Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! Then the angel of the LORD went outThe "angel of the LORD" is often seen as a divine messenger or a manifestation of God's presence and power. In the Old Testament, this figure sometimes appears as a pre-incarnate Christ, acting with divine authority. The phrase indicates a direct intervention by God in human affairs, emphasizing His sovereignty and ability to deliver His people. This event occurs during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, who had prayed for deliverance from the Assyrian threat. and struck down 185,000 men
The striking down of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers is a demonstration of God's power and judgment. This miraculous event underscores the futility of human arrogance against divine will. Historically, the Assyrian army was a formidable force, known for its military prowess and brutality. The sudden destruction of such a large number of troops would have been a significant blow to Assyrian morale and power. This act of divine intervention is reminiscent of other biblical events where God delivers His people, such as the plagues in Egypt. in the camp of the Assyrians.
The Assyrian camp was likely located near Jerusalem, as they were besieging the city. Assyria, under King Sennacherib, was expanding its empire and had already conquered many surrounding nations. The Assyrian threat was real and imminent, making this divine intervention crucial for the survival of Judah. Archaeological evidence, such as the Taylor Prism, records Sennacherib's campaign in Judah, though it omits this defeat, highlighting the selective nature of ancient records. When the people got up the next morning,
The phrase suggests a normal routine disrupted by an extraordinary event. The people of Jerusalem, likely expecting another day of siege, instead find themselves delivered. This timing emphasizes the suddenness and completeness of God's deliverance, occurring overnight without human intervention. there were all the dead bodies!
The sight of the dead bodies serves as a tangible proof of God's intervention and judgment. It fulfills the prophecy given to Hezekiah that God would defend the city and save it for His own sake and for the sake of David, His servant. This event is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises and His ability to protect His people against overwhelming odds. The destruction of the Assyrian army without a battle also prefigures the ultimate victory of Christ over sin and death, achieved not through human means but through divine power. Persons / Places / Events 1. The Angel of the LORDA divine messenger often associated with God's direct intervention. In this context, the angel acts as an agent of God's judgment against the Assyrian army. 2. The AssyriansA powerful empire known for its military might and conquests. They were besieging Jerusalem under King Sennacherib. 3. JerusalemThe capital city of Judah, under threat from the Assyrian army. It is the focal point of God's deliverance in this account. 4. King HezekiahThe king of Judah who sought God's help through prayer and the prophet Isaiah when faced with the Assyrian threat. 5. Prophet IsaiahA major prophet in Judah who conveyed God's messages, including the promise of deliverance from the Assyrians. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty and PowerThis passage demonstrates God's supreme power over nations and armies. No earthly power can withstand His will. Divine InterventionGod intervenes in the lives of His people, often in unexpected and miraculous ways. Trust in His timing and methods. The Role of PrayerHezekiah's prayer and reliance on God were pivotal. Prayer is a powerful tool for believers facing insurmountable challenges. The Reality of Spiritual WarfareThe unseen spiritual realm is active, and God's angels are involved in the affairs of the world, often in ways we cannot see. Faith in God's PromisesGod's promises, as delivered through His prophets, are reliable. Believers can have confidence in His word. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the account of the angel of the LORD in Isaiah 37:36 encourage you to trust in God's power over your personal challenges? 2. In what ways can Hezekiah's response to the Assyrian threat serve as a model for how we should respond to crises in our lives? 3. How does the sudden and decisive action of the angel of the LORD in this passage illustrate the concept of spiritual warfare? 4. What are some other instances in the Bible where God used angels to deliver His people, and how do these instances strengthen your faith? 5. How can the account of Jerusalem's deliverance inspire you to pray more fervently and trust in God's promises in your daily life? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Kings 19:35This parallel account provides additional context and details about the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem. Exodus 12:29The death of the firstborn in Egypt parallels the sudden and divine intervention of God against His people's enemies. Psalm 91:11-12Speaks of God's angels protecting His people, highlighting the protective role of the angelic beings. Hebrews 1:14Describes angels as ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation, reinforcing the role of the angel in Isaiah 37:36. People Adrammelech, Amoz, Assyrians, David, Eliakim, Esarhaddon, Haran, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Rabshakeh, Sennacherib, Sharezer, Shebna, TirhakahPlaces Ararat, Arpad, Assyria, Cush, Egypt, Gozan, Hamath, Haran, Hena, Ivvah, Jerusalem, Lachish, Lebanon, Libnah, Mount Zion, Nineveh, Rezeph, Sepharvaim, Telassar, Tigris-Euphrates Region, ZionTopics Angel, Army, Asshur, Assyrian, Assyrians, Behold, Bodies, Camp, Corpses, Dead, Death, Early, Eighty, Eighty-five, Forth, Fourscore, Got, Hundred, Messenger, Morning, Nothing, Rise, Slew, Smiteth, Smote, Struck, ThousandDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 37:36 4111 angels, servants
4113 angels, agents of judgment
4140 angel of the Lord
4954 morning
5295 destruction
9210 judgment, God's Isaiah 37:21-38 5800 blasphemy Isaiah 37:36-37 1416 miracles, nature of
5529 sieges Library Where to Carry Troubles
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.'--ISAIAH xxxvii. 14. When Hezekiah heard the threatenings of Sennacherib's servants, he rent his clothes and went into the house of the Lord, and sent to Isaiah entreating his prayers. When he received the menacing letter, his faith was greater, having been heartened by Isaiah's assurances. So he then himself appealed to Jehovah, spreading …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Triumph of Faith
'And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, 16. O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou hast made heaven and earth. 17. Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The First Trumpet.
