1 And it came to pass, when king H4428 Hezekiah H2396 heard H8085 it, that he rent H7167 his clothes, H899 and covered H3680 himself with sackcloth, H8242 and went H935 into the house H1004 of the LORD. H3068
2 And he sent H7971 Eliakim, H471 which was over the household, H1004 and Shebna H7644 the scribe, H5608 and the elders H2205 of the priests, H3548 covered H3680 with sackcloth, H8242 to Isaiah H3470 the prophet H5030 the son H1121 of Amoz. H531
3 And they said H559 unto him, Thus saith H559 Hezekiah, H2396 This day H3117 is a day H3117 of trouble, H6869 and of rebuke, H8433 and blasphemy: H5007 for the children H1121 are come H935 to the birth, H4866 and there is not strength H3581 to bring forth. H3205
4 It may be H194 the LORD H3068 thy God H430 will hear H8085 all the words H1697 of Rabshakeh, H7262 whom the king H4428 of Assyria H804 his master H113 hath sent H7971 to reproach H2778 the living H2416 God; H430 and will reprove H3198 the words H1697 which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 hath heard: H8085 wherefore lift up H5375 thy prayer H8605 for the remnant H7611 that are left. H4672
5 So the servants H5650 of king H4428 Hezekiah H2396 came H935 to Isaiah. H3470
6 And Isaiah H3470 said H559 unto them, Thus shall ye say H559 to your master, H113 Thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 Be not afraid H3372 of H6440 the words H1697 which thou hast heard, H8085 with which the servants H5288 of the king H4428 of Assyria H804 have blasphemed H1442 me.
7 Behold, I will send H5414 a blast H7307 upon him, and he shall hear H8085 a rumour, H8052 and shall return H7725 to his own land; H776 and I will cause him to fall H5307 by the sword H2719 in his own land. H776
8 So Rabshakeh H7262 returned, H7725 and found H4672 the king H4428 of Assyria H804 warring H3898 against Libnah: H3841 for he had heard H8085 that he was departed H5265 from Lachish. H3923
9 And when he heard H8085 say H559 of Tirhakah H8640 king H4428 of Ethiopia, H3568 Behold, he is come out H3318 to fight H3898 against thee: he sent H7971 messengers H4397 again H7725 unto Hezekiah, H2396 saying, H559
10 Thus shall ye speak H559 to Hezekiah H2396 king H4428 of Judah, H3063 saying, H559 Let not thy God H430 in whom thou trustest H982 deceive H5377 thee, saying, H559 Jerusalem H3389 shall not be delivered H5414 into the hand H3027 of the king H4428 of Assyria. H804
11 Behold, thou hast heard H8085 what the kings H4428 of Assyria H804 have done H6213 to all lands, H776 by destroying them utterly: H2763 and shalt thou be delivered? H5337
12 Have the gods H430 of the nations H1471 delivered H5337 them which my fathers H1 have destroyed; H7843 as Gozan, H1470 and Haran, H2771 and Rezeph, H7530 and the children H1121 of Eden H5729 which were in Thelasar? H8515
13 Where is the king H4428 of Hamath, H2574 and the king H4428 of Arpad, H774 and the king H4428 of the city H5892 of Sepharvaim, H5617 of Hena, H2012 and Ivah? H5755
14 And Hezekiah H2396 received H3947 the letter H5612 of the hand H3027 of the messengers, H4397 and read H7121 it: and Hezekiah H2396 went up H5927 into the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 and spread H6566 it before H6440 the LORD. H3068
15 And Hezekiah H2396 prayed H6419 before H6440 the LORD, H3068 and said, H559 O LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel, H3478 which dwellest H3427 between the cherubims, H3742 thou art the God, H430 even thou alone, of all the kingdoms H4467 of the earth; H776 thou hast made H6213 heaven H8064 and earth. H776
16 LORD, H3068 bow down H5186 thine ear, H241 and hear: H8085 open, H6491 LORD, H3068 thine eyes, H5869 and see: H7200 and hear H8085 the words H1697 of Sennacherib, H5576 which hath sent H7971 him to reproach H2778 the living H2416 God. H430
17 Of a truth, H551 LORD, H3068 the kings H4428 of Assyria H804 have destroyed H2717 the nations H1471 and their lands, H776
18 And have cast H5414 their gods H430 into the fire: H784 for they were no gods, H430 but the work H4639 of men's H120 hands, H3027 wood H6086 and stone: H68 therefore they have destroyed H6 them.
