Historical Exactness of the Bible

Throughout the years critics have attacked the Bible because it was filled with historical blunders. They viewed it as fictional and highly imaginative. At one time the records of secular history didn’t mention some forty-seven kings found in the Bible.

If the book is inspired of God, we can expect it to be historically correct. If the Bible is not accurate historically, then can it be trusted to be accurate concerning spiritual matters? This lesson will demonstrate that the historical record of history and the Bible record are very compatible.

The Bible is not a history book. Nonetheless, whenever God’s Word incidentally touches on any aspect of history, it is always accurate. “Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history.” (William F. Albright, Archaeology and the Religions of Israel, pp. 127,128). Merrill Unger wrote, “Old Testament archaeology has rediscovered whole nations, resurrected important peoples, and in a most astonishing manner filled in historical gaps, adding immeasurably to the knowledge of Biblical backgrounds” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary, p. 15). “Archeology is a real help in understanding the Bible. It yields fascinating information which illustrates what might otherwise be obscured, and in some instances confirms what some might otherwise regard as doubtful.” (Paul E. Little, Know Why You Believe, p. 88).

Archaeology has in many cases refuted the views of modern critics. Thousands of sites showing some connection with the Old Testament period have been located in Bible lands. Dr. Robert Dick Wilson, former professor of Semitic philology at Princeton Theological Seminary, said, “After forty-five years of scholarly research in Biblical textual studies and in language study. I have come now to the conviction that no man knows enough to assail the truthfulness of the Old Testament. Where there is sufficient documentary evidence to make an investigation, the statements of the Bible, in the original text, have stood the test.” Furthermore, the noted Dr. JO. Kinnaman said, “of the hundreds of thousands of artifacts found by other archaeologists, not one has ever been discovered that contradicts or denies one word, phrase, clause, or sentence of the bible, but always confirms and verifies the facts of the Biblical record.” If one discards the Bible as being unreliable, then he must discard almost all literature of antiquity.

Consider a few of the many examples of the historical accuracy of the Bible.

▸ The Hittite Nations

Forty-six times the Hittites are mentioned in the Bible. “And Joshua said, ‘By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites’” (Joshua 3:10). No mention is made of them in secular history. Before the 20th century, many said this was a fictitious empire. A.A. Sayce suggested that he found Hittite writings in Syria. Hugo Winckler excavated Boghazkoy, the Hittite capital, in 1906. Over 10,000 texts were found. Now you can graduate with a doctorate degree in Hittitolgy at the University of Pennsylvania.

▸ The Fall of Jericho

Jericho was excavated by Dr. John Garstang between 1930 and 1936. He found that the great wall was 12′ think and the outer wall 12′ thick both being thirty feet high, fell “down flat”. “As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber up land over their ruins into the city. (The Foundations of Bible History; Joshua, Judges, p. 146). Walls normally fall inward. “So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city” (6:20).

Joshua chapter six and verse twenty-four says, “They burnt the city with fire”. Garstang found charcoal and ash and pockets of white ash. God commanded them to “keep yourselves from the devoted thing” (6:18). Again, Garstang found storerooms full of food turned to charcoal by fire.

▸ Moabite Stone

Following the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israelite domination (Kings 3:1-4). The Moabite stone made in Moab in 850 B.C. was discovered by Klein in 1868. It is now at the Louvre in Paris. “I, Mesha, King of Moab, made this monument to Chemosh, to commemorate deliverance from Israel. My father reigned over. Moab 30 years, and I reigned after my father. Omri, King of Israel, oppressed Moab many days, and his son after him. But I warred against the king of Israel, and drove him out and took his cities…” (Halley, 202).

▸ Jehu, King of Israel

Layard found the “Black Obelisk” of Shalmaneser III; a block of black stone seven feet tall. At the top it shows Jehu bowing and paying tribute. This is the only depiction of a historical personage of Israel. It says, “the tribute of Jehu son of Omri, silver, gold, bowls of gold, chalices of gold, cups of gold, vases of gold, lead, scepter for the king, and spear-shafts, I have received.” Jehu is the only king of Israel to be physically pictured on an archaeological discovery.

▸ Sennacherib’s Invasion of Judah

A monument called the Prism of Sennacherib found in Nineveh contains a record of his conquest of Judah (701 B.C.) “As for Hezekiah the Judahite, he did not submit to my yoke. I laid siege to forty-six of his strong cities, walled forts, and to countless villages in their vicinity, and conquered them…I drove out over 200,000 people…Hezekiah himself I made prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage.” Although there is no evidence in this record explaining his failure to capture Jerusalem or the destruction of his army.

Isaiah mocked Sennacherib in saying, “I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth…” (37:29), which is compatible with existing practices of those times.

With every turn of the archaeologist’s spade, we continue to see evidence for the trustworthiness of Scripture. As quoted in the New York Times, Dr. Nelson Gluech said, “No archaeological discovery has ever been made that contradicts or controverts historical statements in Scripture.” (Book Review, Oct. 18, 1956). Henry M. Morris observes: “…there exists today not one unquestionable find of archaeology that proves the bible to be in error at any point.” (The Bible and Modern Science, p. 95). For example, in Acts 18:12 Luke speaks of Gallio as proconsul of Achaia and Paul was brought to his judgment seat. Evidence shows that Gallio was indeed a proconsul at this time. Although the Bible has been criticized for having many fictitious rulers not supported in other historical records, archeologist dug up the truth. They have proven the Hittites did exist and even had a vast empire; there was Babylonian ruler named Belshazzar and King Jehu is even seen depicted on the obelisk of Shalmaneser paying tribute.

Everyday archeologists and historians are uncovering more and more evidence that the Bible is historically accurate. Every time a spade of an archaeologist digs into the earth it turns up evidence supporting the Bible. Could all of this have been fabricated by Biblical writers? The evidence from archaeology says NO! If the Bible is so accurate historically how much more is it in guiding man spiritually.

– Daniel R. Vess