2 Kings 15:19-38
Summary for 2Kgs 15:19-20: 15:19-20 a Tiglath-pileser: The NLT uses the Assyrian (see 15:29 b; 16:6 c) form of the name, rather than the Hebrew form, Pul, which is taken from the Babylonian. Tiglath-pileser III seized the throne of Assyria in 744 BC and provided able leadership until his death in 727 BC.• When Tiglath-pileser launched the western campaign to regain territory held by Aram, Menahem paid him a heavy tribute of thirty-seven tons of silver to keep him from overrunning Israel.
• Although Menahem’s name means comfort, the unsettled conditions in the northern kingdom provided little consolation for God’s people during his reign (752–742 BC).
Summary for 2Kgs 15:23-25: 15:23-25 d Menahem’s son Pekahiah reigned only two years before Pekah conspired to assassinate him. Pekahiah continued the sins associated with the religious policies initiated by Jeroboam I (1 Kgs 12:26-33 e). Pekah, an army commander, had apparently been a rival for the throne for some time.
15:27 f fifty-second year of King Uzziah’s reign: The date for Pekah’s accession is the final year of Uzziah’s reign (740 BC). Because of the standing relationship between Tiglath-pileser and Menahem, Pekah confined his influence to Gilead during Menahem’s reign (752–742 BC). With Menahem’s death, Pekahiah made Pekah an army commander. This provided Pekah with a broader base of support and gave him opportunity to seize the throne of Israel in 740 BC.
Summary for 2Kgs 15:29-30: 15:29-30 g With his second western campaign (734–732 BC), Tiglath-pileser ... attacked Israel again. Pekah had allied himself with King Rezin of Aram in an ill-conceived anti-Assyrian coalition (see Isa 9:1 h). As a result of this invasion, Tiglath-pileser captured and conquered much of Israel’s northern and eastern territory.
• Pekah’s doomed political policies caused dissension in Israel that led to his assassination by Hoshea, whose action was probably intended to placate the Assyrian king and preserve the northern kingdom. In his annals, Tiglath-pileser claimed that he put Hoshea on the throne and received his heavy tribute.
• The twentieth year of Jotham, counting from the beginning of his co-regency with his father Uzziah in Judah, was 732 BC, the year of his death.
Summary for 2Kgs 15:32-33: 15:32-33 i The second year of King Pekah’s reign reflects the first full year of Jotham’s independent reign; he was co-regent with his father for the previous decade.
• sixteen years: From the beginning of his co-regency with his father Uzziah (750 BC) until his son Ahaz became the primary ruler of Judah (735 BC).
Summary for 2Kgs 15:34-35: 15:34-35 j Although Jotham did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, he allowed worship at pagan shrines to continue.
• rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple: The prosperity of Uzziah’s reign continued during his son Jotham’s reign. Jotham built onto Jerusalem’s wall at the hill of Ophel and did construction at many Judean sites (2 Chr 27:3-4 k). He also conquered the rebellious Ammonites (2 Chr 27:5 l), whom Uzziah had forced into subservience (2 Chr 26:8 m).
15:37 n Rezin ... Pekah: See 16:5 o.
2 Kings 16
Summary for 2Kgs 16:1-2: 16:1-2 p The seventeenth year of King Pekah’s reign was 735 BC. At that time Ahaz ... began to rule: He had already been co-regent for eleven years, but now he officially acceded to the throne. This marks the transition from subordination to his father, Jotham (743–735 BC), to a position of reigning in his stead (735–732 BC). Ahaz presumably had his official accession ceremony following his father’s death in 732 BC, so the author of Kings reckons Ahaz’s reign of sixteen years from 731 BC, the year after his father died, to 715 BC. See also study note on 17:1.Summary for 2Kgs 16:2-3: 16:2-3 q Again, his ancestor David serves as the standard for measuring the spiritual character of Judah’s kings (14:3 r; 1 Kgs 15:3 s, 11 t).
