Isaiah 37 Study Notes: Hezekiah's Prayer and Assyria's Defeat
King Hezekiah mourns, asks Isaiah to pray, and lays Sennacherib's threatening letter before the LORD, praying that all nations will know He alone is God. The LORD rebukes Assyria's pride and promises to defend Jerusalem; His angel strikes the Assyrian camp, and Sennacherib is later killed by his sons.
General
In the LORD's answer to Hezekiah, against whom does He say Sennacherib has really raised his voice in pride (37:23)?
Answer: Against Israel's Holy One, God Himself
Because Hezekiah prayed, the LORD sent His word against Sennacherib through Isaiah (37:21). Jerusalem, pictured as a young daughter, scorns the Assyrian and wags her head at his back (37:22). Then the LORD asks whom the king has mocked and insulted, and answers: Israel's Holy One (37:23). In mocking Jerusalem and its king, Sennacherib had set himself against God. The LORD had already said He would punish Assyria's arrogance (10:12), the LORD laughs at kings who rage against Him (Psalm 2:1-4), and Nebuchadnezzar later confessed that God can humble the proud (Daniel 4:37).
- Isaiah 37:22-23 (BSB)“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's word pictures Zion mocking the retreating Assyrian and names the One he has insulted.
- Isaiah 10:12 (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.”The LORD had promised to punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant heart.
- 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.”When kings rage against the LORD, the One enthroned in heaven laughs at them.
- 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 learned that God is able to humble those who walk in pride.
Theological
Against whom, according to 37:23, were Sennacherib's taunts really directed?
Answer: Against Israel's Holy One, God Himself
The oracle, given in answer to Hezekiah's prayer (37:21), opens with Daughter Zion scorning the retreating king (37:22) and then names the true object of his blasphemy: Israel's Holy One (37:23). Sennacherib's contempt for Jerusalem was contempt for her God. The verdict matches 10:12, where the LORD resolves to punish the Assyrian's proud heart, and parallels the divine derision of rebel kings in Psalm 2:1-4 and Nebuchadnezzar's confession that God humbles the proud (Daniel 4:37).
- Isaiah 37:22-23 (BSB)“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's word pictures Zion mocking the retreating Assyrian and names the One he has insulted.
- Isaiah 10:12 (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.”The LORD had promised to punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant heart.
- 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.”When kings rage against the LORD, the One enthroned in heaven laughs at them.
- 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 learned that God is able to humble those who walk in pride.
General
How was the Assyrian army defeated outside Jerusalem (37:36)?
Answer: God's angel killed 185,000 of the Assyrian soldiers
God's angel went out and killed 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian camp, and when people got up in the morning, the camp was full of dead bodies (37:36). No human army fought; God did it Himself. So Sennacherib broke camp and went home to Nineveh (37:37), just as the LORD had said (37:7, 34). Isaiah had earlier foretold that Assyria would fall by a sword not wielded by mortals (31:8). Chronicles also credits an angel the LORD dispatched (2 Chronicles 32:21), and Psalm 34:7 says God's angel camps around those who revere Him to rescue them.
- Isaiah 37:36-37 (BSB)“Then 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 LORD's deliverance comes, and Sennacherib breaks camp and goes home.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (BSB)“and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.”Chronicles says the LORD sent an angel who wiped out the Assyrian warriors and commanders, and the king withdrew in disgrace.
- Psalm 34:7 (BSB)“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.”The angel of the LORD camps around those who fear Him and rescues them.
- 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 had foretold that Assyria would fall, though not by a human sword.
Theological
What does 37:36 record as the means of Jerusalem's deliverance from Assyria?
Answer: God's angel killed 185,000 of the Assyrian soldiers
The LORD's angel killed 185,000 in the Assyrian camp, and the dawn revealed the dead (37:36). Sennacherib withdrew to Nineveh (37:37), as the LORD had foretold (37:7, 34). The deliverance was wholly divine, matching Isaiah's prophecy that Assyria would fall by a sword not of man (31:8) and Chronicles' account of the angel sent by the LORD (2 Chronicles 32:21). Psalm 34:7 generalizes the pattern: God's angel surrounds and rescues all who revere Him.
