10 The Fundamentals. to have received tribute from them and “from Jehu, the son of Omri.” This inscription occurs on the celebrated Black Obelisk discovered many years ago by Sir Henry Rawlinson in the ruins of Nimroud. On it are represented strings of captives with evident Jewish features, in the act of bringing their tribute to the Assyrian king. Now, though there is no mention in the sacred records of any defeat of Jehu by the Assyrians, nor of the paying of tribute by him, it is most natural that tribute should have been paid under the circum stances ; for in the period subsequent to the battle of Karkar, Damascus had turned against Israel, so that Israel’s most likely method of getting even with Hazael would have been to make terms with his enemy, and pay tribute, as she is said to have done, to Shalmaneser. THE MOABITE STONE. One of the most important discoveries, giving reality to Old Testament history, is that of the Moabite Stone, discov ered at Dibon, east- of the Jordan, in 1868, which was set up by King Mesha (about 850 B. C.) to signalize his deliverance from the yoke of Omri, king of Israel. The inscription is valuable, among other things, for its witness to the civilized condition of the Moabites at that time and to the close simi larity of their language to that of the Hebrews. From this inscription we learn that Omri, king of Israel, was-compelled by the rebellion of Mesha to resubjugate Moab; and that after doing so, he and his son occupied the cities of Moab for a period of forty years, but that, after a series of battles, it was restored to Moab in the days of Mesha. Whereupon the cities and fortresses retaken were strengthened, and the country re populated, while the methods of warfare were similar to those practiced by Israel. On comparing this with 2 Kings 3 :4-27, we find a parallel account which dovetails in with this in a most remarkable manner, though naturally the biblical nar rative treats lightly of the reconquest by Mesha, simply stating
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