Hoshea

Hoshea was the nineteenth and last king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He came to power after conspiring against and killing his predecessor, King Pekah, in the twentieth year of Jotham, king of Judah (2 Kings 15:30). Hoshea reigned over Israel for nine years, from around 732 to 722 BC (2 Kings 17:1). During his reign, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser attacked Israel, and Hoshea became his vassal, paying him tribute (2 Kings 17:3). However, Hoshea later rebelled against Assyria by sending messengers to So, the king of Egypt, seeking help and refusing to pay tribute to Shalmaneser (2 Kings 17:4). In response, the Assyrian king imprisoned Hoshea and besieged Samaria for three years (2 Kings 17:4-5). In the ninth year of Hoshea's reign, the Assyrians captured Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria (2 Kings 17:6). This event marked the end of the northern kingdom of Israel and the beginning of the Assyrian exile. The fall of Samaria and the exile of the Israelites occurred during the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah (2 Kings 18:1, 9-10). The biblical narrative attributes the downfall of Israel to their persistent sin and disobedience to God, despite the warnings of the prophets (2 Kings 17:7-23). Hoshea's reign and the fall of Samaria are significant events in the history of Israel, demonstrating the consequences of turning away from God and the fulfillment of prophetic warnings about judgment and exile.