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Texts -- 2 Chronicles 32:1-30 (NET)

Context
Sennacherib Invades Judah
32:1 After these faithful deeds were accomplished , King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah . He besieged the fortified cities , intending to seize them. 32:2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had invaded and intended to attack Jerusalem , 32:3 he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs outside the city , and they supported him. 32:4 A large number of people gathered together and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the district . They reasoned , “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water ?” 32:5 Hezekiah energetically rebuilt every broken wall . He erected towers and an outer wall , and fortified the terrace of the City of David . He made many weapons and shields . 32:6 He appointed military officers over the army and assembled them in the square at the city gate . He encouraged them, saying , 32:7 “Be strong and brave ! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic because of the king of Assyria and this huge army that is with him! We have with us one who is stronger than those who are with him. 32:8 He has with him mere human strength , but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles !” The army was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah . 32:9 Afterward King Sennacherib of Assyria , while attacking Lachish with all his military might, sent his messengers to Jerusalem . The message was for King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem . It read: 32:10 “This is what King Sennacherib of Assyria says : ‘Why are you so confident that you remain in Jerusalem while it is under siege ? 32:11 Hezekiah says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from the power of the king of Assyria .” But he is misleading you and you will die of hunger and thirst ! 32:12 Hezekiah is the one who eliminated the Lord’s high places and altars and then told Judah and Jerusalem , “At one altar you must worship and offer sacrifices .” 32:13 Are you not aware of what I and my predecessors have done to all the nations of the surrounding lands ? Have the gods of the surrounding lands actually been able to rescue their lands from my power ? 32:14 Who among all the gods of these nations whom my predecessors annihilated was able to rescue his people from my power ? 32:15 Now don’t let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this . Don’t believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to rescue his people from my power or the power of my predecessors . So how can your gods rescue you from my power ?’” 32:16 Sennacherib’s servants further insulted the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah . 32:17 He wrote letters mocking the Lord God of Israel and insulting him with these words : “The gods of the surrounding nations could not rescue their people from my power . Neither can Hezekiah’s god rescue his people from my power .” 32:18 They called out loudly in the Judahite dialect to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall , trying to scare and terrify them so they could seize the city . 32:19 They talked about the God of Jerusalem as if he were one of the man-made gods of the nations of the earth . 32:20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven . 32:21 The Lord sent a messenger and he wiped out all the soldiers , princes , and officers in the army of the king of Assyria . So Sennacherib returned home humiliated . When he entered the temple of his god , some of his own sons sons struck him down with the sword . 32:22 The Lord delivered Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from all the other nations. He made them secure on every side . 32:23 Many were bringing presents to the Lord in Jerusalem and precious gifts to King Hezekiah of Judah . From that time on he was respected by all the nations .
Hezekiah’s Shortcomings and Accomplishments
32:24 In those days Hezekiah was stricken with a terminal illness . He prayed to the Lord , who answered him and gave him a sign confirming that he would be healed. 32:25 But Hezekiah was ungrateful ; he had a proud attitude , provoking God to be angry at him, as well as Judah and Jerusalem . 32:26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride , and the Lord was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign . 32:27 Hezekiah was very wealthy and greatly respected . He made storehouses for his silver , gold , precious stones , spices , and all his other valuable possessions . 32:28 He made storerooms for the harvest of grain , wine , and olive oil , and stalls for all his various kinds of livestock and his flocks . 32:29 He built royal cities and owned a large number of sheep and cattle , for God gave him a huge amount of possessions . 32:30 Hezekiah dammed up the source of the waters of the Upper Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the City of David . Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Hezekiah

    [ebd] whom Jehovah has strengthened. (1.) Son of Ahaz (2 Kings 18:1; 2 Chr. 29:1), whom he succeeded on the throne of the kingdom of Judah. He reigned twenty-nine years (B.C. 726-697). The history of this king is contained in 2 Ki...
    [nave] HEZEKIAH 1. King of Judah, 2 Kin. 16:20; 18:1, 2; 1 Chr. 3:13; 2 Chr. 29:1; Matt. 1:9. Religious zeal of, 2 Chr. 29; 30; 31. Purges the nation of idolatry, 2 Kin. 18:4; 2 Chr. 31:1; 33:3. Restores the true forms of worshi...

