Researching Assyrian Inscriptions in Logos

While studying the book of Esther, I have run across this passage:

After these things, King Ahasuerus amagnified Haman, the son of Hammedatha bthe Agagite, and cadvanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.

Legacy Standard Bible (Es 3:1). (2022). Three Sixteen Publishing.

which then led me to this line in an article on Haman:

Agag was a territory adjacent to that of Media. In an inscription found at Khorsabad, Sargon, the father of Sennacherib, says: “Thirty-four districts of Media I conquered and I added them to the domain of Assyria: I imposed upon them an annual tribute of horses. The country of Agazi [Agag] … I ravaged, I wasted, I burned.”

Urquhart, J. (1915). Haman. In J. Orr, J. L. Nuelsen, E. Y. Mullins, & M. O. Evans (Eds.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (Vols. 1–5, p. 1324). The Howard-Severance Company.

I have spent the last 2-3 hours in Logos and on the internet trying to find anything which could help me locate this particular Assyrian inscription that is being refernced here. I would appreciate any help in locating this particular inscription.

Any ideas?

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DMB

The trail sort of petered out about a century ago. Most now associate the name with Amelech and Saul, closer to Egypt

Anchor Yale Dictionary:

The name agag may be derived from agazi, a Mesopotamian tribe mentioned in Sargon’s annals (Paton, 69–70). (Although it is difficult to explain how the final g in Heb agag has shifted to z in Akk agazi.)

Paton in ICC Esther 1908 (p70):

Oppert claims that it means ‘belonging to the tribe Agazi’ (=Agagi?), mentioned in the inscriptions of Sargon (cf. Winckler, Sargon, p. 110). Haupt regards it as a corruption of הגאגי, ‘the Gogite’ (cf. Ez. 38). Most comm. think that it means a descendant of the Agag mentioned in 1 S. 15 (see comm. on 3:1).

Winckler is from the same period (a century ago) but from Old Testament Parallels (Benjamin):

'An additional fragment (BM 82–3–23, 131), published in 1898 by Henri Winckler, associate the annals with either Sargon II or Sennacherib."

That's as far as I could trace the argument.

ANET 268 begins the translations associated with Sargon's Chronicles.

Josh

The Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo) Project

Try this site, should have it

Kiyah

From Context of Scripture Vol.2

"In very early excavations (1843–44), P. E. Botta uncovered fourteen large rooms of the palace of Sargon II at ancient Dūr-Šarrukīn (modern Khorsabad). The doorways and walls of these rooms were adorned with slabs having sculptured reliefs along with inscriptions. Further excavations were undertaken at the site by T. V. Place in 1852–54. In connection with the early excavations, E. N. Flandin made excellent drawings of the slabs. These together with Botta’s copies were published in 1849–50. Based on the drawings and especially on plaster squeezes that were also made during the early excavations, H. Winckler (1889) and A. G. Lie (1929) attempted to restore the Annals of Sargon from Khorsabad.3 Through further discoveries of texts of Sargon II as well as additional work, a very useful edition of Sargon’s Annals has recently been published (Fuchs 1994)."

From COS vol. 2 Akkadian bibliography:

FUCHS, A.
1994 Die Inschriften Sargons II. aus Khorsabad. Göttingen: Cuvillier.

Context of Scripture quotes some of this inscription but not the whole thing, so I don't see the quote in either COS or ANET. But they both have portions from the inscription that sound very similar to the one about Agag so maybe you can read those for context.

Kiyah

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1251000#Comment_1251000

The Royal Inscriptions of Assyria online (RIAo) Project

Try this site, should have it

I found it but I don't know how to link directly to it. It's here under Sargon II. I found it by typing "Agazi" in the search box.

[quote]

(65b) In order to subjugate the land Media in the environs of the city Kār-Šarrukīn, I strengthened (its) garrison. I conquered thirty-four districts of the land Media and made (them part of) the territory of Assyria. I imposed upon them the annual payment of horses (as tribute).

(67b) I surrounded (and) conquered the city Erištana, together with the settlements in its environs, belonging to the district of Baʾīt-ili. I carried off booty from them. I destroyed, demolished, (and) burnt down with fire the lands Agazi, Ambanda, (and) Media, which border on the Arabs in the east, who had withheld their tribute.

Thanks for this link, adding it to my bookmarks.

DMB

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1251003#Comment_1251003

Good catch!

Although ... Arabs in the east. I'm difficult.

Brian Leathers

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1251003#Comment_1251003

Thanks for the link. Would love to see these inscriptions and translations in Logos.

Kiyah

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1251034#Comment_1251034

Thanks for the link. Would love to see these inscriptions and translations in Logos.

In addition to Context of Scripture and ANET, this resource also has a lot of Assyrian and Babylonian inscriptions relating to the bible:

The Raging Torrent: Historical Inscriptions from Assyria and Babylonia Relating to Ancient Israel, 2nd ed.

It doesn't have the quote you were looking for but I just posted it for future reference. It uses various translations of Fuchs' edition I mentioned above.

Brian Leathers

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1251103#Comment_1251103

Great recommendation! I have made a lot of use of this resource already!