19 Now therefore, O LORD H3068 our God, H430 I beseech thee, save H3467 thou us out of his hand, H3027 that all the kingdoms H4467 of the earth H776 may know H3045 that thou art the LORD H3068 God, H430 even thou only.
20 Then Isaiah H3470 the son H1121 of Amoz H531 sent H7971 to Hezekiah, H2396 saying, H559 Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel, H3478 That which thou hast prayed H6419 to me against Sennacherib H5576 king H4428 of Assyria H804 I have heard. H8085
21 This is the word H1697 that the LORD H3068 hath spoken H1696 concerning him; The virgin H1330 the daughter H1323 of Zion H6726 hath despised H959 thee, and laughed thee to scorn; H3932 the daughter H1323 of Jerusalem H3389 hath shaken H5128 her head H7218 at thee. H310
22 Whom hast thou reproached H2778 and blasphemed? H1442 and against whom hast thou exalted H7311 thy voice, H6963 and lifted up H5375 thine eyes H5869 on high? H4791 even against the Holy H6918 One of Israel. H3478
23 By H3027 thy messengers H4397 thou hast reproached H2778 the Lord, H136 and hast said, H559 With the multitude H7230 of my chariots H7393 H7393 I am come up H5927 to the height H4791 of the mountains, H2022 to the sides H3411 of Lebanon, H3844 and will cut down H3772 the tall H6967 cedar trees H730 thereof, and the choice H4004 fir trees H1265 thereof: and I will enter H935 into the lodgings H4411 of his borders, H7093 and into the forest H3293 of his Carmel. H3760
24 I have digged H6979 and drunk H8354 strange H2114 waters, H4325 and with the sole H3709 of my feet H6471 have I dried H2717 up all the rivers H2975 of besieged places. H4693
25 Hast thou not heard H8085 long ago H7350 how I have done H6213 it, and of ancient H6924 times H3117 that I have formed H3335 it? now have I brought H935 it to pass, that thou shouldest be to lay waste H7582 fenced H1219 cities H5892 into ruinous H5327 heaps. H1530
26 Therefore their inhabitants H3427 were of small H7116 power, H3027 they were dismayed H2865 and confounded; H954 they were as the grass H6212 of the field, H7704 and as the green H3419 herb, H1877 as the grass H2682 on the housetops, H1406 and as corn blasted H7711 before H6440 it be grown up. H7054
27 But I know H3045 thy abode, H3427 and thy going out, H3318 and thy coming in, H935 and thy rage H7264 against me.
28 Because thy rage H7264 against me and thy tumult H7600 is come up H5927 into mine ears, H241 therefore I will put H7760 my hook H2397 in thy nose, H639 and my bridle H4964 in thy lips, H8193 and I will turn thee back H7725 by the way H1870 by which thou camest. H935
29 And this shall be a sign H226 unto thee, Ye shall eat H398 this year H8141 such things as grow H5599 of themselves, and in the second H8145 year H8141 that which springeth H7823 of the same; and in the third H7992 year H8141 sow H2232 ye, and reap, H7114 and plant H5193 vineyards, H3754 and eat H398 the fruits H6529 thereof.
30 And the remnant H7604 that is escaped H6413 of the house H1004 of Judah H3063 shall yet again H3254 take root H8328 downward, H4295 and bear H6213 fruit H6529 upward. H4605
31 For out of Jerusalem H3389 shall go forth H3318 a remnant, H7611 and they that escape H6413 out of mount H2022 Zion: H6726 the zeal H7068 of the LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 shall do H6213 this.
32 Therefore thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 concerning the king H4428 of Assyria, H804 He shall not come H935 into this city, H5892 nor shoot H3384 an arrow H2671 there, nor come before H6923 it with shield, H4043 nor cast H8210 a bank H5550 against it.
33 By the way H1870 that he came, H935 by the same shall he return, H7725 and shall not come H935 into this city, H5892 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
34 For I will defend H1598 this city, H5892 to save H3467 it, for mine own sake, and for my servant H5650 David's H1732 sake.