  • Jerusalem

    [ebd] called also Salem, Ariel, Jebus, the "city of God," the "holy city;" by the modern Arabs el-Khuds, meaning "the holy;" once "the city of Judah" (2 Chr. 25:28). This name is in the original in the dual form, and means "posses...
    [smith] (the habitation of peace), Jerusalem stands in latitude 31 degrees 46? 35" north and longitude 35 degrees 18? 30" east of Greenwich. It is 32 miles distant from the sea and 18 from the Jordan, 20 from Hebron and 36 from Samar...
    [nave] JERUSALEM Called Jebus, Josh. 18:28; Judg. 19:10; Zion, 1 Kin. 8:1; Zech. 9:13; City of David, 2 Sam. 5:7; Isa. 22:9; Salem, Gen. 14:18; Psa. 76:2; Ariel, Isa. 29:1; City of God, Psa. 46:4; City of the Great King, Psa. 48:2;...

  • Assyria

    [nave] ASSYRIA An empire founded by Nimrod, Gen. 10:8-12; Mic. 5:6. It extended from east of the Tigris, Gen. 2:14; 10:11; possibly to Egypt, Gen. 25:18. Its armies invade the land of Israel under Pul, 2 Kin. 15:19; 1 Chr. 5:26; ...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Siege

    [nave] SIEGE Offer of peace must be made to the city before begiing, Deut. 20:10-12. Conducted by erecting embankments parallel to the walls of the besieged city, Deut. 20:19, 20; Isa. 29:3; 37:33. Battering-rams used in, See: Ba...

  • Sennacherib

    [ebd] Sin (the god) sends many brothers, son of Sargon, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria (B.C. 705), in the 23rd year of Hezekiah. "Like the Persian Xerxes, he was weak and vainglorious, cowardly under reverse, and cruel...

  • Seacherib

    [nave] SEACHERIB, king of Assyria. Invades Judah; lays siege to Jerusalem, but abandons the country and returns to Assyria, 2 Kin. 18:17-37; 19:8; 2 Chr. 32:1-23; Isa. 36:37;. Death of, 2 Kin. 19:35-37; Isa. 37:36-38.

  • Self-exaltation

    [nave] SELF-EXALTATION. Job 12:3; Ezek. 31:10-14; Obad. 3, 4; Luke 14:7-11; 2 Cor. 10:5, 17, 18; Gal. 6:3; 2 Thess. 2:4 See: Pride; Selfishness; Self-righteousness. Instances of Pharaoh, Ex. 9:17. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Num...

  • Prayer

    [ebd] is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching t...
    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • Infidelity

    [nave] INFIDELITY. Gen. 3:1 v. 4.; Ex. 5:2; Ex. 14:11 v. 12;; Ex. 16:3, 7; Num. 14:27-34; 16:41; 21:5. Ex. 17:7; Num. 15:30 v. 31.; Deut. 29:19, 20 v. 21.; Deut. 32:15; 1 Kin. 20:28; 1 Kin. 22:24; 2 Kin. 2:23 v. 24.; 2 Chr. 30:6, ...

  • Millo

    [ebd] (Heb. always with the article, "the" Millo). (1.) Probably the Canaanite name of some fortification, consisting of walls filled in with earth and stones, which protected Jerusalem on the north as its outermost defence. It is...
    [isbe] MILLO - mil'-o. (millo generally interpreted to mean a "filling," e.g. a solid tower or an earth embankment; in Jdg 9:6,20; 2 Ki 12:20, we get beth millo', translated in English Versions of the Bible "House of Millo," which ...
    [smith] (a rampart, mound) a place in ancient Jerusalem. Both name and place seem to have been already in existence when the city was taken from the Jebusites by David. (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8) Its repair or restoratio...
    [nave] MILLO 1. The house of Millo, possibly a clan at Shechem, Judg. 9:6, 20. 2. A name given to part of the citadel of Jerusalem, 2 Sam. 5:9; 1 Chr. 11:8. King Solomon raises a levy to repair, 1 Kin. 9:15, 24; 11:27. Repaired ...

  • Isaiah

    [ebd] (Heb. Yesh'yahu, i.e., "the salvation of Jehovah"). (1.) The son of Amoz (Isa. 1:1; 2:1), who was apparently a man of humble rank. His wife was called "the prophetess" (8:3), either because she was endowed with the prophetic...

  • JERUSALEM, 4

    [isbe] JERUSALEM, 4 - IX. History. Pre-Israelite period.--The beginnings of Jerusalem are long before recorded history: at various points in the neighborhood, e.g. at el Bukei`a to the Southwest, and at the northern extremity of th...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Storehouses

    [isbe] STOREHOUSES - stor'-houz-iz, -ez: The following chief changes in the use of this word (representing various Hebrew words) in the Revised Version (British and American) to be noted are: In Dt 28:8, the Revised Version (Britis...
    [nave] STOREHOUSES Of kings, 2 Kin. 20:13; 1 Chr. 27:25; 2 Chr. 32:27, 28; Ezra 1:7, 8; Esth. 3:9. Records preserved in, Ezra 5:17; 6:1. Treasurers in charge of, Ezra 7:20, 21. Heathen temples used for, Dan. 1:2. Tabernacle use...

