The Untold Story of the Kingdom of Judah | Tel Aviv 360

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• (E8) The Untold Story of Jeremiah the Prophet 01.12.2025 44min

  Jeremiah was not one of the popular figures in Jerusalem on the eve of the Temple’s destruction. The ideology he held was contrary to that of many of the ministers and public leaders who championed the rebellion in Babylon and believed in the divine protection over the city, the temple and the dynasty of the House of David who were chosen by God and were given the eternal promise. This was also the ideology of the biblical historiographers, against whom the prophet stood on the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophet’s attitudes and his hostile attitude towards the priests, the royal house and the Jerusalem elite, and the hostile attitude of many in Jerusalem towards the prophet, are all connected to the definition of his origin in the opening verse of the book “The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,” and to the questions of why this is mentioned in the opening of the book, and why is this information regarding his being a priest who comes from a family in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin described as part of Jeremiah’s presentation? It seems that the untold story about the fate of the Shiloh and Nob priests, and their connection to the family of priests in Anathoth, even if it is historically reliable, whether it is a historiographical work from beginning to end, or a compilation of details based on fragments of information from various sources, can give depth and a better understanding of Jeremiah’s views on the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem, his ideology and his actions during this period. Against this background, it can also be assumed that it was the association with the family of the priests who were expelled from Jerusalem that placed Jeremiah in such an oppositional position to the House of David, who was responsible for their deportation to Anathoth, despite the family patriarch’s unreserved loyalty to David, and for the physical elimination of his family, the priests of the temple in Nob. In the description of the chronicles of the Kingdom of Judah, the things are not explicitly stated, and Jeremiah himself is not mentioned in the historical description.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (E7) The Untold Story of King Josiah 01.12.2025 29min

  From the biblical historiographer’s point of view, Josiah was the greatest of the kings who reigned in Judah. The reform carried out in his time in the spirit of Deuteronomy, during which the cult in Judah was purified and concentrated in Jerusalem, is the measure by which, looking back, all the other kings in Judah were judged. The days of his reign can be dated to the years 640-609 BCE. However, despite Josiah’s importance and centrality to the biblical historiographer and historiography, nothing is known about him except for one event that took place over a short period of time during the 18th year of his reign. This event can be dated to the year 622 BCE, and from the analysis of the extensive history of the Ancient Near East, it can be assumed that in this period, the Assyrian withdrawal from all strongholds beyond the Euphrates was completed, and there was a political vacuum for several years prior to the Egyptians’ entry into the region as a “successor kingdom”. This was the period of time in which Josiah could carry out a cultic reform, which also had great national and ideological implications. Despite his greatness and importance, nothing is said about Josiah except for the cultic reform which took place in the 18th year of his reign. In my opinion, this point in time was determined to be the end of the historical composition written in the days of the First Temple, and the completion of the story of Josiah was also written by historiographers who completed the description from the days of Josiah until the exile in Babylon, and therefore neither added nor detailed anything about the 13 years of Josiah’s reign until he was killed in Megiddo by Pharaoh Necho of Egypt. An even more interesting question surrounds the untold story of the first 18 years of Josiah’s reign. Why did the author, who wrote the description during the days of Josiah and who knew many details about the king and what was happening in Jerusalem and Judah during this time period, and so did their target audience, not describe even a single detail, or tell of even a single event from the king’s life until the cultic reform? In this chapter I try to show that this was a deliberate omission, since at this time Josiah was an Assyrian vassal, and the biblical historiographer could not have described him as such. Since both the historiographer and their target audience knew the reality, ignoring this period conveys the message to the readership and emphasizes what was being told against what remained in the dark.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (E6) The Untold Story of King Manasseh 01.12.2025 34min

