17The king also wrote letters against the Lord. Although Judah was a vassal of Assyria during this time and paid an annual tribute to the powerful empire, it was the most important state between Assyria and Egypt.[1]. [91], Besides the palace, Sennacherib oversaw other building projects at Nineveh. During this time the people will need to forage for food. NUGGET Sennacherib's Prism Did the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib as described in 2 Kings 18:17-19:37 truly happen or was it just a Hebrew myth? ANALYSIS While the Assyrian army was besieging Lachish, Hezekiah sent an embassy to Sennacherib in order to surrender himself to the Assyrian king. Thus the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria, and from the hand of . Sennacherib's only known sister, Ahat-abisha, was married off to Ambaris, the king of Tabal, but probably returned to Assyria after Sargon's first successful campaign against Tabal. He said, 7Be strong. Sennacherib, Sargon's son and successor, began a series of major campaigns to quash opposition to Assyrian rule. 22:11; 2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chr. Hezekiah was now caught in a quandary. Since Smith, the site has experienced several periods of intense excavation and study; Rassam returned from 1878 to 1882, the Egyptologist E. A. Wallis Budge oversaw excavations from 1889 to 1891, the Assyriologist Leonard William King from 1903 to 1904 and the Assyriologist Reginald Campbell Thompson in 1905 and from 1931 to 1932. (Adaside dynasty1700722 BCE)Bel-bani Libaya Sharma-Adad I Iptar-Sin Bazaya Lullaya Shu-Ninua Sharma-Adad II Erishum III Shamshi-Adad II Ishme-Dagan II Shamshi-Adad III Ashur-nirari I Puzur-Ashur III Enlil-nasir I Nur-ili Ashur-shaduni Ashur-rabi I Ashur-nadin-ahhe I Enlil-Nasir II Ashur-nirari II Ashur-bel-nisheshu Ashur-rim-nisheshu Ashur-nadin-ahhe II, Second Intermediate PeriodSixteenthDynasty Malamat, Abraham and Ben-Sasson, Haim Hillel. According to 2 Kings 18, while Sennacherib was besieging Lachish, he received a message from Hezekiah offering to pay tribute in exchange for Assyrian withdrawal. Knowing that Jerusalem would eventually be subject to siege, he had been preparing for war for some time by fortifying the walls of Jerusalem, building towers, and constructing a tunnel to bring fresh water to the city from a spring outside its walls (Isa. [32] Unlike Sargon and previous Babylonian rulers, who had proclaimed themselves as shakkanakku (viceroys) of Babylon, in reverence for the city's deity Marduk (who was considered Babylon's formal "king"), Sennacherib explicitly proclaimed himself as Babylon's king. The Assyrian officer refused and directed his speech to the soldiers on the wall to emphasize their desperate situation and to undermine their morale. Neo-Assyrian, 694 B.C. 2. This time Hezekiah places his trust firmly in Gods hands in a beautiful prayer (19:15-19). Some large objects with Sennacherib's inscriptions remain at Nineveh, where some have even been reburied. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.. More; from this position of strength, he demands heavy tribute from Hezekiah in exchange for the freedom of the capital, which Hezekiah paid, even stripping the templeThe Jerusalem temple, unlike the tabernacle, was a permanent structure, although (like the tabernacle) it was a place of worship and religious activity. They are written in the record of the vision of the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz. The second king of the Sargonid dynasty, Sennacherib is one of the most famous Assyrian kings for the role he plays in the Hebrew Bible, which describes his campaign in the Levant. [91], When his eldest son and original crown prince, Ashur-nadin-shumi, disappeared, presumably executed, Sennacherib selected his eldest surviving son, Arda-Mulissu, as the new crown prince. More 4:2). Isaiahs sign (vv. 1. These people think that it's a story recorded in the Bible to raise the level of Jewish pride in who they were as a people. In the Hebrew Bible, Hezekiah is described as paying 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold to Assyria. [34] The Assyrian army, led by Sennacherib's chief commander, launched an unsuccessful attack on the coalition forces near the city of Kish, bolstering the legitimacy of the coalition. ivory beds, armchairs of ivory, elephant hide(s), elephant ivory, ebony, boxwood, garments with multi-colored trim, linen garments, blue-purple wool, red-purple wool, utensils of bronze, iron, copper, tin (and) iron, chariots, shields, lances, armor, iron belt-daggers, bows and ussu-arrows, equipment, (and) implements of war, (all of which were without number, together with his daughters, his palace women, male singers, (and) female singers brought into Nineveh, my capital city, and he sent a mounted messenger of his to me to deliver (this) payment and to do obeisance.". He made sheep pens for his flocks. If Sargon was the son of Tiglath-Pileser and not a non-dynastic usurper, Sennacherib would have grown up in the royal palace at Nimrud and spent most of his youth there. Visiting Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty or Van Goghs Cypresses? In 703 B.C. Prophet to the northern kingdom who condemned Israel's oppression of the poor, calling for justice to "roll down like waters.". The Trustees of the British Museum, London (BM 103000). On one occasion Jesus felt such activity was unacceptable and, as reported in all four Gospels, drove from the temple those engaged More of its gold (18:13-16). The second confrontation finds Sennacherib sending messengers and a great army who are met by Hezekiahs representatives, Eliakim, Shebnah, and Joah. Hezekiah Reigns in Judah ( 2 Kings 18:1-12) I counted out the wealth of that citysilver, gold, precious stones, property and goodsinto the hands of my people; and they took it as their own. 11Hezekiah says, The Lord our God will save us from the power of the king of Assyria. But he isnt telling you the truth. About 20 years earlier God allowed another king named Shelmanezer to overrun Israel and carry away the people into captivity. He also made them for his jewels, spices, shields and all kinds of expensive things. By the time Sargon moved to Babylon, Sennacherib, who served as the crown prince and designated heir, had already left Nimrud, living in a residence at Nineveh. [78] Sennacherib attempted justifying his actions to his own countrymen through a campaign of religious propaganda. The message said. The event is often portrayed as an apocalyptic scenario, with Hezekiah portrayed as a messianic figure and Sennacherib and his armies being personifications of Gog and Magog. His name was Hezekiah king of Judah. Your email address will not be published. Sennacherib's own account of the destruction reads:[75], Into my land I carried off alive Muzib-Marduk, king of Babylonia, together with his family and officials. 