The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament; - The Search For ...

238 THE CUNEIFORM INSCRIPTIONS AND TEE 0. T.
(Idlbi'ilu) in line Ifi, of Samaria in line 18, and in line
17 of "former campaigns" of the king*, may be conjectured
to refer to the expeditions against Syria and Israel in the
years 734— 732.
Of the "summarizing inscriptions" we have one that is
briefer than the other, composed at a time previous to the
Judaeo-Ephraimite war, and not later than 743 — 42**
Layard pi. 17. 18. The other longer inscription is unfor-
tunately broken in the middle. It was not edited till the
18**" year of the king's reign, and stands in II Rawl. 67.***
In addition to the latter there has meanwhile been discov-
ered the first part of a parallel inscription designated
no. 90, red, which certainly agrees in essential points with
the above longer inscription, but is on the whole briefer in
form and exhibits several peculiarities and also varieties of
detail. This I have published in my essay "Zur Kritik
der Inschriften Tiglath-Pilesers &c." (with a photograph
appended), so far as it has been preserved, that is, in the
opening lines, and with the exception of their commence-
ment. All these inscriptions still bear , as I have already
said, Tiglath-Pileser's name at their head. We cannot
247 therefore doubt that they originated from him. An ex-
tremely valuable supplement to both classes of inscriptions
is to be found in the list of governors, from which alone we
gain accurate information as to the date of the king's cam-
paign against Samaria and Damaskus (see below).
* The words of the
mah-ra-a-ti,
transcribed cuneiform are: ina gir-ri-ti-ja
** See the proof in Zur Kritik der Insch. Tigl.-Pil. &c. p. 30.
*** Oil the latter inscription compare especially Ch. Eneberg , in-
scription de Tiglat-Piliiser II, in the Journ. Asiat. VI (1875) pp. 441
—472.