Page 67 - Advanced Biblical Backgrounds Revised

because pictures of her display her carrying weapons of war, and she was eventually celebrated as
Artemis. She is associated with Venus, the morning and evening star.
Offerings to Astarte typically included libations of food and drink. As with many deities, offerings are an
important component of honoring Astarte in ritual and prayer. Many gods and goddesses of the
Mediterranean and the Middle East appreciate gifts of honey and wine, incense, bread, and fresh meat.

The Bible condemns the worship of Astarte repeatedly (Judges 2:13, I Samuel 7:3). Solomon introduced
this goddess to Israel, Jerusalem, and made an altar to worship her outside Jerusalem.

The occupants of the city worshipped false gods and lived totally immoral and debauched lives. Their
lifestyle was considered as evil as the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. As a result, they were considered
a detestable people to the Hebrews.

Social and Commercial Factors in their Society
The Assyrians built their houses from mudbricks and covered them with plaster, similar today to many
African homes. They covered their floors with lime mixed with mud which hardened and could be
cleaned. Some of their houses had a second story, and perhaps they slept on their roofs during hot
weather. Normally they designed their houses with an outer courtyard. They had bedrooms, reception
areas, kitchens, and even bathrooms with drainage pipes outside. If you visited one of their homes
today, you would probably not notice much difference from a typical African home, maybe a bit nicer.
They cooked in their kitchen using a conical bread oven. They enjoyed eating barley, wheat, vegetables
like onions, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, radishes, turnips, and several others, just as we do today. 100
The family life of the Assyrians differed little from many countries today. It was a male-dominated
society, and they practiced monogamy. Marriage was not necessarily a commitment between a man
and a woman, rather, it was a contract that both parties agreed upon. It was considered a shame for a
woman not to be able to bear children. For any reason, a man could divorce his wife by cutting off the
hem of her dress before city officials. He was then free to remarry. It sounds like Africa today!

The economy of Assyria was based on a barter system. They did not have coinage, so items of value
were exchanged or traded, including gold or silver, copper, and bronze. Animals and grain were
exchanged for purchases. Most Assyrians were either farmers or in the military. Often, they would trade
with other countries, as they desired the furniture and carved ivory of the Phoenicians.
The Assyrians and Israel

The Assyrians were a thorn in the side of Israel. Beginning in 733 BC under King Tilgath-pileser, Assyria
took the Northern Kingdom’s land and carried the inhabitants into exile (2 Kings 15:29). Later, beginning
in 721 BC, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser besieged Israel’s capital, Samaria, and it fell three years later (2
Kings 18:9-12). This event fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that God would use Assyria as the “rod of His anger”
(Isaiah 10:5-19); that is, the Assyrian Empire was implementing God’s judgment against the idolatrous
Israelites. The sovereign God takes full credit as the source of Assyria’s authority (compare Isaiah
7:18; 8:7; 9:11; and Daniel 4:17). Secular history records that in 703 BC, Assyria under King
Sennacherib suppressed a major Chaldean challenge.

Given the Assyrian threat against Israel, it is understandable that the prophet Jonah did not want to

100 Howard Frederic Vos, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Manners & Customs: How the People of the Bible Really Lived (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson
Publishers, 1999), 259.

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