Who Was Sennacherib in the Bible — In Biblical Context

The Biblical Context

Sennacherib, king of Assyria from 705 to 681 BC, is one of the most fully documented foreign rulers in Scripture, with his invasion of Judah recorded in 2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36-37. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. Hezekiah sent tribute — three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold, stripping the temple itself. Yet Sennacherib still sent his commander Rabshakeh with a large army against Jerusalem. Rabshakeh stood before the city wall and mocked Hezekiah's trust in the Lord, taunting in Hebrew so all could hear: 'Let not Hezekiah deceive you... neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us... Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?' Hezekiah took the letter Sennacherib sent and spread it before the Lord in the temple, praying, 'O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only.' Isaiah brought the Lord's answer: Sennacherib would not shoot an arrow against the city, nor cast a bank against it. 'For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.' That night the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred eighty-five thousand men. Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, and while worshipping in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer slew him with the sword. Sennacherib stands as monumental proof that no empire, no army, and no boast can stand against the God of Israel when His people cry out to Him in faith.

Where It Sits in Scripture

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