  • Gihon

    [ebd] a stream. (1.) One of the four rivers of Eden (Gen. 2:13). It has been identified with the Nile. Others regard it as the Oxus, or the Araxes, or the Ganges. But as, according to the sacred narrative, all these rivers of Eden...
    [nave] GIHON 1. A river in Egypt, Gen. 2:13. 2. Pools near Jerusalem, 1 Kin. 1:33, 38, 45. Hezekiah brings the waters of the upper pool by an aqueduct into the city of Jerusalem, 2 Chr. 32:4, 30; 33:14; Neh. 2:13-15; 3:13-16; Isa...

  • AGRICULTURE

    [isbe] AGRICULTURE - ag'-ri-kul-tur, ag'-ri-kul-chur: I. DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE II. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AND FERTILITY III. AGRICULTURAL PURSUITS 1. Growing of Grain (1) Plowing and Sowing (2) Reaping (3) Threshing 2. Care of Vi...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

  • City of David

    [nave] CITY OF DAVID 2 Sam. 5:7, 9; 6:10, 12, 16; 1 Kin. 2:10; 3:1; 8:1; 9:24; 14:31; 15:8; 2 Kin. 8:24; 9:28; 12:21; 14:20; 15:7, 38; 16:20; 1 Chr. 11:5, 7; 13:13; 15:1, 29; 2 Chr. 5:2; 8:11; 12:16; 14:1; 16:14; 21:1, 20; 24:16, 2...

  • FENCED CITIES

    [ebd] There were in Palestine (1) cities, (2) unwalled villages, and (3) villages with castles or towers (1 Chr. 27:25). Cities, so called, had walls, and were thus fenced. The fortifications consisted of one or two walls, on whic...
    [smith] i.e. cities fortified or defended. The fortifications of the cities of Palestine, thus regularly "fenced," consisted of one or more walls (sometimes of thick stones, sometimes of combustible material), crowned with battlement...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • Merodach-baladan ruled as king of Babylon for two terms, 721-710 and 703-702 B.C. The event recorded in these verses evidently took place in 702 B.C.124Hezekiah appears to have let his visitors know the extent of Judah's fina...
  • Chronicles covers a broader period of history than any other Old Testament book. It begins with Adam and ends with Anani who lived eight generations after King Jehoiachin (1 Chron. 3:24). If we allow 25 years for each generat...
  • Even though 1 and 2 Chronicles give one continuous story the emphasis in 2 Chronicles is different from that in 1 Chronicles. In 1 Chronicles the emphasis is the importance of the temple in national life. However in 2 Chronic...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Chronicles)III. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-9A. Solomon's wisdom and prosperity ch. 1B. The building of the temple 2:1-5:11. Preparations for building the temple ch. 22. The temple proper 3:1-93. Th...
  • In a few details this account differs from the one in 2 Kings 18-20 and Isaiah 36-37. It was after Hezekiah's acts of faithfulness that God tested his trust (v. 1). Many of Judah's other good kings had followed God faithfully...
  • Hezekiah fell short to being the perfect Son of David just like all the rest of Judah's monarchs. Yet when his heart did become proud because of God's blessings, he humbled himself (vv. 25-26). Consequently God postponed his ...
  • The texts of the individual psalms do not usually indicate who wrote them.1However some of the titles of the individual psalms do contain information about the writers.2This is the only really reliable information we have as ...
  • Chapters 36-39 conclude the section of the book dealing with the issue of trust by giving historical proof that Yahweh will protect those who trust in Him. In these chapters, King Hezekiah represents the people of Judah.344Th...
  • 36:1 The fourteenth year of Hezekiah was 701 B.C.350On an Assyrian record, Sennacherib claimed to have taken 46 cities of Judah during this campaign (cf. 2 Chron. 32:1).351"He went from the north along the coast defeating (am...
  • 4:12 The overthrow of Jerusalem had surprised the leaders and people of other nations. Invaders had forced their way into it in the past (cf. 1 Kings 14:25-28; 2 Kings 14:13-14; 2 Chron. 21:16-17), but the citizens had rebuil...
  • Emphasis now shifts from Assyria to Judah.1:12 Yahweh declared that even though the Assyrians were powerful and numerous, He would cut them off and they would pass off the stage of history. This must have been hard for many I...
  • 9:20 These three severe judgments (fire, smoke, and brimstone, vv. 17-18) will not move the remaining unbelievers as a whole to repent (cf. Exod. 7:13, 23; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 35; 10:20; 11:10)."In all cases in the apocaly...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, came.'--2 Chron. 32:1.The Revised Version gives a much more accurate and significant rendering of a part of these words. It reads: After these t...
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