|
| << 2 King 18 | ||
| << 2 Chron 32 | ||
| << Isa 35 | ||
| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
A word about this incredible prophecy and turn of events
To read the events leading up to this, see II Kings 18:1-12 and II Chronicles 29-32:8.
The significance of these events cannot be understated. Here's an overview:
Sennacherib Attacks Judah (II Kings 18:13-16)
13 ¶ And in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15 So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king’s house.
16 At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
Sennacherib (705–681 B.C.) is the new King of Assyria. Let's take a moment to once again reiterate some facts about Assyria. Assyria is not the country of Syria. Assyria became a vast empire that sucked up the other countries in that entire region. Assyria was a military kingdom which had established itself by a successful revolt from Babylonia nearly 50 years earlier. It's seat was right there in modern-day Iraq next to the Tigris River. At this point in time the inhabitants of the former Babylonian Empire were now subject to the rule of the Assyrians, as were also all of the countries in that region of the world.
As we see in these verses, all the fenced cities of Judah, with the exception of Jerusalem, fell to Sennacherib. Hezekiah sought to pay a tribute in lieu of an Assyrian invasion on Jerusalem - ravages his own temple to cough up the funds. Since when is a world conqueror satisfied until he has actually conquered? Sennacherib takes the gold and silver, but Hezekiah's tribute only causes Sennacherib to crave more.
You will notice in the following account that II Kings 18-19 contain near identical text as Isaiah 36-37. II Chronicles 32 only gives a brief summary of the events. These passages are shown side by side for comparative purposes.
Sennacherib...verbal intimidation at its best (II Kings 18:17-37; Isaiah 36:1-22; II Chronicles 32:9-19)
II Kings 18 |
Isaiah 36 |
II Chronicles 32 |
| 1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. | ||
| 17 ¶ Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 18 And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. |
2 Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. 3 And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. |
9 ¶ After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem (but he and all the forces with him laid siege against Lachish), to Hezekiah king of Judah, and to all Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying, |
| 19 Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, “Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: ‘What confidence is this in which you trust? 20 You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 21 Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 22 But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” ’ |
4 ¶ Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, “Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: ‘What confidence is this in which you trust? 5 I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? 6 Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. 7 ¶ “But if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?” ’ |
10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria: ‘In what do you trust, that you remain under siege in Jerusalem? 11 Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, “The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12 Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, “You shall worship before one altar and burn incense on it”? |
| 23 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 24 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 25 Have I now come up without the LORD against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ” |
8 Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! 9 How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? 10 Have I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land, and destroy it.’ ” |
13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of other lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands in any way able to deliver their lands out of my hand? 14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed that could deliver his people from my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand? 15 Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him; for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’ ” |
| 26 ¶ Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 27 ¶ But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?” |
11 ¶ Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 ¶ But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?” |
16 ¶ Furthermore, his servants spoke against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 ¶ He also wrote letters to revile the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.” |
| 28 ¶ Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! 29 Thus says the king: “Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you from his hand; 30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’ 31 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: “Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern; 32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive groves and honey, that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, lest he persuade you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” 33 Has any of the gods of the nations at all delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? |
13 ¶ Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! 14 Thus says the king: “Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’ 16 Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: “Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern; 17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? |
18 Then they called out with a loud voice in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and trouble them, that they might take the city. 19 And they spoke against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth—the work of men’s hands. |
| 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim and Hena and Ivah? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ” 36 ¶ But the people held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. |
19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ” 21 ¶ But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.” 22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh. |
You will notice that the text of II Kings 18:17-37 is nearly identical to that of Isaiah 36:2-22. The II Chronicles 32 account summarizes, but abbreviates some of the account.
Hezekiah has lost all the fortified cities of Judah to Assyria; only Jerusalem (of the fortified cities) remains. After Hezekiah tries to buy Sennacherib off, King Sennacherib is in Judah with his army, but he sends Rabshakeh, one of his officers, with a great army to speak to Hezekiah in Jerusalem. He hollers out some pretty intimidating threats in Hebrew that are to be reported to Hezekiah, but really, they are designed to intimidate everybody within earshot. He points out that Egypt won't be able to help Jerusalem because they are weak, and the Assyrian army has occupied the territory between Egypt and Judah anyway.
