Isaiah 37:37
So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria
This phrase introduces Sennacherib, the powerful king of Assyria, who is a central figure in this narrative. Historically, Sennacherib reigned from 705 to 681 BC and was known for his military campaigns and the expansion of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians were a dominant force in the ancient Near East, and their military prowess was feared by many. In the context of Isaiah 37, Sennacherib represents the epitome of earthly power and arrogance, challenging the sovereignty of God and threatening His people. The Hebrew root for "Sennacherib" (סַנְחֵרִיב) reflects his historical identity, and his role in the biblical narrative serves as a reminder of the futility of opposing God's will.

broke camp and withdrew
This phrase signifies a dramatic turn of events. The Assyrian army, poised to conquer Jerusalem, suddenly retreats. The Hebrew word for "broke camp" (נָסַע, nasa) conveys the idea of pulling up tent pegs, indicating a decisive and complete departure. This action is not due to military defeat by human hands but is a direct result of divine intervention, as described earlier in Isaiah 37. The withdrawal of Sennacherib's forces underscores the power of God to protect His people and fulfill His promises, regardless of the apparent strength of their enemies.

He returned to Nineveh
Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, was a city of great significance and splendor. Archaeological discoveries have revealed its grandeur, with massive walls and impressive palaces. The return of Sennacherib to Nineveh marks the end of his campaign against Judah. In a broader biblical context, Nineveh is also known from the book of Jonah, where it is depicted as a city in need of repentance. Sennacherib's return to Nineveh, without achieving his goal of conquering Jerusalem, highlights the limitations of human ambition when it stands against divine purpose.

and stayed there
The phrase "and stayed there" indicates a cessation of Sennacherib's military ambitions against Judah. The Hebrew verb used here (יָשַׁב, yashab) can mean to dwell or remain, suggesting a sense of permanence or resignation. This outcome is a fulfillment of God's promise to defend Jerusalem, as prophesied by Isaiah. It serves as a testament to God's faithfulness and the assurance that His plans will prevail. For the people of Judah, this would have been a powerful affirmation of their faith and a reminder of the security found in trusting God.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Sennacherib
The king of Assyria, known for his military campaigns and attempts to conquer Jerusalem. His retreat marks a significant moment of divine intervention.

2. Assyria
A powerful empire during the time of Isaiah, known for its military strength and conquests. Assyria was a major threat to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

3. Nineveh
The capital city of Assyria, where Sennacherib returned after his failed campaign against Jerusalem. It was a significant city in ancient Mesopotamia.

4. Jerusalem
The city under siege by Sennacherib's forces, which was miraculously delivered by God, as described earlier in Isaiah 37.

5. Hezekiah
The king of Judah during Sennacherib's invasion, known for his faithfulness to God and his prayer for deliverance.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Nations
The retreat of Sennacherib demonstrates God's control over the affairs of nations. No earthly power can thwart His plans.

The Power of Prayer
Hezekiah's prayer for deliverance is a powerful example of faith in action. Believers are encouraged to bring their concerns to God, trusting in His ability to intervene.

Divine Deliverance
Just as God delivered Jerusalem, He is able to deliver us from our own "sieges" and challenges. Trust in His timing and methods.

The Futility of Human Pride
Sennacherib's retreat underscores the futility of pride and arrogance before God. Humility and reliance on God are essential virtues.

The Importance of Faithful Leadership
Hezekiah's faith and leadership were crucial in the deliverance of Jerusalem. Godly leadership can inspire and lead others to trust in God.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the retreat of Sennacherib in Isaiah 37:37 demonstrate God's sovereignty over human affairs? Can you think of other biblical examples where God intervened in the plans of nations?

2. In what ways does Hezekiah's response to the Assyrian threat serve as a model for us when facing our own challenges? How can we apply this to our prayer life?

3. Reflect on a time when you experienced a "siege" in your life. How did you see God's deliverance, and what did you learn from that experience?

4. How does the account of Sennacherib's retreat connect with the themes of divine judgment and mercy found throughout the Bible? Consider the balance between God's justice and His grace.

5. What lessons can we learn from the downfall of Assyria and Nineveh about the dangers of pride and self-reliance? How can we cultivate humility in our own lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 19
This chapter parallels Isaiah 37, providing additional details about Sennacherib's invasion and God's deliverance of Jerusalem.

Isaiah 10
Discusses the arrogance of Assyria and God's plan to punish them, which is fulfilled in the events of Isaiah 37.

Nahum 1-3
These chapters prophesy the downfall of Nineveh, the city to which Sennacherib returned, highlighting God's judgment on Assyria.