• the example of the kings of Israel: Ahaz was one of Judah’s most wicked kings. He indulged in the apostate religion of Israel and the pagan practices of other nations to the extent of even sacrificing his own son in the fire (see Jer 19:5 u; 32:35 v). Although Levitical regulations prohibited such sacrifices as an abomination detestable to the Lord (Lev 18:10 w; 20:1-5 x), the practice was repeated among God’s people (Isa 30:33 y; Jer 7:31 z) until Josiah’s reforms (2 Kgs 23:10 aa).
Summary for 2Kgs 16:5-6: 16:5-6 ab Rezin ... Pekah: This alliance between the kings of Aram and Israel was intended to free the area of Assyrian dominance under Tiglath-pileser III (15:29-30 ac; Isa 9:1 ad). The attack against Judah may have occurred to force Judah into the alliance or to replace the Judean king with one of their own choosing (Isa 7:3-6 ae). The result was captivity and widespread death for the people of Judah (2 Chr 28:5-15 af). Isaiah reports that Rezin and Pekah intended to install a new king on Judah’s throne (Isa 7:3-6 ag). Judah also suffered further attacks by the Edomites and Philistines (2 Chr 28:17-18 ah). All of this was God’s will due to Ahaz’s detestable spiritual practices, which led to great sin among the people of Judah (2 Chr 28:5 ai, 19 aj).
16:6 ak The NLT translators have chosen to follow the text of several ancient translations, since the town of Elath is far to the south, nearer to Edom than to Aram.
Summary for 2Kgs 16:7-9: 16:7-9 al Rather than trusting in God’s provision (Isa 7:7-16 am), Ahaz petitioned Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria to rescue him from his enemies. Tiglath-pileser was successful, and his victory brought about the death of Rezin, the capture of Damascus, and the deportation of its citizens (732 BC). It also contributed to unseating Pekah as king of Israel in the same year (2 Kgs 15:29-30 an). The cost of the rescue was great, however; Ahaz paid a heavy tribute to Tiglath-pileser, and the Assyrian intervention reduced Judah to vassal status.
16:9 ao The location of Kir is unknown; it was the original home of the Arameans (Amos 9:7 ap).
Summary for 2Kgs 16:10-11: 16:10-11 aq Ahaz ... took special note of the altar of the Arameans and had a copy made so as to emulate their pagan worship.
Summary for 2Kgs 16:12-13: 16:12-13 ar The king initiated the new altar by making the traditional offerings upon it (see Lev 1–3 as; Num 15:1-10 at; 28:9-15 au, 24 av, 31 aw; 2 Kgs 6:8-23 ax; 7:11-20 ay). Sadly, such offerings upon a pagan altar by a leader devoid of spiritual character constituted a mockery of their deep spiritual meaning.
16:14 az Solomon had originally placed the bronze altar in front of the Temple (see Exod 40:6 ba; 2 Chr 4:1 bb; 7:7-10 bc). At first, Ahaz positioned his new altar so that worshipers would come to it before coming to the bronze altar. Then Ahaz had the bronze altar placed ... on the north side of the new altar, completely replacing the bronze altar as the center of sacrificial activity.
Summary for 2Kgs 16:15-16: 16:15-16 bd Ahaz ordered that standard daily sacrifices (Num 28:1-8 be) as well as the individual offerings of the king and people would be made on the new altar. Ahaz then restricted the bronze altar to his personal use (literally for seeking/inquiry), probably to use it for pagan divination. This demand displayed a callous insolence against the Lord and his worship. Uriah the priest complied with Ahaz’s demands (2 Kgs 16:10-11 bf, 16 bg), rather than resisting the king.
Summary for 2Kgs 16:17-18: 16:17-18 bh Because the side panels and basins from the ... water carts and the Sea were made of bronze (see 1 Kgs 7:25-40 bi), Ahaz might have used them to pay tribute or for some other project.
• In deference: Apparently at the request of the king of Assyria, Ahaz removed the canopy that led to the inner court as well as to the king’s private entrance to the Temple. Judah paid a heavy price in loss of freedom because of Ahaz’s trust in the Assyrian king’s military intervention on their behalf (2 Kgs 16:7-8 bj, 10 bk).