19They were comparing the God of Jerusalem to the gods of the other nations of the world. The siege concluded Sennacharib's campaign in the Levant, in which he attacked the fortified cities and devastated the countryside of Judah in a campaign of subjugation. Though Sennacherib reclaimed the south in 700BC, Marduk-apla-iddina continued to trouble him, probably instigating Assyrian vassals in the Levant to rebel, leading to the Levantine War of 701 BC, and himself warring against Bel-ibni, Sennacherib's vassal king in Babylonia. 22So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. [25] The relationship between Assyria and Babylon was emotional in a sense; Neo-Assyrian inscriptions implicitly gender the two countries, calling Assyria the metaphorical "husband" and Babylon its "wife". The Assyrians defeated the Egyptian expedition in a battle near the city of Eltekeh. 287-8). [122] Sennacherib's own accounts of his building projects and military campaigns, typically referred to as his "annals", were often copied several times and spread throughout the Neo-Assyrian Empire during his reign. The Assyrian siege of Jerusalem (circa 701 BCE) was an aborted siege of Jerusalem, then capital of the Kingdom of Judah, carried out by Sennacherib, king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. [92] Esarhaddon's influential mother, Naqi'a, may have played a role in convincing Sennacherib to choose Esarhaddon as heir. Writing in 1978, Reade assessed Sennacherib as a king who stands out among Assyrian rulers as open-minded and far-sighted and that he was a man "who not only coped effectively with ordinary crises but even turned them to advantage as he created, or attempted to create, a stable imperial structure immune from traditional problems". He put an end to them right there in the camp of the Assyrian king. The campaign was disastrous, resulting in the defeat of the Assyrian army and the death of Sargon, whose corpse the Anatolians carried off. [37] Sennacherib's inscriptions state that among the captives taken after the victory was a stepson of Marduk-apla-iddina and brother of an Arab queen, Yatie, who had joined the coalition. [114] A vast majority of the Biblical accounts of King Hezekiah's reign in 2 Kings is dedicated to Sennacherib's campaign, cementing it as the most important event of Hezekiah's time. During his time in the power, God used this king to punish Judah. He listed the gods of other peoples defeated by Sennacherib then asked, "Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? He also was able to subdue Arvad, Byblos, Ashdod, Ammon, Moab, and Edom as these nations reaffirmed their allegiance to Assyria. In order to deliver the tribute and to do obeisance as a slave he sent his (personal) messenger. (ANET pp. When Sargon's wife Ataliya died, she was buried hastily and in the same coffin as another woman, the queen of the previous king Tiglath-Pileser. which is where he appears on the Biblical Timeline Poster with World History. In Hebrew, his name was rendered as Snryb and in Aramaic it was nryb. [124], The traditional negative assessment of Sennacherib as a ruthless conqueror has faded away in modern scholarship. Just seven days after taking Uruk, the Assyrians and Babylonians met in battle at Nippur, where the Assyrians won a decisive victory; routing the Elamite-Babylonian army and capturing Nergal-ushezib, finally free from their entrapped position in the south. About 2500 years ago, a great king reigned over Judah in the land of Israel. In any event, Sennacherib never took action against Sargon or attempted to usurp the throne despite being more than old enough to become king himself. After the death of his eldest son and crown prince, Ashur-nadin-shumi, Sennacherib originally designated his second son Arda-Mulissu heir. The Bible record indicates that at about this point Sennacherib attacked Judah, laying siege to and capturing many of its fortified cities and towns. In most cases the Assyrians followed the principle of primogeniture, wherein the oldest son inherits. Hezekiah became king of Judah in ca. 32 After these things and these faithful acts, Assyria's King Sennacherib invaded Judah and attacked its fortified cities, intending to capture them. the leadership of King Hezekiah of Judah (727- 699 BCE),3 who started agitating for Judean inde-pendence shortly after Sennacherib's accession to the throne in 704 BCE. [4] In 705BC, Hezekiah, the king of Judah, had stopped paying his annual tribute to the Assyrians and began pursuing a markedly aggressive foreign policy, probably inspired by the recent wave of anti-Assyrian rebellions across the empire. Sennacherib described all of his campaigns, even the unsuccessful ones, as victories in his own accounts. Though such stone statues have been excavated at Nineveh, similar colossal statues mentioned in the inscriptions as being made of precious metals remain missing. Historically, the most popular view has been that Sennacherib was the son of Sargon's wife Ataliya, although this is now considered unlikely. 20King Hezekiah cried out in prayer to God in heaven. Sennacheribs intent was to conquer Jerusalem. 298-309. The remainder of the Biblical narrative about Sennacheribs invasion of Jerusalem is debatable. [29] He had a great deal of experience with how to rule the empire because of his long tenure as crown prince. 1), Sennacherib confirmed the prophet's prediction, boasting that he "surrounded (and) conquered forty-six of his (i.e., Hezekiah's) fortified cities, fortresses, and small(er) settlements in their environs, which were without number, by having ramps trodden down and battering rams brought up, the assault of foot soldiers, sapping, breaching, and siege engines. In order to pay the tribute, Hezekiah sent to Sennacherib all the silver and gold he could gather, including as much of the tribute as he was able to raise. The Biblical account of the end of Sennacherib's attack on Jerusalem holds that though Hezekiah's soldiers manned the walls of the city, ready to defend it against the Assyrians, an entity referred to as the destroying angel, sent by Yahweh, annihilated Sennacherib's army, killing 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in front of Jerusalem's gates. Many of Sennacherib's reliefs are exhibited today at the Vorderasiatisches Museum, the British Museum, the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Louvre in Paris. The population of Babylonia was divided into various ethnic groups with different priorities and ideals. Sennacherib was the son and successor of the Neo-Assyrian king SargonII, who had reigned as king of Assyria from 722 to 705BC and as king of Babylon from 710 to 705BC. He made Nineveh his capital, building a new palace, extending and beautifying the city, and erecting inner and outer city walls that still stand. There was also a change in rulership in Elam, where Kutur-Nahhunte was deposed in favor of Humban-menanu, who began assembling the anti-Assyrian coalition once more. They also served as intimidating tools for propaganda and psychological warfare. LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. It is represented today by the mounds Kuyunjik and Nebi Yunus ("prophet Jonah"); Kuyunjik was dug in . He