Person Old Testament
Tartan
Also known as Tartan =ESV, KJV; supreme commander =NIV
The Tartan was a high-ranking Assyrian military commander who led campaigns against Ashdod and Jerusalem. Mentioned once in Scripture, at 2 Kings 18:17.
Why it matters. Title of an Assyrian military commander
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Tartan
The Tartan is mentioned in 2Ki.18.17 and Isa.20.1 as a title of a high-ranking Assyrian military commander. In 2 Kings, the Tartan, along with the Rabsaris and the Rabshakeh, was sent by King Sennacherib of Assyria to Jerusalem to intimidate King Hezekiah and demand his surrender. In Isaiah, the Tartan was sent by Sargon king of Assyria to attack the city of Ashdod. The Tartan was likely second in command to the king and led major military campaigns. The title is of Akkadian origin and refers to the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
2 Kings (1 verse)