16:19 bl The rest of the events in Ahaz’s reign: In further rejection of the Lord, Ahaz removed the utensils from the Temple “and broke them into pieces” (2 Chr 28:24 bm). He then closed the Temple and discontinued services there, instead promoting paganism throughout the land (2 Chr 28:25 bn; 29:7 bo). In redefining the worship of Judah so completely, his apostasy was similar to that of Jeroboam I (cp. 2 Kgs 3:3 bp; 13:2 bq; 16:2-4 br; 17:21 bs; 1 Kgs 12:25-33 bt; 16:26 bu; 22:52 bv)
2 Kings 17
Summary for 2Kgs 17:1-23: 17:1-23 bw The report of the northern kingdom’s fall proceeds in two major sections: (1) events in the reign of Israel’s final king, Hoshea, and the circumstances that brought about the capture of Samaria and the deportation of Israel’s citizens (17:1-6 bx); (2) the reasons for Israel’s collapse and conquest by Assyria—Israel’s many sins (17:7-17 by) that merited God’s judgment (17:18-20 bz) and the great sin of Jeroboam I, who laid the foundation for Israel’s rampant apostasy (17:21-23 ca). 17:1 cb Hoshea ... began to rule over Israel in 732 BC.• Hoshea’s reign is listed as beginning in “the twentieth year of Jotham” (15:30 cc) and in the twelfth year of King Ahaz’s reign in Judah. Ahaz apparently co-reigned with Jotham from about 743 BC, when he was twelve years old, but Ahaz’s official regnal years were calculated from 731 BC (16:2 cd). Thus the references to Ahaz’s reign are in harmony.
17:2 ce Hoshea’s evil deeds were not to the same extent as his forebears, though what this means exactly is not explained.
Summary for 2Kgs 17:3-4: 17:3-4 cf King Shalmaneser V succeeded his father Tiglath-pileser III in 726 BC. Hoshea may have reasoned that this leadership change would allow Israel to become independent of Assyrian vassalage. But his withholding of the annual tribute simply invited Shalmaneser’s reprisal.
• by asking King So of Egypt: Some scholars understand the name So as an abbreviation of Pharaoh Osorkon IV (730–715 BC). Others equate So with Pharaoh Piankhy (747–716 BC), viewing the biblical name So as a Hebraic rendering of one of the names in Piankhy’s titulary. Still others suggest that So refers to the city of Sais, the capital of Pharaoh Tefnakht (727–720 BC). Whatever the identity of this king, it is clear that Hoshea’s hope for help from Egypt was misplaced.
Summary for 2Kgs 17:5-6: 17:5-6 cg the king of Assyria: Although sources identify Samaria’s conqueror as Shalmaneser V of Assyria (726–722 BC), Sargon II (who ruled Assyria 721–705 BC) claimed that he captured the city. Perhaps Sargon was the field commander when Samaria fell and then became king when Shalmaneser died during the year of the siege.
• invaded the entire land: Assyrian military strategy was to devastate the territory surrounding an enemy’s primary city before launching a final attack.
• The ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign was 722 BC.
• the people ... were exiled: The Assyrians practiced deportation in order to defuse future rebellions. Sargon also brought other people to Israel to form a mixed population (17:24-25 ch).
• Halah was situated northeast of Nineveh in Assyria.
• The Habor River is a tributary of the Euphrates River in northwestern Assyria.
• Gozan was located on the Habor River northeast of Haran (Gen 12:4 ci). Assyrian documents from the area list personal names that are clearly Israelite, perhaps reflecting the deportation of the people of Samaria.
17:7 cj sinned against the Lord ... who had brought them ... out of Egypt: Israel’s demise was due to the people’s persistent sin of infidelity. Rather than remaining true to their Redeemer, the Israelites worshiped other gods.
• Israel’s redemption out of Egypt is a theme repeated throughout the Old Testament, appearing in the poetic literature (Exod 15:1-18 ck; Pss 77:13-20 cl; 105:26-45 cm; 106:7-12 cn; 114:1-8 co; Hab 3:3-15 cp), the prophets (Isa 63:11-14 cq; Jer 2:1-8 cr; 32:21-23 cs; Ezek 20:10-12 ct; Mic 6:4 cu), and the historical literature (Josh 3:5 cv; 4:14 cw, 18-24 cx; 1 Sam 12:6 cy).