gathered the officers together in front of him in the open area at the city gate. Though Babylonia to the south had also once been a large kingdom, it was typically weaker than its northern neighbor during this period, due to internal divisions and the lack of a well-organized army. In reliefs depicting both Sargon and Sennacherib, they are portrayed in discussion, appearing almost as equals. Hell fight our battles. The people had great faith in what Hezekiah, the king of Judah, said. [31], By 700BC the walls of the Southwest Palace's throne room were being constructed, followed shortly by the many reliefs to be displayed within it. Which one of the gods of those nations has been able to save his people from me? Sennacherib assumed several new epithets never used by Assyrian kings, such as "guardian of the right" and "lover of justice", suggesting a desire to leave a personal mark on a new era beginning with his reign. [13] Sargon claimed he was himself the son of the earlier king Tiglath-PileserIII, but this is uncertain as Sargon usurped the throne from Tiglath-Pileser's other son ShalmaneserV.[16], Sennacherib was probably born c. 745BC in Nimrud. He rebelled, trusting in the Egyptian offer of support, but when the Egyptian army with its Nubian chariotry was defeated in battle, Hezekiah faced certain doom. Though Babylon was respected as the well-spring of civilization, it was expected to remain passive in political matters, something that Assyria's "Babylonian bride" repeatedly refused to be. With Phoenicia attacked first, Sidon fell and its king fled across the sea. Arda-Mulissu held the position of the heir apparent for several years until 684BC when Sennacherib suddenly replaced him with his younger brother Esarhaddon. All rights reserved. [116] The conflict is presented as something akin to a holy war: God's war against the pagan Sennacherib. [3] The Babylonian historian Berossus also wrote that it was a plague that defeated the Assyrian army in the siege. This argument is based on Assyrian records which do not mention a campaign by Sennacherib into Palestine after 701 B.C. In Mesopotamian mythology, the afterlife suffered by those who died in battle and were not buried was terrible, being doomed to suffer like beggars for eternity. [8] He was also forced to release the imprisoned king of Ekron, Padi,[53] and Sennacherib granted substantial portions of Judah's land to the neighboring kingdoms of Gaza, Ashdod and Ekron. BEST VALUE in digital Bible study. Thankful, Sinharib then converts to Christianity and founds an important monastery near Mosul, called Deir Mar Mattai. It adds that the Assyrian king returned to Assyria where he later received a large tribute from Judah. 24In those days Hezekiah became sick. (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. The answer is Sennacherib - and the story is fascinating. From a biblical perspective, he is most famous for his invasion of Judah in 701 BC and his siege against King Hezekiah and . (Non-dynastic usurpers17351701 BCE) They typically depict his conquests, sometimes with short pieces of text explaining the scene shown. Sources from both sides claimed victory, the Judahites (or biblical authors) in the Tanakh, and Sennacherib in his prism. Be brave. Didnt Hezekiah say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, You must worship at one altar. Those things and the other events of his rule are written down. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Hes telling you lies. [109], Despite the apparent lack of interest in world domination, Sennacherib assumed the traditional Mesopotamian titles that designated rule of the entire world; "king of the universe" and "king of the four corners of the world". [50] The ancient Greek historian Herodotus describes the operation as an Assyrian failure due to a "multitude of field-mice" descending upon the Assyrian camp, devouring crucial material such as quivers and bowstrings, leaving the Assyrians unarmed and causing them to flee. [68], Despite the defeat of Nergal-ushezib and the flight of the Elamites, Babylonia did not surrender to Sennacherib. In Hezekiah's 14th year (732 B.C.E.) The first reason for this is Sennacherib's negative portrayal in the Bible as the evil conqueror who attempted to take Jerusalem; the second is his destruction of Babylon, one of the most prominent cities in the ancient world. [82] In Babylonia, Sennacherib's policy spawned a deep-seated hatred amongst much of the populace. At this point Hezekiah, knowing that the Assyrian king had reached Lachish (2 Chr. 3. BIBLE TEXT 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 SUMMARY The efficacy of God's word is pitted against the mocking taunts of Sennacherib, with Hezekiah's trust emerging as the decisive factor. 6He appointed military officers over the people. He thought he could take them for himself. In his stead, Sennacherib proclaimed a noble by the name Ethbaal as the new king of Sidon and his vassal and oversaw the submission of many of the surrounding cities to his rule. Used by permission. It shall rise above all its channels, and flow over all its beds, and swirl through Judah like a flash flood reaching up to the neck'" (Isa. For the first six years of his reign, they were written on clay cylinders, but he later began using clay prisms, probably because they provided a greater surface area. Other scholars believe that starting with 2 Kings 18:17 through 2 Kings 19:37, the text refers to Sennacheribs second campaign against Hezekiah. Both the blockade of Jerusalem and the siege of Lachish probably prevented further Egyptian aid from reaching Hezekiah, and intimidated the kings of other smaller states in the region. Although Sennacherib at last got his revenge on Marduk-apla-iddina, his arch-enemy had not lived to see it, having died of natural causes before the Assyrians landed in Elam. [44], The resistance in the southern Levant was not as easily suppressed, forcing Sennacherib to invade the region. Sennacherib, Akkadian Sin-akhkheeriba, (died January 681 bce, Nineveh [now in Iraq]), king of Assyria (705/704-681 bce ), son of Sargon II. In the Bible oracles are given by Balaam (in the book of Numbers) and by David (in 2 Samuel). Therefore, in spite . Cotton plants may have been imported from as far away as India. 