The closing years of the northern kingdom of Israel were dominated by Assyria. When the Israelite king Pekah tried to oppose Assyria, the result was a disaster for Israel. Hoshea, a sympathizer with Assyria, assassinated Pekah and became king himself (2 Kings 15:29-30).
Hoshea survived as Israel’s king only by buying protection from Assyria. When, with Egypt’s help, he rebelled against Assyria by refusing to pay any further money, Assyria attacked Samaria (Israel’s capital) and imprisoned Hoshea. After a three-year siege, Assyria crushed Samaria and took the people into captivity (2 Kings 17:1-6). This was the end of the northern kingdom (722 BC).
The "bridge" element in the title reflects the aim of all Bridgeway books, which is to bridge two gaps at once - the gap between the word of the Bible and the world of today, and the gap between the technical reference works and the ordinary reader.Wikipedia
Read More