Summary for 2Kgs 17:8-13: 17:8-13 cz The catalog of Israel’s sins includes numerous pagan rites and practices. Whether done in the open or secretly, God was aware of them all. Many were even initiated by Israel’s kings who built pagan shrines, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles and emulated heathen sacrifices and idolatry (10:29 da; 15:18 db, 28 dc; 1 Kgs 12:28-33 dd; 15:34 de; 16:30-33 df). All levels of Israelite society, royalty and commoner alike, persisted in such sins despite denunciation and warning by God’s prophets, which included the writings of Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah.
17:11 dg arousing the Lord’s anger: When God becomes angry, he is not vindictive or bad tempered. Instead, human evil angers him because people have rebelled against God and done evil to one another. God responds to human evil with his justice in dealing with sin and evil (see also 13:3 dh; 17:17-18 di; 21:6 dj; 22:13 dk, 17 dl; 23:26-27 dm; 24:20 dn; Rom 3:23 do; 6:23 dp; 14:10 dq; 2 Cor 5:10 dr; Col 3:6 ds; 1 Jn 1:8-10 dt).
Summary for 2Kgs 17:14-15: 17:14-15 du Like their ancestors (Deut 10:16 dv; 1 Sam 12:6-9 dw; Ps 106:28 dx), the Israelites persisted in their infidelity to the Lord (Isa 65:6-7 dy; Amos 2:4 dz; see Acts 7:51-53 ea).
Summary for 2Kgs 17:16-17: 17:16-17 eb all the commands of the Lord: The narrator lists specific examples of Israel’s disobedience: the two calves made from metal erected at Dan and Bethel (1 Kgs 12:28-30 ec), the Canaanite fertility symbol known as an Asherah pole (2 Kgs 13:6 ed; 17:10 ee; 1 Kgs 14:23 ef; 16:33 eg; Mic 5:14 eh), the persistent worship of Baal (1 Kgs 16:31-33 ei; Hos 2:13 ej; 13:1 ek), and the detestable Molech rites (2 Kgs 16:3 el; Ps 106:37 em).
Summary for 2Kgs 17:18-20: 17:18-20 en the Lord was very angry: God’s wrath is his righteous response to evil that demands his justice.
• even the people of Judah refused to obey the commands of the Lord: This remark foreshadows the eventual fall of the southern kingdom as well (25:1-21 eo).
Summary for 2Kgs 17:21-23: 17:21-23 ep All of Israel’s evil and disobedience were connected to the sins of Jeroboam I (1 Kgs 12:26-33 eq).
Summary for 2Kgs 17:24-41: 17:24-41 er The writer appends information concerning later events in Israel, including the repopulation of the land with foreigners and the syncretistic worship that developed among the mixed population. 17:24 es Not only were the Israelites exiled to other places held by the Assyrians (17:6 et), but groups of people were sent to settle in Israel. By mixing diverse peoples, the Assyrians hoped to have better control of the resulting population and transfer their loyalties to Assyria.
• Samaria became the official name of the new Assyrian province.
Summary for 2Kgs 17:26-31: 17:26-31 eu The king of Assyria was Sargon II (721–705 BC).
• the God of the land ... has sent lions: Religious belief in the ancient Near East held that the tranquility and success of a land was strongly identified with its god and the rites associated with his worship.
• One of the priests ... returned to Bethel, though his instruction in how to worship the Lord was doubtless influenced by the religion of Jeroboam I and mixed with paganism.
• The foreigners also continued to worship their own gods. They simply added the worship of Israel’s God to the worship of their own gods. Most of the false gods mentioned here are unknown. Their names may have been altered by Jewish scribes.
• Nergal was the Mesopotamian god of the underworld. Nibhaz and Tartak were probably Elamite deities.
Summary for 2Kgs 17:32-34: 17:32-34 ev worshiped the Lord, but ... continued to follow their own gods: Hebrew faith, already blended with the religion of Jeroboam I, was now mixed with many different foreign religious customs. Genuine worship of the Lord virtually disappeared. Only a handful of faithful Israelites remained to respond to Hezekiah’s later invitation to come to Judah for the Passover celebration (2 Chr 30:10-19 ew).