  This chapter deals with the most untold story about one of the kings of Judah. King Manasseh reigned longer than any of the other kings of Judah, he was the son of Hezekiah and the grandfather of Josiah, and during his long reign Judah recovered from the severe blow inflicted on it by Sennacherib’s campaign. Judah was integrated into the Assyrian Empire which was at the height of its power and strength, and the archaeological evidence from this time testifies to the prosperity that the region experienced during this period. The economy and the administration continued to develop, and Manasseh is also remembered in Assyrian documents as a king who maintained his loyalty to Assyria and fulfilled his duties as a vassal. And yet, nothing was written in the Book of Kings about Manasseh, except for a very broad description of the cultic sins that existed in his day. This is the most extreme example of the untold story about a king who completely disappeared from the biblical historiography and all his deeds were forgotten, and this in a period very close to the days of his reign, when many details about the king and the kingdom of Judah in his time were known to the authors and their readership even without the need for any written sources. Still, the story about the days of Manasseh is not told, and Manasseh became a king in the biblical historiography, and all that is told about him are the cultic sins he committed and which took place in his time. In this chapter of the podcast we will clarify why the biblical historiographer singled out Manasseh as playing the one definite role of the one who caused the sins that Josiah corrected, and in doing so he created a one-dimensional figure that matched his assessment of the king who was enslaved to Assyria all his life and also committed serious cultic sins. In this respect, the untold story of Manasseh is the most extreme example of an omission left purposefully out by the biblical historiographers, who acted according to their cultic ideology and according to the literary interests of the story they wrote.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (E5) The Untold Story of Sennacherib’s Campaign and the Fate of Jerusalem 01.12.2025 1u 4min

  Sennacherib’s campaign against the Kingdom of Judah, held in 701 BCE, was the most dramatic and significant event in the history of the Kingdom of Judah until the Babylonian destruction that came 115 years later. It left in its wake clear and well-dated layers of destruction, and resulted in severe damage to Judah, the exile of many residents, the destruction of the economy, and the lowlands’ separation from the kingdom. But it seems that beyond all the immediate effects that Sennacherib’s campaign had on Judah, another, long-term, largely unpredictable and destructive long-term effect was on the ideological, theological and historiographical side. Despite the terrible destruction of many cities, the exiles and the heavy economic damage, the main memory of the campaign among the Jerusalem elite one, two and three generations later, was the memory of the miraculous salvation of Jerusalem, which stood before the Assyrian army and was not conquered. It was the seed that was sown in the ground, from which grew the idea of God’s eternal promise to his chosen city, to the temple and to the dynasty of kings in Jerusalem. This is also the reason for the untold story of Sennacherib’s campaign. The authors of the biblical historiography as well as their readers, the members of the Jerusalem elite, were well acquainted with history and knew what the terrible results of the campaign were. But the memory of all this faded in contrast to the memory of the miraculous rescue of Jerusalem and the ideas that grew among the Jerusalem elite about God’s eternal promise to the city, the temple and the dynasty. In the days of Josiah, when Assyria withdrew from the area and it seemed that Judah was about to return to the glory days of the “united monarchy,” Sennacherib’s campaign marked the proof of the existence of the idea of God’s eternal promise, and was a clear symbol of this promise.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (E4) The Untold Story of the “Temple of Solomon” at Tel Moza 01.12.2025 52min

  The Untold Story of the Kingdom of JudahOded LipschitsPart E. The Untold Story about the Kingdom of Judah in the Days of the Biblical HistoriographersThe accidental and exciting discovery of a temple that existed and operated throughout the days of the First Temple, at a distance of only seven kilometers from Jerusalem, allows a unique and one-time glimpse, at least for now, of the way in which temples operated and developed in the first millennium BCE, right at the same time as the Temple, which according to the biblical description existed, operated and developed in the exact same period of time, in the capital of the Kingdom of Judah. Tracking the processes of change and development in the Moẓa Temple over the hundreds of years of its activity allows a possible archaeological point of comparison to the development processes of the temple in Jerusalem, about which there is information only from the biblical descriptions. Moreover, the archaeological research of the Moẓa Temple also allows us to explore what the relationship was between the two communities that lived around the two temples: the community that lived in the Moẓa Valley and for whom the Temple in Moẓa was its central place of cult, and the nearby community that lived in Jerusalem and its immediate surroundings, and for which the Temple of Solomon, built at the top of the Temple Mount, was its central place of cult.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (E3) The Untold Story about the Magnificent Structures Near Jerusalem 01.12.2025 46min