- Isaiah 37:36-37 (BSB)“Then 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 LORD's deliverance comes, and Sennacherib breaks camp and goes home.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (BSB)“and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.”Chronicles says the LORD sent an angel who wiped out the Assyrian warriors and commanders, and the king withdrew in disgrace.
- Psalm 34:7 (BSB)“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.”The angel of the LORD camps around those who fear Him and rescues them.
- 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 had foretold that Assyria would fall, though not by a human sword.
General
What do all the boasts the LORD quotes in 37:24-25 claim?
Answer: That his own chariots and feet had conquered mountains and rivers
Through his servants, Sennacherib had bragged that with his many chariots he had climbed the highest mountains of Lebanon, felled its highest cedars and cypresses, dug wells in foreign lands, and dried up Egypt's streams under his feet (37:24-25). Every boast is about what he himself had done. Isaiah had already quoted the Assyrian king saying he conquered by his own strength and cleverness (10:13). Nebuchadnezzar later made the same kind of boast and was humbled at once (Daniel 4:30-31). Pride comes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18).
- Isaiah 37:24-25 (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 heights, 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 boasts Sennacherib's servants had spoken on his behalf.
- Isaiah 10:13 (BSB)“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 had earlier quoted the Assyrian king crediting his conquests to his own strength and wisdom.
- Daniel 4:30-31 (BSB)“the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you.”Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his own power and was judged while the words were still in his mouth.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride comes before destruction.
Theological
According to the LORD's quotation of Sennacherib in 37:24-25, what had the king claimed?
Answer: That his own chariots and feet had conquered mountains and rivers
The quoted boasts, of scaling Lebanon's heights with many chariots, felling its cedars, drinking foreign waters, and drying Egypt's streams beneath his soles (37:24-25), all credit Assyria's own power. It is the self-glorifying speech already exposed in 10:13, where the king attributes conquest to the strength of his hand and his wisdom. Nebuchadnezzar's similar boast drew immediate judgment (Daniel 4:30-31), illustrating that pride precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18). The next verse answers who actually stood behind these conquests.
- Isaiah 37:24-25 (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 heights, 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 boasts Sennacherib's servants had spoken on his behalf.
- Isaiah 10:13 (BSB)“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 had earlier quoted the Assyrian king crediting his conquests to his own strength and wisdom.
- Daniel 4:30-31 (BSB)“the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” While the words were still in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven: “It is decreed to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that the kingdom has departed from you.”Nebuchadnezzar boasted of his own power and was judged while the words were still in his mouth.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride comes before destruction.
General
According to 37:35, why would the LORD defend and save Jerusalem?
Answer: For His own sake and that of His servant David
The LORD promised that the Assyrian king would not enter Jerusalem, shoot an arrow at it, come against it with shields, or build a siege ramp; he would return by the road he had taken (37:33-34). The LORD would defend the city and rescue it for His own sake and on account of His servant David (37:35). The rescue rested on God's own purposes and His promise to David that his throne would last forever (2 Samuel 7:16), not on Judah's strength. God acts for His own sake in forgiving His people too (43:25), and He had spared part of the kingdom before for David's sake (1 Kings 11:13).
- Isaiah 37:33-35 (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 that the Assyrian king will not even begin a siege of Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 43:25 (BSB)“I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.”The LORD blots out His people's transgressions for His own sake.
- 2 Samuel 7:16 (BSB)“Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God promised David that his house, kingdom, and throne would endure forever.
- 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 preserved part of the kingdom before for the sake of David and Jerusalem.
Theological
What grounds does 37:35 give for the LORD's defense of Jerusalem?
Answer: For His own sake and that of His servant David
After promising that Sennacherib would not so much as shoot an arrow or heap up siege works against the city but would return by his own road (37:33-34), the LORD grounds the deliverance in His own sake and in His servant David (37:35). The two grounds are God's glory and His covenant with David, whose house and throne He promised to establish forever (2 Samuel 7:16; cf. 1 Kings 11:13). The same God-centered motive drives His forgiveness of Israel's sins (43:25). Salvation is sovereign grace keeping covenant, not a reward for merit.
- Isaiah 37:33-35 (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 that the Assyrian king will not even begin a siege of Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 43:25 (BSB)“I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.”The LORD blots out His people's transgressions for His own sake.
- 2 Samuel 7:16 (BSB)“Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.””God promised David that his house, kingdom, and throne would endure forever.
