Sennacherib king of Assyria
Sennacherib was a powerful ruler of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, known for his military campaigns and extensive building projects. His mention here underscores the geopolitical tension between Assyria and Judah. The Assyrians were known for their brutal conquests and advanced military strategies, which posed a significant threat to smaller nations like Judah. The historical records of Sennacherib's reign, including the famous Taylor Prism, corroborate the biblical account of his campaign against Judah, providing archaeological evidence of the events described in this verse.

attacked all the fortified cities of Judah
The phrase "fortified cities" refers to the strategic military and defensive structures within Judah. These cities were equipped with walls and defenses to protect against invasions. The Hebrew word for "fortified" (בָּצַר, batsar) conveys the idea of strength and security. Sennacherib's attack on these cities demonstrates the Assyrian strategy of weakening Judah's defenses before attempting to capture Jerusalem. This phrase highlights the severity of the threat faced by Hezekiah and his people, as well as the broader theme of divine protection and deliverance that unfolds in the subsequent narrative.

and captured them
The capture of these cities signifies a moment of crisis for Judah. The Hebrew verb for "captured" (לָכַד, lakad) implies a complete and decisive victory. This phrase sets the stage for the dramatic events that follow, where Hezekiah's faith and leadership are put to the test. Despite the dire circumstances, this moment of apparent defeat becomes an opportunity for God to demonstrate His power and faithfulness. The capture of the cities serves as a backdrop for the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem, reinforcing the biblical theme that God is sovereign over the nations and able to save His people against overwhelming odds.

(13) In the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah.--The fall of Samaria is dated 722-721 B.C. , both by the Bible and by the Assyrian inscriptions. That year was the sixth of Hezekiah, according to 2Kings 18:10. His fourteenth year, therefore, would be 714-713 B.C. Sennacherib's own monuments, however, fix the date of the expedition against Judah and Egypt at 701 B.C. (See the careful discussion in Schrader's Keilinschriften, pp. 313-317.) This divergence is remarkable, and must not be explained away. It must be borne in mind that the Assyrian documents are strictly contemporary, whereas the Books of Kings were compiled long after the events they record, and have only reached us after innumerable transcriptions; while the former, so far as they are unbroken, are in exactly the same state now as when they first left the hands of the Assyrian scribes.

Sennacherib.--Called in his own annals Sin-ahi-erib, or Sin-ahi-erba, i.e., "Sin (the moon-god) multiplied brothers." He was son and successor of Sargon, and reigned from 705-681 B.C. He invaded Judah in his third campaign.

All the fenced cities . . . took them.--See Sennacherib's own words, quoted in the Note on 2Chronicles 32:1.

(1) the capture of all the important cities except Jerusalem;

(2) the submission of Hezekiah to any terms which Sennacherib chose to impose; and

(3) the purchase of peace by the payment of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold out of the treasures of the temple and of the royal palace. The narrative obtains copious illustration from the inscriptions of Sennacherib. Verse 13. - Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah did Sennacherib King of Assyria come up. It is impossible to accept this note of time as genuine without rejecting altogether the authority of the Assyrian inscriptions. Sargon took Samaria in his first year, B.C. 722, and then had a reign of between seventeen and eighteen years, for fifteen of which we have his annals. He certainly did not associate Sennacherib with him on the throne, nor did the latter exercise any authority at all until B.C. 705, when, "on the 12th of Ab (July), he the throne ascended" ('Eponym Canon,' p. 67). Sennacherib places his first expedition against Hezekiah in his fourth year, B.C. 701. Thus, according to the Assyrian records, which are very ample, and of which we have the actual originals, twenty years intervened between the capture of Samaria and the attack of Sennacherib on Hezekiah; according to the present passage, compared with vers. 9, 10, eight years only intervened. No contradiction can be more absolute. It has been proposed to alter the date from "the fourteenth year" to "the twenty-sixth year; ' but it seems most probable that the original writer inserted no date, but simply said, "And Sennacherib, King of Assyria, came up," etc., just as he had said, without a date, "Pul the King of Assyria came up against the land" (2 Kings 15:19); and "against him (Hoshea) came up Shalmaneser" (2 Kings 17:3); and, with a very vague date, if it may be called a date, "In the days of Pekah King of Israel came Tiglath-pileser King of Assyria" (2 Kings 15:29. Comp. also 2 Kings 24:1, 11). Later on, a redactor - perhaps the same who inserted the whole series of synchronisms - introduced the words, "In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah," having obtained the number from 2 Kings 20:6, which he assumed to belong to the time of Sennacherib's attack. Against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them. Sennacherib himself says, "And of Hezekiah of Judah, who did not submit to my yoke, forty-six strong cities, fortresses, and smaller cities round about them without number, by the march of my troops... by the force of battering-rams, mining, and missiles, I besieged, I captured" ('Eponym Canon,' p. 134, lines 6-12. Comp. also 2 Chronicles 32:1 and Isaiah 36:1).

Parallel Commentaries ...