Lives of Scripture
Sennacherib (M)
First named in 2 Kings 18:13-37
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah in Hezekiah's fourteenth year, capturing all its fortified cities; Hezekiah initially tried to buy him off with a heavy tribute, stripping gold even from the temple doors, but Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem anyway (2 Kings 18:13-16). He sent his field commander Rabshakeh with a large force to demand the city's surrender, delivering a speech in Hebrew designed to terrify the population directly, mocking Hezekiah's trust in Egypt and, most seriously, equating the LORD with the defeated gods of other nations Assyria had already conquered -- 'who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem?' (18:19-35). Hezekiah brought the letter containing this threat directly into the temple and spread it before the LORD in prayer, and sought out the prophet Isaiah, who promised Sennacherib would fail and 'return to his own land' (19:1-7, 14-19). That night, 'the angel of the LORD went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians,' and Sennacherib withdrew to Nineveh in disgrace (19:35-36). There, some time later, while worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, Sennacherib was assassinated by two of his own sons, who then fled, and another son, Esarhaddon, reigned in his place (19:37) -- an empire's arrogance against the living God ending in humiliation and betrayal within his own household.
Thought for Today
Sennacherib's messenger mocked the LORD as just another defeated god among the nations he'd already conquered. God answered that night with an angel who struck down his whole camp, proof no empire's arrogance ever actually threatens Jesus's authority over the nations.
References: 2 Kings 18:13-37; 2 Kings 19:1-37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23; Isaiah 36-37
Genealogy
Connections
- Sennacherib (M) — begot → Esarhaddon (M)
- Sennacherib (M) — begot → Adrammelech (M)
- Sennacherib (M) — begot → Sharezer (M)
- Sennacherib (M) ↔ sent him to demand Jerusalem's surrender ↔ Rabshakeh (M)
Sennacherib sent his field commander, the Rabshakeh, with a large force to Jerusalem's walls to demand the city's surrender, where he delivered a speech in Hebrew mocking Judah's trust in the LORD.
2 Kings 18:17-35
- Sennacherib (M) — besieged Jerusalem and demanded his surrender → Hezekiah (M)
Sennacherib invaded Judah and sent his field commander Rabshakeh to threaten Jerusalem, equating the LORD with the defeated gods of nations Assyria had already conquered; Hezekiah spread the threatening letter before the LORD in prayer, and that night the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 in the Assyrian camp, forcing Sennacherib to withdraw in disgrace.
2 Kings 18:13-19:37
- Isaiah (M) — prophesied his defeat and death → Sennacherib (M)
When Sennacherib's field commander mocked the LORD and demanded Jerusalem's surrender, Isaiah sent word to Hezekiah that Sennacherib would not take the city and would return home to fall by the sword; both came to pass, first when the angel of the LORD struck down his army, and then when his own sons assassinated him in Nineveh.
2 Kings 19:5-7; 2 Kings 19:32-37
Places
- Assyria — its king, who besieged Jerusalem and lost 185,000 troops in a night
2 Kings 19:35-36
- Jerusalem
- Lachish — besieged this fortified city on his campaign against Judah
2 Kings 18:14; 2 Kings 18:17
- Nineveh — Assyria's king, who withdrew to this city and was murdered there by his sons
2 Kings 19:36-37