  The Untold Story of the Kingdom of JudahOded LipschitsPart E. The Untold Story about the Kingdom of Judah in the Days of the Biblical HistoriographersIn the century in which Judah was under Assyrian rule (from 732 to slightly after 630 BCE) it is possible to notice a considerable increase in the importance of the areas surrounding Jerusalem to the north, west and south, which became more central to the administration and economy of the kingdom. On the ridge south of Jerusalem between Armon Hanatziv and Ramat Raḥel, economic, administrative and political processes took place that did not coincide with what was happening within the city itself, and perhaps even, in many respects, were disconnected from what was happening in the capital of the kingdom. It can be assumed that the processes in these areas around Jerusalem enabled the continuation of life in the capital of the kingdom under the rule of the Assyrian Empire: the continuation of the rule of the House of David, the existence of the temple and cult in it, and the continuation of the Jerusalem elite. There is no evidence in the biblical descriptions of this development in an area so close to Jerusalem, a few minutes' walk to the south, west, and north, which possess the view that Jerusalem continued to be the undisputed center of the nation’s life, the seat of the kings from the House of David and the location of the Temple. The historiography is entirely focused on this point of view on Jerusalem and from within Jerusalem, with no mention of the tremendous developments that took place in the entire immediate area around the city, of the magnificent buildings that were seen from Jerusalem and had a view of the city themselves. This is an omission that cannot be understood except as an omission that acts as the message itself. Anyone who has lived in Jerusalem or visited it, has seen the magnificent building on Ramat Raḥel towering over the entire area around Jerusalem, the magnificent gardens that surrounded it and the magnificent architecture that characterized it. The evidence found at the site of a magnificent feast indicates that the Judean elite were invited to the place and witnessed this splendor up close. The magnificent structure recently discovered in Mordot Arnona and the villa in Armon Hanatziv were also known, and the deletion of all of this from the biblical historiography shows how biased it was and was intended to serve the ideology of the royal house and the priesthood in Jerusalem, without anything else being able to endanger it. The omission, then, is the message. The untold story is the story.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (E2) The Untold Story of Judah’s Enslavement to Assyria 30.11.2025 30min

  The Untold Story of the Kingdom of JudahOded LipschitsPart E. The Untold Story about the Kingdom of Judah in the Days of the Biblical King Ahaz came to power at the time when the Syro-Ephraimite alliance was formed, and it can be assumed that Rezin, King of Damascus, and Pekah, King of Israel, attacked Judah immediately upon his ascension to the throne, in order to take advantage of the fact that his position was not yet established, and in the hope that they would be able to force him to join the war or replace him with another king. Ahaz turned out to be a wise, level-headed and determined king, and as one who maintained the traditional policy of the kings of Judah, who always advocated submission to the big and powerful kingdoms out of an assessment that Judah was too weak and too small to stand against these powerful forces, and would not be able to survive a strong military blow. With the support of the prophet Isaiah, while standing against circles that supported joining the anti-Assyrian alliance and wanted to replace Ahaz with another king, Ahaz was smart to be wary of Assyria’s power, estimated that Assyria would defeat the Syro-Ephraimite alliance and realized that preventing Judah from rebelling against Assyria was the only possibility to maintain its independence and integrity. Indeed, in the face of the severe Assyrian damage to the Kingdom of Israel and the destruction of Damascus (732 BCE), Judah came out unscathed. The Deuteronomistic historiographers condemned Ahaz’s enslavement to Tiglath-Pileser, since from the perspective from which the his description was written in the days of Josiah, when Assyria withdrew from the region and its hundred-year reign was now only a memory, the kings who let their people be enslaved to foreign kingdoms were slandered, and the kings who rebelled were praised. This memory of Ahaz, which was also embedded in places and objects in the temple that were associated with his name, underestimated the value of a brave and wise king, who reigned during one of the stormy periods that passed over the kingdom of Judah, during Assyria’s takeover of the entire area, managed to survive the attack by the Syro-Ephraimite alliance and protected the borders of his kingdom against the Assyrians. The archaeological finds in the Jerusalem's area also indicate a great change in the administration and economy that took place in the days of Ahaz, and this was also completely ignored by the authors of the historiographical__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (E1) The Untold Story of the Hundred Years of Assyrian Rule in Judah 30.11.2025 25min