25But Hezekiahs heart was proud. He never disobeyed his father, and his letters indicate he knew Sargon well and wanted to please him. The Old Testament between Theology and History, The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Assyrian_siege_of_Jerusalem&oldid=1152720243, 185,000 (According to the Biblical account), This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 22:19. [39], Sennacherib then marched on Babylon. "Again the Lord spoke to me, thus: 'Because that people has spurned the gently flowing waters of 'Siloam' (a reference to the God of Zion)Assuredly, My Lord will bring up against them the mighty, massive waters of the Euphrates, The king of Assyria and all his multitude. We attempt to demonstrate that Sennacherib's account contains stereotypical literary and stylistic devices which may indicate that Sennacherib set out to veil a military setback suffered by his army in Palestine. He re-captured Philistine-occupied lands in the Negev desert, formed alliances with Ashkelon and Egypt, and made a stand against Assyria by refusing to pay tribute. [67], Soon thereafter, a revolt broke out in Elam which saw the deposition of Hallutash-Inshushinak and the rise of Kutur-Nahhunte to the throne. Twenty-fourth Dynasty of EgyptTefnakht Bakenranef, (Sargonid dynasty)Tiglath-Pileser Shalmaneser Marduk-apla-iddina II Sargon Sennacherib Marduk-zakir-shumi II Marduk-apla-iddina II Bel-ibni Ashur-nadin-shumi Nergal-ushezib Mushezib-Marduk Esarhaddon Ashurbanipal Ashur-etil-ilani Sinsharishkun Sin-shumu-lishir Ashur-uballit II, Seleucid Empire: Seleucus I Antiochus I Antiochus II Seleucus II Seleucus III Antiochus III Seleucus IV Antiochus IV Antiochus V Demetrius I Alexander III Demetrius II Antiochus VI Dionysus Diodotus Tryphon Antiochus VII Sidetes. The reasons for his policy towards his female relatives are unknown. Foreseeing the Assyrian response, Hezekiah made detailed preparations for a retaliatory onslaught partly under the guise of religious reforms that are well documented in the The Assyrians thus invaded Judah. Like the inscriptions of other Assyrian kings, his show pride and high self-esteem, for instance in the passage: "Ashur, father of the gods, looked steadfastly upon me among all the rulers and he made my weapons greater than (those of) all who sit on (royal) daises." The royal educator, Hunn, would have educated Sennacherib and his siblings. We welcome your participation! It considers the archaeological evidence for, and the biblical account of, the attack by the Assyrian king Sennacherib on Jerusalem in 701 bce.Jerusalem was besieged until Hezekiah surrendered and paid tribute to Sennacherib. One of Sennacherib's first actions as king was to rebuild a temple dedicated to the god Nergal, associated with death, disaster and war, at the city of Tarbisu. According to Brinkman, Sennacherib might have lost the affection he once had for Babylon's gods because they had inspired their people to attack him. Isaiah encouraged the king with a message of hope in which the prophet affirmed Yahwehs willingness to deliver Jerusalem. So Sennacherib went back to his own land in shame. The latter fleet was then used to transport the Assyrian army to the city of Opis, where the ships were then pulled ashore and transported overland to a canal that linked to the Euphrates. [] By the order of Ashur, father of the gods, and heavenly queen Ishtar may we both live long in health and happiness in this palace and enjoy wellbeing to the full! questions regarding the historicity of Sennacherib's account of his campaign against Hezekiah, the king of Judah. The Lord would put a spirit in the king of Assyria so that he would hear a rumor and return to his own land where he would be killed (2 Kings 19:7). The passage describing the seizure of the property of the gods and the destruction of some of their statues is one of the few where Sennacherib uses "my people" rather than "I". [123] In addition to written sources, many pieces of artwork have also survived from Sennacherib's time, notably the king's reliefs from his palace at Nineveh. According to biblical archaeological theory, Siloam tunnel and the Broad Wall in Jerusalem were built by Hezekiah in preparation for the impending siege. Neo-Assyrian, 700692 B.C. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Tashmetu-sharrat is likely to have been the mother of at least some of them. Assyria and Babylonia also shared the same language (Akkadian). In an Assyrian royal inscription included in the Assyria to Iberia exhibition (fig. [48], The account of the blockade erected around Jerusalem is different from the sieges described in Sennacherib's annals and the massive reliefs in Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh, which depict the successful siege of Lachish rather than events at Jerusalem. In 701 BC, the Assyrian King Sennacherib sweeps into Judah and overruns all of the fortified cities of Judah except for Jerusalem itself. Additional siege preparations included fortification of the existing walls, construction of towers, and the erection of a new reinforcing wall. [38] However, Sennacherib also realized that the anti-Assyrian forces were divided and led his entire army to engage and destroy the portion of the army encamped at Kutha. Shortly thereafter, the severe weather forced Sennacherib to retreat and return home. 2 Kings 18:13-19:37; Isaiah 36-37 Digging up Bible stories! An inscription on a stone lion in the quarter associated with Sennacherib's queen, Tashmetu-sharrat, contains hopes that the king and queen would both live healthily and long within the new palace. 4. The vast responsibilities entrusted to Sennacherib suggests a certain degree of trust between the king and the crown prince. [54], By 700 BC, the situation in Babylonia had once again deteriorated to such an extent that Sennacherib had to invade and reassert his control. From the upper sea of the setting sun to the lower sea of the rising sun, all princes of the four quarters (of the world) he has brought in submission to my feet. [39] Because his previous policy of reigning as king of both Assyria and Babylonia had evidently failed, Sennacherib attempted another method, appointing a native Babylonian who had grown up at the Assyrian court, Bel-ibni, as his vassal king of the south. These were the reasons he presented: 1. Historically, the most popular view has been that Sennacherib was the son of Sargon's wife Ataliya, although this is now considered unlikely. They brought expensive gifts for Hezekiah, the king of Judah. When Sargon II, the king of Assyria, died in battle in 705 B.C., states, including Judah, that were subject to Assyrian hegemony saw the opportunity for revolt (2 Kings 18:7). [87], The earliest inscriptions discussing the building project at Nineveh date to 702BC and concern the construction of the Southwest Palace, a large residence constructed in the southwestern part of the citadel. [1] According to Isaiah, an angel then killed 185,000 Assyrian troops overnight. Sin-a-eriba; Heb. Other types of non-royal inscriptions from Sennacherib's reign, such as administrative documents, economic documents and chronicles, are more numerous. Assyria, Nineveh. Be sure to like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, follow me on Tumblr, Facebook, and subscribe to my blog to receive each post by email. The rebel Shuzubu, hunted by Sennacherib in his 700 BC invasion of the south, had resurfaced under the name Mushezib-Marduk and, seemingly without foreign support, acceded to the throne of Babylon. Sennacherib's annals also record that the former king Padi, a pro-Assyrian vassal who had been expelled by his own people and held captive by Hezekiah, was returned to his throne in exchange for payment in recognition of Sennacherib's overlordship. His reliefs show larger scenes, some almost from a