Thus saith Sennacherib king of Assyria, whereon do ye trust ,.... On what power in heaven or on earth? that ye abide in the siege in Jerusalem ? hold out against the siege of it, and do not deliver it up. read more
Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine, and by thirst ,.... Suggesting that would be their case if they did not surrender: saying, the Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria ? See Gill on Isaiah 36:15 . read more
Hath not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places ,.... For the sense of this and the three following verses, see the notes on Isaiah 36:17 ; see Gill on Isaiah 36:18 , Isaiah 36:19 , Isaiah 36:20 read more
Thus saith Sennacherib - See all these circumstances largely explained 2 Kings 18:17-36 (note). read more
The weakness that bodes strength; the defiant strength that bodes shame efface. One of the most fruitful sources of strength in the individual character is according to the trustfulness that may be in it-the absence, or all but entire absence, of it on the one hand, and the larger or lesser bulk of it on the other. Trustfulness is a sure turning-point—a determining feature in the original shaping and in the growing formation of any character. The direction in which that trustfulness goes... read more
The invasion of Sennacherib: 1. A summons to surrender. I. SENNACHERIB 'S ENCAMPMENT AT LACHISH . Fifteen or eighteen hours west-south-west of Jerusalem, in the low country of Judah, on the confines of Philistia, fourteen miles north-east of Gaza, Lachish (see on 2 Chronicles 11:9 ; 2 Chronicles 25:27 )—on the monuments Lakis— according to a slab in the British Museum, was a walled town with towers and battlements, whose power of resistance was so great as to demand a... read more
Sennacherib and Hezekiah: abasement and exaltation. We have here brought out in very vivid contrast— I. THE HISTORY OF THE HAUGHTY . 1 . Appearances are all on its side. It has apparently overwhelming numbers, superior military training and equipments, the prestige of previous success and acknowledged worldly power. 2 . It is honeycombed with spiritual evil. It is (3) pride, and its accompanying vain-gloriousness ( 2 Chronicles 32:13-15 ); 3 . It draws... read more
In the siege . This Authorized Version rendering is manifestly incorrect, though, if we simply omit the article, and tender in siege, we shall probably have Sennacherib's exact idea. He spoke not of the literal technical thing siege, but of the distress and confinement that the apprehension of the siege did not fail to bring. This so to say moral tone to the rendering of the word ( בְּמָצוֹר ) is much to be preferred to that of the margin, "in the fortress or stronghold ." read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Chronicles 32:9-23
This story of the rage and blasphemy of Sennacherib, Hezekiah's prayer, and the deliverance of Jerusalem by the destruction of the Assyrian army, we had more at large in the book of Kings, 2 Kgs. 18:1-19:37 It is contracted here, yet large enough to show these three things:? I. The impiety and malice of the church's enemies. Sennacherib has his hands full in besieging Lachish (2 Chron. 32:9), but hears that Hezekiah is fortifying Jerusalem and encouraging his people to stand it out; and... read more