As Assyria became the dominant force in the Near East in the ninth century B.C.E., the kingdoms of Israel and Judea maintained their independence only through large payments of tribute. This tributary relationship is reflected in artifacts such as the Black Obelisk of the Assyrian king, Shalmaneser III, from 841 B.C.E. When Judea and Israel, as vassal states, refused to submit tributary payments, the Assyrian kings invaded their lands and laid siege to their cities.

As a result of Israel's refusal to pay tribute to the Assyrians, in 722 B.C.E. the Assyrians laid siege to the northern kingdom of Israel, capturing its capital at Samaria, and deporting a large portion of the Israelite population to other parts of the Assyrian Empire. These events were recorded in the Annals of Sargon II, king of Assyria, from ca. 722 B.C.E. Judea remained as the sole autonomous Jewish kingdom, but its autonomy was threatened as the Assyrians attempted to maintain their supremacy over the entirety of the Near East.

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