“Therefore Yahweh says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there. He will not come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it. He will return the same way that he came, and he will not come to this city,’ says Yahweh. ‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’ ”
Parallel Translations
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“Therefore Yahweh says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there. He will not come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.
He will return the same way that he came, and he will not come to this city,’ says Yahweh.
‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’ ”
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Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.
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Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come unto this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast a mound against it.
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith the LORD.
For I will defend this city to save it, for Mine own sake, and for My servant David's sake.'
Cross-references (27)
- 1 Kings 11:12-13 (v34) Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand. However I will not…
- 2 Kings 20:6 (v34) I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for…
- 1 Kings 15:4 (v34) Nevertheless for David’s sake, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem;
- Isaiah 31:5 (v34) As birds hovering, so Yahweh of Armies will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it. He will pass over and preserve it.”
- 2 Kings 19:28 (v33) Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose, and my…
Show all 27 cross-references
- Jeremiah 33:26 (v34) then I will also cast away the offspring of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his offspring to be rulers over the…
- Isaiah 38:6 (v34) I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.
- Jeremiah 23:5-6 (v34) “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will raise to David a righteous Branch, and he will reign as king and deal wisely, and will…
- Jeremiah 33:21 (v34) then may my covenant also be broken with David my servant, that he won’t have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levites the…
- Deuteronomy 32:27 (v34) were it not that I feared the provocation of the enemy, lest their adversaries should judge wrongly, lest they should say, ‘Our hand is…
- 2 Samuel 20:15 (v32) They came and besieged him in Abel of Beth Maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the…
- 2 Kings 19:36 (v33) So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and lived at Nineveh.
- Isaiah 8:7-10 (v32) now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come…
- Isaiah 9:7 (v34) Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, on David’s throne, and on his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold…
- Isaiah 43:25 (v34) I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.
- Isaiah 48:11 (v34) For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it; for how would my name be profaned? I will not give my glory to another.
- Ephesians 1:6 (v34) to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved,
- Psalms 46:5-6 (v34) God is within her. She shall not be moved. God will help her at dawn. The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice and…
- Psalms 48:2-8 (v34) Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the north sides, the city of the great King. God has shown himself in…
- Isaiah 10:24-25 (v32) Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, says “My people who dwell in Zion, don’t be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the…
- Isaiah 10:28-32 (v32) He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage. They have gone over the pass. They have taken up…
- Isaiah 37:33-35 (v32) “Therefore Yahweh says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither will he come…
- Isaiah 48:9 (v34) For my name’s sake, I will defer my anger, and for my praise, I hold it back for you so that I don’t cut you off.
- Ezekiel 21:22 (v32) In his right hand was the lot for Jerusalem, to set battering rams, to open the mouth in the slaughter, to lift up the voice with shouting,…
- Ezekiel 36:22 (v34) “Therefore tell the house of Israel, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I don’t do this for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which…
- Luke 19:43-44 (v32) For the days will come on you, when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side, and will…
- Ephesians 1:14 (v34) who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv32–34 2Ki 19:32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the…
2Ki 19:32 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
Ver. 32. He shall not come into this city.] Because dear to God, who had appointed salvation for walls and bulwarks. {Isa 26:1} Semblably, of all that huge fleet three years a-rigging and furnishing, not one Spaniard set foot on English ground, but under the notion of a prisoner. See on 2Ki 19:28.
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Nor shoot an arrow there, &c.] See Psa 48:12. {See Trapp on "Psa 48:12"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Which was true, though he sent Rab-shakeh and others…
Which was true, though he sent Rab-shakeh and others with a great host against Jerusalem, 2Ki 18:17; either because that host went away with Rab-shakeh to Libnah, above, 2Ki 19:8; or rather, because that army did not form a close siege against it, but only marched towards it, and disposed themselves so as to block it up at some distance; possibly waiting till the king of Assyria had taken Libnah and Lachish, (which they presumed he would speedily do,) and should come up with the rest of his forces, when they intended to fall more vigorously to their work.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v32 He shall not - The army sent with Rabshaketh…
He shall not - The army sent with Rabshaketh did not form a close siege against it, but only disposed themselves so as to block it up at some distance; possibly waiting 'till the king of Assyria had taken Libnah and Lachish, (which they presumed he would speedily do.)
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv32–33 Verse 32. He shall not, c.] Here follow the…
Verse 32. He shall not, c.] Here follow the fullest proofs that Jerusalem shall not be taken by the Assyrians.