- 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 preserved part of the kingdom before for the sake of David and Jerusalem.
General
In his prayer (37:18-19), how does Hezekiah explain why the conquered nations' idols could not save them?
Answer: Those gods were not gods at all, only things made by human hands
Hezekiah admits that the Assyrian kings really had destroyed many nations and burned up their idols (37:18-19). But he gives the reason: those were not gods at all, merely carved wood and stone shaped by people. Sennacherib's victories proved nothing about the LORD, because he had only defeated idols. Scripture says the same about idols in many places: they are made by human hands and cannot speak or see (Psalm 115:4-8), they have to be hauled about since they have no power to move (Jeremiah 10:3-5), and they are wooden and stone objects without sight or hearing (Deuteronomy 4:28).
- Isaiah 37:18-19 (BSB)“Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all these countries 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's conquests and explains why the conquered gods could not help.
- 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 made by human hands and cannot speak, see, hear, or walk.
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (BSB)“For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.””Jeremiah describes idols carved by craftsmen that must be carried because they cannot walk.
- Deuteronomy 4:28 (BSB)“And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.”Moses described the gods of the nations as man-made gods of wood and stone that cannot see or hear.
Theological
What reason does Hezekiah give in 37:19 for the failure of the nations' gods before Assyria?
Answer: Those gods were not gods at all, only things made by human hands
Hezekiah concedes the facts, that Assyria laid waste the nations and burned their gods, but denies Sennacherib's inference (37:18-19). The gods were destroyed because they were no gods, merely wood and stone crafted by human hands. The LORD is of a different order entirely. The prayer echoes the Bible's repeated exposure of idols as handmade and powerless (Psalm 115:4-8; Jeremiah 10:3-5) and Moses' description of the nations' gods as wood and stone, blind and deaf (Deuteronomy 4:28).
- Isaiah 37:18-19 (BSB)“Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all these countries 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's conquests and explains why the conquered gods could not help.
- 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 made by human hands and cannot speak, see, hear, or walk.
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (BSB)“For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.””Jeremiah describes idols carved by craftsmen that must be carried because they cannot walk.
- Deuteronomy 4:28 (BSB)“And there you will serve man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.”Moses described the gods of the nations as man-made gods of wood and stone that cannot see or hear.
General
What did King Hezekiah do when he heard the officials' report of the Rabshakeh's words (37:1)?
Answer: He tore his robes, wore sackcloth, and went into the LORD's house
When the report reached him, the king ripped his garments, dressed in sackcloth, the rough cloth worn in mourning and repentance, and went into the temple of the LORD (37:1). He did not turn first to soldiers or to Egypt. Sackcloth was a way of humbling oneself before God in a crisis, as Nineveh's king did at Jonah's warning (Jonah 3:6) and as Joel called the priests to do (Joel 1:13). Chronicles sums up the response as Hezekiah and Isaiah crying out to heaven together in prayer (2 Chronicles 32:20).
- Isaiah 37:1 (BSB)“On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.”Hezekiah responds to the Rabshakeh's speech with signs of mourning and goes to the temple.
- Jonah 3:6 (BSB)“When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.”The king of Nineveh likewise put on sackcloth when he heard God's warning, showing humility before God.
- Joel 1:13 (BSB)“Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.”Joel calls the priests to put on sackcloth and lament in a time of national disaster.
- 2 Chronicles 32:20 (BSB)“In response, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out to heaven in prayer,”Chronicles summarizes the crisis by saying Hezekiah and Isaiah cried out to heaven in prayer.
Theological
How does Hezekiah respond in 37:1 to the report of the Rabshakeh's blasphemy?
Answer: He tore his robes, wore sackcloth, and went into the LORD's house
Hezekiah tears his garments, puts on sackcloth, and enters the LORD's temple (37:1): mourning, self-humbling, and recourse to God's presence. The same gestures mark repentance at Nineveh (Jonah 3:6) and the national lament Joel calls for (Joel 1:13). Chronicles condenses the king's whole response, together with Isaiah's, into a prayerful cry to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20). Against Assyrian might, Hezekiah's first move is to seek the LORD.
- Isaiah 37:1 (BSB)“On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.”Hezekiah responds to the Rabshakeh's speech with signs of mourning and goes to the temple.