Rabshakeh demonstrates his lack of understanding of Israel's worship when he suggests that Hezekiah has destroyed the worship centers of Jehovah, leaving only Jerusalem as a place of worship. He is referring to the pagan altars that Hezekiah had removed during his reign. He then taunts the men of Jerusalem by saying that if Assyria were to provide 2,000 horses, Hezekiah wouldn't even be able to supply the 2,000 fighting men for an army - kind of a wager it appears. This silver-tongued devil (so to speak) goes so far as to say that it was Jehovah who told him to come against Jerusalem (a big fat lie). When it was requested that he speak his words in Aramaic (instead of Hebrew) so the other Jerusalem dwellers would not understand his threatenings, he insists that they need to hear their fate under King Hezekiah by reinforcing this point in a disgustingly graphic way in II Kings 18:27/Isaiah 36:12.
Finally, Rabshakeh proclaims, for all to hear, that none of the gods of the other conquered nations had been able to prevent the siege of the Assyrians. Rabshakeh tells them that if they surrender, they will not die, but be deported to quality real estate in a foreign land. All in all, it was a pretty depressing day in Jerusalem. This event was similar to the leaflets the United States dropped to the people of Hiroshima prior to the devastation of that city in World War II. The King of Assyria intended for Rabshakeh's intimidating message to bring about a grass-roots movement for the surrender of Jerusalem.
Hezekiah then consults Isaiah (II Kings 19:1-7; Isaiah 37:1-7)
II Kings 19 |
Isaiah 37 |
| 1 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ” 5 ¶ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ” |
1 And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. 3 And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. 4 It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ” 5 ¶ So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Do not be afraid of the words which you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. 7 Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ” |
You will notice the identical accounts by the writer of II Kings and Isaiah. There is no similar account in II Chronicles of these events.
It seems to me that it might have been a better idea to consult God's man, Isaiah, before Hezekiah sent all his wealth to Sennacherib. For impact, let's assess the situation: Little ol' Jerusalem is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Assyrian soldiers who have just conquered all of Jerusalem's neighboring countries along with a large chunk of Judah itself. Now, only a little dot on the map (Jerusalem) still remains unconquered, and the guy outside says it's hopeless to resist. He's even admitted that surrender means deportation to a favorable land, but fighting means death.
While everybody else in Jerusalem panics, King Hezekiah sends his leaders to Isaiah for consultation. At this point, Isaiah sends a message by them to Hezekiah saying that JERUSALEM WILL NOT FALL! Isaiah tells Hezekiah that God will send Sennacherib and his big ol' army packin' back to Assyria because of a rumored uprising there.
That is a remarkable prophecy!
Rabshakeh goes home, but writes back (II Kings 19:8-14; Isaiah 37:8-14)
II Kings 19 |
Isaiah 37 |
| 8 ¶ Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “Look, he has come out to make war with you.” So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ” 14 ¶ And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. |
8 ¶ Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to make war with you.” So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: “Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 11 Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered? 12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, Gozan and Haran and Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?’ ” 14 ¶ And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. |
Again, II Kings 19 and Isaiah 37 are nearly identical, but there are no comparable details in II Chronicles.
After his return to Assyrian King Sennacherib who's fighting near Jerusalem in Libnah, Rabshakeh sends a messenger telling Hezekiah that, while he's just dodged a bullet, it's just a matter of time; he's gonna fall. He's a typical bully - gonna tell you what he can do without really doing it.
Hezekiah prays (II Kings 19:15-19; II Chronicles 32:20; Isaiah 37:15-20)
II Kings 19 |
Isaiah 37 |
II Chronicles 32 |
| 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said: “O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone.” |
15 Then Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying: 16 “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 18 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, 19 and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 20 Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone.” |
20 ¶ Now because of this King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. |
II Kings 19 and Isaiah 37 give near-identical accounts of Hezekiah's prayer; II Chronicles 32 simply says that Hezekiah prayed.
