2 Kings 18:9–20:19

Footnotes

1. 15 Heb “went” (also in v. 13).
2. 16 For location see ; ; ; ; .
3. 17 The Hebrew text has simply “Israel” as the object of the verb.
4. 18 Heb “listen to the voice of.”
5. 19 Heb “his covenant.”
6. 20 Heb “all that Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded, and they did not listen and they did not act.”
7. 21 Or “I have done wrong.”
8. 22 Heb “Return from upon me; what you place upon me, I will carry.”
9. 23 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.
10. 24 Heb “that was found.”
11. 25 Heb “At that time Hezekiah stripped the doors of the Lord’s temple, and the posts which Hezekiah king of Judah had plated.”
12. 26 For a discussion of these titles see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
13. 27 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
14. 28 Heb “and they went up and came.”
15. 29 Heb “the field of the washer.”
16. 30 Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
17. 31 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.
18. 32 Heb “exchange pledges.”
19. 33 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.”
20. 34 Heb “Go.”
21. 35 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.
22. 36 Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the empire.
23. 37 Or “Hebrew.”
24. 38 Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
25. 39 Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men …?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.” 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.
26. 40 The Hebrew text also has, “and he spoke and said.”
27. 41 The 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 , the , , , and .
28. 42 Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
29. 43 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!”
30. 44 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.”
31. 45 For location see ; ; ; ; .
32. 46 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).
33. 47 Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?
34. 48 As a sign of grief and mourning.
35. 1 Heb “elders of the priests.”
36. 2 In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him.”
37. 3 Or “rebuke,” “correction.”
38. 4 Or “contempt.”
39. 5 Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
40. 6 Heb “all the words of the chief adviser whom his master, the king of Assyria, sent to taunt the living God.”
41. 7 Heb “and rebuke the words which the Lord your God hears.”
42. 8 Heb “and lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
43. 9 Heb “by which the servants of the king of Assyria have insulted me.”
44. 10 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 Lord’s sovereignty over the king is apparent.
45. 11 Heb “hear.”
46. 12 Heb “cause him to fall,” that is, “kill him.”
47. 13 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.”
48. 14 Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49. 15 Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘Look, he has come out to fight with you.’ ”
50. 16 Heb “will not be given.”
51. 17 Heb “Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, annihilating them.”
52. 18 Heb “and will you be rescued?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No, of course not!”
53. 19 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?”
54. 20 Lair is a city located in northeastern Babylon. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
55. 21 The 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.
56. 22 The 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.
57. 23 This refers to the cherub images that were above the ark of the covenant.
58. 24 Or “the heavens.”
59. 25 Heb “Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”
60. 26 Heb “and they put their gods in the fire.”
61. 27 Heb “so they destroyed them.”
62. 28 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.”
63. 29 Heb “this is the word which the Lord has spoken about him.”
64. 30 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.
65. 31 Shaking the head was a mocking gesture of derision.
66. 32 Heb “have you raised a voice.”
67. 33 Heb “and lifted your eyes on high?”
68. 34 This divine title pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
69. 35 The word is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai), “lord,” but some Hebrew have יְהוָה (yehvah), “Lord.”
70. 36 The consonantal text (Kethib) has בְּרֶכֶב (bérekhev), but this must be dittographic (note the following רִכְבִּי [rikhbi], “my chariots”). The marginal reading (Qere) בְּרֹב (bérov), “with many,” is supported by many Hebrew and ancient versions, as well as the parallel passage in Isa 37:24.
71. 37 Heb “the lodging place of its extremity.”
72. 38 Heb “I dug and drank foreign waters.”
73. 39 Having quoted the Assyrian king’s arrogant words in vv. 23–24, the Lord now speaks to the king.
74. 40 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.
75. 41 Heb “formed.”
76. 42 Heb “and it is to cause to crash into heaps of ruins fortified cities.” The subject of the third feminine singular verb תְּהִי (téhi) is the implied plan, referred to in the preceding lines with third feminine singular pronominal suffixes.
77. 43 Heb “short of hand.”
78. 44 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.
79. 45 Heb “[they are] grass on the rooftops.” See the preceding note.
80. 46 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).
81. 47 Heb “your going out and your coming in.” The also has here, “and how you have raged against me.” However, this line is probably dittographic (note the beginning of the next line).
82. 48 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 (), .
83. 49 The word picture has a parallel in Assyrian sculpture. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (), .
84. 50 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).
85. 51 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.
86. 52 This refers to crops that grew up on their own (that is, without cultivation) from the seed planted in past years.
87. 53 Heb “and in the second year.”