1. Ezra 4:10 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Who was Osnappar?

Ezra 4:10 (ESV)

10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Osnappar deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and in the rest of the province Beyond the River.

Once again, mention is made of an Assyrian king who deported and settle people in Samaria. This time it is Osnappar (also known as Ashurbanipal) and not Esarhaddon (Ezra 4:2). Osnappar (669-633 BC) was the last great Assyrian king, famed for having a large library at Nineveh.1 He was the only Assyrian king to conquer the city of Susa in Elam (southwest Iran). Because of Susa’s part in revolt against Assyria, the city was destroyed by Osnappar in 640 BC.2