Sennacherib
“Sin (the moon god) has increased brothers”
Summary
A powerful Assyrian king who invaded Judah during Hezekiah's reign but whose army was miraculously destroyed by the angel of the Lord.
☩Name and Background
The name Sennacherib (Assyrian: Sin-achi-iriba) means 'Sin [the moon god] has increased brothers,' suggesting he was not his father's firstborn. He was the son and successor of Sargon, ascending the throne of Assyria in 704 BC. His early reign focused on subduing Babylon, where he installed a puppet king after driving away Merodach-baladan.
☩Invasion of Judah
In his third year (701 BC), Sennacherib turned westward, punishing Sidon and making Tyre, Edom, and Philistine cities tributary. He then invaded Judah in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign, capturing forty-six fortified cities and carrying away over 200,000 captives according to his own inscriptions. Hezekiah initially paid tribute of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold, stripping the temple to do so.
☩Siege of Jerusalem and Divine Deliverance
Despite receiving tribute, Sennacherib sent his field commander Rabshakeh with blasphemous messages to Jerusalem, mocking the God of Israel and demanding surrender. Hezekiah took the threatening letter to the temple and prayed. Isaiah prophesied that God would defend the city for His own sake and for David's sake. That night the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, and Sennacherib withdrew in disgrace. The Assyrian monuments are notably silent about this catastrophic loss.
☩Death
Sennacherib never again invaded Palestine. He was eventually murdered by his own sons Adrammelech and Sharezer while worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch at Nineveh. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him. This fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy that God would send him back to his own land to fall by the sword.
Related Verses16 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Sennacherib," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Sennacherib," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Sennacherib," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Sennacherib," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).