2 Kings 18 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter begins the story of Hezekiah, one of the great kings of Judah. Because he is so important, the author describes the history of his reign at length, in chapters 18, 19, and 20.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

What was “the serpent of bronze that Moses had made”?

The author refers in 18:4 to “the serpent of bronze that Moses had made.” This was an artifact originally constructed during the Israelites’ wilderness journey, as described in Numbers 21:4–9. Yahweh instructed Moses to make this bronze serpent and place it on a pole so that anyone bitten by poisonous snakes could look at it and be healed. Over time, however, the Israelites began to worship the bronze serpent itself (they even gave it a name, Nehushtan) and burn incense to it as an idol. King Hezekiah destroyed this object during his reforms, recognizing that what was once a symbol associated with Yahweh’s healing had become an object of improper worship.

Why did Sennacherib not end his invasion of Judah even after Hezekiah paid him what he demanded?

The author describes in 18:13–16 how Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, invaded Judah. Hezekiah had rebelled against him (as verse 7 describes), but he agreed to become his vassal again and pay any tribute he demanded. Sennacherib specified an amount, and Hezekiah paid it. But Sennacherib did not end his invasion of Judah after that. Instead, he continued to besiege the cities he had not yet conquered, and he sent officials at the head of a large army to demand the surrender of Jerusalem. It seems that Sennacherib was not content with tribute. He wanted complete control over the Judean kingdom. He did not want to risk another Judean king rebelling against him. So he had to conquer or achieve the surrender of the capital, Jerusalem. It is possible that Sennacherib used the tribute as a means of weakening Judah before insisting on full surrender. If so, that shows his determination to assert his dominance and destroy any resistance.

Why did the Assyrians stop where they did?

The author says in 18:17 that the large Assyrian army that advanced against Jerusalem “stopped by the conduit of the upper pool that was on the highway of the Field of the Fuller.” One reason for stopping and apparently setting up camp there was probably the need for water for a large army. According to the parallel account in 2 Chronicles, Hezekiah had blocked up all the water sources around the city in order to keep the Assyrians from having a water supply. But the location where their army stopped was right next to an aqueduct that brought water down to Jerusalem from springs above the city. That provided a ready source of water. This was also a prominent location right outside the city walls. This allowed the Assyrian officials to demand a conference with King Hezekiah’s representatives that would take place within the hearing of Judeans who gathered on the city walls. The Assyrians exploited this and said things publicly to try to terrify and demoralize the Judeans.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Levels of quotation

There are multiple levels of quotation in the long quotations in verses 19–25 and 28–35. In the first case, it is complicated to follow who is speaking and on whose behalf. But here is one probable explanation. This is the interpretation that the ULT follows.

• Verse 19 introduces three levels of quotation. The author begins quoting what the Rabshakeh said (level 1). The Rabshakeh begins to tell Hezekiah’s officials what he wants them to say to Hezekiah (level 2). This includes the beginning of a quotation from Sennacherib, the king of Assyria (level 3).
• The third-level quotation continues through verses 20 and 21. A fourth-level quotation begins in verse 20, as Sennacherib quotes something that Hezekiah is supposedly saying. The pronouns “you” and “yourself” are singular because Sennacherib is addressing Hezekiah. The second-level and third-level quotations that began in verse 19 conclude at the end of verse 21.
• In verse 22, there are two levels of quotation. The “you” in “if you say” is plural, so the Rabshakeh is now addressing Hezekiah’s officials directly. He speaks of Hezekiah in the third person. But he quotes what the officials might say and what Hezekiah has said.
• The first-level quotation from the Rabshakeh continues in v. 23, but now the Rabshakeh is addressing Hezekiah directly. (He is implicitly expecting the Judean officials to pass along his words). The implied “you” in the imperative “wager” and the pronoun “yourself” are singular, but the king of Assyria is spoken of in the third person (“my master”), so the Rabshakeh is not quoting the king as he did in vv. 19–21.
• This seems to be the case in v. 24, as well, where the Rabshakeh continues to speak of Sennacherib as “my master.”
• But the speaker in v. 25 seems to be Sennacherib again, speaking of himself in the first person. (The Rabshakeh would not say of himself, “Now have I come up against this place.”) This is an implicit return to the third-level quotation, although the author does not signal it directly in the text.

Notes describe different possible ways of indicating the speakers throughout this long quotation.

The long quotation in verses 28–35 contains three levels of quotation, but it the identity of the speakers seems clearer throughout. Notes also describe ways of indicating the speakers throughout this quotation.

The Rabshakeh’s strong language

In 18:27, to try to terrify the Judeans into surrendering, the Rabshakeh speaks graphically of the effects of a prolonged siege. He tells them that they will “eat their dung and drink their urine.” His language might be considered offensive in some cultures. If it would not be appropriate for your readers if you reproduced his exact words, you could use an equivalent expression that would still reflect his ominous threat. You might have him say, for example, that the Judeans will “consume their own waste.”