In brief
Sennacherib is the king of Assyria who invaded Judah in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah and seized its fortified cities. Through his officer Rabshakeh and then a letter, he mocked the God of Israel, ranking him with the idols of conquered nations. Hezekiah prayed, Isaiah announced deliverance, and the angel of the Lord struck the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, where two of his sons killed him (2 Kings 18 and 19).
What does the name Sennacherib mean?
Sennacherib is the biblical form of an Assyrian name, Sin-ahhe-eriba, usually translated “the god Sin has multiplied the brothers.” Sin was the moon god in Mesopotamian religion. The Bible does not comment on this name.
The story of Sennacherib
The invasion of Judah
2 Kings 18:13-16In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib marches against all the fortified cities of Judah and seizes them. Hezekiah sends him a message at Lachish: “I have offended you.” The king of Assyria demands three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. To pay, Hezekiah empties the treasuries and even strips the gold from the temple doors.
What is this confidence?
2 Kings 18:17-36From Lachish, Sennacherib sends Tartan, Rabsaris and Rabshakeh with a mighty army. Before the walls, Rabshakeh speaks in the language of Judah to discourage the people. He mocks their trust in Egypt, claims that the Lord sent him, and asks whether the gods of the nations have ever delivered their lands from the king of Assyria. The people stay silent, as the king commanded.
A letter against the living God
2 Kings 19:8-13Hearing that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia is marching against him, Sennacherib sends messengers to Hezekiah. His letter repeats that the God of Israel cannot save Jerusalem, any more than the gods of Gozan, Haran or Hamath saved their peoples. The king believes himself invincible and ranks the Lord among the idols of the nations.
Hezekiah spreads the letter before the Lord
2 Kings 19:14-19Hezekiah takes the letter, goes up to the house of the Lord and spreads it out before him. He admits the power of Assyria, but reminds God that the destroyed gods were only wood and stone. He pleads: save us from his hand, “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Yahweh, are God alone.”
God's answer to the proud king
2 Kings 19:20-34Through Isaiah, God answers that he has heard the prayer. He rebukes Sennacherib for insulting the Holy One of Israel and reminds him that his victories were possible only because God allowed them. He announces that the king will not enter this city or shoot an arrow there. The king of Assyria will go back the way he came.
The camp struck and the end at Nineveh
2 Kings 19:35-37That night the angel of the Lord strikes one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib breaks camp and returns to Nineveh. Then, while he is worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, strike him down with the sword. Esar Haddon, his son, reigns in his place.
What Sennacherib teaches us
- The loudest threats do not have the last word: God also hears the words of those who insult him.
- Faced with a letter or news that crushes us, the best response is to spread it out before God, as Hezekiah did.
- No human power acts outside God's control: he permits, he limits and he stops.
- Pride that mocks God ends up falling, even at the height of power.
- God delivers his people so that the nations may know he alone is God.
Key verses
Hezekiah does not pray only for his own survival. He asks that the deliverance of Jerusalem show all the kingdoms that the Lord alone is God, in contrast to the idols Assyria defeated.
Sennacherib thought he was master of history. God declares that he knows his raging and arrogance, and that he will turn him back with a hook in his nose and a bridle in his lips.
Before the siege, Hezekiah encourages the people: Sennacherib has only an arm of flesh, while Judah has the Lord to fight its battles. The people rest on these words.
Sermons about Sennacherib
- 2 Kings 19: Hezekiah's Prayer, a Prayer That God HearsThe preacher stresses that Hezekiah prays boldly and in his own words: “Hear the words of Sennacherib.” The Lord answers that he has heard the prayer made about the king of Assyria.
- Psalm 46: Be Still and Know That I Am GodThe preacher thinks Psalm 46 remembers the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib's army. Hezekiah carried the mocking letter into the temple and prayed, and God delivered the city.
Frequently asked questions
Why did God stop Sennacherib?
God responds to Hezekiah's prayer and to the pride of Sennacherib, who had insulted the living God (2 Kings 19:16-22). He also declares: “For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake” (2 Kings 19:34). The deliverance shows his faithfulness and his glory.
What does the name Sennacherib mean?
Sennacherib transcribes the Assyrian name Sin-ahhe-eriba, usually translated “Sin has multiplied the brothers.” Sin was the moon god in Mesopotamia. The Bible does not dwell on the name; it stresses above all that this king insulted the Holy One of Israel.
Where can I find the story of Sennacherib in the Bible?
The main account is in 2 Kings 18:13 to 19:37. It is repeated almost word for word in Isaiah 36 and 37, and summarized in 2 Chronicles 32:1-23, which also reports Hezekiah's preparations and his words of encouragement to the people.