Summary for 2Kgs 17:35-39: 17:35-39 ex According to Israel’s covenant with the Lord (Exod 20:5 ey; Deut 6:4-15 ez), Israel was to worship only the Lord. He alone could provide true redemption and rescue them from all ... enemies.
Summary for 2Kgs 17:40-41: 17:40-41 fa worshiped the Lord ... worshiped their idols: The reconstituted Samaritan religion was thoroughly syncretistic (an eclectic combination of religions), perhaps explaining why Samaritans were later regarded with suspicion and disdain (see Neh 4:1-2 fb; 10:28-31 fc; John 4:7-9 fd).
2 Kings 18
Summary for 2Kgs 18:1-12: 18:1-12 fe The accession statement concerning Hezekiah’s reign (18:1-2 ff) is accompanied by a lengthy evaluation of Hezekiah’s spiritual commitment (18:3-7a fg), followed by background details of the political situation in his time (18:7b-12 fh).Summary for 2Kgs 18:1-2: 18:1-2 fi the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel: The date given for Hezekiah’s accession refers to his co-regency with his father, Ahaz. Since Hoshea began his reign in 732 BC, Hezekiah began to rule in about 728 BC, when he was twelve years old. When Ahaz died in 715 BC, Hezekiah began his sole reign at age twenty-five. This marks the start of his reign of twenty-nine years (715–686 BC).
Summary for 2Kgs 18:3-4: 18:3-4 fj Unlike Ahaz (16:2 fk), Hezekiah compared favorably with David. Hezekiah destroyed false objects of worship, including the pagan shrines ... sacred pillars, and ... Asherah poles (see 16:3-10 fl; 17:9-11 fm, 19 fn).
• Apparently the bronze serpent used by Moses (Num 21 fo) had become an object of illicit worship.
Summary for 2Kgs 18:5-6: 18:5-6 fp Hezekiah trusted in the Lord: He was without peer among all the kings of Judah. Later, Josiah was without equal in upholding the law of Moses (23:25 fq). These two kings were models of piety in times of diminishing spirituality.
Summary for 2Kgs 18:7-8: 18:7-8 fr Because of Hezekiah’s unparalleled spiritual commitment, God blessed him and he was successful in everything he did. Hezekiah began a series of reforms, including the cleansing, repair, and refurbishing of the Temple (2 Chr 29:3-36 fs); observance of the Passover (2 Chr 30 ft); and the reconstituting of vital worship in Judah (2 Chr 31:1-19 fu).
• He revolted against the king of Assyria: In the ancient Near East, rebellion and the withholding of tribute usually took place with the change of government; King Sennacherib of Assyria succeeded Sargon II in 704 BC. Assyria’s preoccupation with matters in southern Mesopotamia at this time might have emboldened Hezekiah. Assyria’s response was to invade Judah in 701 BC (18:13–19:36 fv).
• He also conquered the Philistines, who had been a menace during Ahaz’s reign (2 Chr 28:18 fw).
Summary for 2Kgs 18:9-12: 18:9-12 fx The narrator introduces the fall of Samaria as a reminder that Assyria was the prevailing power of the era and that Samaria fell because of Hoshea’s apostasy, thus setting the stage for the account of Hezekiah’s demonstration of spiritual fiber and God’s dealing with him (18:19–19:19 fy).
18:13 fz The annals of King Sennacherib of Assyria describe this invasion during his third military campaign. He advanced swiftly down the Mediterranean coast through the Phoenician cities and into Philistine territory, then turned inland.
18:14 ga Lachish lay southwest of Jerusalem, not far from the Philistine border.
• I have done wrong (literally I have sinned). Hezekiah’s message to Sennacherib was in well-chosen diplomatic language.
• Sennacherib claimed that in addition to the eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold, he received from Hezekiah many jewels and rich treasures as well as Hezekiah’s own daughter, the women of his harem, and his male and female singers.
Summary for 2Kgs 18:15-16: 18:15-16 gb Hezekiah paid a heavy price for refusing to pay tribute money to the king of Assyria. Now, to satisfy Sennacherib’s demands he emptied the silver and gold from the Temple and the palace treasury (cp. 2 Chr 16:1-9 gc).
