Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Prayer of King Hezekiah and of the prophet Isaiah for the help of the Lord. - Ch2 32:20. The main contents of Hezekiah's prayer are communicated in Kg2 19:14-19 and Isa 37:15-19. There it is not expressly said that Isaiah also prayed, but it may be inferred from the statement in Kg2 19:2. and Isa 37:2. that Hezekiah sent a deputation to the prophet with the request that he would pray for the people. In answer Isaiah promised the ambassadors deliverance, as the word of the Lord. זאת על, on account of this, i.e., on account of the contempt shown for the God of Israel, which was emphatically dwelt upon both in the prayer of Hezekiah (Kg2 19:16) and in the word of Isaiah, v. 22ff. Ch2 32:21 The deliverance: cf. Kg2 19:35.; Isa 37:36. The number of Assyrians smitten by the angel of the Lord is not stated, as it was not of importance, the main fact being that the whole Assyrian host was annihilated, so that Sennacherib had to return with disgrace into his own land. This is what is signified by the rhetorical phrase: The angel of Jahve destroyed all the valiant warriors, and the leaders and princes of the king of Assyria, and he returned with shame of face (cf. Ezr 9:7; Psa 44:16) to his land, where his sons slew him in the temple. In regard to the facts, see on Kg2 19:37 and Isa 37:38. The Keth. מיציאו is an orthographical error for מיציאי, a contraction of מן and יציאי from יציא, a passive formation with intransitive signification: some of those who went forth from his own bowels, i.e., some of his sons; cf. the similar formation miyliydeey, Ch1 20:4. Ch2 32:22 Conclusion of this event. So the Lord helped, etc., מיּד־כּל, and out of the hand of all, sc. his enemies; but we need not on that account, with some manuscripts, bring איביו into the text. וינהלם, and protected them round about. נהל, to lead, guide, with the additional idea of care and protection (Psa 31:4; Isa 49:10; Isa 51:18); and consequently here, protect, defend. There is therefore no need of the conjecture להם ויּנח להם erut, which Berth. holds to be the original reading, without considering that, though מסּביב ויּנח is a current phrase with the chronicler (cf. Ch2 14:6; Ch2 15:15; Ch2 20:30; Ch1 22:18), the supposition that these words became וינהלם מס by an orthographical error is not at all probable. Ch2 32:23 Many brought gifts to the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to King Hezekiah. רבּים is not to be restricted to Israelites, but probably denotes chiefly neighbouring peoples, who by the destruction of the Assyrian army were also freed from this dreaded enemy. They, too, might feel impelled to show their reverence for the God of Israel, who had so wonderfully delivered His people by their gifts.