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Shishak Attacks Israel and Judah

1 Kings 14:21-31; 2 Chronicles 11-12

At the start of his long and prosperous reign, King Solomon formed an alliance with Egypt and sealed their treaty by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter (1 Kings 3:1). While this ensured no overt military conflict between Israel and Egypt, behind the scenes Egypt was no doubt working to subtly undermine Solomon’s power, as evidenced by at least two occasions when Egypt granted asylum to Solomon’s enemies (1 Kings 11:14-40). After Solomon died, one of those enemies–Jeroboam–returned from Egypt and was made king over the northern tribes, while Solomon’s son Rehoboam continued to rule over Judah (1 Kings 12:16-20). Philistia also appears to have reestablished its independence after Solomon’s death. It must have been clear to Rehoboam that Egypt and Philistia, and perhaps Moab, could no longer be trusted as safe neighbors, because he immediately fortified a number of towns throughout Judah. Interestingly, none of these fortified towns were located between Judah and Israel. Instead, they guarded all routes leading to Jerusalem from the west, south, and southeast. In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, around 926 B.C., King Shishak of Egypt (also called Shoshenq I) launched a military campaign throughout Judah and Israel, attacking numerous towns. Shishak was of Libyan ancestry himself and was aided in his campaign by a vast army of Libyans, Sukkiim, and Cushites. He did not continue to occupy the towns of Israel and Judah, however, suggesting that his primary goal was simply to weaken both nations after the death of Solomon. Shishak recorded his campaign on sculptures in the temple of Karnak near the Egyptian capital of Thebes. Some of the towns noted in his list are difficult to identify with certainty, but those that have been somewhat firmly established are shown on this map. It should also be noted that a large portion of Shishak’s list pertaining to the Judahite towns has been severely damaged, so he likely attacked several other towns not shown on this map. The towns of Jerusalem, Libnah, and Beersheba also must have been among those missing from the Judahite list, because the Bible explicitly notes that Jerusalem was attacked (1 Kings 14:25-26; 2 Chronicles 12:9), and the destruction layers of Libnah and Beersheba suggest that Shishak had destroyed them as well. The Bible also notes that Shishak took away the treasures of the Temple and the king’s palace, including the gold shields that Solomon had made.