19:37 One day,64 as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch,65 his sons66 Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword.67 They escaped to the land of Ararat; his son Esarhaddon replaced him as king.
sn The assassination probably took place in 681 b.c.
65
sn No such Mesopotamian god is presently known. Perhaps the name is a corruption of Nusku.
66
tc Although “his sons” is absent in the Kethib, it is supported by the Qere, along with many medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions. Cf. Isa 37:38.
67
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.