2 Chronicles 32:21

AN ANGEL DESTROYS THE ASSYRIANS. (Ch2 32:21-23)

an angel . . . cut off all the mighty men--(See on Kg2 19:35-37).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

2Ch 32:21 And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.

Ver. 21. And the Lord sent an angel.] See 2Ki 19:35.

So he returned with shame of face.] He was not so much preserved, as reserved to a greater mischief

And when he was come.] See 2Ki 19:36-37.

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.

2Ch 32:21. The Lord sent an angel — The Jewish comment, termed the Targum, says, The Word of the Lord (the Eternal Word) sent Gabriel to do this execution, and that it was done with lightning, and in the passover night, the same night wherein the firstborn in Egypt were slain. Which cut off the mighty men, and the leaders and captains — With a vast number of common soldiers, 2Ki 19:35. They that came forth of his own bowels slew him — See 2Ki 19:37. And with him the Assyrian empire began to fall, and never recovered its former strength. For the next year after Sennacherib’s death, the Medes revolted, being encouraged to it, no doubt, by this great loss at Jerusalem. And by their example, several other nations fell off from the Assyrians and asserted their independence.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32:21 The fate of Sennacherib is reported similarly to the account in Kings (see 2 Kgs 19:35-37).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To the number of an hundred fourscore and five thousand, as 2 Kings 19:35, 36.

Hebrew, with shame of face.

Meaning, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 21. The Lord sent an angel] See 2Kg 19:36, and the note there.

House of his god] Nisroch.

They that came forth of his own bowels] His sons Adrammelech and Sharezer.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(21) And the Lord sent an angel.—See 2Ki_19:35, seq.; Isa_37:36, seq. Hitzig thinks that Psalms 46-48. were composed by Isaiah to commemorate this great natural miracle, an hypothesis which is borne out by the similarity observable between the language and ideas of these psalms and those of Isaiah’s prophecies.

Which cut off . . . valour.—Literally, and he hid (i.e., caused to disappear, destroyed; the Greek άφανίζειν; Exo_23:23) every valiant warrior, and leader and captain. (Comp. Psa_76:5, a psalm which in the LXX. bears the title ᾠδὴ πρὸς τὸν Ἀσσύριον.) Kings gives the number of those who perished as 185,000.

With shame of face.—Psa_44:15, “The shame of my face hath covered me.” (Ezr_9:7.)

And when he was come . . . with the sword.—And he went into the house of his god, and certain of his own offspring there felled him with the sword. 2Ki_19:37 gives the names of the parricides—viz., Adrammelech and Sharezer; and the name of the god—viz., Nisroch—which is probably corrupt. It is added that the assassins “escaped into the land of Ararat.” The chronicler as usual suppresses unfamiliar foreign’names.

They that came forth.—Some of the issue (yâçî, a verbal noun only found here). (For the whole phrase, comp. Gen_15:4; 2Sa_7:12.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. all the mighty men] In number 185,000 according to 2Ki_19:35 and Isa_37:36. The agency was probably the plague, which is pictured as a destroying angel in 2Sa_24:16.

And when he was come] The murder of Sennacherib did not occur till some 20 years after his Judæan expedition (circ. 701 b.c.), i.e. not till 681 b.c.

they that came forth] Render, some (or one) that came forth. The Chronicler no doubt follows Isa_37:38, “Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him”; but the accuracy of the present text of this passage of Isaiah is doubtful, for in the parallel passage (2Ki_19:37, C’thib) the words his sons are missing. The only notice of Sennacherib’s death known to us at present from the Inscriptions is simply “Sennacherib king of Assyria his son (sing.) slew him in a revolt.” No name is given to this son. (Schrader, Keilinschriftliche Bibliothek, vol. 11., p. 281).

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.

Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,.... In what manner is not said; perhaps by putting on sackcloth, and by fasting and prayer, and making confession of sin, and declaring repentance for it:

so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah; but in the days of his son's sons, Isa 39:7.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Army. Heb. "camp." --- Disgrace. The Jews pretend that he was deprived of his beard and hair, (S. Jerom, Trad.) misapplying the text of Isaias vii. 20. C. --- Sword, to prevent their being offered as victims, to appease the idol and the people. R. Solomon) Lyranus --- This happened some months after the king’s return to Ninive, when he had cruelly oppressed the captive Jews and Tobias, i. 24. T.

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).

The exact matter corresponding with this one verse is embraced by vers. 35-37 in the parallel. (2Ki 19) It gives the number of slain as a hundred and eighty-five thousand. It does not speak of the heavy proportion of leaders and captains lost. It leads us to suppose that for all survivers it was a surprise in the morning that silent vision of the dead in such vast array. Stating, on the other hand, in mere historic dry detail, the return of Sennacherib to his own land, his dwelling at Nineveh, and assassination, in the house of Nisroch "his god," at the hands of his own two sons, mentioned by name Adrammelech and Sharezer, who had to fly for it to Armenia (Ararat), it does not show the obviously designed moral touch of our compiler, so he returned with shame of face to his own land, nor the similarly complexioned description of the time, place, and agents of his assassination. Lastly, it gives Esarhaddon as the name of his successor on the throne.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Lord sent an angel - The Jewish comment says the word of the Lord sent Gabriel to do this execution, and that it done with lightning, and in the passover night, the same night wherein the first-born in Egypt were slain.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The Assyrians Destroyed. The End of Hezekiah’s Reign.

v. 21. And the Lord sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valor, the veteran soldiers, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria, 2Ki 19:35-37. So he, who had boasted so inordinately of his invincible army, returned with shame of face to his own land, utterly humiliated, even in the eyes of his own subjects. And when he was come into the house of his god, when, after some time, he was worshiping in the temple of his chief idol, they that came forth of his own bowels, his own sons, slew him there with the sword.

v. 22. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all other, whatever other enemies had designs against him, and guided them on every side, giving to His people the full measure of protection.

v. 23. And many, including members of the neighboring nations, brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, for they also had received the benefit of Jehovah’s interposition, and presents to Hezekiah, king of Judah, so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.

v. 24. In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord; and He spake unto him, and He gave him a sign, wrought a miracle in making him well. Cf 2Ki 20:1-11; Isaiah 38.

v. 25. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up, he yielded to a degree of pride in boastfully exhibiting his treasures to the ambassadors of the king of Babylon, 2Ki 20:15; therefore there was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem.

v. 26. Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah, Isa 39:8; 2Ki 20:19.

v. 27. And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches, in personal possessions and in gifts brought to him by neighboring nations, and honor; and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, costly gilded weapons, and for all manner of pleasant jewels, various articles which were highly prized in those days;

v. 28. storehouses also for the increase of corn and wine and oil, and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks, folds for his small cattle.

v. 29. Moreover, he provided him cities, probably to be understood of the watch-towers erected for the use of the shepherds, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God, the Giver of all good gifts, had given him substance very much.

v. 30. This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, namely, at the approach of Sennacherib’s army, and brought it straight down to the west side of the City of David, in a special subterranean canal. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. Hezekiah’s Pool, or reservoir, in the northwest part of Jerusalem still remains, and at least a part of the subterranean channel dug by him has been laid open. 2)

v. 31. Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, very likely the king’s miraculous recovery, God left him, to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart; it was a test of Hezekiah’s faith and sincerity, especially in the matter of giving all glory to God alone, both for his health and for his possessions.

v. 32. Now, the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his goodness, all the various displays of his kindness, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz, Isaiah 36-39, and in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel, 2 Kings 18-20.

v. 33. And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchers of the sons of David, in a place higher on the slope than the tombs then occupied. And all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death, by the usual burning of spices, as in the case of Asa, 2Ch 16:14. And Manasseh, his son, reigned in his stead. Hezekiah died in the true faith and was given the testimony that he was a king after the Lord’s heart. Blessed is everyone that heeds the warning of the Lord’s servants in time and willingly returns from the way of error.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

and some of his own issue as it is written (Isa. 37:38): “and his sons slew him with the sword.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.