- Jonah 3:6 (BSB)“When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.”The king of Nineveh likewise put on sackcloth when he heard God's warning, showing humility before God.
- Joel 1:13 (BSB)“Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.”Joel calls the priests to put on sackcloth and lament in a time of national disaster.
- 2 Chronicles 32:20 (BSB)“In response, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out to heaven in prayer,”Chronicles summarizes the crisis by saying Hezekiah and Isaiah cried out to heaven in prayer.
General
What picture does the LORD use in 37:29 for how He will deal with Sennacherib?
Answer: A captive animal led back by a hook and a bit
The LORD says He knows everything about Sennacherib: when he sits, when he goes out and comes in, and how he rages against God (37:28). Because his rage and pride have reached God's ears, the LORD will put a hook in his nose and a bit in his mouth and send him back along the road he came by (37:29). The mighty king will be led home like a tamed animal. God knows every movement of every person (Psalm 139:2-3), and Ezekiel uses a similar picture of the LORD putting hooks in the jaws of an enemy ruler and turning him around (Ezekiel 38:4).
- Isaiah 37:28-29 (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 says He knows all Sennacherib's movements and will turn him back.
- Psalm 139:2-3 (BSB)“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.”God knows when a person sits and rises and is familiar with all his ways.
- Ezekiel 38:4 (BSB)“I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army—your horses, your horsemen in full armor, and a great company armed with shields and bucklers, all brandishing their swords.”In Ezekiel the LORD uses a similar picture of hooks in the jaws of a hostile ruler He turns around.
Theological
With what image does 37:29 depict the LORD's control over the Assyrian king?
Answer: A captive animal led back by a hook and a bit
Grounded in His full knowledge of the king's movements and his raging against God (37:28), the LORD announces that He will put His hook in Sennacherib's nose and His bit in his mouth and turn him back along his own route (37:29). The proud conqueror is reduced to a led beast. That God knows all of a person's ways is also confessed in Psalm 139:2-3, and Ezekiel 38:4 uses the same imagery of hooks in the jaws of a hostile ruler steered by God.
- Isaiah 37:28-29 (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 says He knows all Sennacherib's movements and will turn him back.
- Psalm 139:2-3 (BSB)“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.”God knows when a person sits and rises and is familiar with all his ways.
- Ezekiel 38:4 (BSB)“I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army—your horses, your horsemen in full armor, and a great company armed with shields and bucklers, all brandishing their swords.”In Ezekiel the LORD uses a similar picture of hooks in the jaws of a hostile ruler He turns around.
General
What message from the LORD did Isaiah send back to Hezekiah (37:6-7)?
Answer: Do not fear; God will send the king home to be slain there
Isaiah told the messengers that the LORD said not to fear the blasphemous words of the Assyrian king's servants. The LORD would place a spirit within the king so that he would hear a rumor, return home, and be killed there (37:6-7). The end of the chapter records exactly this: Sennacherib went home to Nineveh and was later killed in his own land (37:37-38). The LORD directs a king's heart wherever He wishes (Proverbs 21:1), and He overturns what the nations plot while His own counsel holds firm (Psalm 33:10-11).
- Isaiah 37:6-7 (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 sends back the LORD's word of reassurance and judgment on the Assyrian king.
- Isaiah 37:37-38 (BSB)“So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. 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.”The chapter closes by recording Sennacherib's return to Nineveh and his death by the sword there.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”A king's heart is directed by the LORD wherever He pleases.
- 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, while His own counsel stands.
Theological
What does the LORD's first answer through Isaiah (37:6-7) tell Hezekiah?
Answer: Do not fear; God will send the king home to be slain there
The LORD forbids fear of the servants' blasphemies and announces His own action: He will place a spirit within the Assyrian king, cause him to hear a report, send him home, and have him slain in his homeland (37:6-7). The narrative closes the loop in 37:37-38. The episode displays God's rule over the inner workings of a pagan king's mind (Proverbs 21:1) and His thwarting of the nations' schemes (Psalm 33:10-11), without lessening the king's responsibility for his own blasphemy.
- Isaiah 37:6-7 (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 sends back the LORD's word of reassurance and judgment on the Assyrian king.
- Isaiah 37:37-38 (BSB)“So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. 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.”The chapter closes by recording Sennacherib's return to Nineveh and his death by the sword there.