  The Untold Story of the Kingdom of JudahOded LipschitsPart E. The Untold Story about the Kingdom of Judah in the Days of the Biblical HistoriographersThis chapter deals with the untold story of the history of the kingdom of Judah in the days of the authors of the Biblical history, with the aim of examining why they ignored the strict Assyrian rule in Judah from the time of the enslavement to Assyria in the days of King Ahaz (732 BCE) until the Assyrian withdrawal from the area in the days of Josiah, about a century later. The meaning of the long years of enslavement to Assyria was also reshaped after the retreat and collapse of the empire, apparently during the few years of independence of the days of Josiah and at the time when the biblical descriptions were written. In this way, Judah was presented as an independent kingdom, freed from the yoke of Assyria after Sennacherib’s campaign, and returned and enslaved to Egypt after the death of Josiah. All this, in order to express the author’s desire to describe Josiah as a king who was not subject to foreign rulers, and in a way that does not at all reflect the reality of the long period of time during the days of Manasseh, which were the “golden age” of the years of Judah’s restoration during the long period of the “Assyrian peace”(Pax Assyriaca) during most of the seventh century BCE.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D11) The Untold Story of the Last Days of the Kingdom of Israel 30.11.2025 52min

  The Untold Story of the Kingdom of JudahOded LipschitsPart D: Part Four: The Untold Story of the History of the Kingdom of IsraelThe account of the history of the Kingdom of Israel in the last generation of its existence, starting from the short reign of Zechariah, the son of Jeroboam II (746 BCE) until the destruction of the Kingdom (722 BCE), is a short, dry and focused account, which tells mainly of the murders of the kings and the frequent changes of power in the kingdom. This is a biased literary description, the purpose of which is to present the rapid deterioration of the Kingdom of Israel towards the destruction as a chain of murders and dynasty changes right up to the destruction. The historiographer consciously chooses not to use the motif of the prophecy and its fulfillment in the description of this period, and it can be assumed that the rapid changes of dynasties and the destruction of the kingdom overshadowed all of this. It seems that during the last generation in the history of the Kingdom of Israel, the Deuteronomistic historiographers had only a few sources, which included only the lists of kings with the chronological information contained within them, without additional sources, such as prophetic stories, and with very little information that could be linked to the history of the Kingdom of Israel from the parallel histories of the kings of Judah. Even about the great Assyrian campaigns conducted against the kings of Israel, about which modern historians have information from the Assyrian inscriptions, the ancient historiographers had only little information, likely only what was recorded in the lists of kings. Therefore, the description of the kings of Israel during this period was so reduced and remained technical and focused on the acts of murder and the changing of dynasties, until the description of the destruction and exile, which received a broad theological explanation. According to this explanation, the destruction came due to the sins of Jeroboam and the continuous sin of all the kings of Israel, until God’s final decision to destroy the kingdom. In this way, a historical circle is closed that begins with the division of the monarchy in the days of Jeroboam, closes with the detailed description of the days of Jeroboam II and ends with the rapid deterioration into destruction, exile and the final disappearance of the Kingdom of Israel from the stage of history.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D10) The Untold Story of the Kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam II 30.11.2025 27min

