Chapter Thirty-Two

The invasion of Judah by Sennacherib during the reign of Hezekiah

1–8. The fortification of Jerusalem by Hezekiah and his encouragement of the people. 9–19. The conquering plans of Sennacherib and his mockery of the religion of the Lord. 20–23. The miraculous destruction of Sennacherib. 24–26. The illness and miraculous healing of Hezekiah, his sin of pride and repentance. 27–33. The wealth and power of Hezekiah, his death and burial.

2 Chronicles 32:1. After these deeds and his faithfulness, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came and entered Judah and besieged the fortified cities, intending to seize them for himself. 2 Chronicles 32:2. When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come with the intention of making war against Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 32:3. he took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop up the springs of water outside the city, and they helped him. 2 Chronicles 32:4. And a great multitude of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land, saying: “Let not the kings of Assyria come and find much water. 2 Chronicles 32:5. He became strong and rebuilt all the broken wall, and raised it up to the tower, and built another wall outside, and strengthened the Millo in the city of David, and prepared a great quantity of weapons and shields. 2 Chronicles 32:6. And he appointed military commanders over the people, and gathered them to him in the square by the city gate, and spoke to their hearts and said: 2 Chronicles 32:7. “Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid and do not dread the king of Assyria and all the multitude that is with him, for we have more with us than with him; 2 Chronicles 32:8. with him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people were encouraged by the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 32:9. After this Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent his servants to Jerusalem – he himself stood against Lachish, and all his force was with him – to Hezekiah, king of Judah, and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying: 2 Chronicles 32:10. “Thus says Sennacherib, king of Assyria: On what do you rely, that you sit in a fortress in Jerusalem? 2 Chronicles 32:11. “Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by hunger and thirst, saying: The Lord our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria? 2 Chronicles 32:12. “Is not this the same Hezekiah who destroyed his high places and his altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem: Before one altar you shall worship, and upon it you shall make your offerings? 2 Chronicles 32:13. “Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the peoples of the earth able to save their land from my hand? 2 Chronicles 32:14. “Who among all the gods of the peoples whom my fathers destroyed was able to save his people from my hand? How then can your God save you from my hand? 2 Chronicles 32:15. “And now do not let Hezekiah mislead you and turn you aside in this way; do not believe him, for if no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from my hand and from the hand of my fathers, then your God will not save you from my hand. 2 Chronicles 32:16. And his servants said even more against the Lord God and against Hezekiah, his servant. 2 Chronicles 32:17. And he wrote letters blaspheming the Lord God of Israel and speaking against him, saying: “Just as the gods of the peoples of the earth did not save their peoples from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not save his people from my hand. 2 Chronicles 32:18. And they cried out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and terrify them, in order to take the city. 2 Chronicles 32:19. And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands. 2 Chronicles 32:20. And King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed and cried out to heaven. Regarding Sennacherib’s invasion of the Second Book of Chronicles gives only brief accounts, entirely presupposing their readers are familiar with the detailed account of this matter (2 Kgs 18:13–2 Kgs 19; see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, pp. 544–552). However, some features of the account in 2 Chronicles contain something new in comparison with the account in 4 Kings, and obviously were taken by the sacred writer from chronicle sources that were at his disposal, as indicated by the archival and documentary character of these additional details. The occasion for Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah and Jerusalem (ver. 1) was probably Hezekiah’s refusal to pay tribute to the Assyrian king (2 Kgs 18:7). Regarding the chronology of this event, see the