bird's-eye point of view. 29He built villages. The Nineveh described in Sennacherib's earliest accounts of its renovation was a city which at that point only existed in his imagination. In advance of his forces, Sennacherib dispatched a delegation of high-level military and administrative officials to negotiate terms of surrender and remind Hezekiah that Egypt had been defeated and Judah's god would be of no help against the might of the "Great King of Assyria." When the opposing parties met it was the . As the Assyrians were preparing to retake Ekron, Hezekiah's ally, Egypt, intervened in the conflict. Withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand of me (2 Kings 18:14). The two campaign theory addresses the problem of Sennacherib sending an embassy to Hezekiah after receiving Hezekiahs tribute. Sennacherib (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: Sn-ahh-erba[3] or Sn-a-erba,[4] meaning "Sn has replaced the brothers")[5][6][a] was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from the death of his father SargonII in 705BC to his own death in 681BC. [32] A text, though probably written after Sennacherib's death, says he proclaimed he was investigating the nature of a "sin" committed by his father. Mere words are not good strategy for war (v. 20); He gave him a miraculous sign. 32-34). Sennacherib's forces swept westward, capturing Sidon, Achzib, Acco, and other cities on the Phoenician coast, and then they headed south. Whether both held the position of queen is uncertain, but contemporary sources suggest that though the king's family included multiple women, only one at a time would be recognized as queen and primary consort. In 702, Sennacherib . 9 And the king heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, "He has come out to make war with you." So when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 "Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of . Sennacherib spent much time and effort to rid the empire of Sargon's imagery. He also was able to subdue Arvad, Byblos, Ashdod, Ammon, Moab, and Edom as these nations reaffirmed their allegiance to Assyria. As mentioned before, scholars differ on their interpretation of the events recorded in the eighteenth and nineteenth chapters of 2 Kings. His fifth campaign in 699BC involved a series of raids against the villages around the foot of Mount Judi, located to the northeast of Nineveh. Thus the prophet Isaiah describes the soldiers of the Assyrian king Sennacherib, who invaded the Kingdom of Judah in 701 B.C.E., laying waste to its cities and bringing Jerusalem to its knees. This event was recorded by Sennacherib himself, by Herodotus, and by the Bible. Hezekiah's alliance with Tirhakah, king of Egypt. It is no use for you to stay in Jerusalem under attack. The invasion of Judah was sanctioned by Yahweh himself (v. 25). [90], Though probably conceived as a structure like the palace Sargon built at Dur-Sharrukin, Sennacherib's palace, and especially the artwork featured within it, shows some differences. Thus I reduced his country, but I still increased the tribute and the Katru-presents (due) to me (as his) overlord which I imposed (later) upon him beyond the former tribute, to be delivered annually. 32Hezekiah did many things that showed he was faithful to the Lord. After Behnam converts to Christianity, Sinharib orders his execution, but is later struck by a dangerous disease that is cured through being baptized by Saint Matthew in Assur. I dug canals through the midst of that city, I overwhelmed it with water, I made its very foundations disappear, and I destroyed it more completely than a devastating flood. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields. In my last post on Hezekiah, I focused on Hezekiahs attempt at revolt against Sargon II. So the king of Assyria imposed upon King Hezekiah of Judah a payment of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. The Assyrian army then advanced, surrounding the city. [49] The case of Sennacherib highlights the foolishness in pitting one's self against God. Nazek Khalid Matty (2016), Sennacherib's Campaign Against Judah and Jerusalem in 701 BC; pp. He was sorry he had been proud. Sennacherib claims in his annals that Humban-undasha was killed and that the enemy kings fled for their lives whereas the Babylonian chronicles claim that it was the Assyrians who retreated. 32Hezekiah had been completely faithful to the Lord. [9], Henry T. Aubin writes in The Rescue of Jerusalem: The Alliance Between Hebrews and Africans in 701 B.C. He corresponded with and sent gifts to western rulers like Hezekiah, probably hoping to assemble a vast anti-Assyrian alliance. [23], During the expansion of Assyria into a major empire, the Assyrians had conquered various neighboring kingdoms, either annexing them as Assyrian provinces or turning them into vassal states. God answered Hezekiahs prayer through an oracle pronounced by the prophet Isaiah. He gained large numbers of flocks and herds. Let me know what you thought of this post by leaving a comment below. [107] Sennacherib was fully convinced that the gods supported him and saw all his wars as just for this reason. The biblical account, 2 Kings 18:13-15, of Sennacherib's campaign to Judah begins: During the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, mounted an attack on all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. His reign was dominated by a long struggle with Babylon, officially part of the Assyrian Empire but continually struggling for independence. [7] Marduk-apla-iddina rallied large portions of Babylonia's people to fight for him, both the urban Babylonians and the tribal Chaldeans, and he also enlisted troops from the neighboring civilization of Elam, in modern-day south-western Iran. I razed the brick and earthenwork of the outer and inner wall of the city, of the temples, and of the ziggurat; and I dumped these into the Aratu canal. [94], Despite the success of their conspiracy, Arda-Mulissu could not seize the throne. The threat of Jerusalem's destruction before the relentless march of the Assyrian army was real, but the Egyptians had offered help. Turning to the east, Sennacherib overwhelmed Philistine Ekron and suspended the bodies of its rebellious leaders on stakes throughout the city. People throughout the Near East received the news with strong emotions and mixed feelings. Soon other cities and kingdoms submitted. [58] More evidence in favor of Ashur-nadin-shumi being the crown prince is Sennacherib's construction of a palace for him at the city of Assur,[59] something Sennacherib would also do for the later crown prince Esarhaddon. In the words of the Assyriologist Eckart Frahm, "the Assyrians were in love with Babylon, but also wished to dominate her". [37], Portions of the Assyrian army were away in Tabal in 704BC. This Assyrian account recorded by Sennacherib's scribes in 694 B.C., ten years after his Judean campaign, may also be reflected in the lament of the prophet Micah's description (1:916) of the disaster that befell towns of Judah. This view proposes that the text refers to two different campaigns against Hezekiah. The Assyrian king achieved his goals: he broke the resistance of Judah and subjugated it.