1. He shall not come into this city
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2. He shall not be able to get so near as to shoot an arrow into it;
3. He shall not be able to bring an army before it,
4. Nor shall he be able to raise any redoubt or mound against it;
5. No; not even an Assyrian shield shall be seen in the country; not even a foraging party shall come near the city.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv32–33 2Ki 19:32. Thus saith the Lord, He shall not…
2Ki 19:32. Thus saith the Lord, He shall not come to this city — The king of Assyria shall be so far from possessing himself of the city at this time, that he shall not shoot so much as an arrow into it, much less raise any bulwarks to besiege it. There is a gradation in the words, says Dr. Dodd, as is usual with Isaiah. The first declaration is, that Sennacherib, if he shall attempt to besiege the city, shall never be able to succeed; he shall not come into this city. The second is, that he shall not bring his army so near the city as to come before it with shields, wherewith to defend themselves from those on the wall, or raise a bank against it. The third, that he shall not even shoot an arrow into the city, which might be done from far. It seems the army sent with Rab-shakeh did not form a close siege against it, but only disposed themselves so as to block it up at some distance; possibly waiting till the king of Assyria had taken Libnah and Lachish, (which they presumed he would speedily do.)
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Nor come before it with shield - The “shields”…
Nor come before it with shield - The “shields” of the Assyrians are very conspicuous in the sculptures, and were of great importance in a siege, since the assailing archers were in most instances defended, as they shot their weapons, by a comrade, who held before himself and his friend a shield of an enormous size. It was made of a framework of wood, filled in with wattling, and perhaps lined with skin; it was rested upon the ground, and it generally curved backward toward the top; ordinarily it somewhat exceeded the height of a man. From the safe covert afforded by these large defenses the archers were able to take deliberate aim, and deliver their volleys with effect.
Nor cast a bank against it - “Mounds” or “banks” were among the most common of the means used by the Assyrians against a besieged town. They were thrown up against the walls, and consisted of loose earth, trees, brushwood, stones, and rubbish. Sometimes the surface of the mound was regularly paved with several layers of stone or brick, which formed a solid road or causeway capable of bearing a great weight. The intention was not so much to bring the mounds to a level with the top of the walls, as to carry them to such a height as should enable the battering-ram to work effectively. Walls were made very solid toward their base, for the purpose of resisting the ram; halfway up their structure was comparatively weak and slight. The engines of the assailants, rams and catapults, where therefore far more serviceable if they could attack the upper and weaker portion of the defenses; and it was to enable them to reach these portions that the “mounds” were raised.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv32–34 About it, as was then the custom in besieging…
About it, as was then the custom in besieging cities. Josephus and others suppose that Sennacherib’s army was destroyed before Jerusalem. But it seems more probable it fell on the road to Egypt, ver. 7. The camp, which is still shewn, might be that of Rabsaces, chap. xviii. 17. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v33 shall not come into this city--nor approach near enough…
shall not come into this city--nor approach near enough to shoot an arrow, not even from the most powerful engine which throws missiles to the greatest distance, nor shall he occupy any part of the ground before the city by a fence, a mantelet, or covering for men employed in a siege, nor cast (raise) a bank (mound) of earth, overtopping the city walls, whence he may see and command the interior of the city. None of these, which were the principal modes of attack followed in ancient military art, should Sennacherib be permitted to adopt. Though the army under Rab-shakeh marched towards Jerusalem and encamped at a little distance with a view to blockade it, they delayed laying siege to it, probably waiting till the king, having taken Lachish and Libnah, should bring up his detachment, that with all the combined forces of Assyria they might invest the capital. So determined was this invader to conquer Judah and the neighboring countries (Isa 10:7), that nothing but a divine interposition could have saved Jerusalem. It might be supposed that the powerful monarch who overran Palestine and carried away the tribes of Israel, would leave memorials of his deeds on sculptured slabs, or votive bulls. A long and minute account of this expedition is contained in the Annals of Sennacherib, a translation of which has recently been made into English, and, in his remarks upon it, COLONEL RAWLINSON says the Assyrian version confirms the most important features of the Scripture account. The Jewish and Assyrian narratives of the campaign are, indeed, on the whole, strikingly illustrative of each other [Outlines of Assyrian History].
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv32–33 32. Therefore — In view of this decreed permanency…
32. Therefore — In view of this decreed permanency of Judah.
He shall not come — The different expressions here used indicate Sennacherib’s total failure to injure Jerusalem. “The four clauses,” says Keil, “stand in a graduated relation to one another — not to take, not even to shoot at and attack, yea, not even to besiege, the city, will he come.”