- Proverbs 21:1 (BSB)“The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.”A king's heart is directed by the LORD wherever He pleases.
- 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, while His own counsel stands.
General
What did Hezekiah do with Sennacherib's letter after reading it (37:14)?
Answer: He laid it open in God's presence inside the temple
Hezekiah accepted the letter, read it through, climbed to the temple, and laid it open before the LORD (37:14). He did not answer Sennacherib or seek help from Egypt; he brought the threat itself into God's presence. Scripture invites God's people to do the same: to cast their burden on the LORD (Psalm 55:22), to hand Him every worry since He cares about them (1 Peter 5:7), and to make every request known to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6).
- Isaiah 37:14 (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.”Hezekiah takes Sennacherib's letter to the temple.
- Psalm 55:22 (BSB)“Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”The psalm calls for casting one's burden on the LORD, who will sustain the one who does.
- 1 Peter 5:7 (BSB)“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”Believers are to cast every anxiety on God because He cares for them.
- Philippians 4:6 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”In every situation, requests are to be made known to God in prayer.
Theological
How does Hezekiah handle the threatening letter in 37:14?
Answer: He laid it open in God's presence inside the temple
Having read the letter, Hezekiah goes up to the temple and lays it open before God (37:14), presenting the blasphemy itself to the One blasphemed. The act embodies the counsel to cast one's burden on the LORD (Psalm 55:22) and every anxiety on Him who cares (1 Peter 5:7), and to make requests known to God in everything (Philippians 4:6). The king's petition that follows is shaped by God's honor more than by his own danger.
- Isaiah 37:14 (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.”Hezekiah takes Sennacherib's letter to the temple.
- Psalm 55:22 (BSB)“Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.”The psalm calls for casting one's burden on the LORD, who will sustain the one who does.
- 1 Peter 5:7 (BSB)“Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”Believers are to cast every anxiety on God because He cares for them.
- Philippians 4:6 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”In every situation, requests are to be made known to God in prayer.
General
True or False: In his message to Hezekiah, Sennacherib warns him not to let his God deceive him (37:10).
Answer: True
This is true. The Rabshakeh had gone back and found his king, who had left Lachish, fighting against Libnah (37:8). After hearing that Tirhakah, the Cushite king, was marching against him, Sennacherib sent envoys to Hezekiah (37:9). Earlier the Rabshakeh had told the people not to let Hezekiah deceive them (36:14). Now the message aims higher: Hezekiah should not let his God, in whom he trusts, deceive him by promising that Jerusalem would not be handed over (37:10). In effect, Sennacherib was calling the LORD a liar. Chronicles says his letters mocked the LORD (2 Chronicles 32:17), the kind of taunting of God's name the psalmist pleads with God to end (Psalm 74:10).
- Isaiah 37:9-10 (BSB)“Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, “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.”Hearing of Tirhakah's approach, Sennacherib sends a message warning Hezekiah not to trust his God.
- 2 Chronicles 32:17 (BSB)“He also wrote letters mocking the LORD, the God of Israel, and saying against Him: “Just as the gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.””Chronicles says Sennacherib wrote letters mocking the LORD, the God of Israel.
- Psalm 74:10 (BSB)“How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?”The psalmist asks how long the enemy will be allowed to taunt God and revile His name.
Theological
True or False: In 37:10 Sennacherib's message treats the promise that Jerusalem will be spared as a deception by Hezekiah's God.
Answer: True
This is true. With the Rabshakeh rejoining his king at Libnah after the move from Lachish (37:8), and prompted by news of Tirhakah of Cush (37:9), Sennacherib sends word that Hezekiah must not let his God deceive him with promises that Jerusalem will be spared (37:10). The charge escalates from 36:14, where Hezekiah was the alleged deceiver; now the LORD's own truthfulness is attacked. Chronicles records these letters as mockery of the LORD God of Israel (2 Chronicles 32:17), the very reviling of God's name that Psalm 74:10 brings before Him.
- Isaiah 37:9-10 (BSB)“Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, “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.”Hearing of Tirhakah's approach, Sennacherib sends a message warning Hezekiah not to trust his God.
- 2 Chronicles 32:17 (BSB)“He also wrote letters mocking the LORD, the God of Israel, and saying against Him: “Just as the gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.””Chronicles says Sennacherib wrote letters mocking the LORD, the God of Israel.