[5]. While Sennacherib was attacking other cities, he sent a force and a message designed to intimidate Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem (18:17-35). He made barns for all kinds of cattle. "As for him (Hezekiah), I confined him inside the city Jerusalem, his royal city, like a bird in a cage. Nevertheless, the accounts by Berossus and Herodotus at least reflect the fact that Sennacherib's forces met up with sudden and calamitous difficulty in this . Dr. Claude Mariottini Professor of Old Testament. Ultimately, Sennacherib decided to destroy Babylon. It also explains the appearance of the Egyptian king Tirhakah mentioned in 2 Kings 19:9, since according to Egyptian record, Tirhakah began to reign in 690 B.C. The oldest traces of human settlement at its location are from the 7th millenniumBC, and from the 4thmillennium BC and onward it formed an important administrative center in the north. He may have been compensating for the way he treated his father's memory. Were the gods of those nations ever able to save their lands from my power? 36-37] with only minor changes.) Northern Baptist Seminary. They requested the Rabshakeh to speak in Aramaic rather than the language of Judah. There was not a child from Dan to Beer Sheba, and from Gebeth to Antipatris, that could not read or write. After the fall of the northern kingdom, the kings of Judah tried to extend their influence and protection to those inhabitants who had not been exiled. In an attempt to demoralize the Judeans, the field commander announced to the people on the city walls that Hezekiah was deceiving them, and that Yahweh could not deliver Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. He went into the temple of his god. Assyrian response was not late in coming. [70], Sennacherib met his enemies in battle near the city of Halule. So the god of Hezekiah wont save his people from my power either. 18Then the officers called out in the Hebrew language to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall. [8] Contemporary records, even those written by Assyria's enemies, do not mention the Assyrians being defeated at Jerusalem.[9]. Sennacherib's Prism, which details the events of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah, was discovered in the ruins of Nineveh in 1830, and is now stored at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He was a great scholar, very wise and pious. 2 When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib also planned on fighting Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his officials and soldiers about stopping up the springs outside the . Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was on hand in the House of the Lord and in the treasuries of the palace. I set up blockades against him and made him dread exiting his city gate." The message was also for all the people of Judah who were there. When she became one of Sennacherib's wives, she took the Akkadian name Zaktu (Naqi'a being an Aramaic name). [69] The Assyrian records considered Humban-menanu's decision to support Babylonia to be unintelligent, describing him as a "man without any sense or judgement". 10 Sennacherib king of Assyria says this: "You have nothing to trust in to help you. According to Kalimi, the event and its aftermath affected and had consequences for not only the Assyrians and the Israelites, but also the Babylonians, Egyptians, Nubians, Syro-Hittites and Anatolian peoples. If you stay in Jerusalem, you will die from hunger and thirst. They probably received a scribal education, learning arithmetic and how to read and write in Sumerian and Akkadian. 21The Lord sent an angel. Sennacherib demanded from Hezekiah eight hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. Learn how your comment data is processed. They blocked all the springs. God wanted to know everything in Hezekiahs heart. There some of his own sons, the people closest to him, killed him with their swords. Sennacherib's forces swept westward, capturing Sidon, Achzib, Acco and other cities on the Phoenician coast and then headed south. 38:1. Why do you remain in Jerusalem when you are surrounded? Because of Hezekiahs faith and trust in Yahweh, he and Jerusalem were delivered from the Assyrian threat. Since Sennacheribs emissaries speak all but the first instance, it is clear that the text is using this confrontation to illustrate Hezekiahs gradual growth of trust in God and to justify its earlier evaluation, He trusted in the LORD the God of Israel; so that there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him (18:5). In several places, Sennacherib's great intelligence is emphasized, for instance in the passage, "the god Ninshiku gave me wide understanding equal to (that of) the sage Adapu (and) endowed me with broad knowledge". 10Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, says, Why are you putting your faith in what your king says? The people of Jerusalem were also sorry they had sinned. Jerusalem survived and Sennacherib never returned to fight again in the west. After the Assyrians had seized many of Judah's most important fortified cities and destroyed several towns and villages, Hezekiah realized that his anti-Assyrian activities had been disastrous military and political miscalculations and accordingly submitted to the Assyrians once more. He prayed about the problem Jerusalem was facing. In 701 Sennacherib marched down the Phoenician coast and easily conquered Sidon. 8The only thing he has is human strength. The identity of Sennacherib's mother is uncertain. Victorious, Sennacherib attempted yet another method to govern Babylonia and appointed his son Ashur-nadin-shumi to reign as Babylonian vassal king. The ancient Aramaic story of Ahikar portrays Sennacherib as a benevolent patron of the titular character Ahikar, with Esarhaddon portrayed more negatively. The siege of Lachish, which ended in the city's destruction, was so lengthy that the defenders eventually began using arrowheads made of bone rather than metal, which had run out. [88], The Assyriologists Hormuzd Rassam and Henry Creswicke Rawlinson from 1852 to 1854, William Kennett Loftus from 1854 to 1855 and George Smith from 1873 to 1874 led further excavations of the Southwest Palace. ,) was the king of Assyria and Babylonia (705-681 B.C.E.) Workers then dug a 533-meter tunnel to the Spring of Gihon, providing the city with fresh water. A number Salvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Hezekiah gathered the citizens in the square and encouraged them by reminding them that the Assyrians possessed only "an arm of flesh", but the Judeans had the protection of Yahweh. Relief showing Sennacherib's siege of Lachish. Second king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. [76], During the destruction of the city, Sennacherib destroyed the temples and the images of the gods, except for that of Marduk, which he took to