2 Kings 19 Study Notes: The LORD Delivers Jerusalem from Assyria
Hezekiah mourns and seeks Isaiah’s prayer, and when Sennacherib sends a threatening letter, he lays it before the LORD and prays. Through Isaiah, God condemns Assyria’s pride and promises to defend the city. That night His angel strikes the Assyrian camp, and Sennacherib goes home and is killed by his sons.
General
What happened in the Assyrian camp that very night (2 Kings 19:35-36)?
Answer: The angel of the LORD killed 185,000 of the Assyrian troops
That night, just as the LORD had promised, the angel of the LORD killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their camp, and in the morning they were found dead (19:35). Sennacherib broke camp and went home to Nineveh, his capital (19:36). No arrow was shot at Jerusalem, just as the LORD had promised (19:32-33). The deliverance came entirely from God, not from Judah’s army. Hosea had foretold that the LORD would save Judah not by bow, sword, or war, but by Himself (Hosea 1:7), and Isaiah had said Assyria would fall by a sword not wielded by human hands (Isaiah 31:8). The LORD’s angel guards those who fear Him (Psalm 34:7).
- 2 Kings 19:35-36 (BSB)“And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.”The angel of the LORD strikes the Assyrian camp, and Sennacherib withdraws to Nineveh.
- Hosea 1:7 (BSB)“Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.””Hosea foretold that the LORD would save Judah by Himself, not by weapons or war.
- Isaiah 31:8 (BSB)““Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals. They will flee before the sword, and their young men will be put to forced labor.”Isaiah foretold that Assyria would fall, but not by a human sword.
- Psalm 34:7 (BSB)“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.”The angel of the LORD protects and delivers those who fear Him.
Theological
How was the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem ended (2 Kings 19:35-36)?
Answer: The angel of the LORD killed 185,000 of the Assyrian troops
The angel of the LORD kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night (19:35), and Sennacherib withdraws to Nineveh (19:36). The promise of 19:32-33 is fulfilled to the letter: not an arrow is shot at the city. The deliverance is God’s work alone, as Hosea foretold of Judah’s salvation apart from bow and sword (Hosea 1:7) and Isaiah of Assyria’s fall by a sword not of man (Isaiah 31:8). The angel of the LORD guards those who fear Him (Psalm 34:7).
- 2 Kings 19:35-36 (BSB)“And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.”The angel of the LORD strikes the Assyrian camp, and Sennacherib withdraws to Nineveh.
- Hosea 1:7 (BSB)“Yet I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will save them—not by bow or sword or war, not by horses and cavalry, but by the LORD their God.””Hosea foretold that the LORD would save Judah by Himself, not by weapons or war.
- Isaiah 31:8 (BSB)““Then Assyria will fall, but not by the sword of man; a sword will devour them, but not one made by mortals. They will flee before the sword, and their young men will be put to forced labor.”Isaiah foretold that Assyria would fall, but not by a human sword.
- Psalm 34:7 (BSB)“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.”The angel of the LORD protects and delivers those who fear Him.
General
What did the Assyrian king boast about, as the LORD quotes him (2 Kings 19:23-24)?
Answer: That he had climbed mountains, felled forests, and dried up rivers
The LORD quoted the Assyrian king’s boasts back to him. With his chariots he claimed to have climbed to the highest mountains of Lebanon, cut down their finest cedars and cypresses, dug wells in foreign lands, and dried up Egypt’s streams under his feet (19:23-24). Every boast centers on himself and what he had done. Isaiah describes the same pride, as the Assyrian king claims he did everything by his own strength and wisdom (Isaiah 10:12-13). Pride leads to ruin (Proverbs 16:18), and later even Nebuchadnezzar had to confess that God can bring the proud low (Daniel 4:37).
- 2 Kings 19:23-24 (BSB)“Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest outposts, the densest of its forests. I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.””The LORD quotes the Assyrian king’s boasts about his conquests.
- Isaiah 10:12-13 (BSB)“So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes. For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.”Isaiah records the Assyrian king’s claim that he conquered by his own strength and wisdom, and God’s promise to punish that pride.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride leads to destruction, the path Assyria’s boasting is on.
- Daniel 4:37 (BSB)“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”Nebuchadnezzar confessed that God is able to humble the proud.
Theological
What is the content of the Assyrian boasting the LORD quotes in His oracle (2 Kings 19:23-24)?
