Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah

Biblical Account

The event is recorded in greatest detail in 2 Kings 18:13–19:37. Isaiah 36–37 contains nearly identical material, and 2 Chronicles 32:1–23 gives a condensed account.

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Hezekiah sent word to Sennacherib at Lachish acknowledging his offense and paid three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold (2 Kings 18:14). Sennacherib nevertheless sent Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh to Jerusalem. Rabshakeh shouted in the language of Judah so that the people on the wall could understand him, taunting them that to rely on Egypt was to trust in "the staff of this bruised reed" and that the LORD would not be able to deliver them either.

Hezekiah tore his clothes, went into the temple, and sent his officials to the prophet Isaiah. When Sennacherib sent another threatening letter, Hezekiah spread it before the LORD and prayed (2 Kings 19:14–19). Isaiah prophesied that the king of Assyria would not shoot an arrow at Jerusalem but would return by the way he came. That night the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp, and Sennacherib returned to Nineveh. Later, while he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword (2 Kings 19:35–37).

Background

Before this, Assyria had captured Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Kings 18:9–12; see Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel). Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria and refused to serve it (2 Kings 18:7), and Sennacherib's invasion is understood as punishment for this rebellion. According to 2 Chronicles 32, Hezekiah prepared for the invasion by stopping the springs outside the city, repairing the walls, and bringing the upper watercourse of Gihon down to the west side of the city of David. This water project is commonly associated with the channel that leads to what is today the Pool of Siloam.

The Assyrian side of the story is also preserved in Sennacherib's annals, which include an account of this campaign. In them Sennacherib reportedly claims that he captured forty-six cities of Judah, shut Hezekiah up in Jerusalem "like a bird in a cage," and received tribute. The Lachish reliefs from the palace at Nineveh, which depict the assault on Lachish, are also widely cited as evidence of this campaign.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The text presents the event as God's response to the Assyrian king's having reproached "the living God" (2 Kings 19:16). Isaiah declared that this deliverance was for God's own sake and "for my servant David's sake" (Isaiah 37:35), linking it to the Davidic covenant. The promise that a remnant would go forth from Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:31–32) also connects with a theme that runs throughout the book of Isaiah. The New Testament does not cite this event directly, but its theme of trusting God rather than man in the face of threats from great powers is often read alongside the New Testament understanding of faith.

Interpretation and Issues

• The death of 185,000: Many church traditions read this as a direct, supernatural judgment of God. Some scholars also raise the possibility that God used a means such as a plague. Others connect the event with a story told by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus about the defeat of Sennacherib's army, but this is not what the biblical text itself says.
• Chronological questions: The text mentions the advance of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia (Cush; 2 Kings 19:9). In connection with this reference, scholars are divided over whether Sennacherib's campaign should be understood as a single campaign or as two.
• Distinguishing the text from later embellishments: Sermons sometimes present Sennacherib as dying immediately after his return. The text, however, simply records his return and his death in sequence without stating the interval between them. According to Assyrian records, his death occurred a considerable number of years after the campaign.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant preaching, the scene in which Hezekiah spread the threatening letter "before the LORD" and prayed is frequently cited in sermons on prayer in times of crisis. Rabshakeh's taunts and Hezekiah's response also appear in sermons on keeping the faith in the face of the world's threats.