquered Ashur and usurped the throne in 1053 BC. But after 4 years he built his new capital of Shobat Enlil near Nisibit, Syria, and appointed a vassal to the throne of Assur. So, Shamshi Adad was really a Hurrian-Aramean, and Zobah was a reference to his capital of Shobat-Enlil, or the region around it on the upper Khabur River watershed. Of course, as the Great King who ruled Assur, they had to send troops to serve in his army, and therefore would have been included with the troops of Hadadezer who supported Ammon against David. And this was also true a few years earlier during the civil war between David and Ishbosheth. The Mari letters included letters between Ishbosheth (Ishi-Addu) and Shamshi Adad asking for support to fight the rebellion. Shamshi Adad (Hadadezer) sent troops who fought the "rebellion" for about 4 years. Without that external Aramean support, Ishbosheth probably would not have lasted another year against David's army.
Yes, it does. Asaph pegs the era to David's reign. David was an ally of Amon until they humiliated his men. The resulting war occurred in 1033 BC and was also the first foreign war of Thutmose I of Egypt. He recorded campaigning across the Euphrates into Syria and after his victory engaging in an elephant hunt on the way home. This suggests that either Asian elephants or mammoths had survived in the mountains of Lebanon and the Gordian Mountains down to about 1000 BC.
I had an interesting idea on your identification of Zobah with Assyria. 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 speak of Zobah coming to the aid of Ammon in it's wars against David. Psalm 83, written by Asaph who lived in the time of David, says," Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot's descendants." This is the same role that Hadadezer king of Zobah played in David's war with Ammon, thus possibly confirming your theory. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Excellent observation, Samuel! Shamshi Adad IV, aka Hadadezer, was a Hurrian-Aramean usurper whose mother may have been a daughter of Tiglath Pileser I. Shamshi Adad conquered Ashur and usurped the throne in 1053 BC. But after 4 years he built his new capital of Shobat Enlil near Nisibit, Syria, and appointed a vassal to the throne of Assur. So, Shamshi Adad was really a Hurrian-Aramean, and Zobah was a reference to his capital of Shobat-Enlil, or the region around it on the upper Khabur River watershed. Of course, as the Great King who ruled Assur, they had to send troops to serve in his army, and therefore would have been included with the troops of Hadadezer who supported Ammon against David. And this was also true a few years earlier during the civil war between David and Ishbosheth. The Mari letters included letters between Ishbosheth (Ishi-Addu) and Shamshi Adad asking for support to fight the rebellion. Shamshi Adad (Hadadezer) sent troops who fought the "rebellion" for about 4 years. Without that external Aramean support, Ishbosheth probably would not have lasted another year against David's army.
Thank you for replying! Do you think that Psalm 83 refers to David's war against Zobah and Ammon, then?
Yes, it does. Asaph pegs the era to David's reign. David was an ally of Amon until they humiliated his men. The resulting war occurred in 1033 BC and was also the first foreign war of Thutmose I of Egypt. He recorded campaigning across the Euphrates into Syria and after his victory engaging in an elephant hunt on the way home. This suggests that either Asian elephants or mammoths had survived in the mountains of Lebanon and the Gordian Mountains down to about 1000 BC.