Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

18:1-12 The accession statement concerning Hezekiah’s reign (18:1-2) is accompanied by a lengthy evaluation of Hezekiah’s spiritual commitment (18:3-7a), followed by background details of the political situation in his time (18:7b-12).

18:1-2 the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel: The date given for Hezekiah’s accession refers to his co-regency with his father, Ahaz. Since Hoshea began his reign in 732 BC, Hezekiah began to rule in about 728 BC, when he was twelve years old. When Ahaz died in 715 BC, Hezekiah began his sole reign at age twenty-five. This marks the start of his reign of twenty-nine years (715–686 BC).

Verse 3

18:3-4 Unlike Ahaz (16:2), Hezekiah compared favorably with David. Hezekiah destroyed false objects of worship, including the pagan shrines . . . sacred pillars, and . . . Asherah poles (see 16:3-10; 17:9-11, 19). • Apparently the bronze serpent used by Moses (Num 21) had become an object of illicit worship.

Verse 5

18:5-6 Hezekiah trusted in the Lord: He was without peer among all the kings of Judah. Later, Josiah was without equal in upholding the law of Moses (23:25). These two kings were models of piety in times of diminishing spirituality.

Verse 7

18:7-8 Because of Hezekiah’s unparalleled spiritual commitment, God blessed him and he was successful in everything he did. Hezekiah began a series of reforms, including the cleansing, repair, and refurbishing of the Temple (2 Chr 29:3-36); observance of the Passover (2 Chr 30); and the reconstituting of vital worship in Judah (2 Chr 31:1-19). • He revolted against the king of Assyria: In the ancient Near East, rebellion and the withholding of tribute usually took place with the change of government; King Sennacherib of Assyria succeeded Sargon II in 704 BC. Assyria’s preoccupation with matters in southern Mesopotamia at this time might have emboldened Hezekiah. Assyria’s response was to invade Judah in 701 BC (18:13–19:36). • He also conquered the Philistines, who had been a menace during Ahaz’s reign (2 Chr 28:18).

Verse 9

18:9-12 The narrator introduces the fall of Samaria as a reminder that Assyria was the prevailing power of the era and that Samaria fell because of Hoshea’s apostasy, thus setting the stage for the account of Hezekiah’s demonstration of spiritual fiber and God’s dealing with him (18:19–19:19).

Verse 13

18:13 The annals of King Sennacherib of Assyria describe this invasion during his third military campaign. He advanced swiftly down the Mediterranean coast through the Phoenician cities and into Philistine territory, then turned inland.

Verse 14

18:14 Lachish lay southwest of Jerusalem, not far from the Philistine border. • I have done wrong (literally I have sinned). Hezekiah’s message to Sennacherib was in well-chosen diplomatic language. • Sennacherib claimed that in addition to the eleven tons of silver and one ton of gold, he received from Hezekiah many jewels and rich treasures as well as Hezekiah’s own daughter, the women of his harem, and his male and female singers.

Verse 15

18:15-16 Hezekiah paid a heavy price for refusing to pay tribute money to the king of Assyria. Now, to satisfy Sennacherib’s demands he emptied the silver and gold from the Temple and the palace treasury (cp. 2 Chr 16:1-9).

Verse 17

18:17 sent . . . a huge army: In spite of Hezekiah’s lavish payment, Sennacherib had no intention of being sidetracked from invading Jerusalem. • beside the aqueduct: The meeting place of the two delegations is believed to be a location on Jerusalem’s northwestern wall; this spot had also served as the meeting place between Isaiah and Ahaz (Isa 7:3-16).

Verse 19

18:19-22 In earlier days, the term great king was reserved for the kings of the leading military powers, but it had become a standard epithet for Assyrian kings. • What are you trusting in? The Assyrian officer asserted that the citizens of Jerusalem, faced with Assyria’s overwhelming military superiority, would be foolish to trust in Hezekiah’s words. Similarly, soliciting help from Egypt would be foolish. Finally, the chief of staff argued that trust in the Lord would also be misplaced. Perhaps the officer hoped to gain the loyalty of citizens who had worshiped at the shrines and altars that Hezekiah had destroyed.

Verse 23

18:23-24 The officer next turned to taunting, suggesting that Jerusalem would be unable to field sufficient manpower and strength to withstand even the weakest contingent of Assyrian troops.

Verse 25

18:25 The chief of staff concluded his argument by claiming that Jerusalem’s situation was hopeless because the Assyrians had come at the Lord’s direction to destroy Judah. To oppose the great king was to oppose God himself!

Verse 26

18:26 Hezekiah’s representatives wanted the Assyrian delegation to speak . . . in Aramaic, the language of diplomacy, so that the people who were listening would not understand and be discouraged or frightened.

Verse 27

18:27 my master . . . wants all the people to hear: The Assyrians used the native tongue of a besieged city as part of their psychological warfare.

Verse 28

18:28-30 The chief of staff ignored the request of Hezekiah’s delegation and shouted in Hebrew, hoping to arouse fear among the people of Jerusalem.

Verse 31

18:31-32 The Assyrian chief of staff then detailed the generous terms Sennacherib was offering for their surrender. Why die? Choose life!

Verse 32

18:32-35 The Lord will rescue us: The chief of staff continued his psychological taunting by asserting that the Lord was just like the gods of the other nations and could not save Judah. • Arpad was a city-state located northwest of Aleppo. Like Hamath, it was a hub of Aramean activity and is mentioned on other occasions in the Old Testament (see Isa 10:9; Jer 49:23).

Verse 37

18:37 tore their clothes in despair: This action could have been both a sign of sorrow over the situation in Jerusalem (see 6:30) and an indication of grief over the blasphemous insults of the Assyrian official (see 19:4-6).