Discovery Box2 Kings 18:1--20:21 
Context18:1 In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah. 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother 2 was Abi, 3 the daughter of Zechariah. 18:3 He did what the Lord approved, just as his ancestor David had done. 4 18:4 He eliminated the high places, smashed the sacred pillars to bits, and cut down the Asherah pole. 5 He also demolished the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time 6 the Israelites had been offering incense to it; it was called Nehushtan. 7 18:5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel; in this regard there was none like him among the kings of Judah either before or after. 8 18:6 He was loyal to 9 the Lord and did not abandon him. 10 He obeyed the commandments which the Lord had given to 11 Moses. 18:7 The Lord was with him; he succeeded in all his endeavors. 12 He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to submit to him. 13 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from the watchtower to the city fortress. 14
18:9 In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (it was the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched 15 up against Samaria 16 and besieged it. 18:10 After three years he captured it (in the sixth year of Hezekiah’s reign); in the ninth year of King Hoshea’s reign over Israel Samaria was captured. 18:11 The king of Assyria deported the people of Israel 17 to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor (the river of Gozan), and in the cities of the Medes. 18:12 This happened because they did not obey 18 the Lord their God and broke his agreement with them. 19 They did not pay attention to and obey all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded. 20
18:13 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 18:14 King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria, who was at Lachish, “I have violated our treaty. 21 If you leave, I will do whatever you demand.” 22 So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay three hundred talents 23 of silver and thirty talents of gold. 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver in 24 the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace. 18:16 At that time King Hezekiah of Judah stripped the metal overlays from the doors of the Lord’s temple and from the posts which he had plated 25 and gave them to the king of Assyria.
18:17 The king of Assyria sent his commanding general, the chief eunuch, and the chief adviser 26 from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, 27 along with a large army. They went up and arrived at Jerusalem. They went 28 and stood at the conduit of the upper pool which is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth. 29 18:18 They summoned the king, so Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet them.
18:19 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence? 30 18:20 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. 31 In whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me? 18:21 Now look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If a man leans for support on it, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him. 18:22 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar in Jerusalem.’ 18:23 Now make a deal 32 with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 18:24 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 33 18:25 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this place to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March 34 up against this land and destroy it.’”’” 35
18:26 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic, 36 for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect 37 in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 18:27 But the chief adviser said to them, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you. 38 His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you.” 39
18:28 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect, 40 “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 18:29 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you from my hand! 41 18:30 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord when he says, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 18:31 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me. 42 Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 18:32 until I come and take you to a land just like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey. Then you will live and not die. Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for he is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” 18:33 Have any of the gods of the nations actually rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 43 18:34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? 44 Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria 45 from my power? 46 18:35 Who among all the gods of the lands has rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’” 47 18:36 The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
18:37 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn 48 and reported to him what the chief adviser had said. 19:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple. 19:2 He sent Eliakim the palace supervisor, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, 49 clothed in sackcloth, with this message to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz: 19:3 “This is what Hezekiah says: 50 ‘This is a day of distress, insults, 51 and humiliation, 52 as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. 53 19:4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all these things the chief adviser has spoken on behalf of his master, the king of Assyria, who sent him to taunt the living God. 54 When the Lord your God hears, perhaps he will punish him for the things he has said. 55 So pray for this remnant that remains.’” 56
19:5 When King Hezekiah’s servants came to Isaiah, 19:6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master this: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Don’t be afraid because of the things you have heard – these insults the king of Assyria’s servants have hurled against me. 57 19:7 Look, I will take control of his mind; 58 he will receive 59 a report and return to his own land. I will cut him down 60 with a sword in his own land.”’”
19:8 When the chief adviser heard the king of Assyria had departed from Lachish, he left and went to Libnah, where the king was campaigning. 61 19:9 The king 62 heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. 63 He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them: 19:10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust mislead you when he says, “Jerusalem will not be handed over 64 to the king of Assyria.” 19:11 Certainly you have heard how the kings of Assyria have annihilated all lands. 65 Do you really think you will be rescued? 66 19:12 Were the nations whom my ancestors destroyed – the nations of Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden in Telassar – rescued by their gods? 67 19:13 Where are the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of Lair, 68 Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?’”