  The Untold Story of the Kingdom of JudahOded LipschitsPart D: Part Four: The Untold Story of the History of the Kingdom of IsraelJeroboam II was one of the greatest kings who reigned in Israel, and during his time the kingdom reached, for the last time in its history, the peak of its expansion and wealth, and this just a single generation before its rapid collapse, destruction and exile. During the long reign of Jeroboam (786-746 BCE) the international system changed in a surprising and unexpected way, which allowed the Kingdom of Israel an unprecedented scope of action. The great weakness of Aram-Damascus, together with the Assyrian disappearance from the area for many years, allowed the Kingdom of Israel to spread northward, and even conquer Damascus itself. Israel reached the peak of its power towards the middle of the reign of Jeroboam II, after the Assyrian campaign to Damascus, and although there is no information about this, it can be assumed that the strengthening of the kingdom of Israel was even supported by the Assyrians and suited their interests. Even from the material culture, it is evident that the reign of Jeroboam II was a period of flourishing, construction and prosperity all over the kingdom. Although he reigned for a longer period of time than all the other kings of Israel, despite the wide-scale conquests and despite the prosperity that occurred in his time, the biblical descriptions of Jeroboam II are very short, sparse in details, and mainly include explanations by the Biblical historiographers to themselves and their target audience in Jerusalem, how Jeroboam achieved such great success even though he was defined as a sinful king. In this chapter of the podcast I suggest that the Biblical historiographer also had a source of information about Jeroboam II that included prophetic stories, and in this case it was the book of Amos, which contains all the details that were told about the days of Jeroboam in the Book of Kings and many others, that were not told by the Deuteronomistic historiographer.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D9) The Story about Joash that Was Told, but Not in the Right Place 30.11.2025 32min

  Joash the king of Israel was marked in the eyes of the Judean scribes, because he was the only one of the kings of Israel who captured the king of Judah on the battlefield, who conquered a city in Judah and destroyed parts of the wall of Jerusalem. Despite the information the historiographer had about Joash’s successes, as someone who was close to the prophet Elisha, as someone in whose days Israel was freed from the yoke of Aram Damascus, and most importantly – as someone who won a complete victory in the war against Judah, they refused to give him the credit and insert these stories into the frame formulae about the days of his reign. They got the idea for this from the decision to insert the set of Elisha stories in the days of Ahaziah, son of Ahab, in accordance with the ancient prophetic source that they inserted within the historiographical description, and which linked Elijah and Elisha to each other as two prophets who acted in sequence one after the other. In a similar way, the historian placed the story of Elisha’s death after Joash’s final formula, even though it was a central part of the story, and also placed the story of Joash’s victory within the story of the defeated Judean king Amaziah and not within the story of the victorious Israeli king. As a testimony to Amaziah’s small victory, the historiographer added another small jab in Joash’s direction and described how Amaziah continued to live another 15 years after Joash, a true fact according to the data in the opening formulae, but a well-directed stab from a literary and conceptual point of view. This story is a wonderful testimony to a case where the question is not what was told or omitted, but why what was told was not placed where it was so natural and right to place it. How could the historiographers express their opinion about an important and central historical figure, about whose achievements and successes they knew well, but decided to try and make these successes disappear from the main story about this king, and convey a clear message, while clarifying their position and opinion about King Joash, by detaching the stories from his time and placing them outside of the frame verses about his days, while demonstrably leaving the description of the years of Joash’s reign as a short, empty, casual description, almost devoid of details.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D8) The Untold Story of the Historical Reality in Elisha’s Stories 30.11.2025 30min

  The description of the major low point in Israel’s history during the reigns of Jehu and his son Joahaz was interwoven with the set of stories about the prophet Elisha, and few of the long chapters taken from the prophetic stories refer to the geopolitical reality that existed in Israel during this period of time. It seems that apart from the basic information that the biblical historiographers had in the kings lists, they drew all the other information from the prophetic stories, and despite the important information that was in these stories, and the historiographers’ understanding of this information, they preferred to place Elisha’s stories before the days of Jehu and Joahaz, and this out of ideological and literary considerations and from a desire to keep these stories close to the written source from which the information was drawn. Placing the story where the biblical historiographers decided to place it created a large and unbridgeable gap between the historical reality and the description of things as they are in the Book of Kings, evidence that from the historiographers’ point of view, historical reliability, the accuracy of the details and the correct placement of the facts was not the most important consideration.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D7) What was Told and What was Left Untold about Jehu’s Rebellion 30.11.2025 41min