comments on (2 Kgs 18:13), “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, p. 544. The object of Sennacherib’s conquering ambitions were generally the “fortified cities of Judah,” according to the Septuagint: ἐπὶ τὰς πόλεις τάς τειχήρεις, that is, those surrounded by walls (cf. Lev 25:29), in which towers were ordinarily built. The Fourth Book of Kings, mentioning, in agreement with 2 Chronicles, the siege of fortresses by Sennacherib, further says (ver. 14) that Hezekiah sent envoys to Sennacherib expressing submission, that Sennacherib imposed a heavy tribute on Hezekiah, which he paid (2 Kgs 18:14-16), but that Sennacherib, nevertheless, sent a large army against Jerusalem, which found the city locked and fortified. 2 Chronicles does not mention Hezekiah’s embassy or his tribute to the Assyrian king, but, supplementing the account of 4 Kings, relates that Hezekiah, evidently convinced of the futility of peaceful negotiations with Sennacherib, decided in case of a probable attack on Jerusalem to fortify that capital of the kingdom of Judah as much as possible (ver. 5), and also to make the siege of Jerusalem difficult for the Assyrians by means of a strategy known in antiquity – the destruction of drinking water on the territory of the surrounding enemy forces (in turn, the enemy usually tried to deprive the besieged of water, as Alexander the Great did, for example, in the siege of Babylon). For this purpose all springs outside Jerusalem were stopped up (in ancient Jerusalem there were many such springs (Ps 45:5); according to the Letter of Aristeas, water from them flowed into the temple through underground pipes), including “the stream (Hebrew nahal) that flowed through the land” (ver. 4), the stream of Kedron with the springs near it: Gihon (ver. 30), Siloam and others. (Regarding the location of Gihon – Siloam, see the comments on (1 Kgs 1:33), “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, p. 365). This measure of Hezekiah and generally his works on the artificial irrigation of Jerusalem are mentioned, besides (2 Chr 32:3-4), by other biblical testimonies: (2 Kgs 20:20; Isa 22:9-11; Sir 48:19). The digging of the Siloam tunnel may also have been connected with these works, which, on the basis of biblical-archaeological data contained in the Siloam inscription discovered in 1880, are usually dated to the time of Hezekiah (see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, p. 558). Another important undertaking of Hezekiah – for defensive purposes – was (ver. 5) the restoration of the ancient wall or, in the terminology of Josephus, the “first” wall (cf. 1 Kgs 3:1) and the beginning of the construction of the “second” outer wall of Jerusalem, which was finished by Manasseh (2 Chr 33:14); this “second” wall, according to Josephus (Jewish War V, 4, 2), began at the Gennath Gate, which still belonged to the first Zion wall, embraced the northern part of Jerusalem, the so-called Acra, and extended on the north to the Fish Gate and on the northeast to the towers of Hananeel and Mea and the Sheep Gate (Neh 3:1; Zech 14:10; Jer 31:37); see “Theological Encyclopedia,” St. Petersburg, 1906, vol. VI, pp. 450 and following. Regarding the Millo fortified by Hezekiah (ver. 5), see the comments on (1 Kgs 9:15), “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, p. 410. At the same time, Hezekiah made a great supply of weapons in Jerusalem. But, as a pious king, Hezekiah did not place his hopes in all these human means of defense; rather, he turned his thoughts and those of his subjects to God, in hope of divine aid from above, expressing (ver. 7), like the prophet Elisha (2 Kgs 6:16), the conviction of the superiority of the power of heavenly defenders of God’s people over earthly enemies, and expressing (ver. 8), like the prophet Isaiah (Isa 31:3), firm confidence in the incomparable advantage of the spiritual power of the Lord over the fleshly power of even the most mighty enemy (cf. Jer 17:5). In the address of the Assyrian king to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (ver. 9–19) there is distinguished on the one hand an oral discourse of Sennacherib’s envoys with the people of Judah (ver. 10–16) and, on the other hand, letters of the Assyrian king to Jerusalem (ver. 17–19). But both, in their essentials, coincide with the speech of Rabshakeh set forth in (2 Kgs 18:19-25) (see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, pp. 545–547), with numerous, however, differences in style and presentation. Regarding the prayer of Hezekiah (ver. 20), more is said in (2 Kgs 19:1); the prayer of the prophet Isaiah is, at least, presupposed by the general meaning of the account (2 Kgs 19:3-8) and the book of the prophet Isaiah (Isa 37:3-7).

