2 Kings 19:37
And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword: and they escaped into the land of Armenia. And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead.
After his army was destroyed Sennacherib went back to his own land to live at Nineveh, and while he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer cut him down with the sword and fled to Armenia, and his son Esarhaddon became king in his place. It closes the story of God's rescue of Jerusalem from the Assyrian threat in answer to Hezekiah's prayer, when despite his proud boasting Sennacherib was turned back because the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrians. It proves that God hears and answers the prayer of faith, and that the greatest victories for the church and the individual Christian are won not by talent, education, wealth, or human favor but in the audience chamber with God when earnest, agonizing prayer lays hold on divine power. The overthrow shows that the God of heaven is mightier than the gods of the nations, that the idol he worshiped was vain, and that heavenly angels are real agents of divine power whom God uses to protect His people and carry out His purposes.
Death of Sennacherib Confirmed
The verse belongs to the history of Judah after the ten tribes had been swept away, in the final section of the history of the kings continuing through 2 Kings 25. It closes the account of God's deliverance of Jerusalem from the Assyrian threat in answer to Hezekiah's prayer, in which the army of Sennacherib was smitten with death.
After his defeat Sennacherib returned to his own land and lived at Nineveh. While he was worshiping in the house or temple of Nisroch his god, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. The murderers escaped into the land of Armenia, and his son Esar-haddon reigned in his stead.
The murder took place about twenty years after the disaster that struck his army, and he never again campaigned against Judah. The historical setting places it in 681 B.C. while he was building a palace at Nineveh, confirming that he had lived there after his return. The account of these same events in Isaiah 37 differs verbally from 2 Kings 19.
Outside records corroborate the verse and illustrate the historical reliability of Scripture. Assyrian inscriptions describe the murder as a rebellion and confirm Esarhaddon's succession after conflict with his brothers, and an inscription concerning a shrine at Tarbizi gives further testimony about the setting. A Babylonian tablet gives an account of Sennacherib's death almost identical to the biblical record. The Sennacherib cylinder also describes his invasion of Palestine and siege of Jerusalem, confirming the biblical account, though it does not mention the loss of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
Divine Deliverance Through Prayer
The verse marks the end of Assyrian power against Judah, for Sennacherib with his mighty army was turned back despite his proud boasting and brought to destruction when the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrians. That turning back came in answer to earnest pleading with God. Judah's preservation kept intact the godly line through which the Lion of the tribe of Judah would come, so its deliverance kept God's eternal purpose from being overthrown.
The miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem followed by the king's downfall showed that the God of heaven is mightier than the gods of the nations. The idol he was worshiping when his sons struck him down was vain, and the reappearance of his memorials only displays the power of the God he defied and the emptiness of the idol he worshiped. Heavenly angels are real agents of divine power, not merely good thoughts, whom God uses to protect His people and carry out His purposes. The account illustrates that God answers the prayer of faith and can work out His will even through enemies who think they oppose Him. God always hears the sincere prayer of the individual heart, but He has ever especially honored united and whole-hearted seeking with great blessing.
As the close of Hezekiah's answered prayer in which Sennacherib's army was smitten with death, the verse is proof that God answers prayer, so that sinful creatures may come with boldness and with full persuasion that God will answer to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. It shows the overthrow of the king of Assyria and all his host as God's answer to the prayers of two faithful men. The greatest victories for the church of Christ and for the individual Christian are gained not by talent or education, by wealth or the favor of men, but in the audience chamber with God when earnest, agonizing prayer lays hold upon the mighty arm of power. The same victories by exercising faith in God's promises will be gained by the people of God in the closing of the work when more troublous times come and no human help is nigh. Because the king returned to his own land and died there at the hands of his sons while worshiping his god, with Esar-haddon succeeding him, the verse stands against identifying him or his army with the destruction in Tophet described in Isaiah 30:33, there being no evidence that his army perished in the valley of Hinnom.