- Psalm 74:10 (BSB)“How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?”The psalmist asks how long the enemy will be allowed to taunt God and revile His name.
General
What does the LORD say in 37:26 about Assyria's conquest of fortified cities?
Answer: That He had ordained and planned them long before and brought them about
The LORD asks Sennacherib whether word of it has never reached him: ages ago God ordained and planned it, and now He has brought it about that Assyria should turn walled towns into heaps of ruins (37:26). Their people were left powerless, like grass on a roof that withers before it grows (37:27). The conquests Sennacherib boasted of were really God's plan carried out through him. God rules over all events, and Sennacherib was still guilty for his pride (37:28-29). Isaiah 10:5-7 makes the same point: Assyria was the rod of God's anger, though it meant only to destroy. God announces how things will end before they begin (46:9-10), and what He plans will happen (14:24).
- Isaiah 37:26-27 (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 answers Sennacherib's boasts by revealing who decreed his victories.
- 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.”The LORD sent Assyria as the rod of His anger, though Assyria meant only to destroy for itself.
- 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 the end from the beginning, and His purpose will stand.
- Isaiah 14:24 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.”The LORD swears that what He has planned will come about.
Theological
How does 37:26 account for the conquests Sennacherib boasted of in 37:24-25?
Answer: That He had ordained and planned them long before and brought them about
God reveals that He ordained Assyria's victories long ago, planned them in ancient times, and has now brought them to pass, so that fortified cities became rubble and their inhabitants withered like grass on a rooftop (37:26-27). Sennacherib's achievements were the execution of the LORD's decree. God's sovereignty and human responsibility stand together here: God's sovereign plan governs the conqueror's every step, and yet the conqueror is fully accountable for his arrogance and rage (37:28-29). Isaiah 10:5-7 states the same pairing; 46:9-10 and 14:24 affirm that God's purposes stand.
- Isaiah 37:26-27 (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 answers Sennacherib's boasts by revealing who decreed his victories.
- 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.”The LORD sent Assyria as the rod of His anger, though Assyria meant only to destroy for itself.
- 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 the end from the beginning, and His purpose will stand.
- Isaiah 14:24 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.”The LORD swears that what He has planned will come about.
General
How does Hezekiah address God at the start of his prayer (37:16)?
Answer: As the one God over every kingdom, Maker of heaven and earth
Hezekiah calls on Israel's God, the LORD who commands heaven's armies and is seated above the cherubim, the winged figures over the ark of the covenant in the temple. He confesses that the LORD alone is God over every kingdom on earth and that He is the Creator of heaven and earth (37:16). Before asking for anything, Hezekiah sets Sennacherib's boasts against the truth about God. Psalm 80:1 also addresses God as seated among the cherubim, Psalm 96:5 says the LORD made the heavens while the nations' gods are idols, and the first Christians began their prayer under threat by confessing God as Creator (Acts 4:24).
- Isaiah 37:16 (BSB)““O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.”Hezekiah opens his prayer by confessing who the LORD is.
- Psalm 80:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth”Asaph's psalm also addresses God as the one enthroned between the cherubim.
- Psalm 96:5 (BSB)“For all the gods of the nations are idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.”The nations' gods are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
- Acts 4:24 (BSB)“When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”The early believers likewise began a prayer under threat by confessing God as Maker of heaven and earth.
Theological
As what kind of God does Hezekiah confess the LORD at the opening of his prayer in 37:16?
Answer: As the one God over every kingdom, Maker of heaven and earth
Hezekiah addresses Israel's God, the LORD of armies throned upon the cherubim, and confesses Him as sole God over every earthly kingdom and Maker of heaven and earth (37:16). The prayer begins with God's exclusive sovereignty and creatorship, directly answering Sennacherib's claim that the LORD is one more national deity. The cherubim throne is invoked in Psalm 80:1, the contrast between Creator and idols is drawn in Psalm 96:5, and the church in Acts 4:24 likewise grounds its petition under persecution in God as Creator.
- Isaiah 37:16 (BSB)““O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.”Hezekiah opens his prayer by confessing who the LORD is.
- Psalm 80:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm of Asaph. Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth”Asaph's psalm also addresses God as the one enthroned between the cherubim.