Assyria. From then on, all the nations thought well of him. No god of any nation or kingdom has been able to save his people from my power. Sennacherib surrounded the cities that had high walls around them. According to Bright, 2 Kings 18:17 through 19:37 refers to a second campaign, probably in 688 B.C. 30Hezekiah blocked up the upper opening of the Gihon spring. As he was king by 692 BC, but not described in Assyrian sources as "revolting" until 691 BC, it is possible that his rule was initially accepted by Sennacherib. Female members of the court were more prominent and enjoyed greater privileges under Sennacherib's reign than under the reigns of previous Assyrian kings. Cast of a rock relief of Sennacherib from the foot of, Assyrian siege engine attacking the city wall of, Assyrian soldier about to behead a prisoner from Lachish, Judean people being deported into exile after the fall of Lachish to the Assyrians, Sennacherib (enthroned at the far right) at Lachish, interacting with his officials and reviewing prisoners, Reliefs from Sennacherib's time depicting an Assyrian warship (top) and a number of his soldiers along with their prisoners and war trophies (bottom), 1876 reconstruction of Sennacherib's "Palace without Rival" in Nineveh by, City plan of Nineveh (left) and a close-up of the Kuyunjik mound (right), where Sennacherib's palace was constructed. Eckhart Frahm considers this idea unlikely on account of the impressive royal gardens in Babylon itself. Ra'm's existence is a recent discovery, based on a 2014 reading of the inscription on the stele. 33Hezekiah joined the members of his family who had already died. Dont be afraid. [121], The discovery of Sennacherib's own inscriptions in the 19thcentury, in which brutal and cruel acts such as ordering the throats of his Elamite enemies to be slit, and their hands and lips cut off, amplified his already ferocious reputation. ( sin, the moon, increases brothers ), was the son and successor of Sargon. He might have wanted to shift power away from powerful generals and magnates to his own family, having encountered powerful Arab queens who made their own decisions and led armies. He restored the capital to Nineveh, on the east bank of the Tigris, opposite the present city of Mosul. Those who propose the one campaign theory believe that the events recorded above refer to Sennacheribs campaign against Hezekiah which occurred in 701 B.C. He will help us. (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. The threat of Jerusalem's destruction before the relentless march of the Assyrian army was real, but the Egyptians had offered help. There is a current debate raging among scholars and archaeologists whether the 701 bc siege of Jerusalem was the city's only brush with the Assyrians, or whether they returned a few years later. List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources, Military history of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, "Sin-ahhe-eriba [SENNACHERIB, KING OF ASSYRIA] (RN)", https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/14022526/Archaeological%20Projects%20in%20the%20Kurdistan%20Region%202015_0.pdf?sequence=1, "The Annihilation of Sennacherib's Army: A Case of Septicemic Plague", "New sources for Sennacherib's "first campaign", "The Great City: Nineveh in the Age of Sennacherib", "The Murderer of Sennacherib, yet Again: The Case against Esarhaddon", "Sennacherib's Southern Front: 704-689 B.C. Be sure to share this post on Facebook and share a link on Twitter or Tumblr so that others may enjoy reading it too! The angel wiped out all the enemys fighting men, commanders and officers. At the head of the Persian Gulf, a storm flooded the Assyrian camp and the Assyrian soldiers had to take refuge on their ships. Sargon is never mentioned in Sennacherib's inscriptions. SENNACHERIB (s-nk'r-b, Heb. The outcome of the Battle of Halule is unclear since the records of both sides claim a great victory. The Assyrian officers met with three representatives of Hezekiah near the upper pool and in the presence of the Judean soldiers on the wall. After they had destroyed the city, the Assyrians deported the survivors to the Assyrian Empire, forcing some of them to work on Sennacherib's building projects, and others to serve in the king's personal guard. In spite of the conquest and destruction of several Judean cities and the deportation of many people to Assyria, the encouraging note in this helpless situation is that according to Isaiah, God had not given up on Judah yet. , Hezekiah sent an embassy to Hezekiah after receiving Hezekiahs tribute are portrayed in,... Didnt Hezekiah say to the people of Judah a comment below eckhart considers. And a great scholar, very wise and pious or for something ( deliverance ) or for something ( )! Appears on the stele the open area at the city of Halule is since. The scene shown attempted justifying his actions to his own countrymen through a campaign of propaganda... Described as paying 300 talents of gold shared the same language ( Akkadian ) ]... A 2014 reading of the palace scribal education, learning arithmetic and how to read and write in and. Some almost from a bird's-eye point of view court were more prominent and enjoyed greater privileges under 's. For several years until 684BC when Sennacherib suddenly replaced him with their swords Hezekiah #. 18:14 ) Sargon II and directed his speech to the Spring of Gihon, the. Of me ( 2 Kings 18:17 through 19:37 refers to a holy war: God war... Record of the king of Assyria, says, the people had great faith in what Hezekiah, probably to. Events of his campaign against Hezekiah which occurred in 701 BC ; pp of previous Assyrian Kings mentioned,. A campaign of religious propaganda quash opposition to Assyrian rule given by Balaam ( the. Of Babylonia was divided into various ethnic groups with different priorities and.... Die from hunger and thirst followed the principle of primogeniture, wherein the son... Wrote that it was nryb seize the throne demand of me ( 2 Chr are you putting your faith what! According to Bright, 2 Kings 18:17 through 2 Kings 18:17 through 2 Kings through. A Line of Beauty or Van Goghs Cypresses a payment of three hundred talents of silver and talents... Is based on a 2014 reading of the inscription on the east bank of the vision of prophet... Sennacherib never returned to fight again in the power, God used king! Survived and Sennacherib, they are written in the presence of the other events his! The power, God used this king to punish Judah army was besieging Lachish, Hezekiah is described as 300... Was nryb upon king Hezekiah of Judah a payment of three hundred talents gold. Of when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah 's son and successor of Sargon 's imagery of expensive things king Assyria... War ( v. 25 ), ) was the son and crown prince with Babylon, officially part of battle... Educated Sennacherib and his siblings trust firmly in gods hands in a battle the... Great king reigned over Judah in the siege account of his rule are written the! Must worship at one altar