Adrammelech

Biblical Account

Adrammelech appears in 2 Kings 19:37 and Isaiah 37:38, two nearly identical passages. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked Judah in the days of Hezekiah. He then withdrew and stayed at Nineveh. Later, while Sennacherib was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. Sennacherib's son Esarhaddon then became king.

Isaiah 37:38 identifies the two men as "his sons." The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) omits this phrase in 2 Kings 19:37. 2 Chronicles 32:21 does not name them and records only that "they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword." Scripture says nothing more about Adrammelech's life.

The same name also appears in 2 Kings 17:31, where it belongs to a god rather than a person. This deity was worshiped by the people of Sepharvaim who were resettled in Samaria, and the text records that they burned their children in fire to this god. The deity should be distinguished from the person treated in this article.

Significance Within Scripture

The narrative presents the event as the fulfillment of a word previously delivered by the prophet Isaiah. In that word, God declared concerning Sennacherib, "I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land" (2 Kings 19:7; Isaiah 37:7). Sennacherib had boasted that the gods of other nations had been unable to deliver their peoples. The text focuses on the contrast that this same king was killed by his own sons in the very place where he was worshiping his god. The New Testament does not mention Adrammelech.

Interpretation and Issues

• Timing of the event: The biblical text narrates Sennacherib's retreat and his death in succession. A chronology based on Assyrian records, however, places several years between the two events. Sennacherib's death is generally dated to about 681 BC.
• Comparison with extrabiblical records: Ancient Near Eastern sources such as the Babylonian Chronicles are also understood to report that Sennacherib was murdered by a son. Some scholars identify Adrammelech with the prince Arda-Mulissi, who is known from Assyrian texts. This identification is a scholarly proposal rather than an established fact.
• The name: The name is spelled the same way as the god's name in 2 Kings 17:31. Its precise meaning and origin are uncertain.
• The land of Ararat: The term is understood to refer to the region of Urartu, in the area of present-day Armenia and eastern Turkey. The name of the mountain where Noah's ark came to rest also derives from this place name.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, Adrammelech is rarely the subject of a sermon in his own right. He is usually mentioned in passing when sermons or Sunday school lessons on Hezekiah's prayer and the defeat of the Assyrian army explain how Sennacherib died.