- Psalm 96:5 (BSB)“For all the gods of the nations are idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.”The nations' gods are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
- Acts 4:24 (BSB)“When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.”The early believers likewise began a prayer under threat by confessing God as Maker of heaven and earth.
General
What did Hezekiah's messengers ask the prophet Isaiah to do (37:3-4)?
Answer: To pray for the survivors who were still left
Hezekiah sent Eliakim, Shebna, and the senior priests, all in sackcloth, to Isaiah (37:2). He described the day as one of distress and disgrace, like a woman ready to give birth with no strength left to deliver (37:3), a picture of utter helplessness. He hoped the LORD would hear how the Rabshakeh had mocked the God who lives, and would rebuke him, and he asked Isaiah to pray for the remnant, the small group of survivors, still left (37:4). The charge of defying the living God recalls David's question about Goliath (1 Samuel 17:26); Samuel counted it sin to stop praying for God's people (1 Samuel 12:23); and Isaiah had promised a remnant that would truly lean on the LORD (10:20-21).
- Isaiah 37:3-4 (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 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 messengers describe the crisis and ask Isaiah to pray.
- 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?””David asked who the Philistine was to defy the armies of the living God, the same charge Hezekiah raises against the Rabshakeh.
- 1 Samuel 12:23 (BSB)“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.”Samuel counted it a sin against the LORD to stop praying for God's people.
- Isaiah 10:20-21 (BSB)“On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return—a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God.”Isaiah had promised that a remnant would come to rely truly on the LORD.
Theological
What request does Hezekiah send to Isaiah in 37:4?
Answer: To pray for the survivors who were still left
Through a delegation in sackcloth (37:2), Hezekiah describes a day of trouble, reproach, and shame, using the image of a birth that cannot be completed for lack of strength (37:3). He hopes the LORD will hear how the Rabshakeh has taunted the God who lives and will rebuke him, and he asks Isaiah to lift up prayer for the surviving remnant (37:4). The charge of defying the living God recalls David's words about Goliath (1 Samuel 17:26), the intercession fits Samuel's resolve never to cease praying for the people (1 Samuel 12:23), and the remnant is the one Isaiah had said would truly lean on God (10:20-21).
- Isaiah 37:3-4 (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 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 messengers describe the crisis and ask Isaiah to pray.
- 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?””David asked who the Philistine was to defy the armies of the living God, the same charge Hezekiah raises against the Rabshakeh.
- 1 Samuel 12:23 (BSB)“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.”Samuel counted it a sin against the LORD to stop praying for God's people.
- Isaiah 10:20-21 (BSB)“On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return—a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God.”Isaiah had promised that a remnant would come to rely truly on the LORD.
General
What purpose does Hezekiah give for asking God to save Judah (37:20)?
Answer: So every kingdom on earth would know the LORD alone is God
Hezekiah asks the LORD to save them from Sennacherib's power so every kingdom on earth may recognize that He alone is God (37:20). His deepest concern is God's glory, not only Judah's survival. Elijah prayed the same way on Mount Carmel, asking God to answer so the people would know He is God (1 Kings 18:36-37); the parallel account in Kings records the same plea that every kingdom would know the LORD alone is God (2 Kings 19:19); and God Himself says He will be lifted high over the nations (Psalm 46:10).
- Isaiah 37:20 (BSB)“And now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.””Hezekiah ends his prayer with his request and its purpose.
- 1 Kings 18:36-37 (BSB)“At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.””Elijah asked the LORD to answer so the people would know that He is God.
- 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.””The account in Kings records the same request that every kingdom would know the LORD alone is God.
- 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.””God declares that He will be exalted among the nations and over the earth.
Theological
According to 37:20, what is the ultimate aim of Hezekiah's petition for deliverance?
Answer: So every kingdom on earth would know the LORD alone is God
The petition for rescue is ordered to God's glory: deliver us, so that every kingdom on earth may know the LORD alone is God (37:20). Hezekiah's request mirrors Elijah's prayer that the people would know the LORD is God (1 Kings 18:36-37) and is recorded in nearly the same words in the parallel account (2 Kings 19:19). It rests on God's own resolve to be lifted high over the nations (Psalm 46:10). Deliverance is sought as a display of the LORD's exclusive deity.
- Isaiah 37:20 (BSB)“And now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.””Hezekiah ends his prayer with his request and its purpose.
