The 7th century BC is the twilight of the kingdom of Judah. After Hezekiah's failed revolt in 701 BC, Judah has been reduced to an Assyrian vassal state.

How much does that change Judean lives?

In this episode, we explore how Judah adapted post-701 and how Assyria shaped the Judean relationship with their Philistine and Edomite neighbors. Meanwhile, Judean culture survives this new world and we find the first mention of Sabbath in recorded history.

We build this history on Judean and Philistine archeological findings at Ekron, Yavne-Yam (Mesad Hashavyahu) and Jerusalem. This episode features the Ketef Hinnom scrolls recording the Priestly Blessing also found in Numbers, dating to around 600 BC.

Read the episode transcript and my thoughts about Jewish history at:  ...