Nineveh (abode of Ninus) was the capital of the ancient kingdom and empire of Assyria, which was founded by Nimrod, “a mighty hunter before [meaning in opposition to] Jehovah.”* Together with Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen it constituted “the great city.” (Gen. 10:9, 11-12; Mic 5:6) Nineveh was a “city of bloodshed” (Nahum 3:1), for the Assyrians engage in many wars of conquest and used extremely brutal methods in killing their captured warriors.
Assyria was a military kingdom. Nineveh, the Assyrian capital was a “city of bloodshed” (Nahum 3:1). Assyria becomes the second world power of Bible history in the middle of the 8th century B.C.E. when it subjugated the northern kingdom of Israel, taking Samaria. (2 Ki. 17:6, 13, 18) Just eight years later Sennacherib, Son of Sargon II; the king of Assyria, invades Judah (2 Ki. 18:13).
It does seem reasonable that if there were a Creator, he would reveal himself to his creation, notifying them of his will and Purposes. With the world in the condition it is in, and the imperfection of man, there is little hope outside of the fact that there is a Creator. However, we do not want to set aside all reason and logic, to pacify ourselves with the idea of a Creator, simply for the sake of hope itself. If God did provide a form of communication, we would want to examine the facts honestly, to make sure that it is authentic and inspired.
The Code of Hammurabi is a well-preserved Babylonian code of law of ancient Mesopotamia, dated to about 1754 BC (Middle Chronology). It is one of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length in the world. The sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi, enacted the code. Some scholars have often been likened the Ten Commandments to the Code of Hammurabi.
The “Habiru” come on the scene in Mesopotamia as agricultural workers, slaves, rebels, mercenary soldiers, marauders, slaves, and so on, which lead them to a marginal and sometimes lawless life on the fringes of society. The Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land tells us that, “Once settled, the Habiru served mainly as mercenaries or laborers in their new countries, but they were never considered to be citizens and their status differed from that of the local inhabitants, from whom they usually lived apart in quarters specially assigned to them.”
Just as it is true of Bible critics today, for many years of the 19th-century Bible critics claimed that King Belshazzar, who is named in the book of Daniel, never existed. (Dan. 5:1) It was the common practice then as it is now, even though there have been thousands of archaeological finds that support the Bible, if archaeologists have not found evidence, then a place never existed, or a person never existed. However, that came to an end in 1854 in the case of Belshazzar. Why?
