Isaiah 36:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.

NIV: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

NASB: Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.

CSB: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

NLT: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to attack the fortified towns of Judah and conquered them.

KJV: Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

NKJV: Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.

Isaiah's book now moves from poetry and prophecy to a historical telling of some events he prophesied about. Judah's King Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz, whom Isaiah served as a prophet. This moment occurs in the 14th year of King Hezekiah. He had apparently served alongside his father Ahaz for some years before becoming the sole king of Judah in 715 BC. It is now 701 BC, the year the Assyrians attacked Judah and Jerusalem.

Sennacherib was king of Assyria at this time, who we know of from historical annals recorded on a prism and later discovered. Sennacherib had been king of Assyria for four years in 701 BC. He spent those first years leading his army in putting down revolts and uprisings brought on by the death of his father Sargon II in 705 BC.

Hezekiah formed an alliance with Egypt against the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:19–21; Isaiah 30:1–3) and led a group of smaller nations refusing to pay tribute to the Assyrians. In response, Sennacherib added Judah to his list of nations to re-conquer and once again bring the world into subjection to his rule.

Coming from the north, Assyria defeated one nation after another, moving south toward Judah. The Egyptians made a stand against the Assyrians at a spot west of Jerusalem, and they lost badly. Sennacherib's annals say that he laid siege to and defeated forty-six walled villages in Judah before surrounding Jerusalem. That agrees with Isaiah's report in this chapter.

Isaiah 36:1–3 introduces delegations from Assyria and Judah who meet just outside of Jerusalem. Hezekiah of Judah rebelled against Sennacherib of Assyria (2 Kings 18:19–21). Faced with invasion, Hezekiah agreed to send ransom, but the army did not stop (2 Kings 18:14–16). The main Assyrian spokesman is identified with the word Rabshaqeh, which seems to describe a royal advisor and military field commander. Two other Assyrians are also there but don't contribute to the incident (2 Kings 18:17).

Sennacherib and the Assyrian army conquer all of Judah except for Jerusalem. There, a remnant of the people waits inside the walls. Sennacherib sends a messenger to meet with Hezekiah's officials. The messenger taunts Hezekiah, mocking their attempts at alliances as well as their faith in God. This commander, also called "the Rabshakeh" calls out in the local Hebrew language so everyone will understand. He offers life and prosperity to those who surrender now. In his opinion, none of the gods of any of the nations the Assyrians have defeated were able to stop them. So why will the Lord God of Israel be any different?

Isaiah 36 shifts from poetic prophecies to the historical account of an Assyrian army's threats against Judah. Sennacherib's army conquers everything in Judah other except for Jerusalem. An Assyrian messenger taunts the people and tells them that no gods have stopped Assyria yet, so they shouldn't trust in Judah's God, either. Diplomats return to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this news. Hezekiah will seek help from Isaiah, pray to God, and receive a spectacular miraculous rescue (Isaiah 37).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).