19:14 Hezekiah took the letter 69 from the messengers and read it. 70 Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord. 19:15 Hezekiah prayed before the Lord: “Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned on the cherubs! 71 You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the sky 72 and the earth. 19:16 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! 73 19:17 It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. 19:18 They have burned the gods of the nations, 74 for they are not really gods, but only the product of human hands manufactured from wood and stone. That is why the Assyrians could destroy them. 75 19:19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you, Lord, are the only God.”
19:20 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I have heard your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria. 76 19:21 This is what the Lord says about him: 77
“The virgin daughter Zion 78
despises you, she makes fun of you;
Daughter Jerusalem
shakes her head after you. 79
19:22 Whom have you taunted and hurled insults at?
At whom have you shouted, 80
and looked so arrogantly? 81
At the Holy One of Israel! 82
19:23 Through your messengers you taunted the sovereign master, 83
‘With my many chariots 84
I climbed up the high mountains,
the slopes of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars,
and its best evergreens.
I invaded its most remote regions, 85
its thickest woods.
19:24 I dug wells and drank
water in foreign lands. 86
With the soles of my feet I dried up
all the rivers of Egypt.’
19:25 87 Certainly you must have heard! 88
Long ago I worked it out,
In ancient times I planned 89 it;
and now I am bringing it to pass.
The plan is this:
Fortified cities will crash
into heaps of ruins. 90
19:26 Their residents are powerless, 91
they are terrified and ashamed.
They are as short-lived as plants in the field,
or green vegetation. 92
They are as short-lived as grass on the rooftops 93
when it is scorched by the east wind. 94
19:27 I know where you live,
and everything you do. 95
19:28 Because you rage against me,
and the uproar you create has reached my ears; 96
I will put my hook in your nose, 97
and my bridle between your lips,
and I will lead you back the way
you came.”
19:29 98 This will be your confirmation that I have spoken the truth: 99 This year you will eat what grows wild, 100 and next year 101 what grows on its own from that. But in the third year you will plant seed and harvest crops; you will plant vines and consume their produce. 102 19:30 Those who remain in Judah will take root in the ground and bear fruit. 103
19:31 For a remnant will leave Jerusalem;
survivors will come out of Mount Zion.
The intense devotion of the sovereign Lord 104 to his people 105 will accomplish this.
19:32 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
“He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here. 106
He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors, 107
nor will he build siege works against it.
19:33 He will go back the way he came.
He will not enter this city,” says the Lord.
19:34 I will shield this city and rescue it for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.’” 108
19:35 That very night the Lord’s messenger went out and killed 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When they 109 got up early the next morning, there were all the corpses. 110 19:36 So King Sennacherib of Assyria broke camp and went on his way. He went home and stayed in Nineveh. 111 19:37 One day, 112 as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, 113 his sons 114 Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. 115 They escaped to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
20:1 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness. 116 The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz visited him and told him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Give your household instructions, for you are about to die; you will not get well.’” 117 20:2 He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 20:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you 118 faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, 119 and how I have carried out your will.” 120 Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. 121
20:4 Isaiah was still in the middle courtyard when the Lord told him, 122 20:5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I will heal you. The day after tomorrow 123 you will go up to the Lord’s temple. 20:6 I will add fifteen years to your life and rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will shield this city for the sake of my reputation and because of my promise to David my servant.”’” 124 20:7 Isaiah ordered, “Get a fig cake.” So they did as he ordered 125 and placed it on the ulcerated sore, and he recovered. 126
20:8 Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What is the confirming sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the Lord’s temple the day after tomorrow?” 20:9 Isaiah replied, “This is your sign from the Lord confirming that the Lord will do what he has said. Do you want the shadow to move ahead ten steps or to go back ten steps?” 127 20:10 Hezekiah answered, “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps, but not for it 128 to go back ten steps.” 20:11 Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord, and the Lord 129 made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz. 130
20:12 At that time Merodach-Baladan 131 son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill. 20:13 Hezekiah welcomed 132 them and showed them his whole storehouse, with its silver, gold, spices, and high quality olive oil, as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom. 133 20:14 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say? Where do they come from?” Hezekiah replied, “They come from the distant land of Babylon.” 20:15 Isaiah 134 asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah replied, “They have seen everything in my palace. I showed them everything 135 in my treasuries.” 20:16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to the word of the Lord, 20:17 ‘Look, a time is 136 coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 20:18 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father 137 will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” 20:19 Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate.” 138 Then he added, 139 “At least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime.” 140
20:20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign and all his accomplishments, including how he built a pool and conduit to bring 141 water into the city, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 142 20:21 Hezekiah passed away 143 and his son Manasseh replaced him as king.