Psalm 46
A psalm of trust in God's protection, reflecting the themes of divine deliverance seen in Isaiah 37.
Hezekiah's PrayerHerodotus.Isaiah 37:14-38
Hezekiah's Prayer and DeliveranceG. F. Pentecost, D. D.Isaiah 37:14-38
Hezekiah's Prayer and DeliveranceT. T. Holmes.Isaiah 37:14-38
Prayer a Way of EscapeI. E. Page.Isaiah 37:14-38
Prayer for Help AnsweredSunday School ChronicleIsaiah 37:14-38
Sennacherib's LetterIsaiah 37:14-38
People
Adrammelech, Amoz, Assyrians, David, Eliakim, Esarhaddon, Haran, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Rabshakeh, Sennacherib, Sharezer, Shebna, Tirhakah
Places
Ararat, Arpad, Assyria, Cush, Egypt, Gozan, Hamath, Haran, Hena, Ivvah, Jerusalem, Lachish, Lebanon, Libnah, Mount Zion, Nineveh, Rezeph, Sepharvaim, Telassar, Tigris-Euphrates Region, Zion
Topics
Abode, Asshur, Assyria, Broke, Camp, Departed, Dwelleth, Dwelt, Home, Journey, Nineveh, Nin'eveh, Returned, Sennacherib, Sennach'erib, Stayed, Turn, Withdrew
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 37:21-38

     5800   blasphemy

Isaiah 37:36-37

     1416   miracles, nature of
     5529   sieges

Library
Where to Carry Troubles
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.'--ISAIAH xxxvii. 14. When Hezekiah heard the threatenings of Sennacherib's servants, he rent his clothes and went into the house of the Lord, and sent to Isaiah entreating his prayers. When he received the menacing letter, his faith was greater, having been heartened by Isaiah's assurances. So he then himself appealed to Jehovah, spreading
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Triumph of Faith
'And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, 16. O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou hast made heaven and earth. 17. Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The First Trumpet.
The first trumpet of the seventh seal begins from the final disturbance and overthrow of the Roman idolarchy at the close of the sixth seal; and as it was to bring the first plague on the empire, now beginning to fall, it lays waste the third part of the earth, with a horrible storm of hail mingled with fire and blood; that is, it depopulates the territory and people of the Roman world, (viz. the basis and ground of its universal polity) with a terrible and bloody irruption of the northern nations,
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse

The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
The Medes and Cimmerians: Lydia--The conquest of Egypt, of Arabia, and of Elam. As we have already seen, Sennacherib reigned for eight years after his triumph; eight years of tranquillity at home, and of peace with all his neighbours abroad. If we examine the contemporary monuments or the documents of a later period, and attempt to glean from them some details concerning the close of his career, we find that there is a complete absence of any record of national movement on the part of either Elam,
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was Ready to Die. He Attempts to Kill Himself. He Commands Antipater to be Slain.
1. Now Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Christ Rightly and Properly Said to have Merited Grace and Salvation for Us.
1. Christ not only the minister, but also the author and prince of salvation. Divine grace not obscured by this mode of expression. The merit of Christ not opposed to the mercy of God, but depends upon it. 2. The compatibility of the two proved by various passages of Scripture. 3. Christ by his obedience truly merited divine grace for us. 4. This grace obtained by the shedding of Christ's blood, and his obedience even unto death. 5. In this way he paid our ransom. 6. The presumptuous manner in which
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
WHEREIN ITS GOODLY LIGHT, WALLS, GATES, ANGELS, AND THE MANNER OF THEIR STANDING, ARE EXPOUNDED: ALSO HER LENGTH AND BREADTH, TOGETHER WITH THE GOLDEN MEASURING-REED EXPLAINED: AND THE GLORY OF ALL UNFOLDED. AS ALSO THE NUMEROUSNESS OF ITS INHABITANTS; AND WHAT THE TREE AND WATER OF LIFE ARE, BY WHICH THEY ARE SUSTAINED. 'Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.'-Psalm 87:3 'And the name of the city from that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE.'-Ezekiel 48:35 London: Printed in the year 1665
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Concerning the Lord's Supper
There are two passages which treat in the clearest manner of this subject, and at which we shall look,--the statements in the Gospels respecting the Lord's Supper, and the words of Paul. (1 Cor. xi.) Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that Christ gave the whole sacrament to all His disciples; and that Paul taught both parts of it is so certain, that no one has yet been shameless enough to assert the contrary. Add to this, that according to the relation of Matthew, Christ did not say concerning the bread,
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Divine Support and Protection
[What shall we say then to these things?] If God be for us, who can be against us? T he passions of joy or grief, of admiration or gratitude, are moderate when we are able to find words which fully describe their emotions. When they rise very high, language is too faint to express them; and the person is either lost in silence, or feels something which, after his most laboured efforts, is too big for utterance. We may often observe the Apostle Paul under this difficulty, when attempting to excite
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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