Hey! Why didn't we think of this earlier? After outlining Jehovah's greatness, Hezekiah gets to the point: "Show the nations the power of the God of Judah." Though from a practical perspective, things look pretty hopeless, Hezekiah takes the letter from Isaiah and goes to pray for deliverance. I like Hezekiah's appeal to God in II Kings 19:19/Isaiah 37:20, "Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone." After all, the Assyrian King Sennacherib had not just challenged Jerusalem, he had challenged Jerusalem's God.
Isaiah: No Jerusalem for the King of Assyria! (II Kings 19:20-34; Isaiah 37:21-35 )
II Kings 19 |
Isaiah 37 |
| 20 ¶ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, I have heard.’ 21 This is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him: “The virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back! 22 “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 23 By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, And said: “By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I will enter the extremity of its borders, To its fruitful forest. 24 I have dug and drunk strange water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense.” 25 “Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 26 Therefore their inhabitants had little power; They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field And the green herb, As the grass on the housetops And grain blighted before it is grown. 27 “But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me. 28 Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came. 29 ¶ “This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And in the second year what springs from the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 30 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.’ 32 ¶ “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. 33 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,’ Says the LORD. 34 “For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ” |
21 ¶ Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him: “The virgin, the daughter of Zion, Has despised you, laughed you to scorn; The daughter of Jerusalem Has shaken her head behind your back! 23 “Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice, And lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel. 24 By your servants you have reproached the Lord, And said, “By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I will enter its farthest height, To its fruitful forest. 25 I have dug and drunk water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense.’ 26 “Did you not hear long ago How I made it, From ancient times that I formed it? Now I have brought it to pass, That you should be For crushing fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 27 Therefore their inhabitants had little power; They were dismayed and confounded; They were as the grass of the field And the green herb, As the grass on the housetops And grain blighted before it is grown. 28 “But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me. 29 Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came.” ’ 30 ¶ “This shall be a sign to you: You shall eat this year such as grows of itself, And the second year what springs from the same; Also in the third year sow and reap, Plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. 31 And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward. 32 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, And those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. 33 ¶ “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it. 34 By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,’ Says the LORD. 35 “For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’ ” |
Isaiah's prophetic reply to Hezekiah is found in the near-identical accounts of II Kings 19 and Isaiah 37. II Chronicles does not record Isaiah's prophecy.
Prayer heard! Isaiah prophesies - says that Sennacherib's successes to this point had been prophesied, but now it's over - no Jerusalem for him. He tells Hezekiah that he and his city will survive with a remnant - no fall to the Assyrians. Notice WHY Jerusalem will not be conquered by the Assyrians in II Kings 19:34, "For I will defend this city, to save it For My own sake and for My servant David’s sake." Isaiah prophesies that Jerusalem will not be conquered by Sennacherib's Assyrian army...remarkable!
Divine deliverance for Jerusalem (II Kings 19:35-37; II Chronicles 32:21-22; Isaiah 37:36-38)
II Kings 19 |
Isaiah 37 |
II Chronicles 32 |
| 35 ¶ And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 37 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. |
36 ¶ Then the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. 38 Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. |
21 Then the LORD sent an angel who cut down every mighty man of valor, leader, and captain in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned shamefaced to his own land. And when he had gone into the temple of his god, some of his own offspring struck him down with the sword there. 22 ¶ Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. |
II Kings 19 and Isaiah 37 record identical details about what went wrong for Sennacherib and his Assyrian army surrounding Jerusalem. II Chronicles 32 just summarizes the events.
HERE'S THE EXCITING PART! That very night an angel destroys 185,000 Assyrian troops, miraculously; They just wake up dead. Troop challenged, Sennacherib returns home to Ninevah (yes, that's Jonah's Ninevah). There his sons assassinate him (II Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38), and one of his sons (Esarhaddon) takes over as king. Sennacherib should have spent more time child rearing and less time warring. It's not healthy to mess with Judah's God. God had a supernatural solution to what seemed to be an impossible problem; Jerusalem is spared.
Nahum had prophesied regarding the death of Sennacherib in Nahum 1:14-15 (see notes), including the fact that it would take place in the presence of his gods. We see in II Kings 19:37 and Isaiah 37:38 that Sennacherib "was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god" at the time that his own sons assassinated him.
Is this an exciting story or what?