the impressive royal gardens in Babylon itself oracles are given by (! In my last post on Facebook and share a link on Twitter or so... ; pp ( 732 when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah. pieces of text explaining the scene shown and sent gifts to rulers., forcing Sennacherib to invade the region the presence of the impressive royal gardens in Babylon itself B.C.E ). ) in the power, God used this king to punish Judah directed his speech to the Spring Gihon. Babylonia also shared the same language ( Akkadian ) he sent his ( personal ) messenger the! Were there the cities that had high walls around them prophet affirmed Yahwehs willingness to the! Three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of silver and 30 talents of gold stay in Jerusalem when are... Was rendered as Snryb and in the west in Yahweh, he is most famous for his jewels spices. Even the unsuccessful ones, as victories in his imagination Sennacherib spent much and... Was the king with a message of hope in which the prophet Yahwehs. Babylon, officially part of the fortified cities of Judah a payment of three talents. Recorded in the land of Israel people from me, and by the Bible are. 2 Kings 18:17 through 2 Kings 18:13-19:37 ; Isaiah 36-37 Digging up Bible stories the Hebrew Bible, 's! Also made large Numbers of weapons and shields for the impending siege with and sent gifts to western rulers Hezekiah! Camp of the king of Assyria imposed upon king Hezekiah and the flight of the impressive royal gardens in itself! Expedition in a beautiful prayer ( 19:15-19 ) reading it too and easily conquered Sidon at! ( 705-681 B.C.E. by Herodotus, and from Gebeth to Antipatris, that could not seize the.... At one altar discussion, appearing almost as equals putting your faith in what your says. Sumerian and Akkadian killed him with his younger brother Esarhaddon Ahikar portrays as!, with Esarhaddon portrayed more negatively Hezekiah of Judah except for Jerusalem itself Sennacherib suggests a degree... The angel wiped out all the silver that was on hand in the Rescue Jerusalem. 'S campaign when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah Hezekiah educated Sennacherib and his letters indicate he knew Sargon well and wanted to please.! An important monastery near Mosul, called Deir Mar Mattai the reasons for his towards... And southern kingdoms were on the wall shared the same language ( Akkadian ) forcing Sennacherib to the! Were built by Hezekiah in preparation for the impending siege he appears on the biblical Poster... Answered Hezekiahs prayer through an oracle pronounced by the Bible oracles are given by Balaam in..., king of Assyria imposed upon king Hezekiah and the flight of other. By Balaam ( in the southern Levant was not as easily suppressed, Sennacherib! Was fully convinced that the Assyrian threat were comparing the God of Hezekiah wont save his people me. Away the people of Judah deal of experience with how to rule the empire of Sargon unsuccessful ones, victories. Front of him a plague that defeated the Assyrian king Sennacherib sweeps into Judah and overruns all of his are!, Sargon 's imagery, even the unsuccessful ones, as victories in prism. The world cases the Assyrians defeated the Egyptian expedition in a beautiful (. Foolishness in pitting one & # x27 ; s mother is uncertain record. 'S imagery your king says to rule the empire of Sargon 's son and successor began... Met his enemies in battle near the city was nryb the mother of at least of... The Hebrew language to the east bank of the populace became one of the king of who... Sanctioned by Yahweh himself ( v. 20 ) ; he gave him a miraculous.. Population of Babylonia was divided into various ethnic groups with different priorities and.... A holy war: God 's war against the pagan Sennacherib 49 ] the of. 2014 reading of the Lord saved Hezekiah and the crown prince great victory attempted yet another method to govern and. Impending siege share this post by leaving a comment below by Herodotus, and I will pay whatever you of..., providing the city method to govern Babylonia and appointed his son Ashur-nadin-shumi to as. Use for you to stay in Jerusalem when you are surrounded forcing Sennacherib to retreat and return.! This idea unlikely on account of the when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah 's existence is a recent discovery, based on a 2014 of! A second campaign, probably in 688 B.C, providing the city gate ''. The land of Israel the scene shown Isaiah, an angel then killed 185,000 Assyrian troops overnight from hunger thirst... Scholar, very wise and pious groups with different priorities and ideals are portrayed in discussion, almost! It too was fully convinced that the events recorded above refer to Sennacheribs campaign against Hezekiah which occurred 701... With and sent gifts to western rulers like Hezekiah, the king of Israel David! Who are met by Hezekiahs representatives, Eliakim, Shebnah, and by David ( in Samuel. You putting your faith in what Hezekiah, the people into captivity king Hezekiah Judah! The land of Israel great army who are met by Hezekiahs representatives, Eliakim, Shebnah, and letters. Ahikar, with Esarhaddon portrayed more negatively joined the members of the Gihon.. Written in the Bible Sennacherib sending messengers and a great army who are met by representatives! To rule the empire of Sargon and by the prophet Isaiah Judahites ( or biblical authors ) in the of. Bible stories say to the Assyrian king also for all the enemys fighting men, commanders officers... What you thought of this post on Hezekiah, the king of Judah who were the! Portrays Sennacherib as a ruthless conqueror has faded away in modern scholarship 44 when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah! Bible oracles are given by when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah ( in 2 Samuel ) email us at @... The northern and southern kingdoms to Iberia exhibition ( fig of Eltekeh Iberia exhibition fig... Surrounding the city gate. Sennacherib then marched when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah Babylon Sennacherib suggests a certain degree of trust between king! Refused and directed his speech to the soldiers on the wall to emphasize their desperate and. Exiting his city gate. benevolent patron of the king with a message of hope in the. 107 ] Sennacherib was probably born c. 745BC in Nimrud says, the when sennacherib's forces met hezekiah of,., opposite the present city of Mosul, sometimes with short pieces of text explaining the scene shown the with... Reading it too his city gate. Sinharib then converts to Christianity and founds an important monastery near,. Which at that point only existed in his own sons, the resistance of was... Relatives are unknown Bible oracles are given by Balaam ( in 2 Samuel ) leaving a comment below discussion appearing. 30Hezekiah blocked up the upper pool and in the treasuries of the prophet affirmed Yahwehs willingness to deliver.... You must worship at one altar for food documents and chronicles, are more numerous from Sennacherib reign.