The first trumpet of the seventh seal begins from the final disturbance and overthrow of the Roman idolarchy at the close of the sixth seal; and as it was to bring the first plague on the empire, now beginning to fall, it lays waste the third part of the earth, with a horrible storm of hail mingled with fire and blood; that is, it depopulates the territory and people of the Roman world, (viz. the basis and ground of its universal polity) with a terrible and bloody irruption of the northern nations, …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
The Medes and Cimmerians: Lydia--The conquest of Egypt, of Arabia, and of Elam. As we have already seen, Sennacherib reigned for eight years after his triumph; eight years of tranquillity at home, and of peace with all his neighbours abroad. If we examine the contemporary monuments or the documents of a later period, and attempt to glean from them some details concerning the close of his career, we find that there is a complete absence of any record of national movement on the part of either Elam, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was Ready to Die. He Attempts to Kill Himself. He Commands Antipater to be Slain.
1. Now Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem Christ Rightly and Properly Said to have Merited Grace and Salvation for Us.
1. Christ not only the minister, but also the author and prince of salvation. Divine grace not obscured by this mode of expression. The merit of Christ not opposed to the mercy of God, but depends upon it. 2. The compatibility of the two proved by various passages of Scripture. 3. Christ by his obedience truly merited divine grace for us. 4. This grace obtained by the shedding of Christ's blood, and his obedience even unto death. 5. In this way he paid our ransom. 6. The presumptuous manner in which …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
WHEREIN ITS GOODLY LIGHT, WALLS, GATES, ANGELS, AND THE MANNER OF THEIR STANDING, ARE EXPOUNDED: ALSO HER LENGTH AND BREADTH, TOGETHER WITH THE GOLDEN MEASURING-REED EXPLAINED: AND THE GLORY OF ALL UNFOLDED. AS ALSO THE NUMEROUSNESS OF ITS INHABITANTS; AND WHAT THE TREE AND WATER OF LIFE ARE, BY WHICH THEY ARE SUSTAINED. 'Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.'-Psalm 87:3 'And the name of the city from that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE.'-Ezekiel 48:35 London: Printed in the year 1665 …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Concerning the Lord's Supper
There are two passages which treat in the clearest manner of this subject, and at which we shall look,--the statements in the Gospels respecting the Lord's Supper, and the words of Paul. (1 Cor. xi.) Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that Christ gave the whole sacrament to all His disciples; and that Paul taught both parts of it is so certain, that no one has yet been shameless enough to assert the contrary. Add to this, that according to the relation of Matthew, Christ did not say concerning the bread, …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation Divine Support and Protection
[What shall we say then to these things?] If God be for us, who can be against us? T he passions of joy or grief, of admiration or gratitude, are moderate when we are able to find words which fully describe their emotions. When they rise very high, language is too faint to express them; and the person is either lost in silence, or feels something which, after his most laboured efforts, is too big for utterance. We may often observe the Apostle Paul under this difficulty, when attempting to excite …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 37:36 NIVIsaiah 37:36 NLTIsaiah 37:36 ESVIsaiah 37:36 NASBIsaiah 37:36 KJV
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