Sennacherib
Sennacherib was the powerful king of Assyria who invaded Judah in Hezekiah's day, capturing its fortified cities and besieging Jerusalem. His field commander taunted the people and blasphemed the LORD, but Hezekiah spread the threatening letter before God and Isaiah prophesied deliverance. In a single night the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrians, and Sennacherib withdrew, only to be later murdered by his own sons while worshipping his god.
Biography
- Occupation
- King of Assyria
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
- Nationality
- Assyrian
Did You Know?
Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem ended when 'the angel of the LORD' struck down 185,000 Assyrians in a night (2 Kings 19:35); his own annals, preserved on the Taylor Prism, boast of trapping Hezekiah 'like a caged bird' but tellingly never claim to have taken the city.
The Lachish reliefs from his palace at Nineveh depict in stone his brutal capture of the Judean fortress city of Lachish - a rare case where an enemy's own artwork illustrates a biblical campaign.
As Isaiah foretold, Sennacherib was later murdered by two of his own sons while worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch (2 Kings 19:37), a detail also reflected in Assyrian and Babylonian records.
Key Chapters
Key Passages
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
2 Kings 18:28-35
Sennacherib's spokesman defies Hezekiah and blasphemes the LORD before the walls of Jerusalem.
28hen Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jewsโ language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:
The Angel Strikes the Assyrians
2 Kings 19:32-37
The LORD defends Jerusalem; His angel destroys the Assyrian host, and Sennacherib is later slain by his own sons.
32herefore thus saith 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 cast a bank against it.