Answer: That he had climbed mountains, felled forests, and dried up rivers
The oracle quotes Assyria’s self-glorifying claims: conquest of Lebanon’s heights and forests, wells dug in foreign lands, Egypt’s streams dried up beneath his feet (19:23-24). The repeated first person exposes the heart of the sin, the creature claiming the glory for what God had done through him. Isaiah 10:12-13 records the same arrogance, which God promises to punish. Pride precedes a fall (Proverbs 16:18), and the God who humbled Nebuchadnezzar brings down the arrogant (Daniel 4:37).
- 2 Kings 19:23-24 (BSB)“Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest outposts, the densest of its forests. I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.””The LORD quotes the Assyrian king’s boasts about his conquests.
- Isaiah 10:12-13 (BSB)“So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes. For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.”Isaiah records the Assyrian king’s claim that he conquered by his own strength and wisdom, and God’s promise to punish that pride.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride leads to destruction, the path Assyria’s boasting is on.
- Daniel 4:37 (BSB)“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”Nebuchadnezzar confessed that God is able to humble the proud.
General
Why did the LORD say He would defend and save Jerusalem from the Assyrian king (2 Kings 19:32-34)?
Answer: For His own sake and because of His servant David
The LORD promised that the Assyrian king would not enter Jerusalem, fire a single arrow at it, approach it with shields, or heap up a ramp against it, but would return home by his original road (19:32-33). The reason was not Judah’s goodness but the LORD Himself: He would defend the city for His own sake and David’s (19:34). God had promised David that his house and kingdom would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:16), and earlier He had kept a tribe for David’s descendants because of that promise (1 Kings 11:13). The LORD acts for His own name and will not give His glory to another (Isaiah 48:11).
- 2 Kings 19:32-34 (BSB)“So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it. He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””The LORD promises the Assyrian will not attack the city and that He will defend it for His sake and David’s.
- 2 Samuel 7:16 (BSB)“Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God’s covenant promise of an enduring house and throne for David underlies His defense of Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 11:13 (BSB)“Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.””God had earlier preserved a tribe for David’s line because of His servant David.
- Isaiah 48:11 (BSB)“For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.”The LORD acts for His own sake and will not give His glory to another.
Theological
On what ground does the LORD promise to defend Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:32-34)?
Answer: For His own sake and because of His servant David
The LORD guarantees that the Assyrian will not so much as approach the city in siege, but will go home by the road he came on (19:32-33). The ground of deliverance is wholly in God: His own sake and His servant David (19:34), that is, His glory and His covenant with David’s house (2 Samuel 7:16), the same ground on which He preserved a tribe for David’s line (1 Kings 11:13). Grace is grounded in God’s purpose and promise rather than in the merit of the people saved; He acts for His own sake and will not yield His glory to another (Isaiah 48:11).
- 2 Kings 19:32-34 (BSB)“So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it. He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””The LORD promises the Assyrian will not attack the city and that He will defend it for His sake and David’s.
- 2 Samuel 7:16 (BSB)“Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God’s covenant promise of an enduring house and throne for David underlies His defense of Jerusalem.
- 1 Kings 11:13 (BSB)“Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.””God had earlier preserved a tribe for David’s line because of His servant David.
- Isaiah 48:11 (BSB)“For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.”The LORD acts for His own sake and will not give His glory to another.
General
When Hezekiah heard the report of the Rabshakeh’s threats, what did he do (2 Kings 19:1-2)?
Answer: He mourned in sackcloth, went into the temple, and sent officials to Isaiah
Hezekiah’s officials had brought him the Rabshakeh’s threats having torn their clothes in grief (18:37). The Rabshakeh was a high-ranking official sent by the Assyrian king. Hezekiah responded by tearing his own clothes and putting on sackcloth, rough cloth worn to show mourning and humility, and he went into the temple (19:1). Then he sent Eliakim, Shebna, and the senior priests, all in sackcloth, to Isaiah, Amoz’s son, a prophet, that is, a messenger who spoke God’s word (19:2). Hezekiah’s first move was to turn to the LORD and His word rather than to a new military plan. Scripture calls God’s people to call on Him when trouble comes (Psalm 50:15) and to trust in His name rather than in chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7).
- 2 Kings 19:1-2 (BSB)“On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz”Hezekiah tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, enters the temple, and sends his officials to Isaiah.
- 2 Kings 18:37 (BSB)“Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.”The officials had reported the Rabshakeh’s words to Hezekiah with torn clothes, which prompts his response here.
- Psalm 50:15 (BSB)“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.””God invites His people to call on Him in trouble and promises to deliver them, as Hezekiah now does.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”Trust in the LORD’s name rather than in military strength is the path Hezekiah takes.
Theological
How does Hezekiah respond to the report of the Rabshakeh’s threats (2 Kings 19:1-2)?
