01_Dubovský_321_346 28/10/14 10:32 Pagina 346 346 PETER DUBOVSKÝ the events encoded in the rhetoric of redactors and final editors. 2 Kings 15 is a good example of how an apparently monotonous de- scription of events, in particular, revolts, invasions, and rebellions, could point to some dynamics that can easily escape the reader’s attention. Even though 2 Kings 15 is the result of multiple redactors and editors, its final composition points to a well conceived struc- ture that goes beyond a mere description of political events. By ex- amining 2 Kings 15 I have pointed out structural and rhetorical elements that could lead us to a new reconstruction of the fall of the Northern Kingdom. In particular, by analyzing various narrative and rhetorical devices I have suggested that the fall of the Northern Kingdom was due to the combination of multiple external and in- ternal factors. This conclusion achieved from the rhetoric of the biblical texts corroborates several studies on the mechanics of the Neo-Assyrian expansion and control. These studies show that As- syrian military campaigns on their own were often insufficient to subdue hostile kingdoms and had to be supported by other military and non-military tools such as fomenting instability in the region, financial pressure, covert actions, raids, etc. Combining these two types of studies we can conclude that the fall of the Northern King- dom was caused by multiple factors listed in section VII. Pontifical Biblical Institute Peter DUBOVSKÝ Via della Pilotta, 25 I–00187 Rome SUMMARY By applying various exegetical methodologies to 2 Kings 15, I have tried to identify the dynamics responsible for the fall of the Northern Kingdom, such as its instability, financial problems, tribal tensions, wrong international policy, etc. By analyzing some Assyrian documents it was shown that these dynamics were often in play during Assyrian invasions.