  The dramatic events of the year 842 BCE had tremendous consequences for Damascus, Israel and Judah, as they were also the beginning of a new and different era: in Damascus, Hazael had ascended to the throne in a rebellion against Hadadezer, in Israel Jehu ascended to the throne, and destroyed the Omride Dynasty in a violent rebellion, which also included the elimination of many members of the Jerusalemite royal family. The sharp change in Judah was completed by Athaliah, who ascended to the throne in Jerusalem with a massive and nearly complete elimination of the House of David. These events are one of the best examples of an untold story because the information the narrators had was so problematic, limited and inaccurate, that even though the biblical historiographers tried as hard as they could to describe a well-founded and reliable picture, their description is very far from the reality that we can reconstruct based on reliable primary sources such as the Assyrian inscriptions and the Tel Dan stele. Although these sources are not free of problems either, we are able to reconstruct with their help an alternative picture to the one shown in biblical historiography, and return from this image to the examination of the biblical descriptions with questions and doubts that were previously impossible.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D6) The Untold Story about the Greatness of the Kingdom of Omri and Ahab 30.11.2025 45min

  At the beginning of the ninth century BCE, the Kingdom of Israel first appeared on the stage of history. Even without the biblical description of the days of the Omride kings, we could reconstruct the history of this dynasty and its greatness and power, since the archaeological findings and inscriptions found from that time period indicate a sharp change that took place in the kingdom’s urban culture, administration, economy and society; and from all of these, it is possible to reconstruct the existence of a mature, large, strong kingdom which holds a central status among the kingdoms of the entire region. From the biblical descriptions it is possible to learn how little information the historiographer had about the days of the Omride dynasty, and how much they tried to integrate all the sources they had in the place that they thought was correct, and to tell what they knew about this early period of time in the history of the Kingdom of Israel. In the places for which they had historical anchors in the form of information about the events that took place in the days of the kings of Judah, who reigned at the same time as the kings of Israel, they could insert the information they had, mainly from the list of kings in Israel, and add around it additional details that came to them, mainly from prophetic sources. However, when they did not have these historical anchors from the information about the history of the Kingdom of Judah, the historiographer seems to be in a complete historical fog about the history of the northern kingdom, and even inserted pieces of information they had in places that the modern historical analysis, which is also based on Assyrian sources and archaeological information, indicates are wrong.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D5) Lists of Kings and Memories of Murders, Rebellions and Dynasties 30.11.2025 33min

  In this chapter of the podcast, I examine the stories about the first kings of Israel and the royal houses that rose and fell in Israel before the establishment of the Omride Dynasty in the early ninth century BCE: the house of Jeroboam, the house of Baasha and King Zimri, who reigned over Israel for only a few days until he was murdered by Omri, who founded a dynasty that succeeded for the first time in stabilizing the situation and reigned in Israel for several decades. I try to show that the biblical historiographer had only limited information about these four kings, who reigned between Jeroboam and Omri: Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, Baasha, the son of Ahijah, Elah, the son of Baasha, and Zimri the commander of half the chariotry – which stemmed from the lists of kings that were available to them, and they incorporated this information mainly in the opening and closing formulas. The additional information that was incorporated into the description concerned the murders of the kings, the rebellions and the changes of dynasties. These issues were central to each of the kingdoms in the Ancient Near East, and they were remembered, counted and recorded. It is also possible that their main details were added to the kings lists, along with the years of each king’s reign. The historiographer integrated the information they had into their general historical framework, and therefore the description of all the first kings of Israel is very short, and hardly includes any additional details beyond the opening and closing formulae, in addition to the information about the murders, rebellions and changes of dynasties. If there were a few additional details, such as about wars between Israel and Judah, they stemmed from the information the historiographer had about the ancient kings of Judah, who reigned at the same time as the first kings of Israel. In addition to all these, a later editor added to this brief historical description prophecies that herald the end of the dynasties. These prophecies were planted in such a way that God’s control over history is demonstrated and illustrated through the literary medium of the prophecy and its fulfillment. In order to achieve the goal of this literary device, the prophecies of prophets, mostly unknown prophets, were added to an early stage of the story, and to emphasize their fulfillment, a note was added to the description, always next to the description of the prophecy’s fulfillment, and which connects the destruction of the dynasty to the prophecy “according to the word of YHWH”.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D4) The story that was Told of the Kings of Israel and Judah 30.11.2025 40min

