Isaiah 37 Footnotes

37:7,38 Isaiah’s prediction of the elimination of Sennacherib by the sword did not have immediate fulfillment, but eventually two of his own sons killed him (v. 38). The Babylonian Chronicle records that this occurred about 20 years later, in 681 BC, when Sennacherib’s son Arad-ninlil assassinated him and Esar-haddon became king of Assyria.

37:9 Two historical problems exist in this verse. (1) Tirhakah did not become king of Egypt until 690 BC, more than ten years later than this event. (2) Sennacherib’s Assyrian records indicate a battle with the Egyptians at Eltekeh before the siege of Jerusalem, not after it started. It is true that Tirhakah was only the military commander of Egyptian forces in 701 BC, but since he later became king the prophet refers to him by this better-known title. As to the second problem, possibly there was a second Egyptian conflict with the Assyrians; or perhaps Tirhakah threatened war, but the two armies never actually fought.

37:26,28 Some question whether God knows the future and doubt that he has planned what will happen in history. The Lord revealed to Isaiah the comforting news that all of Sennacherib’s past and future actions were known and planned, so that he is sovereignly in control of history, not Sennacherib (vv. 24-25).

37:36 Some find the claim that 185,000 fighters died in one night unbelievable, particularly since it is unconfirmed by any Assyrian document. But it was standard practice for Assyrian rulers like Sennacherib to omit mention of embarrassing defeats in their annals. This was a large number of soldiers, so some prefer to interpret the Hebrew word ’eleph not as a numeral but a term for a military unit, not necessarily equaling a thousand men in strength. Whatever the case, the incident was a clear demonstration of the Lord’s power over the Assyrians.