Sennacherib

"Sin (the god) sends many brothers, son of Sargon, whom he" "succeeded on the throne of Assyria (B.C. 705), in the 23rd year" "of Hezekiah. "Like the Persian Xerxes, he was weak and" "vainglorious, cowardly under reverse, and cruel and boastful in" "success." He first set himself to break up the powerful" combination of princes who were in league against him. Among "these was Hezekiah, who had entered into an alliance with Egypt" against Assyria. He accordingly led a very powerful army of at "least 200,000 men into Judea, and devastated the land on every" "side, taking and destroying many cities (2 Kings 18:13-16; comp." "Isa. 22, 24, 29, and 2 Chr. 32:1-8). His own account of this" "invasion, as given in the Assyrian annals, is in these words:" "Because Hezekiah, king of Judah, would not submit to my yoke, I" "came up against him, and by force of arms and by the might of my" power I took forty-six of his strong fenced cities; and of the "smaller towns which were scattered about, I took and plundered a" countless number. From these places I took and carried off "200,156 persons, old and young, male and female, together with" "horses and mules, asses and camels, oxen and sheep, a countless" "multitude; and Hezekiah himself I shut up in Jerusalem, his" "capital city, like a bird in a cage, building towers round the" "city to hem him in, and raising banks of earth against the" "gates, so as to prevent escape...Then upon Hezekiah there fell" "the fear of the power of my arms, and he sent out to me the" chiefs and the elders of Jerusalem with 30 talents of gold and "800 talents of silver, and divers treasures, a rich and immense" "booty...All these things were brought to me at Nineveh, the seat" "of my government." (Comp. Isa. 22:1-13 for description of the" feelings of the inhabitants of Jerusalem at such a crisis.) "Hezekiah was not disposed to become an Assyrian feudatory. He accordingly at once sought help from Egypt (2 Kings 18:20-24). "Sennacherib, hearing of this, marched a second time into" "Palestine (2 Kings 18:17, 37; 19; 2 Chr. 32:9-23; Isa. 36:2-22." "Isa. 37:25 should be rendered "dried up all the Nile-arms of" "Matsor," i.e., of Egypt, so called from the "Matsor" or great" "fortification across the isthmus of Suez, which protected it" from invasions from the east). Sennacherib sent envoys to try to "persuade Hezekiah to surrender, but in vain. (See" [565]TIRHAKAH.) He next sent a threatening letter (2 Kings "19:10-14), which Hezekiah carried into the temple and spread" before the Lord. Isaiah again brought an encouraging message to "the pious king (2 Kings 19:20-34). "In that night" the angel of" the Lord went forth and smote the camp of the Assyrians. In the "morning, "behold, they were all dead corpses." The Assyrian army" was annihilated. "This great disaster is not, as was to be expected, taken notice of in the Assyrian annals. "Though Sennacherib survived this disaster some twenty years, he never again renewed his attempt against Jerusalem. He was "murdered by two of his own sons (Adrammelech and Sharezer), and" "was succeeded by another son, Esarhaddon (B.C. 681), after a" reign of twenty-four years.

Definition of Sennacherib:
"bramble of destruction"