  The editorial framework of the Book of Kings is based on synchronisms – the matching of time periods between the reigns of the kings of Israel and the reigns of the kings of Judah. Synchronizing the history of the kings is done using opening formulae and closing formulae for each king. Through this synchronicity and the use of the opening and closing formulae, the descriptions of the history of the kings of Israel and Judah are interwoven, a result of the Deuteronomistic editing work, through which the editors shaped the history according to their worldview. In this chapter of the podcast, we will try to find out: what did the Deuteronomistic author-editors know about the historical reality they described in their text? What were their origins? The assumption presented in this chapter is that the skeleton of the Book of Kings is based on lists of the kings of Israel and lists of the kings of Judah, which included most of the information presented in the opening and closing verses. The repeated references in the closing formulae that exist on almost all the kings imply that it contained additional information: the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and the Book of Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. However, this quotation formula is used as a literary mechanism, through which the Deuteronomistic historiographer claims that they are basing their writings on archival lists, and that the very little information they tell about most of the kings and most of history is intended to support their ideological line and strengthen it, but it is not all the information that exists about the histories of the kings. Another important and central source that was used by the Deuteronomistic historiographers is the prophetic stories, which focus on a description of the life of the prophet, their companions, and their work on social and religious levels. The stories of the prophets have a legendary character, they were probably written by groups of admirers and those who wanted to preserve the memory of the legendary prophet and they include stories of local (and not national) miracles. These stories came into the hands of the Deuteronomist, and they learned through them about the ancient history, especially that of the Kingdom of Israel, and incorporated them into their composition as their own language. It seems that, apart from the stories of the prophets, they had almost no other sources about the earlier periods of the Kingdom of Israel, therefore – the main part of the book of 1 Kings describes the history of the kingdom of Israel, but the description is limited to the matter of the stories of the prophets as shaped through the social-cultic concepts of the Deuteronomist.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D3) The Untold Story about Why Saul went to War against Nahash the Ammonite 30.11.2025 42min

  In this chapter of the podcast, I argue that the main reason why the people sought to appoint Saul as king was omitted from the Biblical description in the book of Samuel, and the short text that was omitted was preserved in a scroll discovered in a cave in Qumran, near the Dead Sea. In order to substantiate this claim, I give a brief introduction to the composition and content of the Book of Samuel, to the processes of its composition and editing, and then I focus on the case of Saul’s anointing in 1 Samuel 8-12 and on the verses that were omitted from the Biblical text. This is a very different testimony to the other untold stories about the history of the kingdom of Israel, since in this chapter we do not deal only with what the biblical historiographer knew and told or left out, but rather with the further incarnations of the biblical text, the circumstances of its copying over hundreds of years, and the omissions and changes that occurred in this text, including intentional and unintentional disruptions, which affected the way we read and understand the description to this day.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D2) The Untold Story about Deborah, Barak, and Jael’s Victory 30.11.2025 49min