Answer: He mourned in sackcloth, went into the temple, and sent officials to Isaiah
Receiving the Rabshakeh’s words from officials who came with torn clothes (18:37), Hezekiah tears his own garments, puts on sackcloth, and enters the temple (19:1). He then sends Eliakim, Shebna, and the senior priests, likewise in sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet (19:2). The king’s first recourse is humbling himself before the LORD, seeking His word, not military calculation. This is the response Scripture commends in distress: calling on God, who promises deliverance (Psalm 50:15), and trusting His name rather than horses and chariots (Psalm 20:7).
- 2 Kings 19:1-2 (BSB)“On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz”Hezekiah tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, enters the temple, and sends his officials to Isaiah.
- 2 Kings 18:37 (BSB)“Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.”The officials had reported the Rabshakeh’s words to Hezekiah with torn clothes, which prompts his response here.
- Psalm 50:15 (BSB)“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.””God invites His people to call on Him in trouble and promises to deliver them, as Hezekiah now does.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”Trust in the LORD’s name rather than in military strength is the path Hezekiah takes.
General
Because of the Assyrian king’s proud raging against Him, what did the LORD say He would do (2 Kings 19:27-28)?
Answer: Lead him back home like a captive animal controlled with a hook
The LORD told the Assyrian king that He knew everything about him: when he sat, when he went out and came in, and how he raged against God (19:27). Because his rage and pride had reached the LORD’s ears, God would put His hook in the king’s nose and His bit in his mouth, as a person controls an animal, and send him back by the road he came (19:28). The most powerful king of the day would be led away like a beast. The LORD knows every step of every person (Psalm 139:1-3), and He overturns what the nations plan while His own plans stand forever (Psalm 33:10-11).
- 2 Kings 19:27-28 (BSB)“But I know your sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against Me. Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’”The LORD declares that He knows the Assyrian king’s raging and will turn him back like a led animal.
- Psalm 139:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.”The LORD knows when a person sits and rises and all his ways, as He knows the Assyrian king.
- Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)“The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations, as He does Assyria’s plan against Jerusalem.
Theological
What does the LORD say He will do in response to the Assyrian king’s raging (2 Kings 19:27-28)?
Answer: Lead him back home like a captive animal controlled with a hook
The LORD’s omniscience covers the Assyrian’s every movement and his raging against Him (19:27). Because that arrogance has reached Him, the LORD will treat the king like a led animal, hook in the nose and bit in the mouth, and turn him back on the road he came (19:28). The image is complete control over the most powerful man of the age. The LORD who searches and knows all our ways (Psalm 139:1-3) brings the nations’ schemes to nothing, while His own purposes stand (Psalm 33:10-11).
- 2 Kings 19:27-28 (BSB)“But I know your sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against Me. Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’”The LORD declares that He knows the Assyrian king’s raging and will turn him back like a led animal.
- Psalm 139:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.”The LORD knows when a person sits and rises and all his ways, as He knows the Assyrian king.
- Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)“The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations, as He does Assyria’s plan against Jerusalem.
General
True or False: In his prayer, Hezekiah denied that the Assyrian kings had really destroyed the nations and their gods (2 Kings 19:17-18).
Answer: False
This is false. Hezekiah admitted that Sennacherib’s facts were true: the Assyrian kings really had laid waste the nations and burned the nations’ idols (19:17-18). But he explained why: those gods were not gods at all, merely carved wood and stone shaped by people, so of course they could not save anyone (19:18). Sennacherib’s argument failed because the LORD is not an idol. Scripture often makes this point: idols have mouths and eyes but cannot speak or see, and their worshipers end up like them (Psalm 115:4-8), and idol makers are nothing (Isaiah 44:9).
- 2 Kings 19:17-18 (BSB)“Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.”Hezekiah admits Assyria destroyed the nations and their gods, because those gods were only wood and stone.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Idols are lifeless works of human hands, which is why the nations’ gods could not save them.
- Isaiah 44:9 (BSB)“All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame.”Isaiah declares that the makers of idols are nothing and their treasured images worthless.
Theological
True or False: Hezekiah’s prayer disputes Sennacherib’s claim that Assyria had destroyed the nations and their gods (2 Kings 19:17-18).
Answer: False
This is false. Hezekiah concedes the facts: the Assyrian kings did devastate the nations and burn their gods (19:17). His point is that those gods were never gods, merely wood and stone fashioned by people (19:18). The Assyrian argument collapses because it assumes the LORD belongs to the same category as the idols. Scripture consistently exposes idols as lifeless products of human hands whose worshipers become like them (Psalm 115:4-8), their makers being nothing (Isaiah 44:9).
