Sennacherib
King of Assyria who invaded Judah in 701 BC, took Lachish and shut Hezekiah up in Jerusalem without taking the city. His annals and palace reliefs record the campaign. A son murdered him in 681 BC.
Sennacherib ruled from Nineveh. His annals describe the invasion of Judah as his third campaign: forty-six towns taken, Hezekiah shut up in Jerusalem, and a heavy tribute sent after him to Nineveh (Sennacherib, Annals (Taylor Prism) ii 37–iii 49). Reliefs from his palace show the capture of Lachish (Lachish reliefs caption, lines 1–4). Kings tells of his threats against Jerusalem, the loss of his army in a night and his return home (2 Kings 18:13–19:36).
The Babylonian chronicle records that he was killed by his son in a rebellion on the twentieth of the month Tebetu, after a reign of twenty-four years, and that his son Esarhaddon took the throne about two months later (Babylonian Chronicle 1 iii.34–38). Kings and Isaiah name two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, as the killers (2 Kings 19:37) (Isaiah 37:38).
In the timeline
- 701 BC, firm dateHezekiah Withstands Sennacherib
Sennacherib of Assyria overruns Judah, takes Lachish and shuts Hezekiah up in Jerusalem. Hezekiah pays tribute, Isaiah promises that the city will not fall, and it is not taken. Assyrian annals and reliefs record the campaign from the other side.
Primary sources
The Annals of Sennacherib (Taylor Prism)
- Sennacherib, Annals (Taylor Prism) ii 37–iii 49oracc.museum.upenn.edu
The Lachish Reliefs
- Lachish reliefs caption, lines 1–4oracc.museum.upenn.edu