  Chapter 4 in the Book of Judges describes the miraculous victory of Deborah, Barak and Yael over Jabin, the king of Canaan, and Sisera, the commander of his army at Harosheth Haggoyim (חֲרֹ֥שֶׁת־הַגּוֹיִֽם; Harosheth of the Nations). This story is special not only in its content and because of the female characters who play a lead role in it, but also because it is followed, in Chapter 5, by the Song of Deborah, which is based on the events of that battle itself. Here, I argue that the story in Chapter 4 was written based on an interpretation of the poetry in Chapter 5. If this is indeed true regarding the story of the war near the Kishon Stream, it reveals how the original story was formed; and that is of particular importance because this story was later incorporated into the Book of the Saviors and thereby reached the Deuteronomistic editors, who “Judahized” it and integrated it into the broader framework of the Book of Judges.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (D1) The Untold Story of How the Book of Saviors Became the Book of Judges 30.11.2025 43min

  This chapter examines the process of “Judaization” applied to the Israeli book of the Saviors and its transformation into a Deuteronomistic Judean text, which could be integrated into the general historiographical system. This, as a background for examining the original information contained in this book and the question of what the Jerusalemite historiographers knew about the early history of the Kingdom of Israel, about the geography of the northern kingdom and its inhabitants, what of all this they incorporated into their composition, and what they left out of their stories, mainly because they did not know. The main claim in this chapter is that all the information that reached the Jerusalemite historiographers within the ancient Israeli source of the Book of Saviors was transferred into the new book they created based on it – the Book of Judges. But this information was wrapped in many layers that would “Judahize” this book, adapt it to the perceptions and beliefs of the authors, and use it to convey the messages they wanted to convey to their generation. That is – it is not entirely the untold story, as it is the story that was told – but in a completely different way…__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• (C4) The Untold Story of the Shephelah in Sennacherib’s campaign 30.11.2025 30min

  Towards the end of the eighth century BCE, Judah was at the peak of its development as a mature and developed kingdom. It was based on a fairly dense hierarchy of settlements, which was spread throughout all parts of the kingdom, and included farms, villages, secondary settlements and central towns. The lowlands were the most populated and fertile region of the kingdom, and Lachish served as the secondary capital. Standing at the top of the pyramid was unquestionably Jerusalem, the largest and most important governmental center in the kingdom, the seat of the king and his home, the priests of the central temple and a large part of the elite class. This was the end of a long development process that took place in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE. Judah enjoyed long years of peace, culminating in the second half of Ahaz’s reign (734-715 BCE) and the first decade of Hezekiah’s reign (715-686 BCE). But Hezekiah’s rebellion against Sennacherib and the Assyrian military campaign against the kingdoms of the region and Judah among them, caused the biggest demographic and settlement crisis in the history of the kingdom. In addition to Lachish, all the cities of the lowlands were destroyed, and the important and rich region of the kingdom, which experienced flourishing and development in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE, was densely populated and became the economic and administrative center of the Kingdom of Judah, had been destroyed, abandoned for many years and never recovered.The Assyrian sources on Sennacherib’s campaign emphasize the fate of the lowlands, and in contrast, the biblical account focuses on Jerusalem, and this despite the fact that the authors knew about the fate of the lowlands and that it was a major target of the Assyrian army. This is another testimony to the untold story about the areas in the Kingdom of Judah that were out of sight and out of mind for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to how much biblical historiography focuses on Jerusalem, the Temple and the House of David. Even when there was information about the fate of the other territories of the kingdom, about the lowlands’ centrality in Sennacherib’s campaign and the heavy destruction it suffered, the emphasis in the historical descriptions is on the fate of Jerusalem and the story focuses on the Deuteronomistic ideas that prevailed in Jerusalem at the time of its writing, and for the very specific target audience that stood in front of the authors’ eyes.__________________Tel Aviv 360, Israel's largest and most diverse podcast about research and innovation• Tel Aviv 360 official website ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Instagram ◄ ⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Instagram⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Facebook ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in WhatsApp (Silent group) ◄ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://360tau.com/WhatsApp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠• Tel Aviv 360 in Spotify ◄⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://360tau.com/Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