- 2 Kings 19:17-18 (BSB)“Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands. They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.”Hezekiah admits Assyria destroyed the nations and their gods, because those gods were only wood and stone.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (BSB)“Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.”Idols are lifeless works of human hands, which is why the nations’ gods could not save them.
- Isaiah 44:9 (BSB)“All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame.”Isaiah declares that the makers of idols are nothing and their treasured images worthless.
General
What did the LORD promise in Isaiah’s first reply to Hezekiah’s officials (2 Kings 19:6-7)?
Answer: The Assyrian king would hear a report, go home, and be killed there
The LORD told Hezekiah not to fear the words the Assyrian king’s servants had spoken, because by them they had blasphemed, that is, insulted, the LORD Himself (19:6). He would place a spirit within the king so that on hearing a rumor he would go back to his own country, and there the LORD would cause him to die by the sword (19:7). The LORD took the insults personally, and He showed that the mightiest king of the day was in His hands. This word came true at the end of the chapter (19:36-37). The same comfort appears when Moses told Israel not to be afraid, because the LORD would fight for them (Exodus 14:13-14), and a king’s heart is like a stream that the LORD directs wherever He pleases (Proverbs 21:1).
- 2 Kings 19:6-7 (BSB)“who replied, “Tell your master that this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’””Isaiah tells Hezekiah not to fear and announces how the LORD will deal with the Assyrian king.
- Exodus 14:13-14 (BSB)“But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””Moses likewise told Israel not to fear because the LORD would fight for them.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart where He pleases, as He does with the Assyrian king here.
Theological
What does the LORD announce in Isaiah’s first reply to Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:6-7)?
Answer: The Assyrian king would hear a report, go home, and be killed there
The LORD answers Hezekiah’s fear: the Assyrian servants have blasphemed Him, not merely Hezekiah (19:6). He will place a spirit within the king, so that a rumor sends him home, where the LORD will bring him down by the sword (19:7), a word fulfilled in 19:36-37. The promise asserts the LORD’s direct rule over the most powerful king of the age, even over his decisions. As at the Red Sea, God’s people need not fear, for the LORD fights for them (Exodus 14:13-14); He steers a king’s heart like a channel of water (Proverbs 21:1).
- 2 Kings 19:6-7 (BSB)“who replied, “Tell your master that this is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’””Isaiah tells Hezekiah not to fear and announces how the LORD will deal with the Assyrian king.
- Exodus 14:13-14 (BSB)“But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””Moses likewise told Israel not to fear because the LORD would fight for them.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”The LORD directs a king’s heart where He pleases, as He does with the Assyrian king here.
General
What did the LORD tell the Assyrian king about his conquests of fortified cities (2 Kings 19:25-26)?
Answer: The LORD had planned them long before and had now brought them about
The LORD asked the Assyrian king whether he had not heard that long ago God had ordained and planned these events, and now He had brought them to pass, so that Assyria turned fortified cities into heaps of rubble (19:25). The people of those cities were as weak as young grass scorched before it grows (19:26). Assyria’s victories did not happen outside God’s control; God ruled over them. Yet Assyria was still fully responsible for its pride, and the next verses judge its rage (19:27-28). Isaiah says the same: Assyria was the rod of the LORD’s anger, though its king meant only to destroy (Isaiah 10:5-7), and an axe has no right to boast over the person using it (Isaiah 10:15). God rules even over the evil acts of people without ever being the author of their sin, as with Joseph’s brothers (Genesis 50:20) and those who crucified Jesus (Acts 4:27-28).
- 2 Kings 19:25-26 (BSB)“Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble. Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.”The LORD declares that He planned Assyria’s conquests long ago and brought them to pass.
- Isaiah 10:5-7 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.”Assyria is the rod of God’s anger, even though its king intends only to destroy.
- Isaiah 10:15 (BSB)“Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!”The tool has no right to boast against the One who wields it, exposing Assyria’s pride.
- Genesis 50:20 (BSB)“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”What people intend for evil God intends for good, showing His rule over sinful acts.
- Acts 4:27-28 (BSB)“In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.”Those who conspired against Jesus did what God’s hand and will had decided beforehand.
Theological
How does the LORD explain Assyria’s conquests of the fortified cities (2 Kings 19:25-26)?
Answer: The LORD had planned them long before and had now brought them about
The LORD claims Assyria’s conquests as His own long-planned purpose, now brought to pass (19:25), with the conquered peoples withering like grass (19:26). Divine sovereignty here is comprehensive: Assyria’s campaigns fall within God’s eternal decree. Yet Assyria remains culpable, and its arrogance is judged in the very next verses (19:27-28). Isaiah 10:5-7 holds both truths together, Assyria as the rod of God’s anger while intending only destruction, and Isaiah 10:15 rebukes the tool that boasts against its wielder. God ordains even sinful human acts for His good ends without being the author of sin (Genesis 50:20; Acts 4:27-28).
- 2 Kings 19:25-26 (BSB)“Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble. Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.”The LORD declares that He planned Assyria’s conquests long ago and brought them to pass.
- Isaiah 10:5-7 (BSB)“Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.”Assyria is the rod of God’s anger, even though its king intends only to destroy.
- Isaiah 10:15 (BSB)“Does an axe raise itself above the one who swings it? Does a saw boast over him who saws with it? It would be like a rod waving the one who lifts it, or a staff lifting him who is not wood!”The tool has no right to boast against the One who wields it, exposing Assyria’s pride.
- Genesis 50:20 (BSB)“As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.”What people intend for evil God intends for good, showing His rule over sinful acts.
- Acts 4:27-28 (BSB)“In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen.”Those who conspired against Jesus did what God’s hand and will had decided beforehand.
General
What did Hezekiah ask Isaiah to do in his message (2 Kings 19:3-4)?
Answer: Pray for the survivors, since the Rabshakeh had mocked the living God
Hezekiah called it a day of trouble and shame, like a woman ready to give birth who has no strength left to do it (19:3). Assyria had already captured all of Judah’s fortified cities (18:13), so only a remnant, a small group of survivors, remained. Hezekiah hoped that the LORD had heard the Rabshakeh, who had been sent by the Assyrian king to taunt the God who lives, and that He would rebuke him (19:4). So he asked Isaiah to pray for those who were left. Like Goliath long before, Assyria had insulted the living God (1 Samuel 17:26), and the LORD alone is the real, living God, unlike the idols of the nations (Jeremiah 10:10).
- 2 Kings 19:3-4 (BSB)“to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.””Hezekiah’s message to Isaiah describes the crisis and asks him to pray for the remnant.
- 2 Kings 18:13 (BSB)“In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.”Assyria had already captured Judah’s fortified cities, leaving only a remnant in Jerusalem.
- 1 Samuel 17:26 (BSB)“David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?””Goliath’s defiance of the living God is the same offense the Rabshakeh commits.
- Jeremiah 10:10 (BSB)“But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.”The LORD is the true and living God, the One the Rabshakeh had mocked.
Theological
What request does Hezekiah’s message make of Isaiah (2 Kings 19:3-4)?
Answer: Pray for the survivors, since the Rabshakeh had mocked the living God
Hezekiah describes the crisis as a day of trouble and shame, like a labor too weak to bring forth the child (19:3). With Judah’s fortified cities already taken (18:13), only a remnant survives. His hope rests on the LORD hearing how the Rabshakeh taunted the God who lives, and rebuking him, so he asks Isaiah to intercede for the remnant (19:4). The offense is the same as Goliath’s (1 Samuel 17:26); the LORD alone is truly God, living and eternal (Jeremiah 10:10).
- 2 Kings 19:3-4 (BSB)“to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.””Hezekiah’s message to Isaiah describes the crisis and asks him to pray for the remnant.
- 2 Kings 18:13 (BSB)“In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.”Assyria had already captured Judah’s fortified cities, leaving only a remnant in Jerusalem.
- 1 Samuel 17:26 (BSB)“David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?””Goliath’s defiance of the living God is the same offense the Rabshakeh commits.
- Jeremiah 10:10 (BSB)“But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.”The LORD is the true and living God, the One the Rabshakeh had mocked.
General
In the LORD’s answer through Isaiah, whom had the Assyrian king really mocked and raised himself against (2 Kings 19:20-22)?
Answer: The LORD Himself, Israel’s Holy One
Isaiah sent a message: the LORD had heard Hezekiah’s prayer about Sennacherib (19:20). In the LORD’s answer, Jerusalem is pictured as a young woman, the Daughter of Zion, who mocks the Assyrian and shakes her head at him behind his back (19:21). The Assyrian king thought he was taunting Hezekiah, but the LORD asked whom he had really insulted: his proud words and lifted eyes were aimed at Israel’s Holy One, the LORD Himself (19:22). Scripture shows God laughing at rulers who rise against Him (Psalm 2:1-4) and teaches that He opposes the proud (James 4:6).