1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
2 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
3 tn The parallel passage in 2 Chr 29:1 has “Abijah.”
4 tn Heb “he did what was proper in the eyes of the
5 tn The term is singular in the MT but plural in the LXX and other ancient versions. It is also possible to regard the singular as a collective singular, especially in the context of other plural items.
sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).
6 tn Heb “until those days.”
7 tn In Hebrew the name sounds like the phrase נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת (nÿkhash hannÿkhoshet), “bronze serpent.”
8 tn Heb “and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, and those who were before him.”
9 tn Heb “he hugged.”
10 tn Heb “and did not turn aside from after him.”
11 tn Heb “had commanded.”
12 tn Heb “in all which he went out [to do], he was successful.”
13 tn Heb “and did not serve him.”
14 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 17:9.
15 tn Heb “went” (also in v. 13).
16 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
17 tn The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
18 tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”
19 tn Heb “his covenant.”
20 tn Heb “all that Moses, the
21 tn Or “I have done wrong.”
22 tn Heb “Return from upon me; what you place upon me, I will carry.”
23 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 22,500 pounds of silver and 2,250 pounds of gold.
24 tn Heb “that was found.”
25 tn Heb “At that time Hezekiah stripped the doors of the
26 sn For a discussion of these titles see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
27 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
28 tn Heb “and they went up and came.”
29 tn Heb “the field of the washer.”
30 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
31 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
32 tn Heb “exchange pledges.”
33 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 23-24 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 21. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
34 tn Heb “Go.”
35 sn In v. 25 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 22. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
36 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the empire.
37 tn Or “Hebrew.”
38 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
39 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”
sn The chief adviser alludes to the horrible reality of siege warfare, when the starving people in the besieged city would resort to eating and drinking anything to stay alive.
40 tn The Hebrew text also has, “and he spoke and said.”
41 tc The MT has “his hand,” but this is due to graphic confusion of vav (ו) and yod (י). The translation reads “my hand,” along with many medieval Hebrew
42 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
43 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations really rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the main verb. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
44 tn The parallel passage in Isa 36:19 omits “Hena and Ivvah.” The rhetorical questions in v. 34a suggest the answer, “Nowhere, they seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
45 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
46 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 33, 35).
47 tn Heb “that the
48 sn As a sign of grief and mourning.
49 tn Heb “elders of the priests.”
50 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him.”
51 tn Or “rebuke,” “correction.”
52 tn Or “contempt.”
53 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
54 tn Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
55 tn Heb “and rebuke the words which the
56 tn Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
57 tn Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
58 tn Heb “I will put in him a spirit.” The precise sense of רוּחַ (ruakh), “spirit,” is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a spiritual being who will take control of his mind (see 1 Kgs 22:19), or it could refer to a disposition of concern and fear. In either case the
59 tn Heb “hear.”
60 tn Heb “cause him to fall,” that is, “kill him.”
61 tn Heb “and the chief adviser returned and he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.”
62 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
63 tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘Look, he has come out to fight with you.’”
64 tn Heb “will not be given.”
65 tn Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
66 tn Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
67 tn Heb “Did the gods of the nations whom my fathers destroyed rescue them – Gozan and Haran, and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who are in Telassar?”
68 sn Lair is a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 235.
69 tc The MT has the plural, “letters,” but the final mem is probably dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular.
70 tc The MT has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”). The parallel passage in Isa 37:14 has the singular suffix.
71 sn This refers to the cherub images that were above the ark of the covenant.
72 tn Or “the heavens.”
73 tn Heb “Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
74 tn Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
75 tn Heb “so they destroyed them.”
76 tn Heb “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in the parallel passage in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense, “because.”
77 tn Heb “this is the word which the
78 sn Zion (Jerusalem) is pictured here as a young, vulnerable daughter whose purity is being threatened by the would-be Assyrian rapist. The personification hints at the reality which the young girls of the city would face if the Assyrians conquer it.
79 sn Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
80 tn Heb “have you raised a voice.”
81 tn Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?”
82 sn This divine title pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
83 tn The word is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai), “lord,” but some Hebrew
84 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has בְּרֶכֶב (bÿrekhev), but this must be dittographic (note the following רִכְבִּי [rikhbi], “my chariots”). The marginal reading (Qere) בְּרֹב (bÿrov), “with many,” is supported by many Hebrew
85 tn Heb “the lodging place of its extremity.”
86 tn Heb “I dug and drank foreign waters.”
