1. Shamsi Adad I., whom we believe to have been Hadadezer, the foe of King David of Israel.
   
2. Zimri Lim of Mari (active ca. 975-922), whom we believe to have been Solomon's Syrian foe Rezon [10].
   
3. Iahdunlim, whom we believe to have been Eliada, father of Rezon.
   
4. Yarim Lim of coastal Yamkhud, whom we believe to have been Hiram, king of Tyre.[12]

Here is the story of their reign

We should recognize that the ancient history of Mesopotamia is not yet based on a secure chronology. Typically king lists of Mesopotamia contain merely names with no indications as to overlapping and time periods. Modern historians tried to parallel their concepts of Egyptian data with those of Mesopotamian history. In our estimate there are a few clues which allow for equating certain kings with those from Biblical history where they are known under different names. What we intend to do is bring source material together of three central figures, Shamsi Adad I, Zimri Lim and Yarim Lim. We shall use them as pillars to present a defensible chronology which we shall elaborate on as new information comes in.

Shamsi Adad is conventionally dated to about 1815-1782 BC. His name is found in the so-called `Assyrian Kinglist'. Shamsi Adad's father was `Ila-kabkabuhu', who was according to all appearances an insignificant local ruler at Assur. From Shamsi Adad we have building inscriptions written in what scholars call `Old Babylonian'.

But first we quote from the scriptural source since many can follow along these verses in their own copy of this book.

Hadadezer was the foe of King David of Israel. "And ... David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took `Metheg-am-mah' out of the hand of the Philistines. And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts. David smote also `Hadadezer', the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates. And David took from him a thousand chariots: and 700 horsemen, and 20,000 footmen: and David lamed (cut the heel's sinew) all the chariot horses, but saved of them 100 chariots. But when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians 22,000 men. Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went. And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass. When `Toi', king of Hammath, heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, then `Toi' sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: Which also king David did dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he had subdued; of Syria and Moab, and of all the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah." 2.Samuel 8:1-12
"When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David's nostrils, they hired 20,000 Aramean soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a 1,000 men, and also 12,000 men from Tob. ... Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. ... After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the River (Euphrates); they went to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them. ... When David was told of this he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. But they fled before Israel, and David killed 700 of their charioteers and 40,000 of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of the army, and he died there. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore" [2.Samuel 10:6-17 NIV]

One significant chronological anchor is the information that Shamsi-Adad boasted that he had erected triumphal stelae in Lebanon. He was allied with the princes of upper Syria, notably Carchemish and Qatna, and with Hammurabi of Babylon. We know from Scripture that Hadadezer liked to set up victory monuments; David defeated him "as he went to set up his monument at the river Euphrates" (1.Chronicles 18:3). Scripture records also that the Syrian was ruler of the kings beyond the river (2.Samuel 10:16,19), i.e. the Euphrates, as later records from Assyria confirm as well. Hickman thought that "this description resembles that of Shamsi-Adad". According to Dean Hickman, Shobach was probably Shamsi Adad's pleasure loving son Iasmakh-Adad.
In a date formula from Eshnunna the army of Iasmakh-Adad, the son of Shamsi-Adad, is called "the host of Shubartu and Khana". Cities described in 2.Samuel 8:8 to belong to Hadadezer were:

1. Betakh
   
2. Berothai
   
3. Tibhath or Tebah
   
4. Chun

Some writers have pointed out that the Biblical narrative first claims that David defeated the Syrians and two chapters later when David was campaigning against the Ammonites, the Syrians, he had just defeated, (the author, being a poor scholar, actually makes a defeat into a total wipe out) are now sending troops to help the Ammonites. How can that be? Well, as we learn about the Mesopotamian kings we realize they ruled off and on over a large region and would have had no problem in raising new armies.

Rezon we identify as Zimri Lim of Mari who once wrote:

A historically important Mari letter:

"There is no king who can be mighty alone. Behind Hammurabi, the man of Babylon, march 10, 15 kings; as many march behind Rim-Sin, the man of Larsa, Ipal-piel, the man of Eshnunna, Amut-piel, the man of Qatna, and behind `Yarim Lim', the man of Yahmad, march 20 kings." [200]

Of the palace archives of Mari 1,600 letters have been published addressed partly to the palace at Mari or copies of letters sent from the palace. Most of them cover the period from Yasmah Adad, son of Hadadezer/Shamsi Adad to Rezon/Zimri Lim.

Besides these letters we have over a hundred legal documents and about 1,000 administrative documents. The archive records details covering the ancient world from Crete in the west to Susa and Larsa in the east, Hazor in the southwest in Palestine and north into Anatolia. The letters mention frequently Elam in diplomatic type letters, gifts from Crete are mentioned and copper from Cyprus. But among all these places mentioned in their world, we find it strange that there are no references to Egypt.

To explain that we must remember that the 18th Dynasty had just begun to reign in about 1012 BC when the Amalekite/Hyksos occupiers were defeated by Ahmose with the help of King Saul. David's reign extended from 1010 to 970 BC and Solomon's from 970 to 930 BC. We can see that Egypt at this time was just beginning to become a regional power again. Its mightiest native kings after the days of Ahmose were still in the future. However, applying conventional chronology it certainly would be a puzzling question why Egypt was not mentioned in the Mari letters.

But Mesopotamia had another treasure trough of a cuneiform library in store. In 1986 a 14 x 9 foot library at Sippar, Iraq, containing about 2000 tablets, was found. Among these was one described as a prologue to the Codex Hammurabi.

Zimri Lim's Contemporaries and the Evidence from Mari