Biblical Archeology: Canaanites, Nebuchadnezzar, and Jerusalem’s Destruction

1670 artist rendition of Zedekiah chained before Nebuchadnezzar

Biblical archeology has been in the news a fair amount this week. Readers have sent me links to a couple of different reports.

One has to do with the identification of DNA of the ancient Canaanites:

When the pharaohs ruled Egypt and the ancient Greeks built their first cities, a mysterious people called the Canaanites dominated the Near East. Around 4000 years ago, they built cities across the Levant, which includes present-day Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and part of Syria. Yet the Canaanites left no surviving written records, leaving researchers to piece together their history from secondhand sources.

One of those sources is the Bible’s Old Testament, which suggests a grisly end for many Canaanites: After the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, God ordered them to destroy Canaan and its people (though other passages suggest that some Canaanites may have survived). But did that really happen? Archaeological data suggests that Canaanite cities were never destroyed or abandoned. Now, ancient DNA recovered from five Canaanite skeletons suggests that these people survived to contribute their genes to millions of people living today.

The new samples come from Sidon, a coastal city in Lebanon. Marc Haber, a geneticist at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, U.K., extracted enough DNA from the ancient skeletons to sequence the whole genomes of five Canaanite individuals, all around 3700 years old. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07/ancient-dna-counters-biblical-account-mysterious-canaanites

The ancient Canaanites, who were commanded to be exterminated in the Bible, did not die out, but lived on to become modern-day Lebanese, according to the first study to analyse their DNA. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2017-07-28/canaanites-survived-biblical-slaughter-ancient-dna-shows/1689420

The fact that they have found proof of the Canaanites and that there descendants live today is no surprise. Let me add that the New York Times also had an article about this and essentially implied that since there are modern survivors of the Canaanites that the Bible is wrong (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/ancient-canaanites-bible-lebanon.html).

Yet, the truth is that although God told the Israelites to utterly destroy the Canaanites, the Bible also records that they failed to do so.

To demonstrate this, first, let’s look at what God commanded the Israelites:

1 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, 2 and when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction.^a You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. 3 You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, 4 for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly. 5 But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire. (Deuteronomy 7:1-5, ESV)

God wanted them and all associated with their religion utterly destroyed. He also warned if that did not happen they could corrupt the children of Israel.

However, the Israelites, according to the Bible did not destroy them:

10 However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor. (Joshua 16:10, ESV)

27 Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. 28 When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.

29 And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.

31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, 32 so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.

33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them. (Judges 1:27-33)

34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, 35 but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. 36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them. (Psalm 106:34-36, ESV)

So, those of us who believe the Bible realized that there would be survivors of the Canaanites, and archaeology has confirmed this. And perhaps it should be added that not only did the ancient Israelites adopt pagan practices that God condemned, we have seen many, sadly, also do this during the church age (for details, check out the free online booklet Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays?).

There was another archeological report to also mention.

29 July 2017

Nebuchadnezzar II’s army breached the defenses of Jerusalem. As this was in fact a revolt against him and his previously established rule, this time the king took drastic actions.

The people who were there in Jerusalem and environs were a motley crew. Among other peoples living in that area we now call Israel and Palestine, a rag tag band of refugees from various conflicts and abuses that cobbled together a community in the hill country. A small kingdom grew there, not really a lot different than any of the others in that area.

Until, that is, the Babylonian armies marched through. As often happened in those days, we’re talking the sixth century before our common era, after that siege which ended on this day by our best calculations two thousand, six hundred, and four years ago, the conquerors took the cream of the local crop, the artisans, the poets, the intellectuals and carried them captive to Babylon. Oh, and they burned the temple in Jerusalem to the ground. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2017/07/nebuchadnezzar-ii-takes-jerusalem-sets-magical-stage.html

Archaeologists have found evidence that the Babylonians were responsible for the burning of Jerusalem more than 2,600 years ago.

The researchers discovered charred wood, grape seeds, fish scales, bones and pottery along with numerous other artefacts which excavating the City of David.

The findings confirm the scene as described in the Bible, which states that the Babylonians ‘burned all the houses of Jerusalem.’http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4739152/The-Babylonians-DID-burn-Jerusalem.html#ixzz4oEDgZ3yz

This type of evidence is not unexpected. Yet, with various Palestinians making the false assertion that the Jews have no historical claim to Jerusalem, this is of note.

As far as the Bible goes, here is some of what it records about the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, as well as some of why it happened:

1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the Lord it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.

And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the Lord, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. (Jeremiah 52:1-13, ESV)

So, again, archeology has demonstrated the accuracy of the Bible.

As we get closer to the end, we see that archeologists continue to find more evidence of biblical locations, figures, and events.

Of course, for those of us who believe the Bible, no further proof is needed. But for some who have heard statements from pseudo-archaeologists that deny the biblical accounts, it may be helpful for them to realize that as time goes on, more and more archaeological evidence surfaces that supports the Bible.

The current issue of Bible News Prophecy magazine has a lot of information related to archeology and the Bible.

Here is a link to the July-September 2017 edition of Bible News Prophecy magazine. Its front cover shows an ancient stela that mentions King David, and contains more information about why true science supports the Bible.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Read the Bible Christians should read and study the Bible. This article gives some rationale for regular bible reading and discusses translations. Here is a link in Mandarin Chinese: ‹ûW#~Ï Here is a link in the Spanish language: Lea la Biblia..
Bible: Superstition or Authority? Should you rely on the Bible? Is it reliable? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
How to Study the Bible David Jon Hill wrote this initially and Dr. Thiel added scriptures, tips, and suggestions to it. A related sermon is available and is also titled How to Study the Bible.
Biblical Archaeology This is a website that has more information on biblical archeological as is sometimes known as the Bib Arch site.
Should You Observe God’s Holy Days or Demonic Holidays? This is a free pdf booklet explaining what the Bible and history shows about God’s Holy Days and popular holidays. A related sermon is Which Spring Days should Christians observe?
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
Old Testament History This is a link to articles that essentially back up the historical accuracy of the Hebrew scriptures (AKA The Old Testament).