18:17 gd sent ... a huge army: In spite of Hezekiah’s lavish payment, Sennacherib had no intention of being sidetracked from invading Jerusalem.
• beside the aqueduct: The meeting place of the two delegations is believed to be a location on Jerusalem’s northwestern wall; this spot had also served as the meeting place between Isaiah and Ahaz (Isa 7:3-16 ge).
Summary for 2Kgs 18:19-22: 18:19-22 gf In earlier days, the term great king was reserved for the kings of the leading military powers, but it had become a standard epithet for Assyrian kings.
• What are you trusting in? The Assyrian officer asserted that the citizens of Jerusalem, faced with Assyria’s overwhelming military superiority, would be foolish to trust in Hezekiah’s words. Similarly, soliciting help from Egypt would be foolish. Finally, the chief of staff argued that trust in the Lord would also be misplaced. Perhaps the officer hoped to gain the loyalty of citizens who had worshiped at the shrines and altars that Hezekiah had destroyed.
Summary for 2Kgs 18:23-24: 18:23-24 gg The officer next turned to taunting, suggesting that Jerusalem would be unable to field sufficient manpower and strength to withstand even the weakest contingent of Assyrian troops.
18:25 gh The chief of staff concluded his argument by claiming that Jerusalem’s situation was hopeless because the Assyrians had come at the Lord’s direction to destroy Judah. To oppose the great king was to oppose God himself!
18:26 gi Hezekiah’s representatives wanted the Assyrian delegation to speak ... in Aramaic, the language of diplomacy, so that the people who were listening would not understand and be discouraged or frightened.
18:27 gj my master ... wants all the people to hear: The Assyrians used the native tongue of a besieged city as part of their psychological warfare.
Summary for 2Kgs 18:28-30: 18:28-30 gk The chief of staff ignored the request of Hezekiah’s delegation and shouted in Hebrew, hoping to arouse fear among the people of Jerusalem.
Summary for 2Kgs 18:31-32: 18:31-32 gl The Assyrian chief of staff then detailed the generous terms Sennacherib was offering for their surrender. Why die? Choose life!
Summary for 2Kgs 18:32-35: 18:32-35 gm The Lord will rescue us: The chief of staff continued his psychological taunting by asserting that the Lord was just like the gods of the other nations and could not save Judah.
• Arpad was a city-state located northwest of Aleppo. Like Hamath, it was a hub of Aramean activity and is mentioned on other occasions in the Old Testament (see Isa 10:9 gn; Jer 49:23 go).
18:37 gp tore their clothes in despair: This action could have been both a sign of sorrow over the situation in Jerusalem (see 6:30 gq) and an indication of grief over the blasphemous insults of the Assyrian official (see 19:4-6 gr).
2 Kings 19
19:1 gs Hezekiah showed his grief in the same way his representatives had (see Joel 1:13 gt). He wisely went to the Temple, where he laid bare his soul before God in heartfelt worship and supplication (see Pss 5:7 gu; 48:9-10 gv; 63:1-3 gw).Summary for 2Kgs 19:2-3: 19:2-3 gx Leaders often consulted prophets like Isaiah in emergencies (3:11-12 gy) or before going into battle (1 Kgs 22:8-10 gz); Isaiah was active throughout Hezekiah’s reign (2 Kgs 20:1 ha, 14 hb).
• The expression a day of trouble describes the heart-wrenching distress the king was experiencing because of the blasphemous insults and disgrace that God and his people were being forced to endure. Hezekiah realized that he and the people were powerless without God’s intervention.
19:4 hc Hezekiah was not denying his own relationship to the Lord by referring to him as your God; rather, he was acknowledging God’s special call upon Isaiah.
19:8 hd Sennacherib had dispatched his officers and forces to Jerusalem while he was attacking Lachish (18:14 he, 17 hf). He had now moved eight miles to the northeast, to Libnah.
19:9 hg King Tirhakah of Ethiopia would later become pharaoh over Egypt. At this time he was a commander in his brother Shebitku’s army.
