And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day.
The God of Israel stirred up the heart of Pul, king of Assyria (also called Tiglath-Pileser), and he carried away the people of Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh as captives. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river Gozan, where they remain to this day.
God allowed the Assyrian king to take the eastern tribes of Israel into exile as judgment for their unfaithfulness, and they never returned.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred around 732 BC when the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (also known as Pul) conquered the eastern tribes of Israel who lived beyond the Jordan River. These tribes had turned away from God and adopted pagan worship practices. The Chronicler wrote this centuries later, noting that these exiled tribes had never returned to their homeland.
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