God did not allow the Assyrians to defeat Jerusalem. It was not time yet for them to stand on the temple mount. That day is yet to come. So instead, God had their army suddenly weakened. Assyrian history alludes to a sever rat infestation around Jerusalem. It appears they had a sudden outbreak of bubonic plague. 185,000 of the soldiers died in one night from it. The sight was so overwhelming, those still alive fled from the scene, and the king abandoned his hopes of taking Jerusalem. Nineveh’s Size