Isaiah 20:1

Tartan. Literally, “the commander,” tartan being the title of the commander in chief of the Assyrian armies, not his personal name. In the annals of the 11th year of Sargon (711 B.C.) it is recorded that Azuri, king of Ashdod, revolted against Assyria, and that Sargon promptly sent an army, deposed Azuri, and set his younger brother Ahimiti upon the throne of Ashdod. The Ashdodites, however, refused to accept the Assyrian appointee and set a Greek adventurer upon the throne instead. According to Sargon’s annals, other Philistine cities, with Judah, Edom, and Moab, joined in the struggle against Assyria, and an appeal asking him to be their ally was sent to “Pir’u [Pharaoh?] king of Musru [Egypt?], a potentate, [who was] unable to save them.” When Sargon attacked Ashdod, the Greek usurper fled “into the territory of Musru, which belongs to Ethiopia,” and an Assyrian was made governor. The distant king of Ethiopia was stricken with terror at Sargon’s advance, and quickly took steps to make his peace with Assyria, putting the Greek in fetters and sending him to the land of Assyria.

Sargon. For many years the only available reference to this important Assyrian king was the statement here made. Skeptics previously challenged the historical accuracy of this text, but during the course of his excavations at Khorsabad in the years 1843 to 1845, however, Botta discovered the palace of Sargon, together with its famous inscriptions that deal with the history of this important king.