Misleading Modern Narrative Reading Methods in the process of Chronologizing

Koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Department of Liberal Arts Education

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

Many readers of the Bible read a narrative of events happening and then comes to a next verse saying: “In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill.” 2 Kings 20:1.

They immediately make the modern mistake that the assumption is that everything was composed in one scoop by the writer and the other false assumption that he was writing from his memory quickly reflecting with his experience. Not so. The ancient writer was a careful scientist who used sources: notebook, diary, memo, lists, palace archives, accounts, chronological indicators and data available.

It is a fatal mistake to suggest that the biblical writers just guessed their chronology or made approximate guesses.

Ancient Historiography was done very carefully following writers protocols and demands from the king permitting him to say or not say.

They wrote as if there is a public ombudsman out there that will read it and challenge it for its correctness. Rulers changed and it brought with it the risk that if the scribe is not accurate that he may lose his life or job in the palace since no ruler want to depend on inaccurate scribes.

Modern readers are making many errors reading the Bible. They guess that all the events in 2 Kings 18-19 are talking about the 701 BCE campaign of Sennacherib to the area of Jerusalem as recorded in many duplicates as well, in the Assyrian Sources. It is known as Sennacherib’s Third Campaign in Assyrian Sources. It is the case where he reported where Hezekiah was shut up by him like a bird in a cage in Jerusalem.

Modern scholars only accept 701 BCE as the time for Sennacherib’s arrival near Jerusalem and since he was victorious described in Assyrian sources, they cast shadows of doubt, or hermeneutics of suspicion on the two chapters of 2 Kings, 18 and 19.

When they read 2 Kings 20:1 saying “In those days” they say, you see, it is 701 BCE so it is definite that all events in 19 are also 701 and so are all events in chapter 18. Not so.

In fact, the last verse of 2 Kings 19:37 definitely do not read 701 BCE but 684 BCE. It states that Sennacherib was killed by his two sons and that Esarhaddon his youngest son became ruler, must to his own horror about the events. This was three years after the death of Hezekiah in 687 BCE. 2 Kings 20:1 cannot be linked to the verse 2 Kings 19:37 since Hezekiah was given 15 years longer to live during this illness, as the Word of God recorded. So the date of that illness to start was in 702 BCE, a year before Sennacherib came to Jerusalem.

“In those days” thus do not follow 684 BCE in 2 Kings 19:37 and neither does it follow 701 BCE in 2 Kings 18:13 and neither does it follow the SDA interpreted “second coming of Sennacherib unreported in Assyrian annals due to his shame?” in 689 BCE in 2 Kings 18:17. The 15 years cannot be calculated after any of these three since the control check of the chronology of the Judean Kings places Hezekiah’s death at 687 BCE. That is if other chapters are used and the chronological indicators in the rest of the Word of God.

What is pointed out here, is that readers of the Narratives need to know that the author or composer of the chapter, sometimes put together sources of which the dates are spread out over decades. He continues in a next chapter with “In those days” as not related to any of the dates in the previous two chapters. Writing a biography of the life of Hezekiah, as target of focus, like Isaiah was prone to do in his historiography of the kings of Israel and Judah, since he was a professor in Historiography of the palaces of a number of kings before he became involved in prophecies, is that “In those days” is really in the days of the life of Hezekiah.

As certain as this principle applies here in 2 Kings 20:1, it does not follow that it will apply everywhere in the Word of God. There are writers who do use “In those days” as chronological successively following what was said in the previous verse. But, great caution and care is advised here.