Hadadezer
Encyclopedia
Hadadezer; also known as Adad-Idri (Assyr.
) and possibly the same as Bar-Hadad II (Aram.)
; Ben-Hadad II (Heb.
), was the king of Aram Damascus
at the time of the battle of Qarqar
against the Assyria
n king Shalmaneser III
in 853 BCE. He and Irhuleni of Hamath led a coalition of eleven kings (listed as twelve) at Qarqar (including Ahab
of Israel). He fought Shalmaneser six other times, twice more with the aid of Irhuleni and possibly the rest of the coalition that fought at Qarqar.
He is mentioned in the inscriptions on the Tel Dan Stele
; he seems most likely to be the unknown author's father. He was succeeded by Hazael
after he was suffocated in the night by him. Some accounts claim that Hazael was in fact his son.
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
) and possibly the same as Bar-Hadad II (Aram.)
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
; Ben-Hadad II (Heb.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
), was the king of Aram Damascus
Aram Damascus
Aram Damascus was an Aramaean state around Damascus in Syria, from the late 12th century BCE to 734 BCE.Sources for this state come from texts that can be divided into three categories: Assyrian annals, Aramaean texts, and the Hebrew Bible....
at the time of the battle of Qarqar
Battle of Qarqar
The Battle of Qarqar was fought in 853 BC when the army of Assyria led by king Shalmaneser III encountered an allied army of 12 kings at Qarqar led by Hadadezer of Damascus and King Ahab of Israel...
against the Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n king Shalmaneser III
Shalmaneser III
Shalmaneser III was king of Assyria , and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II....
in 853 BCE. He and Irhuleni of Hamath led a coalition of eleven kings (listed as twelve) at Qarqar (including Ahab
Ahab
Ahab or Ach'av or Achab in Douay-Rheims was king of Israel and the son and successor of Omri according to the Hebrew Bible. His wife was Jezebel....
of Israel). He fought Shalmaneser six other times, twice more with the aid of Irhuleni and possibly the rest of the coalition that fought at Qarqar.
He is mentioned in the inscriptions on the Tel Dan Stele
Tel Dan Stele
The Tel Dan Stele is a stele discovered in 1993/94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. Its author was a king of Damascus, Hazael or one of his sons, and it contains an Aramaic inscription commemorating victories over local ancient peoples including "Israel" and the "House of...
; he seems most likely to be the unknown author's father. He was succeeded by Hazael
Hazael
Hazael was a court official and later an Aramean king who is mentioned in the Bible. Under his reign, Aram-Damascus became an empire that ruled over large parts of Syria and Palestine....
after he was suffocated in the night by him. Some accounts claim that Hazael was in fact his son.