2 Kings 19:30 - Exposition

And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah. Sennacherib, who in his first expedition had carried away out of Judaea 200,150 prisoners, had in his second probably done considerable damage to the towns in the south-west of Palestine—Lachish, for instance, which was a city of Judah ( Joshua 15:39 ; 2 Kings 14:19 ). The open country had been wasted, great numbers killed, and many probably carried off by famine and pestilence. Thus both Hezekiah ( 2 Kings 19:4 ) and Isaiah regard the population still in the land as a mere "remnant." Shall yet again take root downward — i.e; be firmly fixed and established in the land, like a vigorous tree that strikes its roots into the soil deeply— and bear fruit upward ; i.e. exhibit all the outward signs of prosperity. The reign of Josiah, when the Jewish dominion embraced the whole of Palestine ( 2 Kings 23:15-20 ), was the special fulfillment of this prophecy.