Stele of Bel-harran-bel-usur
Copied from Daniel David Luckenbill's
Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia

     The inscription on an alabaster stele, discovered in 1894 at Tell Abta, west of Mosul, and now in the Constantinople Museum, throws an interesting light upon the unsettled period preceding the reign of Tiglath-pileser III. Bel-harran-bel-usur, successively high chamberlain under Shalmaneser IV and Tiglath-pileser, founded a city in the desert, west of Nineveh, built a temple, and endowed its cult. And this official, not his royal masters, established the freedom of this city from certain taxes and dues!
   Text published by Scheil, RT, XVI, 176ff., and republished by Unger, Die Stele des Bel-Harran-beli-ussur.
     Marduk, the great lord, king of the gods, who holds the cord (?) of heaven and earth, founder of cities, builder of metropolises, guardian of all the shrines of the gods; Nabu, scribe of the gods, who grasps the shining stylus, who holds the tablet of destiny of the gods, leader of the Igigi and Anunnaki, dispenser of food, giver of life; Shamash, light of the lands, judge of all cities, (protecting) shadow of the (four) regions (of the earth); Sin, light-bearer (?) of heaven and earth, bearer of the lofty horns, who is clothed in splendor; shining goddess (Ishtar) of the stars, Inninna, to whom it is good to turn, who receives prayer; the great gods, in their totality, who hear his petitions, his helpers, his lords, me, Bel-harran-bel-usur, the major-domo of Tiglath-pileser (written over Shalmaneser),1 king of Assyria, who fears the great gods, they have sent and, - the mightly lords, at their exalted word (command) and by their sure grace, I founded a city in the desert, in a waste. From its foundation to its top I completed it. A temple I built and I placed a shrine for the great gods therein. Its foundation platform I made firm as the mountains are set down (lit., poured out), I established its foundation (walls) for all eternity. Dur-Belharran-bel-usur I called its name, - in the mouth of the people, and I opened up a road to it. I inscribed a stele, the images of the gods I fashioned on it, in the divine dwelling place I set it up. A living (lit., portion, estate), offerings, incense (-offerings) I established for these gods for all time.
   Whatever later (prince), whose name Assur, Shamash, Nergal and Adad shall name for preferment (lit., favor), who shall rule the land, let him restore the ruins of that city (and) temple, let not the living and offerings of these gods come to an end (cease).
   The freedom of that city I have established. Its grain-levy shall not be taken, its straw shall not be taxed, its water (let) none drain off into another channel; boundary and boundary-stone let (none) destroy; the increase of cattle and sheep let (none) seize; on the people dwelling therein, let (none) impose feudal dues or taskwork; let none send out any other man to be over them, let none impose (military) service (?) upon them. And as for (this stele), do not remove it from its place, do not set it up in another place, do not bring it into a pesthouse (or, house of darkness), do not break it to pieces, do not cover it with dust, do not throw it into the water, do not burn it with fire, do not daub it with pitch, do not blot out the inscription. Then the gods whose names are written in (this) sculptured stele (lit., stele of reliefs), - in warfare, battle and combat, (in) sickness, epidemic, plague (and) pestilence, when you raise your hands (in supplication), they will hear your prayer, they will come to your aid.
   Whoever destroys my inscription and my name, may Assur, Shamash, Marduk and Adad, the great gods, into the endless future (lit., the future of not being), have no mercy upon him.

     1 This important discovery of Unger's shows that Bel-harran-bel-assur served successively under Shalmaneser IV and Tiglath-pileser III.

  Commentary

Aside from its chronological significance, and the information that it reveals about an obscure period in Assryian history, this tablet reveals a man's desire for men to dwell in peace with God and one another. The actions undertaken by him show that a city, or dwelling place, must be built that is free from the burdens that men place upon each other. For this to be accomplished he recognized that a temple, or dwelling place for God, must be constructed so that men might commune with the divine being, and that he might rule over them, providing relief from war, sickness, and all plagues that are common to men. Thus, this man, by his deeds, prophesied of something greater, for which I must refer to the text of scripture to explain. Therefore, I will quote from the text of the tablet and supply the text of scripture that relates to the greater fulfillment.

 
For Reflection

"the great lord, king of the gods, who holds the cord of heaven and earth"
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." - Isaiah 65:17; ASV.
"I founded a city in the desert, in a waste."

"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, and before his fierce anger." - Jeremiah 4:23-26; ASV.
"Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it." - Isaiah 2:2; NASV.
"From its foundation to its top I completed it."
"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband." - Revelation 21:2; NASV.
"Its foundation platform I made firm as the mountains are set down,"

"And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal:" - Revelation 21:10, 11; ASV.
"I established its foundation (walls) for all eternity."
"having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:" - Revelation 21:12; ASV.
"and I opened up a road to it."
"And many nations will come and say, 'Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us about His ways and that we may walk in His paths.' For from Zion will go forth the law, even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." - Micah 4:2; NASV.
"The freedom of that city I have established."
"But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." - Isaiah 65:18; ASV.
"Its grain-levy shall not be taken, its straw shall not be taxed, its water (let) none drain off into another channel;"
"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands." - Isaiah 65:21, 22; ASV.

 
Conclusion

It is truly remarkable that the one who built the city in the wilderness, and wrote his words upon the stele, shared the same desire as the one promised in scripture, who is known as the Messiah. He is the one greater than Solomon, who built the temple; greater than Cryus, who freed the captives - thus causing Jerusalem to be built. He is the prophet like Moses, who led the people from Egypt. He is a man of war like Joshua, who led the people into the promised land. He is the greater Ezra, who laid the foundation of the temple. Yet God says, "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest?" (Isaiah 66:1; ASV) And Solomon declared, "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee, how much less this house which I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27) Thus, many a learned man has said, "God does not dwell in temples made with hands." So who is the one who will make a search for the city in the wilderness, and really find the dwelling place of God? Who can understand what is written in Scripture, and what it means when men make temples for God, that the way to dwelling with him might be understood? And what of the text, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a costly corner-stone of sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste." - Isaiah 28:16; The Holy Scriptures.

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