35 And it came to pass that night, H3915 that the angel H4397 of the LORD H3068 went out, H3318 and smote H5221 in the camp H4264 of the Assyrians H804 an hundred H3967 fourscore H8084 and five H2568 thousand: H505 and when they arose early H7925 in the morning, H1242 behold, they were all dead H4191 corpses. H6297
36 So Sennacherib H5576 king H4428 of Assyria H804 departed, H5265 and went H3212 and returned, H7725 and dwelt H3427 at Nineveh. H5210
37 And it came to pass, as he was worshipping H7812 in the house H1004 of Nisroch H5268 his god, H430 that Adrammelech H152 and Sharezer H8272 his sons H1121 smote H5221 him with the sword: H2719 and they escaped H4422 into the land H776 of Armenia. H780 And Esarhaddon H634 his son H1121 reigned H4427 in his stead.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Kings 19
Commentary on 2 Kings 19 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 19
2Ki 19:1-5. Hezekiah in Deep Affliction.
1-3. when king Hezekiah heard it, he rent his clothes—The rending of his clothes was a mode of expressing horror at the daring blasphemy—the assumption of sackcloth a sign of his mental distress—his entrance into the temple to pray the refuge of a pious man in affliction—and the forwarding an account of the Assyrian's speech to Isaiah was to obtain the prophet's counsel and comfort. The expression in which the message was conveyed described, by a strong figure, the desperate condition of the kingdom, together with their own inability to help themselves; and it intimated also a hope, that the blasphemous defiance of Jehovah's power by the impious Assyrian might lead to some direct interposition for the vindication of His honor and supremacy to all heathen gods.
4. the living God—"The living God" is a most significant expression taken in connection with the senseless deities that Rab-shakeh boasted were unable to resist his master's victorious arms.
2Ki 19:6, 7. Comforted by Isaiah.
6. Isaiah said … Be not afraid—The prophet's answer was most cheering, as it held out the prospect of a speedy deliverance from the invader. The blast, the rumor, the fall by the sword, contained a brief prediction that was soon fulfilled in all the three particulars—namely, the alarm that hastened his retreat, the destruction that overtook his army, and the violent death that suddenly ended his career.
2Ki 19:8-13. Sennacherib Sends a Blasphemous Letter to Hezekiah.
8. So Rab-shakeh … found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah—Whether Lachish had fallen or not, is not said. But Sennacherib had transferred his battering-rams against the apparently neighboring fortress of Libnah (Jos 10:29; compare Jos 10:31; 15:42), where the chief-cup-bearer reported the execution of his mission.
9-13. when he heard say of Tirhakah …, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee, &c.—This was the "rumor" to which Isaiah referred [2Ki 19:7]. Tirhakah reigned in Upper Egypt, while So (or Sabaco) ruled in Lower Egypt. He was a powerful monarch, another Sesostris, and both he and Sabaco have left many monuments of their greatness. The name and figure of Tirhakah receiving war captives, are still seen in the Egyptian temple of Medinet Abou. This was the expected succor which was sneered at by Rab-shakeh as "a bruised reed" (2Ki 18:21). Rage against Hezekiah for allying himself with Egypt, or the hope of being better able to meet this attack from the south, induced him, after hearing the rumor of Tirhakah's advance, to send a menacing letter to Hezekiah, in order that he might force the king of Judah to an immediate surrender of his capital. This letter, couched in the same vaunting and imperious style as the speech of Rab-shakeh, exceeded it in blasphemy, and contained a larger enumeration of conquered places, with the view of terrifying Hezekiah and showing him the utter hopelessness of all attempts at resistance.
2Ki 19:14-34. Hezekiah's Prayer.
14-19. Hezekiah received the letter … and went up into the house of the Lord—Hezekiah, after reading it, hastened into the temple, spread it in the childlike confidence of faith before the Lord, as containing taunts deeply affecting the divine honor, and implored deliverance from this proud defier of God and man. The devout spirit of this prayer, the recognition of the Divine Being in the plenitude of His majesty—so strikingly contrasted with the fancy of the Assyrians as to His merely local power; his acknowledgment of the conquests obtained over other lands; and of the destruction of their wooden idols which, according to the Assyrian practice, were committed to the flames—because their tutelary deities were no gods; and the object for which he supplicated the divine interposition—that all the kingdoms of the earth might know that the Lord was the only God—this was an attitude worthy to be assumed by a pious theocratic king of the chosen people.
