sennacherib Summary and Overview

Sin (the god) sends many brothers, son of Sargon, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria (B.C. 705), in the 23rd year of Hezekiah. "Like the Persian Xerxes, he was weak and vainglorious, cowardly under reverse, and cruel and boastful in success." He first set himself to break up the powerful combination of princes who were in league against him. Among these was Hezekiah, who had entered into an alliance with Egypt against Assyria. He accordingly led a very powerful army of at least 200,000 men into Judea, and devastated the land on every side, taking and destroying many cities (2 Kings 18:13-16; compare Isa. 22, 24, 29, and 2 Chr. 32:1-8). His own account of this invasion, as given in the Assyrian annals, is in these words: "Because Hezekiah, king of Judah, would not submit to my yoke, I came up against him, and by force of arms and by the might of my power I took forty-six of his strong fenced cities; and of the smaller towns which were scattered about, I took and plundered a countless number. From these places I took and carried off 200,156 persons, old and young, male and female, together with horses and mules, asses and camels, oxen and sheep, a countless multitude; and Hezekiah himself I shut up in Jerusalem, his capital city, like a bird in a cage, building towers round the city to hem him in, and raising banks of earth against the gates, so as to prevent escape...Then upon Hezekiah there fell the fear of the power of my arms, and he sent out to me the chiefs and the elders of Jerusalem with 30 talents of gold and 800 talents of silver, and divers treasures, a rich and immense booty...All these things were brought to me at Nineveh, the seat of my government." (Compare Isa. 22:1-13 for description of the feelings of the inhabitants of Jerusalem at such a crisis.) Hezekiah was not disposed to become an Assyrian feudatory. He accordingly at once sought help from Egypt (2 Kings 18:20-24). Sennacherib, hearing of this, marched a second time into Israel (2 Kings 18:17, 37; 19; 2 Chr. 32:9-23; Isa. 36:2-22. Isa. 37:25 should be rendered "dried up all the Nile-arms of Matsor," i.e., of Egypt, so called from the "Matsor" or great fortification across the isthmus of Suez, which protected it from invasions from the east). Sennacherib sent envoys to try to persuade Hezekiah to surrender, but in vain. (See TIRHAKAH T0003676.) He next sent a threatening letter (2 Kings 19:10-14), which Hezekiah carried into the temple and spread before the Lord. Isaiah again brought an encouraging message to the pious king (2 Kings 19:20-34). "In that night" the angel of the Lord went forth and smote the camp of the Assyrians. In the morning, "behold, they were all dead corpses." The Assyrian army was annihilated. This great disaster is not, as was to be expected, taken notice of in the Assyrian annals. Though Sennacherib survived this disaster some twenty years, he never again renewed his attempt against Jerusalem. He was murdered by two of his own sons (Adrammelech and Sharezer), and was succeeded by another son, Esarhaddon (B.C. 681), after a reign of twenty-four years.

SENNACH'ERIB (Heb. Sanherib, Sin, the moon, sent many brothers - i.e., he was not his father's eldest son) was king of Assyria when Hezekiah reigned in Judah. He was the son and successor of Sargon. Judah had paid tribute to Assyria, but under Hezekiah it revolted, and so revenge was determined upon; accordingly Sennacherib appears in the Bible as the invader of Palestine on two occasions. The first time he was pacified by a tribute. 2 Kgs 18:14. But, Hezekiah having the second time revolted, he sent an embassy with a few troops to the capital and demanded submission. He also sent an insulting letter to Hezekiah, who went up to the house of the Lord and prayed for deliverance. His prayer was answered, for the Assyrian army besieging Libnah was smitten with a plague so severe Seunacherib on his Throne. (From monuments at Kouyunjik.) that it is stated 185,000 died in one night. The effect of this catastrophe was that the siege was raised and Sennacherib retreated to Nineveh. 2 Kgs 19:35. Many years - perhaps twenty - after this he was worshipping in the house of his god Nisroch when Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him with the sword. 2 Kgs 19:37. He was succeeded by Esar-haddon. Sennacherib's reign lasted twenty-two years, b.c. 705-682. It was brilliant. He crushed the revolt of Babylon, attacked Sidon, made many cities tribute, and, as Sargon had done, laid a heavy hand upon the neighboring nations. He made Nineveh his capital and adorned it with many splendid buildings. His palaces were large and beautiful. His monuments exist in unexpected places. Thus, at the mouth of the Nahr el-Kalb, near Beyrout, and close by an inscription of Rameses the Great of Egypt, is the record of his arrival.