- 1 Kings 18:36-37 (BSB)“At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.””Elijah asked the LORD to answer so the people would know that He is God.
- 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.””The account in Kings records the same request that every kingdom would know the LORD alone is God.
- 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.””God declares that He will be exalted among the nations and over the earth.
General
True or False: Sennacherib was killed in battle against Tirhakah of Cush after he left Judah (37:38).
Answer: False
This is false. Sennacherib went home to Nineveh and remained (37:37). Later, during his worship at the shrine of Nisroch, his god, two sons named Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him and fled to Ararat, and another son, Esar-haddon, became king (37:38; 2 Chronicles 32:21). The LORD had foretold exactly this: Sennacherib would go back home and be slain there (37:7). Isaiah had long before said the LORD would punish the proud king of Assyria (10:12).
- Isaiah 37:38 (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.”The chapter ends with Sennacherib's death and his successor.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (BSB)“and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.”Chronicles likewise says some of his own sons struck him down when he entered his god's temple.
- Isaiah 37:7 (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 said beforehand that the king would return home and fall by the sword in his own land.
- Isaiah 10:12 (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.”The LORD had promised to punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant heart.
Theological
True or False: According to 37:38, Sennacherib died fighting Tirhakah, the Cushite king.
Answer: False
This is false. Back in Nineveh (37:37), Sennacherib was assassinated by two sons named Adrammelech and Sharezer while at worship in Nisroch's shrine, and Esar-haddon succeeded him (37:38; 2 Chronicles 32:21). The word of 37:7, that he would be slain in his homeland, came true. It also answers 10:12, where the LORD resolves to punish the Assyrian king's arrogance.
- Isaiah 37:38 (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.”The chapter ends with Sennacherib's death and his successor.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (BSB)“and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.”Chronicles likewise says some of his own sons struck him down when he entered his god's temple.
- Isaiah 37:7 (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 said beforehand that the king would return home and fall by the sword in his own land.
- Isaiah 10:12 (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.”The LORD had promised to punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant heart.
General
What sign did the LORD give Hezekiah in 37:30?
Answer: Two years of crops growing on their own, then normal sowing
The sign was agricultural. This year the people would eat what grew by itself, and the next year what sprang up from that; but by the third year they would sow and reap, and plant and enjoy their vineyards (37:30). Normal farming would return. Like a plant, Judah's surviving remnant, the small group God preserves, would again put down roots and bear fruit, because the LORD's own zeal would see it done (37:31-32). Isaiah had used the same closing assurance about the Messiah's reign (9:7) and had promised a remnant returning to God (10:20-21). Paul says that in his own day God still kept a remnant, selected by His grace (Romans 11:5).
- Isaiah 37:30-32 (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.”The LORD gives Hezekiah a sign and a promise about the surviving remnant.
- 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.”Isaiah's promise of the Messiah's endless reign ends with the same assurance that the zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish it.
- Isaiah 10:20-21 (BSB)“On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return—a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God.”Isaiah promised that a remnant of Jacob would return to the Mighty God.
- Romans 11:5 (BSB)“In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.”Paul says that in his day too there is a remnant chosen by grace.
Theological
What sign accompanies the promise of deliverance in 37:30-32?
Answer: Two years of crops growing on their own, then normal sowing
The sign is a three-year sequence: two years of eating self-sown growth, then a third year of sowing, reaping, and planting vineyards (37:30), marking a return to ordinary farming. With it comes the promise that Judah's surviving remnant will root downward and fruit upward, secured by the LORD's own zeal (37:31-32). The same divine zeal guarantees the Messiah's kingdom in 9:7. The remnant motif of 10:20-21 reaches its New Testament expression in Paul's remnant elected by grace (Romans 11:5): the preservation of God's people rests on His initiative.
- Isaiah 37:30-32 (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.”The LORD gives Hezekiah a sign and a promise about the surviving remnant.
- 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.”Isaiah's promise of the Messiah's endless reign ends with the same assurance that the zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish it.
- Isaiah 10:20-21 (BSB)“On that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer depend on him who struck them, but they will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return—a remnant of Jacob—to the Mighty God.”Isaiah promised that a remnant of Jacob would return to the Mighty God.
- Romans 11:5 (BSB)“In the same way, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.”Paul says that in his day too there is a remnant chosen by grace.