And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem,
The verse records Hezekiah seeing that Sennacherib had come and was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, in the setting of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah. Before advancing on Jerusalem, Sennacherib's forces had already captured Judah's cities and besieged Lachish, where he exacted tribute from Hezekiah, and he then sent forces against Jerusalem. The threat led Hezekiah and his leaders to stop the water sources outside the city so the Assyrian king would not find abundant water, as a preparation to protect the city's water supply.
The account shows that Jerusalem had abundant water, including enough to endure a siege. The threat developed into a siege and an attempt to frighten the people and undermine their trust in God. The attack ended when the Lord overthrew the enemy by His angel through direct, miraculous intervention, destroying 185,000 Assyrians in one night. Sennacherib returned to Nineveh and was later killed by his sons.
The overthrow came in answer to the humiliation and prayers of Hezekiah and his people. Jerusalem's deliverance showed that God was mightier than the nations and their gods. The verse stands amid the contrast between rulers who did their duty and received blessing and those who departed from God and suffered strife, captivity, and loss, and Hezekiah's surrounding account is an example of a good king through whom God helped His people when they sought Him wholeheartedly. The historical record of this chapter shows the Assyrian army was not near Jerusalem when the angel killed the 185,000 men, but was with the king of Assyria at Libnah, so that destruction was not the fulfillment of Isaiah 30:33.
The verse records Hezekiah seeing that Sennacherib had come and was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, in the setting of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah. Before advancing on Jerusalem, Sennacherib's forces had already captured Judah's cities and besieged Lachish, where he exacted tribute from Hezekiah, and he then sent forces against Jerusalem. The threat led Hezekiah and his leaders to stop the water sources outside the city so the Assyrian king would not find abundant water, as a preparation to protect the city's water supply.
The account shows that Jerusalem had abundant water, including enough to endure a siege. The threat developed into a siege and an attempt to frighten the people and undermine their trust in God. The attack ended when the Lord overthrew the enemy by His angel through direct, miraculous intervention, destroying 185,000 Assyrians in one night. Sennacherib returned to Nineveh and was later killed by his sons.
The overthrow came in answer to the humiliation and prayers of Hezekiah and his people. Jerusalem's deliverance showed that God was mightier than the nations and their gods. The verse stands amid the contrast between rulers who did their duty and received blessing and those who departed from God and suffered strife, captivity, and loss, and Hezekiah's surrounding account is an example of a good king through whom God helped His people when they sought Him wholeheartedly. The historical record of this chapter shows the Assyrian army was not near Jerusalem when the angel killed the 185,000 men, but was with the king of Assyria at Libnah, so that destruction was not the fulfillment of Isaiah 30:33.