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv32–34 32. Therefore] The LXX. makes the same error here…
32. Therefore] The LXX. makes the same error here with regard to the word ‘therefore’ as was noticed above on 2Ki_1:3, and renders the Hebrew by οὐχ οὑτῶς. See former note.
He shall not come into [R.V. unto] this city] The R.V. renders the preposition correctly, and makes the same change in the next verse. We have no mention of Sennacherib’s personal approach nearer than Libnah. (See above verse 8.)
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Nor [R.V. neither shall he] come] The change relieves the verse from the monotony of several clauses commencing in exactly the same way.
nor cast a bank [R.V. mount] against it] ‘Mount’ is the correct term for an embankment thrown up for the purposes of a siege, and occurs in the A.V. of Jer_6:6; Jer_32:24; Jer_33:4; Eze_4:2; Eze_21:22.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv32–34 (32) Into this city.—Or, unto this city. Sennacherib shall…
(32) Into this city.—Or, unto this city. Sennacherib shall not come hither to make his intended attack.
Nor shoot an arrow there (at it).—In open assault.
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Nor come before it with shield.—As a storming party advances to the walls under cover of their shields.
Nor cast a bank against it.—In regular siege. Comp. 2Sa_20:15; Hab_1:10). The incidents of warfare here specified may be seen represented on the Assyrian sculptures from Khorsâbad and elsewhere.
(32-34) This may be, as Mr. Cheyne supposes, an after addition to the original prophecy. Isaiah may have spoken it a little later, in which case it was quite natural for an editor to append it here, as belonging to the same crisis. But it seems better to see here a return to the subject of the king of Assyria, after the parenthetic address to Hezekiah. The repetition of 2Ki_19:28 in 2Ki_19:33 favours this view.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the King of…
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the King of Assyria. The oracle concludes with a general announcement, addressed to all whom it may concern, not to any one individually, concerning the existing distress. First, it is laid down what shall not be the issue. Hei.e. Sennacheribshall not come into rather, untothis cityi.e. Jerusalemnor shoot an arrow therei.e. , he shall not begin the attack, as was usually done, with discharges of arrows, to clear the walls of their defenders, and make it safe for the sappers and miners and the siege artillery to draw nearnor come before it with shieldi.e. advance close, to raise the scaling-ladders, or mine the walls, or fire the gates, under the protection of huge shieldsnor east a bank against it. Much less shall he proceed to the last extremity of raising mounds against the walls, and planting upon them his balistae and his battering-rams, with the object of effecting a breach. Each of the successive stages of a siege is touched, and negatived. None of these things shall be done. There shall be no siege. (For representations of the Assyrian sieges, banks, and engines, see Layard, "Monuments of Nineveh," second series, plates 21, 31, 39, 43, etc.; and Rawlinson, "Ancient Monarchies," vol. 1. p. 303; vol. 2. p. 81.)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v32 General Information:
General Information:
This is the end of the message from Yahweh, spoken through the prophet Isaiah to King Hezekiah. It uses parallelism throughout. (See: Parallelism)
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nor shoot an arrow here
"Arrow" is metonymy representing all tools of warfare and destruction. AT: "nor do any fighting here" (See: Metonymy)
or build up a siege ramp against it
"and they will not even build up high mounds of earth against the city wall to enable them to attack the city"
this is Yahweh's declaration
Yahweh speaks of himself by name to express the certainty of what he is declaring. AT: "this is what Yahweh has declared" or "this is what I, Yahweh, have declared" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
for my own sake and for my servant David's sake
"for the sake of my own reputation and because of what I promised to King David, who served me well"
translationWords
Yahweh
king
Assyria
bow and arrow
declare
servant
David
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v32 19:32-34 Sennacherib’s armies did not enter Jerusalem but returned…
19:32-34 Sennacherib’s armies did not enter Jerusalem but returned home. In Sennacherib’s own account, he gave details of capturing and despoiling forty-six cities of Judah. He made no mention of the capture of Jerusalem but recorded only that he shut up Hezekiah “in Jerusalem . . . like a bird in a cage.” • For my own honor—in light of Sennacherib’s blasphemies and arrogance against God (18:25, 28-30; 19:10-13, 21, 27-28)—and for the sake of my servant David, to whom God had made his covenant promise (2 Sam 7:8-16) and whose faith Hezekiah had emulated (2 Kgs 18:3), the Lord would defend this city (see 20:6). The Lord decisively demonstrated that he alone is God and that he is faithful to his people who trust in him.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.