Summary for 2Kgs 19:10-13: 19:10-13 hh Sennacherib’s second message reminded the people of Jerusalem of the Assyrians’ ruthless victories; it was common knowledge that the kings of Assyria had plundered, tortured, mutilated (see 19:28 hi), and completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way. No nation, king, or god had been able to resist them. In the face of this threat, the people would be wiser to trust their common sense and surrender rather than trust Hezekiah and his deceptive piety.
Summary for 2Kgs 19:14-19: 19:14-19 hj Hezekiah received Sennacherib’s blasphemous letter and immediately took it to theinto the house of the Lord’s Temple. His prayer to God was a lament of praise (19:15 hk) and petition (19:16-19 hl).
Summary for 2Kgs 19:16-19: 19:16-19 hm Sennacherib’s successes were irrelevant because—unlike the gods of these nations, who were not gods at all—Yahweh was the living God.
Summary for 2Kgs 19:21-28: 19:21-28 hn The phrase virgin daughter is often used regarding civic identity (Isa 23:12 ho; 37:22 hp; 47:1 hq; Jer 18:13 hr). Here, the metaphor implies that as a young maiden is rescued from her attacker, so God will rescue Jerusalem. The Lord’s answer was delivered as a “taunt song,” a common literary form in the ancient Near East that rejoiced over an enemy’s humiliation (cp. Isa 14:3-20 hs).
Summary for 2Kgs 19:23-24: 19:23-24 ht highest mountains ... of Lebanon: In his annals, Sennacherib told of scaling high mountain passes and felling Lebanon’s great trees. Sennacherib felt invincible, but he was a mere man, no match for the omniscient Lord of the universe (1 Chr 28:9 hu).
Summary for 2Kgs 19:25-26: 19:25-26 hv I am making it happen: All of Sennacherib’s great accomplishments were what God had planned for him.
Summary for 2Kgs 19:27-28: 19:27-28 hw I know you well: See Pss 44:21 hx; 94:11 hy.
• hook ... bit: The Assyrian annals mention similar mistreatment of prisoners; the Lord would do to Sennacherib what he and his predecessors had done to those they subjugated.
Summary for 2Kgs 19:29-30: 19:29-30 hz Here is the proof: The Lord’s message of encouragement included a sign that Jerusalem would be rescued from the siege. The sign was God’s provision of food. Because the land had suffered devastation by the Assyrians, the people would need to depend on random crop growth for their survival. The food supply would also remain scarce as the next year came. But by the third year, there would be a return to regular planting and harvesting.
19:31 ia The theme of the remnant occurs frequently in the Old Testament. God’s preservation of his people often serves as a promise of his care for them in the distant future (see Isa 4:2-6 ib; 9:1-7 ic; Zeph 3:8-20 id; cp. Rev 7:1-12 ie). God’s people can be assured of their survival, for the commitment of the Lord ... will make this happen.
Summary for 2Kgs 19:32-34: 19:32-34 if Sennacherib’s armies did not enter Jerusalem but returned home. In Sennacherib’s own account, he gave details of capturing and despoiling forty-six cities of Judah. He made no mention of the capture of Jerusalem but recorded only that he shut up Hezekiah “in Jerusalem ... like a bird in a cage.”
• For my own honor—in light of Sennacherib’s blasphemies and arrogance against God (18:25 ig, 28-30 ih; 19:10-13 ii, 21 ij, 27-28 ik)—and for the sake of my servant David, to whom God had made his covenant promise (2 Sam 7:8-16 il) and whose faith Hezekiah had emulated (2 Kgs 18:3 im), the Lord would defend this city (see 20:6 in). The Lord decisively demonstrated that he alone is God and that he is faithful to his people who trust in him.
19:35 io The angel of the Lord had similarly been active in the rescue of God’s people from Egypt (Exod 12:12-13 ip, 23 iq).
19:36 ir Sennacherib ... went home ... and stayed there: Although this Assyrian king went on five more military campaigns, he did not return to attack Judah.
19:37 is his sons ... killed him: Although Sennacherib’s assassination took place twenty years later in 681 BC, the narrator includes it here to conclude his discussion of the Assyrian king and to point out the irony in his death. He had boasted that no gods were able to rescue the peoples he attacked, yet his god failed to defend him against assassins from his own family!
• At Sennacherib’s death, his son, Esarhaddon, succeeded him and reigned until 669 BC.
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