The Assyrians marched into history during the ninth century B.C. and built a reputation for fierceness in the use of their ruthless fighting machine (see, for example, Bleibtreu 1991 and Yadin 1963, 2:394-403). Shalmaneser III (859-824 B.C.) was the second king in this renaissance of Assyrian military might. The Assyrians had had an empire already around 1100 B.C., but then they declined in power for a two-hundred-year period. Extrabiblical Assyrian records of the ninth century speak of Israel, sometimes referring to it as the House of Omri, in deference to Ahab's father. The same Assyrian records also relate encounters with "Ahab, the Israelite" (ANET, 279). In another Assyrian record of an assault not mentioned in the Bible, Shalmaneser III campaigned against Syria and Israel, and Ahab committed two thousand chariots and ten thousand soldiers into the fray. This commitment is substantial when compared with Syria's twelve hundred chariots, twelve hundred cavalrymen, and twenty thousand soldiers (ANET, 278-79). King Ahab was listed third out of twelve kings on this inscription, but all of them suffered overwhelming defeat at the hands of Shalmaneser, by his account.

Still another one of Shalmaneser's records states that he crossed the Euphrates for the sixteenth time to fight Syria and collected tribute "of the inhabitants of Tyre, Sidon, and of Jehu, son of Omri" (ANET, 280). This was to have happened in his eighteenth year, or 841 B.C. Yet another record of Shalmaneser is found on the famous Black Obelisk, which was excavated at the Assyrian capital of Nimrud. Israel's King Jehu is pictured bowing down to Shalmaneser in the second of five panels on one of the four sides of the obelisk. The Assyrian gods Ashur and Ishtar are witnesses of the event (Yadin 1963, 2:395 for picture). The following text accompanies the picture:

These stories of Assyria's encounters with Israel set the stage for much of the rest of this book. Although the Assyrian campaigns through Tyre, Sidon, Israel, Judah, and Philistia led to the downfall of Israel and the weakening of Judah, Assyria's march south meant renewed growth for Philistia.

One of Israel's kings who ruled between Ahab and Jehu, not mentioned in any Assyrian text but important to our study, was Ahaziah.

Ahaziah of Israel was the son of King Ahab who became king upon Ahab's death in battle against the Syrians at Ramoth-gilead in 853 B.C. Ahaziah apparently reigned in two different years, but his rule lasted less than twelve months (1 Kings 22:51; 2 Kings 3:1). This short reign was due to an injury received through a fall. When Ahaziah died, Joram (also called Jehoram), another son of Ahab, became the next king. Jehu, of course, was not Omri's biological son (as the Assyrian text quoted above states), but in fact killed Ahab's true son, Joram, Ahaziah's brother (2 Kings 9). The Assyrian record may simply intend to say, Jehu of Israel or Jehu the Successor (Bright 1981, 254 n. 64; Pfeiffer 1973, 332).

Ahaziah's injury led him to send messengers to consult Baal-zebub, a god at the Philistine city of Ekron. An accurate picture of this god is still impossible, since the original meaning of the name is not yet known. One hopes continued excavations at Ekron will recover more information about the god. Scholars presently believe that Baal-zebub was a local, Philistine version of the Canaanite god Baal (Cogan and Tadmor 1988, 25). The last part of the name, zebub, means "flies," and so the complete name means "Baal of the flies" or "Lord of the flies," which is a form of Baal that has not been found elsewhere in the Near East.

Some scholars have gone to the classical world to attempt to link Baal-zebub to Zeus Apomuios, "fly-averting Zeus" or "flycatcher Zeus" (Cogan and Tadmor 1988, 25; ISBE 1:381). Since it is difficult to explain naming a god after the flies that buzz around a sacrifice or around any decaying carcass, many scholars mention that perhaps Baal-zebub is a pejorative of the name Baal-zebul. Baal-zebul is known from the Canaanite religion; the name refers to the god Baal as Lord Prince (Cogan and Tadmor 1988, 25) or "lord of the lofty abode" (Achtemeier 1985, 86; ISBE 1:381). The Lord God of Israel was upset with Ahaziah for wanting to consult a rival god (2 Kings 1:3), and so perhaps through Elijah this Baal-zebul, or "Lord Prince," was mocked by being called "Lord of the Flies." Scholars, though, have reached no firm conclusion on the identification of Baal-zebub/zebul. At the site of Ekron pieces of male figurines (perhaps idols) have been unearthed, but there, too, nothing firm has been learned concerning the identification of the gods of Ekron -- not yet.

Jesus used the name Beel-zebub/zebul in reference to the Prince of Demons (Matt. 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18-19), but no direct link can be made between Beel-zebul or Satan, the New Testament Prince of Demons, and Baal-zebub, the Old Testament god of Ekron.

Ekron during Ahaziah's time was not very impressive, just the small ten-acre site in the upper portion of the city. Soon however, the Assyrians would come south to stay, which would do much for the rebirth of Ekron and other parts of Philistia.