- 2 Kings 19:20-22 (BSB)“Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you. Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!”The LORD answers Hezekiah’s prayer and declares that Assyria’s pride was raised against Him.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”The LORD laughs at the kings of the earth who rise against Him, as Assyria has done.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud, the principle at work in His answer to Assyria.
Theological
Against whom, according to the LORD’s oracle, was the Assyrian king’s pride ultimately directed (2 Kings 19:20-22)?
Answer: The LORD Himself, Israel’s Holy One
The LORD answers Hezekiah’s prayer (19:20) with an oracle in which the Daughter of Zion scorns the Assyrian behind his back (19:21). The king’s taunts, ostensibly against Hezekiah, were raised against Israel’s Holy One (19:22). Insults against God’s people and His name are insults against God Himself, and the outcome is fixed: God in heaven laughs at the rulers who rise against Him (Psalm 2:1-4), and God resists the proud (James 4:6).
- 2 Kings 19:20-22 (BSB)“Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria. This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you. Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!”The LORD answers Hezekiah’s prayer and declares that Assyria’s pride was raised against Him.
- Psalm 2:1-4 (BSB)“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.”The LORD laughs at the kings of the earth who rise against Him, as Assyria has done.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud, the principle at work in His answer to Assyria.
General
True or False: Sennacherib was killed in battle by Tirhakah, the Cushite king, after he withdrew from Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:37).
Answer: False
This is false. After Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, as he worshiped at the shrine of Nisroch, his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, two of his own sons, killed him and escaped to Ararat; another son, Esar-haddon, became king (19:37). This fulfilled exactly what the LORD had said through Isaiah: the king would hear a rumor, go home, and die by the sword in his own country (19:7). The god he trusted could not protect him even in its own temple, while the LORD whom he mocked kept every word. Every word God speaks comes true (Luke 1:37), and the LORD had sworn that His plan to break Assyria would stand (Isaiah 14:24-25).
- 2 Kings 19:37 (BSB)“One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.”Sennacherib is killed by his sons in the temple of his god after returning to Nineveh.
- 2 Kings 19:7 (BSB)“Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’””The LORD had foretold that the king would return home and fall by the sword there.
- Luke 1:37 (BSB)“For no word from God will ever fail.””No word from God ever fails, as this fulfillment shows.
- Isaiah 14:24-25 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand. I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.””The LORD swore that His plan to break Assyria would stand.
Theological
True or False: Sennacherib died in battle against Tirhakah of Cush after withdrawing from Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:37).
Answer: False
This is false. Having returned to Nineveh, Sennacherib is struck down by Adrammelech and Sharezer, two of his sons, as he worships at Nisroch’s shrine, and Esar-haddon succeeds him (19:37). This fulfills the word of 19:7 precisely: a rumor, a return home, and death by the sword in his own land. The irony is pointed: the god in whose house he worships cannot save him, while the LORD he blasphemed fulfills every word. God’s word never fails (Luke 1:37), and the LORD’s sworn purpose to break Assyria stands (Isaiah 14:24-25).
- 2 Kings 19:37 (BSB)“One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.”Sennacherib is killed by his sons in the temple of his god after returning to Nineveh.
- 2 Kings 19:7 (BSB)“Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’””The LORD had foretold that the king would return home and fall by the sword there.
- Luke 1:37 (BSB)“For no word from God will ever fail.””No word from God ever fails, as this fulfillment shows.
- Isaiah 14:24-25 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand. I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.””The LORD swore that His plan to break Assyria would stand.
General
In his second message, what did Sennacherib warn Hezekiah not to be misled by (2 Kings 19:10-13)?
Answer: The God he trusted, since no nation’s gods had saved it from Assyria
The Rabshakeh went back and found his king fighting at Libnah, having left Lachish (19:8). Hearing that Tirhakah, the Cushite king (Cush lay south of Egypt), was marching against him, Sennacherib sent another message to Hezekiah (19:9). He warned Hezekiah not to let the God he trusted mislead him into thinking Jerusalem would be spared (19:10). His argument was his record: the gods of nation after nation had not rescued their peoples from Assyria (19:11-13). It was the same argument the Rabshakeh had made earlier (18:33-34). Sennacherib’s mistake was to treat the LORD as one more local god like the idols he had defeated. But the LORD says no one compares with Him, and His purpose will stand (Isaiah 46:9-10).
- 2 Kings 19:10-13 (BSB)““Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting them to destruction. Will you then be spared? Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar? Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’””Sennacherib’s message argues that the LORD will no more save Jerusalem than other gods saved their nations.
