2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36
Chapter 19
“Say to Hezekiah, king of Judah that his God in whom he trusts may be deceiving him in saying that Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.
Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands they have destroyed! And will you be spared?
Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers, and when he had read it, he went to the house of the Lord, where he unrolled the letter
and prayed, saying: “O Lord, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim! You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made the heavens and the earth.
Give ear, the Lord, and hear! Open your eyes and see! Listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who has sent men to insult the living God!
It is true, the Lord, that the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries of the earth.
They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not true gods but gods made of wood and stone by human hands.
Now, O Lord our God, save us from his hand and let all the kingdoms of the earth know that you alone, the Lord, are God.”
Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent word to Hezekiah: “You have called upon the Lord, and he has heard your prayer regarding Sennacherib, king of Assyria.
This is what the Lord has spoken against him:‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and scorns you;the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.
For a remnant will come from Jerusalem and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.
That is why the Lord has said this concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not enter this city nor shoot his arrows. He shall not raise a shield to oppose it nor build a siege ramp against it.
He shall leave by the way he came and shall not enter the city, word of the Lord.
I will protect this city and so save it for my own sake and the sake of David, my servant.’”
It happened that the angel of the Lord went out that night and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people rose early the next morning, there were all the corpses.
So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed, returned home, and lived in Nineveh.
Commentaries
Hezekiah of Judah.
The upcoming chapters, including Chapter 20, focus on Hezekiah and the external crisis he encountered with Assyria.
New Message to Hezekiah.
Assyria’s plans for Judah stay the same. Sennacherib questions if the God of Judah can save His people, since both he and his god Ashur have taken control of all the lands and nations they have fought.
Hezekiah’s Prayer.
The king, troubled, goes to the Temple and prays before the Lord. The prayer has three parts: 1. Hezekiah acknowledges that his God is sovereign over all the kingdoms of the world because He created the heavens and the earth (15). 2. The Lord is exalted above the earth, and He is begged to listen and see the insults directed at both God and His chosen people (16). 3. Therefore, the living God of Israel must intervene so that the whole world may know He is the One and Only (19).
Isaiah’s Message to Hezekiah.
Although Hezekiah prayed directly to the Lord, the answer to his prayer came through the prophet Isaiah. His prayer has been heard, and the response is directed at Sennacherib. Verses 29-34 contain the promise to the people of Jerusalem, along with specific signs that Assyria will not harm the Holy City; the Lord Himself will defend it for the sake of David, “my servant” (34).
Liberation of Jerusalem.
The final verses of this chapter describe how the angel of the Lord struck down the Assyrian army during the night (cf. Ex 14:19-31) and how the king, with what little remained of his forces, retreated to his country, thus eliminating the threat to Jerusalem. This event, which certainly has a historical basis, is interpreted in theological terms by the Deuteronomist editor as a gesture of divine love and favor toward Jerusalem; likewise, its downfall and destruction at the hands of Babylon years later are regarded as punishment for its infidelity (cf. 21:10-15; 23:27). In verse 37, Sennacherib’s death at the hands of conspirators is confirmed, thereby fulfilling what was stated in 19:7.