Sennacherib

Sennacherib was a king of Assyria. He invaded Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah and threatened Jerusalem. His name is also preserved in Assyrian records outside the Bible. Scholars generally date his reign to about 705–681 BC, though the exact dates vary somewhat among scholars.

Biblical Account

The principal accounts are found in 2 Kings 18–19, Isaiah 36–37, and 2 Chronicles 32.

• Invasion of Judah: In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, Sennacherib attacked the fortified cities of Judah and captured them (2 Kings 18:13). Hezekiah paid Sennacherib, who was then at Lachish, three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold (2 Kings 18:14–16).
• Threat against Jerusalem: Sennacherib sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh to demand surrender. The Rabshakeh mocked the LORD before the people, urging them not to trust in Him (2 Kings 18:17–35).
• Prayer and prophecy: Hezekiah spread the letter Sennacherib had sent before the LORD in the temple and prayed (2 Kings 19:14–19). Isaiah prophesied that Sennacherib would not come into the city but would return by the way he came (2 Kings 19:32–34).
• Outcome: That night the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp, and Sennacherib returned to Nineveh (2 Kings 19:35–36). Later, while he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, his two sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword. The two sons fled to the land of Ararat (rendered "Armenia" in the KJV), and his son Esarhaddon reigned in his place (2 Kings 19:37). Because of this passage, his name also appears in the article on Mount Ararat.

Significance in the Bible

The text portrays Sennacherib as a king who boasted of his own power. He regarded the God of Israel as no different from the gods of the other nations he had conquered (2 Kings 19:10–13). The episode is connected to the theme, found throughout the book of Isaiah, of trusting in the LORD rather than in great powers. Sennacherib is not mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debates

• Assyrian records: Assyrian inscriptions recording Sennacherib's campaigns (commonly called the "Annals of Sennacherib") have survived. These inscriptions state that he shut up Hezekiah in Jerusalem "like a bird in a cage," but they are understood to contain no claim that Jerusalem was captured. The Lachish reliefs (scenes carved in stone) from the palace at Nineveh, which depict the fall of Lachish, are also regarded as evidence related to this campaign.
• The death of the 185,000: Traditionally, this event has been read as a miracle of direct divine intervention. Some scholars also consider causes such as plague. The text, however, attributes the event only to "the angel of the LORD."
• Chronology: Many scholars date this campaign to about 701 BC. Reconciling this date with "the fourteenth year of Hezekiah" depends on when Hezekiah came to the throne, and scholarly opinions differ. In addition, the Bible narrates Sennacherib's assassination directly after his return home. His death, however, is understood to have occurred about twenty years after the campaign, so the text is read as passing over the intervening period.
• Nisroch: The identity of the god Nisroch has not been determined with certainty.

In the Korean Church

Sennacherib is discussed chiefly in connection with the story of Hezekiah. The scene of Hezekiah spreading the letter before the LORD and praying is frequently used as a sermon text on prayer in times of crisis. The destruction of the Assyrian army in a single night is cited as an example of the downfall of arrogant power.