Bible & Christianity › Kings & prophets › Kingdom splits: Israel (north) and Judah (south)
Assyria conquers Israel (fall of Samaria)
722 BC· Event· Bible story & events
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
In 722 BC the Assyrian Empire captured Samaria, ending the northern kingdom of Israel and deporting much of its population.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
After King Hoshea stopped paying tribute and turned to Egypt, Shalmaneser V besieged Samaria for three years (2 Kings 17). It fell in 722 BC, and his successor Sargon II carried out mass deportations, resettling foreigners in the land. 2 Kings 17 explains the disaster as punishment for idolatry. The deportees became the 'ten lost tribes' of legend, though many northerners fled south to Judah instead.
Why it matters
Israel's fall left Judah as sole heir of the tradition, and the mixed population that stayed is linked to the later Samaritans.
Sources and history
Sargon II's inscriptions claim he carried off 27,290 people from Samaria. The Babylonian Chronicle credits Shalmaneser with ravaging the city. Excavations show Jerusalem grew several times over then, likely from refugees.
Questions and debates
Who actually took the city, Shalmaneser V or Sargon II, is debated, as is how many Israelites stayed, fled or blended into other peoples.
Connections (2)
▸Kingdom splits: Israel (north) and Judah (south) ended in the north with Assyria conquers Israel (fall of Samaria)Historical record
The connection
The northern kingdom was richer but unstable, with nine dynasties in about 210 years and frequent coups. Its kings swung between paying Assyria and rebelling. When Hoshea withheld tribute and courted Egypt, Assyria destroyed it, while Judah, under David's line, lasted another 135 years.
When and where
From Jeroboam I (about 931 BC) to Hoshea (732–722 BC); the capital was Samaria, founded by King Omri around 880 BC.
Historical evidence
Assyrian records track the north's kings, from Ahab at Qarqar (853 BC) and Jehu's tribute (841 BC) to Samaria's capture, closely matching 2 Kings.
Questions and debates
2 Kings blames idolatry; historians stress geography and power politics. How to weigh the two explanations is a matter of perspective rather than evidence.
▸King Hezekiah and Sennacherib's siege ruled Judah just after Assyria conquers Israel (fall of Samaria)Historical record
The connection
Samaria's fall put Assyria on Judah's doorstep and sent refugees south, and Jerusalem swelled several times over. 2 Chronicles 30 says Hezekiah invited the north's survivors to Passover in Jerusalem; his purge of rural shrines also cast Judah as the heir of all Israel.
When and where
Jerusalem, late 8th century BC; Hezekiah came to the throne around 715 BC, less than a decade after 722 BC.
Historical evidence
Excavations show Jerusalem grew roughly three- to fivefold then; Hezekiah's 'Broad Wall', about 7 m thick, enclosed the new western quarter.
Questions and debates
His accession date is disputed: 2 Kings 18:10 puts Samaria's fall in his sixth year, implying he already reigned in 722 BC.