20. Then Isaiah … sent—A revelation having been made to Isaiah, the prophet announced to the king that his prayer was heard. The prophetic message consisted of three different portions:—First, Sennacherib is apostrophized (2Ki 19:21-28) in a highly poetical strain, admirably descriptive of the turgid vanity, haughty pretensions, and presumptuous impiety of the Assyrian despot. Secondly, Hezekiah is addressed (2Ki 19:29-31), and a sign is given him of the promised deliverance—namely, that for two years the presence of the enemy would interrupt the peaceful pursuits of husbandry, but in the third year the people would be in circumstances to till their fields and vineyards and reap the fruits as formerly. Thirdly, the issue of Sennacherib's invasion is announced (2Ki 19:32-34).
33. shall not come into this city—nor approach near enough to shoot an arrow, not even from the most powerful engine which throws missiles to the greatest distance, nor shall he occupy any part of the ground before the city by a fence, a mantelet, or covering for men employed in a siege, nor cast (raise) a bank (mound) of earth, overtopping the city walls, whence he may see and command the interior of the city. None of these, which were the principal modes of attack followed in ancient military art, should Sennacherib be permitted to adopt. Though the army under Rab-shakeh marched towards Jerusalem and encamped at a little distance with a view to blockade it, they delayed laying siege to it, probably waiting till the king, having taken Lachish and Libnah, should bring up his detachment, that with all the combined forces of Assyria they might invest the capital. So determined was this invader to conquer Judah and the neighboring countries (Isa 10:7), that nothing but a divine interposition could have saved Jerusalem. It might be supposed that the powerful monarch who overran Palestine and carried away the tribes of Israel, would leave memorials of his deeds on sculptured slabs, or votive bulls. A long and minute account of this expedition is contained in the Annals of Sennacherib, a translation of which has recently been made into English, and, in his remarks upon it, Colonel Rawlinson says the Assyrian version confirms the most important features of the Scripture account. The Jewish and Assyrian narratives of the campaign are, indeed, on the whole, strikingly illustrative of each other [Outlines of Assyrian History].
2Ki 19:35, 36. An Angel Destroys the Assyrians.
35. in the morning … they were all dead corpses—It was the miraculous interposition of the Almighty that defended Jerusalem. As to the secondary agent employed in the destruction of the Assyrian army, it is most probable that it was effected by a hot south wind, the simoon, such as to this day often envelops and destroys whole caravans. This conjecture is supported by 2Ki 19:7 and Jer 51:1. The destruction was during the night; the officers and soldiers, being in full security, were negligent; their discipline was relaxed; the camp guards were not alert, or perhaps they themselves were the first taken off, and those who slept, not wrapped up, imbibed the poison plentifully. If this had been an evening of dissolute mirth (no uncommon thing in a camp), their joy (perhaps for a victory), or "the first night of their attacking the city," says Josephus, became, by its effects, one means of their destruction [Calmet, Fragments].
36. So Sennacherib king of Assyria … went and returned—the same way as he came (2Ki 19:33). The route is described (Isa 10:28-32). The early chariot track near Beyrout is on the rocky edge of Lebanon, which is skirted by the ancient Lycus (Nahr-el Kelb). On the perpendicular face of the limestone rock, at different heights, are seen slabs with Assyrian inscriptions, which having been deciphered, are found to contain the name of Sennacherib. Thus, by the preservation of these tablets, the wrath of the Assyrian invaders is made to praise the Lord.
dwelt at Nineveh—This statement implies a considerable period of time, and his Annals carry on his history at least five years after his disastrous campaign at Jerusalem. No record of his catastrophe can be found, as the Assyrian practice was to record victories alone. The sculptures give only the sunny side of the picture.
2Ki 19:37. Sennacherib Slain.
37. as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch—Assarae, or Asshur, the head of the Assyrian Pantheon, represented not as a vulture-headed figure (that is now ascertained to be a priest), but as a winged figure in a circle, which was the guardian deity of Assyria. The king is represented on the monuments standing or kneeling beneath this figure, his hand raised in sign of prayer or adoration.
his sons smote him with the sword—Sennacherib's temper, exasperated probably by his reverses, displayed itself in the most savage cruelty and intolerable tyranny over his subjects and slaves, till at length he was assassinated by his two sons, whom, it is said, he intended to sacrifice to pacify the gods and dispose them to grant him a return of prosperity. The parricides taking flight into Armenia, a third son, Esar-haddon, ascended the throne.