Hyatt's Chronology

John Phillip Hyatt (1909–1972) was an Old Testament professor [1].

The key assumptions of his chronology include:

Kings uses a system which reckons the accession year as the first year of a king's reign, whereas Jer 52 employs the Babylonian system which does not count the accession year, but reckons as the first year of a king the year beginning with his formal coronation in Nisan following his accession. [2, p. 278]

Unfortunately there is no way to determine certainly whether the Judeans at this period counted year 1 of a new king from Tishri 1 (in the fall) or Nisan 1 (in the spring)...
All in all, however, I am inclined to think that at the time of Jehoiakim's accession the regnal year began in Nisan. [3, p. 209]

Timeline

Discussion

Battle of Megiddo

Hyatt dates the battle of Megiddo a month or more prior to the Egyptian attack on Harran (month VI) [3, p. 207]:

In the month Du'uzu of the seventeenth year of Nabopolassar, which corresponds to June 25—July 23 of 609 B. C., the city of Harran was attacked by Ashur-uballit, king of Assyria, and "a large Egyptian army." This city had been conquered by the Babylonians in the previous year, when the Egyptians may have been present in Syria. The course of events is difficult to reconstruct because of the lacunae in the cuneiform text, but it appears that the Assyro-Egyptian forces directed their main assault upon the garrison which had been stationed in Harran by the Babylonians, and that they were at first successful, but could not decisively defeat the defenders. They thereupon laid seige (sic) to the city for about two months, until the month Ululu (Aug. 23—Sep. 20). When Nabopolassar approached with his army, the attackers retired, apparently without meeting Nabopolassar in battle. The Egyptians returned to their own land, and nothing more is heard of Ashur-uballit.

The death of Josiah must be understood in connection with these events. He had pursued a successful anti-Assyrian policy for many years, and must have been aware that Egypt was in alliance with the Assyrians. He could not afford to see the Egyptians advance to the aid of Ashur-uballit, and so went out to meet Pharaoh Neco on his way to Syria. The laconic account of the biblical historian in 2 Kings xxiii 29 is simply, "and Pharaoh Neco slew him at Megiddo when he saw him." This encounter must have taken place before the attack on Harran by the Assyro-Egyptian forces. Since it was customary for Near Eastern kings to mount their campaigns in the spring, and since Neco needed time to make his junction with the Assyrian forces and prepare for the attack on Harran, we must place the death of Josiah no later than May, 609, and possibly earlier.

On the death of Josiah, his son Jehoahaz was placed on the throne by "the people of the land," and ruled for three months. At the end of that time he was deposed by Neco, who replaced him with his brother Jehoiakim. The three months of Jehoiakim's (sic) reign must coincide with the time consumed by Neco in his march from Megiddo to Harran and a part of the attack on that city. 2 Kings xxiii 33-34 says that it was in Riblah in the land of Hamath that Neco put Jehoahaz in bonds, and laid a large tribute on Judah. He then made Jehoiakim king of Judah and took Jehoahaz with him, eventually to Egypt. These events ought to be dated soon after the initial success at Harran while the Pharaoh was still in Syria, not after the approach of the Babylonian army of Nabopolassar. Such actions by the Egyptian king would hardly have been possible at the latter time. Hence, we should date the dethronement of Jehoahaz and the accession of Jehoiakim in July or early August, 609.

Battle of Carchemish

Regarding the battle of Carchemish [2, p. 279]:

The new documents confirm the fact that there was a battle of Carchemish in 605 in which the Babylonians defeated the Egyptians. This battle is mentioned in Jer 46:2 and by Josephus (Ant. Jud. X. vi. 1; Contra Apionem I. 19), and the excavation of Carchemish indicated that the city had been taken around 600. B. M. 21946, obv. 11. 1-8 gives a rather full account of the conflict. The date was between April and August 605; Wiseman suggests probably May-June. Nebuchadrezzar, the crown prince and eldest son of Nabopolassar, was in command of the Babylonian army; his father evidently had remained at home because of illness, for he died on 8 Ab (August 16, 605). The record claims a complete defeat of the Egyptian army "into nothingness" (adi la bašē). It also claims that at that time Nebuchadrezzar conquered the whole of Hatti (ana pāṭ gimrišu ikšud). Though it is clear that the battle of Carchemish was somewhat decisive, the Egyptians still had considerable strength, and Nebuchadrezzar had to make repeated invasions of Hatti (a general term for Syria-Palestine) in order to maintain his control there.

Nebuchadrezzar's father died soon after the battle of Carchemish, and the crown prince rushed to Babylon to take over the throne on 1 Elul (September 7, 605). However, he was soon back in Hatti; the new account says that he marched unopposed in Hatti until Shebat (February 604). Then he "took the heavy tribute of Hatti to Babylon" (Obv. 1. 13). Two months later he was in Babylon to observe the akitu festival and take the hands of Bel and the son of Bel, apparently signalizing his enthronement.

