In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
In the ninth year of King Hoshea's reign, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and took the Israelites away as captives to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Habor near the Gozan River, and in the cities of the Medes.
This verse records the moment when the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered and its people were forced into exile by the Assyrian empire.
📚 Historical Context
This event occurred in 722 BC when the Assyrian king Sargon II completed the conquest of Israel's capital city Samaria after a three-year siege. The Assyrians had a policy of relocating conquered peoples to prevent rebellions, so they scattered the Israelites across their empire in regions that are now parts of modern-day Iraq and Iran. This marked the end of the northern kingdom of Israel and fulfilled the prophetic warnings about judgment for their persistent idolatry and disobedience to God.
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