87 tn Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23-24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
88 tn Heb “Have you not heard?” The rhetorical question expresses the Lord’s amazement that anyone might be ignorant of what he is about to say.
89 tn Heb “formed.”
90 tn Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְּהִי (tÿhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
91 tn Heb “short of hand.”
92 tn Heb “they are plants in the field and green vegetation.” The metaphor emphasizes how short-lived these seemingly powerful cities really were. See Ps 90:5-6; Isa 40:6-8, 24.
93 tn Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
94 tc The Hebrew text has “scorched before the standing grain” (perhaps meaning “before it reaches maturity”), but it is preferable to emend קָמָה (qamah), “standing grain,” to קָדִים (qadim), “east wind” (with the support of 1Q Isaa in Isa 37:27).
95 tc Heb “your going out and your coming in.” The MT also has here, “and how you have raged against me.” However, this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line).
96 tc Heb “and your complacency comes up into my ears.” The parallelism is improved if שַׁאֲנַנְךְ (sha’anankh), “your complacency,” is emended to שַׁאֲוַנְךְ (sha’avankh), “your uproar.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 237-38.
97 sn The word picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 238.
98 tn At this point the word concerning the king of Assyria (vv. 21-28) ends and the Lord again directly addresses Hezekiah and the people (see v. 20).
99 tn Heb “and this is your sign.” In this case the אוֹת (’ot), “sign,” is a future confirmation of God’s intervention designated before the actual intervention takes place. For similar “signs” see Exod 3:12 and Isa 7:14-25.
100 sn This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
101 tn Heb “and in the second year.”
102 tn The four plural imperatival verb forms in v. 29b are used rhetorically. The Lord commands the people to plant, harvest, etc. to emphasize the certainty of restored peace and prosperity. See IBHS 572 §34.4.c.
103 tn Heb “The remnant of the house of Judah that is left will add roots below and produce fruit above.”
104 tn Traditionally “the
105 tn Heb “the zeal of the
106 tn Heb “there.”
107 tn Heb “[with] a shield.” By metonymy the “shield” stands for the soldier who carries it.
108 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
109 tn This refers to the Israelites and/or the rest of the Assyrian army.
110 tn Heb “look, all of them were dead bodies.”
111 tn Heb “and Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned and lived in Nineveh.”
112 sn The assassination probably took place in 681
113 sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name is a corruption of Nusku.
114 tc Although “his sons” is absent in the Kethib, it is supported by the Qere, along with many medieval Hebrew
115 sn Extra-biblical sources also mention the assassination of Sennacherib, though they refer to only one assassin. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 239-40.
116 tn Heb “was sick to the point of dying.”
117 tn Heb “will not live.”
118 tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.
119 tn Heb “and with a complete heart.”
120 tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”
121 tn Heb “wept with great weeping.”
122 tc Heb “and Isaiah had not gone out of the middle courtyard, and the word of the
123 tn Heb “on the third day.”
124 tn Heb “for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.”
125 tn Heb “and they got [a fig cake].”
126 tn Heb “and he lived.”
127 tn The Hebrew הָלַךְ (halakh, a perfect), “it has moved ahead,” should be emended to הֲיֵלֵךְ (hayelekh, an imperfect with interrogative he [ה] prefixed), “shall it move ahead.”
128 tn Heb “the shadow.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
129 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
130 tn Heb “on the steps which [the sun] had gone down, on the steps of Ahaz, back ten steps.”
sn These steps probably functioned as a type of sundial. See HALOT 614 s.v. מַעֲלָה and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 256.
131 tc The MT has “Berodach-Baladan,” but several Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin witnesses agree with the parallel passage in Isa 39:1 and read “Merodach-Baladan.”
132 tc Heb “listened to.” Some Hebrew
133 tn Heb “there was nothing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in all his kingdom.”
134 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
135 tn Heb “there was nothing I did not show them.”
136 tn Heb “days are.”
137 tn Heb “Some of your sons, who go out from you, whom you father.”
138 tn Heb “good.”
139 tn Heb “and he said.” Many English versions translate, “for he thought.” The verb אָמַר (’amar), “say,” is sometimes used of what one thinks (that is, says to oneself). Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT.
140 tn Heb “Is it not [true] there will be peace and stability in my days?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, there will be peace and stability.”
141 tn Heb “and he brought.”
142 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Hezekiah, and all his strength, and how he made a pool and a conduit and brought water to the city, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
143 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
