2 Chronicles 32:4

4 A large crowd gathered as they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land. They said, "Why should the kings of Assyria find plenty of water?"

2 Chronicles 32:4 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 32:4

So there was gathered much people together
At the instance of Hezekiah, his nobles and officers:

who stopped all the fountains;
perhaps by laying planks over them, and earth upon them, so that it could not be discerned there were any fountains there:

and the brook that ran through the midst of the land;
which, according to Kimchi, was Gihon, ( 2 Chronicles 32:30 ) , which was near Jerusalem; the stream of this very probably they turned into channels under ground, whereby it was brought into the city into reservoirs there provided, that that might have a supply during the siege, while the enemy was distressed for want of it:

saying, why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water?
by which means they would be able to carry on the siege to a great length, when otherwise they would be obliged to raise it quickly: mention is made of kings of Assyria, though there was but one, with whom there might be petty kings, or tributary ones; and, besides, as he boasted, his princes were altogether kings, ( Isaiah 10:8 ) .

2 Chronicles 32:4 In-Context

2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come to wage war against Jerusalem,

3 he, his officers, and his military staff made plans to stop the water from flowing out of the springs outside the city. They helped him do it.

4 A large crowd gathered as they stopped all the springs and the brook that flowed through the land. They said, "Why should the kings of Assyria find plenty of water?"

5 Hezekiah worked hard. He rebuilt all the broken sections of the wall, made the towers taller, built another wall outside [the city wall], strengthened the Millo in the City of David, and made plenty of weapons and shields.

6 He appointed military commanders over the troops and gathered the commanders in the square by the city gate. He spoke these words of encouragement: