The history of the ancient Near East is a very important tool to help Bible students to better understand what they read. This article wants to give some illustrations of what can be learned from history to better understand the Bible. It takes a look at the Assyrians and their neighbours, Ahab, Jehu, Jeroboam II, Jehoash, Joram, etc.

This article is part of a series on the history of the Old Testament. This article focuses on the last years of the ten tribes of Israel, or the northern kingdom. Their rejection of God's message resulted in God rejecting them and using the Assyrians to take them into captivity.