2 Chronicles 32:3

2Ch 32:3 He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which [were] without the city: and they did help him.

Ver. 3. To stop the waters of the fountains.] He trusted in God: but yet used the best means. God is to be trusted, but not tempted. See Isa 22:9; Isa 22:11.

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 32:3-4. To stop the waters of the fountains — To fill them up with earth and other things cast into them, that it might not be known there was any water there, and withal to draw the waters by secret passages and pipes to Jerusalem. And the brook that ran through the midst of the land — The brook Kidron, which being but small, except when much rain fell, they easily filled up the spring of it. Saying, Why should the kings of Assyria find much water — Which was scarce in that country, and the want of it might greatly distress the Assyrian army.

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

32:3-5 Sennacherib’s attack did not come as a surprise; Hezekiah provoked it by breaking a treaty (2 Kgs 18:7, 20). Because water was critical to both attacker and defender in siege warfare, Hezekiah made sure that Sennacherib’s army would not have access to the city’s water supply. In one of the most famous engineering feats of ancient times, Hezekiah’s tunnel connected the fresh waters of the Gihon Spring to the pool of Siloam, making water accessible from within the city walls. This famous tunnel is almost one-third of a mile long (approximately 580 yards [530 meters]) and about six feet [2 meters] high. The famous Hezekiah inscription, discovered in the tunnel in 1880, describes how the excavators met to join the two ends. Although much of the tunnel consisted of natural underground aqueducts, it was a tremendous strategy for protecting the citizens of the city.

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

3. to stop the waters] Cp. 2Ki_20:20 (“[Hezekiah] made the pool and the conduit and brought water into the city”) and Isa_22:9; Isa_22:11.

At the present day there is an underground tunnel cut through the rock leading from St Mary’s Well down to the Lower Pool of Siloam. It is rudely constructed and owing to its windings is 586 yards long, though the distance in a straight line is only 368 yards. As therefore the Lower Pool was probably within the ancient walls, while St Mary’s Well was outside, this tunnel may be Hezekiah’s conduit. If the well were stopped, the besiegers would lose the water, which would collect in the Pool for the use of the besieged. An inscription in ancient Hebrew characters (“The Siloam Inscription”) discovered in situ describes briefly the digging of the tunnel, but does not enable us to fix the date of it for certain. See for the original text Lidzbarski, Nordsemitische Epigraphik, Tafel xxi. 1, and for an English translation, Sayce, Fresh Light from the Ancient Monuments, p. 87.

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.

So there was gathered much people together,.... At the instance of Hezekiah, his nobles and officers:

who stopped all the fountains; perhaps by laying planks over them, and earth upon them, so that it could not be discerned there were any fountains there:

and the brook that ran through the midst of the land; which, according to Kimchi, was Gihon, Ch2 32:30, which was near Jerusalem; the stream of this very probably they turned into channels under ground, whereby it was brought into the city into reservoirs there provided, that that might have a supply during the siege, while the enemy was distressed for want of it:

saying, why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water? by which means they would be able to carry on the siege to a great length, when otherwise they would be obliged to raise it quickly: mention is made of kings of Assyria, though there was but one, with whom there might be petty kings, or tributary ones; and, besides, as he boasted, his princes were altogether kings, Isa 10:8.

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

To stop the waters ... - Compare 2Ch 32:30. Hezekiah’s object was probably twofold - to hide the springs outside the city in order to distress the Assyrians, and to convey their water underground into the city, in order to increase his own supply during the siege.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

City. The torrent Cedron afforded the only good supply of water. It was often dry, and was only three steps across, when full of melted snow or rain. The waters of Siloe and Gihon were collected in it. Yet it was no difficult enterprise for the king to turn the stream, and introduce the waters through the rock into a large reservoir, in the city, by the canal, which is mentioned 2 Esdras ii. 14., and Ecclesiasticus xlviii. 19. The besieged were more frequently deprived of water, Judith vii. 6. Babylon was taken by Semiramis, Cyrus, and Alexander, after they turned aside the waters of the Euphrates; and Cæsar obliged the town of Cahors to surrender, by intercepting the springs. Frontin. iii. 7. C.

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).

To stop the waters of the fountains, with earth or other things cast into them; and withal to derive the waters by secret paths and pipes under ground to Jerusalem.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. To stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city — The object was thereby to distress the enemy, by preventing him from obtaining water near the city. He probably not only hid the springs from view, but drew off the water by secret aqueducts into the city.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To stop the waters of the fountains without the city. These fountains or springs were probably those represented by En Rogel, on the Ophel spur or very large mound, or fortified hill (mistranslated possibly from that circumstance "tower," in 2Ki_5:24; Isa_32:14 on the southeast of the temple. The object of Hezekiah is obvious enough. The word ( for "stopping" occurs in all thirteen times twice in piel in Genesis, once in niph. in Nehemiah, and ten times in kal in Kings, Chronicles, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Psalms. It is for all material purposes very uniformly rendered in all these places by the word "stop" eight times, and otherwise "shut" or "closed," or to carry a derived meaning, "hidden" or "secret." If the word "shut" or "shut off" were employed, it would fit every occasion. So we are not told here how he stopped the fountain or fountains, but that he shut the waters off from one direction and guided them into another, vie. by a conduit running westward from the springs and the Gihon (i.e. the brook) flowing naturally down the Tyropoean valley to a pool prepared for it in the city (see our ver. 30; and 2Ki_18:17 2Ki_20:20; Ecclus, 48:17; and Conder"s "Handbook to the Bible," p. 339). This pool was very probably none other than the pool of Siloam.

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

To stop - And withal to draw the waters by secret pipes underground to Jerusalem.

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