Subjugation of Judah

Hyatt suggests Jehoiakim submitted to Babylon either shortly after the battle of Carchemish, or in the following year [2, p. 280]:

It was probably in 605, or in the following year, that Jehoiakim submitted to the Babylonian king, as recorded in II Kings 24:1; II Chron 36:6 is probably a reminiscence of the submission, with some exaggeration. Josephus indicates that after the battle of Carchemish Nebuchadrezzar took all of Syria, as far as Pelusium, except Judah (Ant. Jud. X.

vi. 1); and II Kings 24:7 says that "the king of Babylon took all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates."

Nebuchadrezzar probably did receive the submission of some of the western states at this time, but the new texts indicate that he had to make campaigns into Hatti in nearly every subsequent year in order to enforce the payment of tribute and keep control. In his first year he marched to Hatti in Sivan (June 604). We are told that "all the kings of Hatti came before him, and he received their heavy tribute" (Obv. 1. 17). The next line tells of his capturing and destroying a city; Wiseman reads it as Ashkelon (^ališ-qi-il-lu-nu), but indicates that the first two signs are uncertain, being written over an erasure. It is by no means improbable that the Babylonian king had to fight against that city (see below).

In his 3rd and 4th years Nebuchadrezzar was back in Hatti. In the latter year he came into direct conflict with the Egyptian army. After telling of his marching unopposed in Hatti, the chronicle goes on to say: "In the month Kislev [beginning November 20, 601] he took the lead of his army and marched to Egypt. The king of Egypt heard, and mustered his army. In open battle they smote the breast of each other and inflicted great destruction upon each other. The king of Akkad and his army turned around, and went back to Babylon" (Rev. 11. 6-7). The laconic account of the next year is that the king of Akkad remained at home "and gathered together his chariots and horses in great numbers" (Rev. 1. 8). The outcome of this battle must have been defeat for the Babylonian army, or at best a draw. This battle must lie back of Jehoiakim's change of allegiance, when he withheld tribute from Babylonia, probably making an alliance with Egypt. II Kings 24:1 says that this occurred three years after Jehoiakim became the servant of Nebuchadrezzar; three full years after the submission of Jehoiakim in either 605 or 604 would bring us to this date. It is impossible to tell whether Jehoiakim's change of allegiance brought on the invasion by Nebuchadrezzar, or whether Jehoiakim rebelled after he saw the success of Egypt. The latter seems more logical. The Kings account goes on to say that Yahweh sent against Jehoiakim "bands" (גדודי) of Chaldeans, Syrians (or Edomites?), Moabites, and Ammonites (24:2). This apparently means that Nebuchadrezzar attempted to punish Jehoiakim by means of marauding bands of his own men and some drawn from the western states under his control. The destruction could not have been thorough; Jer 9:10-11,17-22, 12:7-13 may reflect some devastation in Judah at this time. In his 6th year (599/8), after replenishing his army, Nebuchadrezzar marched again to Hatti. This time he scoured the desert to the east of Syria-Palestine and "took much plunder from the Arabs, their possessions, animals, and gods" (Rev. 1. 10). He returned to his own land in Adar (February-March 598), and it was at the end of the same year (December) that he started the invasion that led to the capture of Jerusalem.

He doesn't attempt to reconcile this date (the 4th or 5th year of Jehoiakim) with Daniel 1:1.

Captures of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah

The captures of the Judean kings are explained in the context of accession vs non-accession dating [2, p. 278]:

The date, 2 Adar of Nebuchadrezzar's 7th year (March 16, 597) is not contrary to the biblical accounts. II Kings 24:12 gives the date as the 8th year of Nebuchadrezzar, whereas Jer 52:28 has the 7th year. It is obvious that Kings uses a system which reckons the accession year as the first year of a king's reign, whereas Jer 52 employs the Babylonian system which does not count the accession year, but reckons as the first year of a king the year beginning with his formal coronation in Nisan following his accession...

The new document does not name any of the Judean kings, but it is obvious that the captured king was Jehoiachin, and the king whom Nebuchadrezzar placed on the throne was Zedekiah. According to the clear statement of the text, Nebuchadrezzar mustered his army in Kislev (which began December 17, 598), and took Jerusalem on March 16, only three months later. If we allow approximately a month for the march to Jerusalem and the beginning of the siege, the siege itself could not have lasted much more than two months, possibly less. According to II Kings 24:8 Jehoiachin had a reign of three months, while II Chron 36:9 gives him three months and ten days. From these data, it would appear that Jehoiakim died before the beginning of the siege.

Hyatt does not appear to explain the difference in the number of captives between Jeremiah 52:28-30 and 2 Kings.

References