2 Chronicles 32:21. And the Lord sent an angel, and he destroyed all the mighty men of valor, commanders, and officers in the army of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame to his own land; and when he came into the house of his god, those who came from his own loins struck him down there with the sword. 2 Chronicles 32:22. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them round about. Compare (2 Kgs 19:35-37), see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, p. 552. The killers of Sennacherib in (2 Chr 32:21) are named by the general term: “those who came from his loins,” whereas in (2 Kgs 19:37) they are specifically named as his sons, and their names are indicated. The Septuagint, Vulgate, Slavic text, and in 2 Chronicles add “sons.”

2 Chronicles 32:24. In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. And he prayed to the Lord, and He heard him and gave him a sign. Here in a brief note is encompassed the account given in detail in (2 Kgs 20:1-11) concerning Hezekiah’s illness, miraculous healing, and the heavenly sign that accompanied it (see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, pp. 553–556).

2 Chronicles 32:25. But Hezekiah did not repay what had been given to him for his good deeds; for his heart became proud. And the wrath of God came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 32:26. But when Hezekiah humbled himself in the pride of his heart – he himself and the inhabitants of Jerusalem – then the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah. 2 Chronicles 32:27. And Hezekiah had very great wealth and glory, and he made for himself treasures for silver and gold and precious stones and for spices and shields and for all kinds of precious vessels; 2 Chronicles 32:28. and storehouses for the produce of grain, wine, and oil, and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and flocks for sheepfolds. 2 Chronicles 32:29. And he built for himself cities. And he had a great quantity of flocks both small and large cattle, for God had given him very great wealth. 2 Chronicles 32:30. And this Hezekiah stopped up the upper spring of Gihon and directed the water down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. The account of 2 Chronicles here is extremely condensed and becomes clear only when compared with (2 Kgs 20:12-20), see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, pp. 556–558. What is said in ver. 25–26 concerning Hezekiah’s pride, God’s wrath upon him, his humiliation and God’s mercy relates to the history of the embassy to him by envoys of Merodach-Baladan of Babylon (Isa 39:1-8). The same historical event is associated with the account in ver. 27–29 concerning Hezekiah’s glory and riches. Regarding Hezekiah’s works to improve the water supply of Jerusalem (ver. 30), see above (ver. 4); also (2 Kgs 20:20) (see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, 558); cf. (Sir 48:19). From ver. 30 of this chapter, as well as from ver. 14 of the following chapter (2 Chr 33:14), it is rightly concluded that Gihon flowed on the eastern (not on the western side, as earlier researchers of Palestine and Jerusalem thought) side of Jerusalem, from which arose the identification of Gihon with the present spring of the Holy Mother (see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, p. 365). Blessed Theodoret identified Gihon with Siloam ((Questions on II Chronicles. Patrologia Graeca, vol. 80, col. 854–856).

2 Chronicles 32:31. Only when envoys of the kings of Babylon came, who were sent to inquire of him about the sign that had taken place in the land, did God leave him, in order to test him and to reveal all that was in his heart. In this verse 2 Chronicles indicates a different reason for the embassy to Hezekiah from the Babylonian king than that named in (2 Kgs 20:12) and (Isa 39:1) (the report of Hezekiah’s illness and his subsequent healing), namely: “to inquire about the sign that had taken place in the land,” that is, the astronomical miracle that accompanied Hezekiah’s healing (2 Kgs 20:11; Isa 38:9), or, according to another explanation (Grotius, Philippson), about the accomplished fact of the miraculous destruction of Sennacherib’s army (ver. 26). The latter motive most corresponded to the political aims of the Babylonian king, who at that time had recently revolted from Assyria, become independent, and become hostile to Assyria, and naturally was interested in the defeat of the Assyrian king in Judah, with which he wished to enter into a political alliance against Assyria (cp. Phillipson. Die Israelische Bibel, vol. II, pp. 680, 757). But in essence all three motives could be combined in the dispatch of the Babylonian embassy.

2 Chronicles 32:32. The other deeds of Hezekiah and his virtues are described in the vision of Isaiah, son of Amoz, the prophet, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 2 Chronicles 32:33. And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem gave him honor at his death. And Manasseh, his son, reigned in his stead. A detailed description of the reign of Hezekiah, as well as that of his grandfather Uzziah (2 Chr 26:22), was given in a special work by the prophet Isaiah, from which extracts are preserved in his prophetic book (Isa 36-39), in 4 Kings, chapters (2 Kgs 18-20), and in 2 Chronicles, chapters (2 Chr 29-32). Hezekiah was buried with great honor “in the tombs of the sons of David” (ver. 33), Septuagint: ἐν ἀναβάσει ταφων υιῶν Δαυιδ, Slavic: “in the tombs of the sons of David,” that is, in the upper tier of burial niches of the family vault of the kings of Judah of the dynasty of David (see “Commentary on the Holy Bible,” vol. II, p. 370).