Sennacherib

Technical Profile

• Name Meaning: From Akkadian Sîn-aḫḫē-erība (“Sin has replaced the brothers”), reflected in Hebrew סַנְחֵרִיב (Sanḥērîb).
• Period/Era: Divided Kingdom (late 8th–early 7th century BC).
• Main References: 2 Kings 18–19; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36–37.
• Key Connections: King Hezekiah of Judah; Assyrian officials (e.g., Rabshakeh); Jerusalem and the temple in Judah’s national life.

Who was Sennacherib?

Sennacherib was a king of Assyria who became a major foreign power figure in the biblical account of Judah.
He is presented as an aggressor who campaigned in the Levant and demanded Jerusalem’s surrender.
Biblical narratives highlight his threats against Judah and his challenge to the God of Israel during Hezekiah’s reign.

Key Events & Achievements

• Event 1: Invaded Judah in Hezekiah’s days, capturing fortified cities and pressuring Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:13; 2 Chron. 32:1).
• Event 2: Sent envoys who publicly urged Jerusalem to surrender and denied that the LORD could deliver the city (2 Kings 18:17–35; Isa. 36).
• Event 3: After the Assyrian force was struck down, he withdrew to Nineveh, and later was killed by his sons while worshiping in his temple (2 Kings 19:35–37; Isa. 37:36–38).

Life Lesson & Legacy

Sennacherib’s story illustrates how imperial power and public religious defiance are portrayed as limited within Israel’s prophetic history.

Key Verse

"Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it." — Isaiah 37:33, ESV