On the monuments Tzin-akki-irib, "Sin (the "moon goddess") increases brothers," implying Sennacherib was not the firstborn; or else "thanking the god for the gift." Sargon's son and successor. Ascended the throne 704 B.C., crushed the revolt of Babylon, and drove away Merodach Baladan, made Belibus his officer viceroy, ravaged the Aramaean lands on the Tigris and Euphrates, and carried off 200,000 captives. In 701 B.C. warred with the tribes on Mount Zagros, and reduced the part of Media previously independent. In 700 B.C. punished Sidon, made Tyre, Arad, and other Phoenician cities, as also Edom and Ashdod, tributary. Took Ashkelon, warred with Egypt, took Libnah and Lachish on the frontier; and having made treaty with Sabacus or So (the clay seal of So found in Sennacherib's palace at Koyunjik was probably attached to this treaty), he marched against Hezekaih of Judah who had thrown off tribute and intermeddled in the politics of Philistine cities against Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:13). frontHEZEKIAH: ASSYRIA; NINEVEH.) Hezekiah's sickness was in his 14th year, but Sennacherib's expedition in his 27th, which ought to be substituted for the copyist's error "fourteenth." On his way, according to inscriptions (G. Smith, in Israel Exploration Quarterly Statement, October 1872, p. 198), Sennacherib attacked Lulia of Sidon, then took Sidon, Zarephath, etc. The kings of Israel mentioned as submitting to Sennacherib are Menahem of Samaria, Tubal of Sidon, Kemosh Natbi of Moab, etc. He took Ekron, which had submitted to Hezekiah and had delivered its king Padi up to him; Sennacherib reseated Padi on his throne. Sennacherib defeated the kings of Egypt and Ethiopia at Eltekeh. Sennacherib took 46 of Judah's fenced cities including Lachish, the storming of which, is depicted on his palace walls. He shut up Hezekiah, (building towers round Jerusalem), who then submitted and paid 30 talents of gold and 800 of silver. Sennacherib gave part of Judah's territory to Ashdod, Ekron, Gaza, and Ashkelon. It was at his second expedition that the overthrow of his host by Jehovah's Angel took place (2 Kings 18:17-37; 2 Kings 18:2 Kings 19). This was probably two years after the first, but late in his reign Sennacherib speaks of an expedition to Israel apparently. "After this," in 2 Chronicles 32:9; 2 Chronicles 32:17 years after his disaster, in 681 B.C., his two sons Adrammelech and Sharezer assassinated him after a reign of 22 years, and Esarhaddon ascended the throne 680 B.C. Esarhaddon's inscription, stating that he was at war with his half brothers, after his accession, agrees with the Bible account of Sennacherib's assassination. Moses of Chorene confirms the escape of the brothers to Armenia, and says that part was peopled by their descendants. Sennacherib's second invasion of Babylon was apparently in 699 B.C.; he defeated a Chaldaean chief who headed an army in support of Merodach Baladan. Sennacherib put one of his own sons on the throne instead of Belibus. Sennacherib was the first who made Nineveh the seat of government. The grand palace at Koyunjik was his, covering more than eight acres. He embanked with brick the Tigris, restored the aqueducts of Nineveh, and repaired a second palace at Nineveh on the mound of Nebi Yunns. Its halls were ranged about three courts, one 154 ft. by 125 ft., another 124 ft. by 90 ft. One hall was 180 ft. long by 40 ft. broad; 60 ft. small rooms have been opened. He erected memorial tablet at the mouth of the nahr el Kelb on the Syrian coast, beside an inscription recording Rameses the Great's conquests six hundred years before; this answers to his boast that "he had come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon."