MPV Commentary

Hezekiah Is Told of Sennacherib's Invasion.

This section forms the historical appendix closing the first division of Isaiah's prophecies and was added to make the parts referring to Assyria more intelligible. The events described here are also recorded in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37, with some additional details provided by Isaiah (Isaiah 36:1-39:8). We know from 2 Chronicles 32:32 that Isaiah wrote the acts of Hezekiah, which suggests that his record was incorporated into the Book of Kings by its compiler.

Sennacherib lived more than twenty years after his invasion, but since Isaiah survived Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32:32), who lived upwards of fifteen years after the invasion (Isaiah 38:5), it is likely that Sennacherib's death was recorded in this section. Pul was probably the last of the old dynasty, and Sargon, a powerful satrap, established a new dynasty.

No attempt was made by Judah to throw off the Assyrian yoke during Sargon's vigorous reign. However, when his son Sennacherib ascended to power, Hezekiah saw an opportunity to refuse the long-paid tribute. Egypt and Ethiopia promised help against Assyria on their Asiatic frontier, but Isaiah advised reliance on Jehovah rather than Egypt.

Sennacherib invaded Judea in 712 B.C., with a massive army that included cavalry. He was known for building the largest excavated palace at Koyunjik. In his third year of reign, Sennacherib's inscriptions record that he overran Syria, took Sidon and other Phoenician cities, and then passed to southwest Palestine, where he defeated the Egyptians and Ethiopians.

The Assyrian army approached Jerusalem from the southwest, near the upper pool. Eliakim, the successor of Shebna as chief minister, was summoned along with a scribe (secretary) to meet with Rab-shakeh, the chief leader of the Assyrian forces.

Rab-shakeh addressed Hezekiah's officials, boasting that Egypt and Ethiopia would not be able to help them. He claimed that Hezekiah had taken away Jehovah's altars, making it impossible for Him to provide assistance. The Assyrians taunted the Jews, saying they could not supply even two thousand riders, let alone match the Assyrian cavalry.

Rab-shakeh spoke loudly and plainly to the men on the wall, challenging them to surrender and promising that if they did, they would remain in quiet possession of their lands until his return from Egypt. However, he also threatened that if they refused, they would suffer dire consequences, including famine and being reduced to eating their own excrements.

The Assyrian's language was blasphemous and intended to shake the trust of God's people in Him. Rab-shakeh boasted about past successes, claiming that his gods had given him power over many lands, including Syria and Samaria. He even went so far as to say that Jehovah was inferior to the idols of other lands.

When confronted with this blasphemy, Hezekiah's officials remained silent, not wanting to engage in a war of words with the Assyrian leader. They were horrified by his language and rent their clothes in grief and horror.

The Assyrian's boasts were empty, as he knew that God was on the side of His people. The outcome of this conflict would depend on whether the Jews could maintain their trust in Jehovah.