Black Obelisk: Front.

RELIEF CAPTIONS






Tribute of Sûa, the Gilzânite. I received from him: silver, gold, lead, copper vessels, staves for the hand of the king, horses, two-humped camels.














Tribute of Jehu, son of Omri. I received from him: silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden beaker, golden goblets, pitchers of gold, lead, staves for the hand of the king, javelins.














Tribute of the land of Musri. I received from him: two-humped camels, a river-ox, a sakêa, a sûsu, elephants, monkeys, apes.














Tribute of Marduk-apal-usur of Suhi. I received from him: silver, gold, pitchers of gold, ivory, javelins, bûia, brightly colored linen garments.


















Tribute of Karparunda of Hattina. I received from him: silver, gold, lead, copper, copper vessels, ivory, cypress (timbers).




Black Obelisk: Front.


The second panel down shows Jehu giving obeisance to Shalmaneser III King of Assyria, surrounded by Assyrian officials.


The inscription in cuneiform reads: “Tribute of Jehu, son of Omri. I received from him: silver, gold, a golden bowl, a golden beaker, golden goblets, pitchers of gold, lead, staves for the hand of the king, javelins.”


Jehu in the biblical text is not son of Omri but was famous for ending the Omrid dynasty. Omri at the time was well known as a having been successful king, Israel for a time was known as the land of Omri. Added to this, the paying of tribute was paid in Jehu’s first year as king and the reference is easy to understand. It may even be that the Assyrians used the term “Jehu son of Omri” as a deliberate put down, as a show of strength that Jehu could not question or counteract as leader of an inferior kingdom.