- 2 Kings 18:33-34 (BSB)“Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?”The Rabshakeh had already argued that no nation’s god had rescued it from Assyria.
- Isaiah 46:9-10 (BSB)“Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’”The LORD declares there is none like Him and that His purpose will stand, answering Assyria’s comparison.
Theological
In his second message, what does Sennacherib tell Hezekiah not to let deceive him (2 Kings 19:10-13)?
Answer: The God he trusted, since no nation’s gods had saved it from Assyria
The Rabshakeh rejoins his king, now fighting at Libnah rather than Lachish (19:8). Alerted that Tirhakah of Cush was advancing (19:9), Sennacherib renews his pressure in writing. Hezekiah must not let his God deceive him about Jerusalem’s safety (19:10), because the gods of every nation Assyria had destroyed did not rescue them (19:11-13), the argument already pressed by the Rabshakeh (18:33-34). The message reduces the LORD to one more territorial deity. That category error is what the rest of the chapter answers: the LORD alone is God, and His counsel stands (Isaiah 46:9-10).
- 2 Kings 19:10-13 (BSB)““Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries, devoting them to destruction. Will you then be spared? Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar? Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’””Sennacherib’s message argues that the LORD will no more save Jerusalem than other gods saved their nations.
- 2 Kings 18:33-34 (BSB)“Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?”The Rabshakeh had already argued that no nation’s god had rescued it from Assyria.
- Isaiah 46:9-10 (BSB)“Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’”The LORD declares there is none like Him and that His purpose will stand, answering Assyria’s comparison.
General
What sign did the LORD give Hezekiah through Isaiah (2 Kings 19:29-31)?
Answer: Two years of food that grew by itself, then planting in the third
The sign was about food and farming. That year the people would eat what grew by itself, the next year what sprang up from that, and in year three they would sow, harvest, and plant vineyards again (19:29). Life would return to normal, proving the LORD had kept His word. The surviving remnant, the people left in Judah, would again put down roots and bear fruit, and survivors would go out from Jerusalem, all because of the LORD’s own zeal (19:30-31). Isaiah uses the same assurance about the coming King on David’s throne (Isaiah 9:7). Earlier Isaiah had said that only the LORD’s mercy had left Judah any survivors at all (Isaiah 1:9), and Paul later sees the same pattern of a remnant preserved by God, chosen by grace in his own day (Romans 11:5).
- 2 Kings 19:29-31 (BSB)“And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above. For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.”Isaiah gives the sign of three years of harvest and promises that the remnant will take root again.
- Isaiah 9:7 (BSB)“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.”The same zeal of the LORD guarantees the reign of the King on David’s throne.
- Isaiah 1:9 (BSB)“Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”Only because the LORD left survivors did Judah escape complete destruction.
- Romans 11:5 (BSB)“In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.”Paul describes a remnant chosen by grace, the same pattern of God preserving a people.
Theological
What sign accompanies the LORD’s promise of deliverance in Isaiah’s message (2 Kings 19:29-31)?
Answer: Two years of food that grew by itself, then planting in the third
The sign is agricultural: two years of eating what springs up unsown, then a third year of sowing, reaping, and planting vineyards (19:29), the return of ordinary life confirming the LORD’s word. Judah’s remnant will once more root downward and fruit upward, survivors going out from Zion, accomplished by the LORD’s own zeal (19:30-31), the same guarantee attached to the Davidic King’s everlasting reign (Isaiah 9:7). The remnant’s survival is God’s doing, not Judah’s strength (Isaiah 1:9), and Paul sees the same pattern of a remnant preserved by God in his own day, chosen by grace (Romans 11:5).
- 2 Kings 19:29-31 (BSB)“And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above. For a remnant will go forth from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.”Isaiah gives the sign of three years of harvest and promises that the remnant will take root again.
- Isaiah 9:7 (BSB)“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.”The same zeal of the LORD guarantees the reign of the King on David’s throne.
- Isaiah 1:9 (BSB)“Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”Only because the LORD left survivors did Judah escape complete destruction.
- Romans 11:5 (BSB)“In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.”Paul describes a remnant chosen by grace, the same pattern of God preserving a people.
General
What reason did Hezekiah give for asking the LORD to save Judah (2 Kings 19:19)?
Answer: So that every kingdom on earth would see that the LORD alone is God
Hezekiah asked the LORD to rescue Judah from Sennacherib so that every kingdom on earth would recognize that He alone is God (19:19). His deepest concern was not his own safety or honor but the LORD’s glory among the nations. Scripture shows that God acts so that His name will be known: He saved Israel at the Red Sea for His name’s sake and to display His might (Psalm 106:8), and He declares that He will be lifted high over the nations (Psalm 46:10). Even Pharaoh was raised up so that God’s name would be made known throughout the world (Exodus 9:16).
- 2 Kings 19:19 (BSB)“And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.””Hezekiah asks for deliverance so that all kingdoms may know the LORD alone is God.
- Psalm 106:8 (BSB)“Yet He saved them for the sake of His name, to make His power known.”God saved Israel for the sake of His name, the same concern that drives Hezekiah’s plea.
- Psalm 46:10 (BSB)““Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.””The LORD declares He will be exalted among the nations, the outcome Hezekiah prays for.
- Exodus 9:16 (BSB)“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”God acted against Pharaoh so that His name would be proclaimed in all the earth.
Theological
What purpose does Hezekiah attach to his plea for deliverance (2 Kings 19:19)?
Answer: So that every kingdom on earth would see that the LORD alone is God
The petition for rescue serves an end of praise: that all earthly kingdoms may know the LORD alone is God (19:19). Hezekiah aligns his request with God’s own stated purpose of making His name known, which is why he can pray with confidence. The LORD saved His people for His name’s sake to display His might (Psalm 106:8), He will be lifted high over the nations (Psalm 46:10), and He raised Pharaoh up so that His name would be made known throughout the world (Exodus 9:16).
- 2 Kings 19:19 (BSB)“And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.””Hezekiah asks for deliverance so that all kingdoms may know the LORD alone is God.
- Psalm 106:8 (BSB)“Yet He saved them for the sake of His name, to make His power known.”God saved Israel for the sake of His name, the same concern that drives Hezekiah’s plea.
- Psalm 46:10 (BSB)““Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.””The LORD declares He will be exalted among the nations, the outcome Hezekiah prays for.
- Exodus 9:16 (BSB)“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”God acted against Pharaoh so that His name would be proclaimed in all the earth.
General
After spreading out the letter in the temple, how did Hezekiah describe the LORD at the start of his prayer (2 Kings 19:15)?
Answer: As the only God ruling every kingdom on earth, who created everything
Hezekiah read Sennacherib’s letter, took it up to the temple, and laid it open in the LORD’s presence (19:14). He addressed the LORD as Israel’s God, seated on His throne between the cherubim. The cherubim were the golden winged figures on the cover of the ark, the sacred covenant chest that stood for God’s throne among His people (1 Samuel 4:4). He confessed the LORD as the only God over every kingdom on earth and the Maker of heaven and earth (19:15). That directly answered Sennacherib’s claim that the LORD was just one more local god. Scripture affirms that the LORD reigns over all nations (Psalm 99:1) and that He alone is God (Deuteronomy 4:35).
- 2 Kings 19:14-15 (BSB)“So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.”Hezekiah spreads the letter before the LORD and begins his prayer by confessing who the LORD is.
- 1 Samuel 4:4 (BSB)“So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.”The LORD is described as enthroned between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant.
- Psalm 99:1 (BSB)“The LORD reigns; let the nations tremble! He is enthroned above the cherubim; let the earth quake!”The LORD who is enthroned above the cherubim reigns over the nations, as Hezekiah confesses.
- Deuteronomy 4:35 (BSB)“You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.”Moses taught that the LORD is God and there is no other besides Him.
Theological
How does Hezekiah address the LORD at the opening of his prayer (2 Kings 19:15)?
Answer: As the only God ruling every kingdom on earth, who created everything
Having spread the letter before the LORD in the temple (19:14), Hezekiah addresses Him as Israel’s God, throned between the cherubim, the ark’s throne imagery (1 Samuel 4:4). He then confesses the LORD as the sole God over all earthly kingdoms and the Creator of heaven and earth (19:15). This is the confession of exclusive monotheism, directly countering Sennacherib’s view of the LORD as a territorial deity. The LORD reigns, and the nations tremble (Psalm 99:1); He alone is God (Deuteronomy 4:35).
- 2 Kings 19:14-15 (BSB)“So Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers, read it, and went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.”Hezekiah spreads the letter before the LORD and begins his prayer by confessing who the LORD is.
- 1 Samuel 4:4 (BSB)“So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.”The LORD is described as enthroned between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant.
- Psalm 99:1 (BSB)“The LORD reigns; let the nations tremble! He is enthroned above the cherubim; let the earth quake!”The LORD who is enthroned above the cherubim reigns over the nations, as Hezekiah confesses.
- Deuteronomy 4:35 (BSB)“You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.”Moses taught that the LORD is God and there is no other besides Him.