The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 2

en ov0l'l!trict rendering of the expression, whioh is glanced at in ver. 6. The Assyrian "in tho~e deys," which introduces the mm'IL- annals, which never reoord any reverse or tive of rh. xx:xviii. Tbet nRrmtive un- defeat, are wholly silent aa to this second <!onbte<lly belong,, to Hezekie,h's fourteenth expedition. The ')n]y profane oonllrmntiou Year. A third view is thnt of Dr. Hincks, of it ie to be found in Herodotus (ii. 111). ~'" ho suggests I\ derRngement of the text, From Laohiah. Lachieh, 1tn anoient oity of which he,e attached to an expedition of the Amorites (Josh. x. 5), WM assigned by f-Pnnach<•rib e dete originelly be~onging to Joshua to the tribe of Judnh (Josh. xv. 89), un ntteck by Sargon. He supposes the and seems to hnvo boon elill a Jewish pos- original text to have run thus: "And it session (2 Kings xiv. 19). It oocnpied "11, cnme to pe,ss in the fourteenth yeBr of King low round swell or knoll " in the Shofeloh, Hezekiah thRt the King of Assyria, came up or low trnot between the Judmnu highland (1tgeinst him). In thooe days WRS King o.nd the Mediterranean, and lay near, if not I-fozekiab sick unto death, etc. ( eh. xx:in;ii., directly on, the direct route which o.rmies xxxu;.). And Sennacherib, King of Assyria, commonly followed in their mo.roh from c'1me up e,ge,inst e,ll the defenced cities of Syria into Egypt. 'l'he site is now known Judnh, and took them," etc. (ob. xxxvi., as Um-La7'is; it lies between Gaza and xxx.ii.). Tbe subjcr.t hBS been treated at .Ajlan (Eglon), about two miles west of the Mnsidcrable length by Mr. Cheyne (' Pro- latter. Sennacherib represents himself as phecies of IBBiah,' vol. i. pp. 196-204), who engaged in its siege on a be,e-relief in the hRB nccident&lly ascribed to Sir H. &wlin- British Museum (see Layard, 'Monu- son the second of the e,bove theories, which ments of Nineveh," second series, pl. 21). really originated mth the present writer. The oonduit of the upper pool (see the Seunaoherib, King of Assyria. The HeLrew comment on eh. vii. 3). The spot was that rendering of the name is Sa.nl,herib, the at which Isaiah had been commanded to Greek Sa.na.oha.ribu8 or Sena.di.eribus. In meet .Ahaz some forty years previously. It the Aasvrisn the literation is Sin-a.1'hi-irib- was probably on the north side of J eru.sa.J.em, and the.meaning" Sin (the moon-god) multi- not fo.r from the Damascus gate. plies brothers." Sin-akhi-irib WBS the son Ver. 3.-Eli&kim, Hilkiah'a son (see and successor of Se.rgon. His father was e,bove, eh. xxii. 20). Eliaki.m had now murdered, and he uoonded the throne in taken the place of the Shebna who was ll.C. 705 (G. Smith,' Eponym Canon,' p. 67). "over the house" when Isaiah prophesied Came up agaillst all the defenced cities; his downfall (eh. xxi.i. 19) and Eliakim's rather, all the fenced citia, as in 2 Kings e,dvnncement (eh. xxii. 21-23). Bhebna xvi ii. 13,or "wl the fortified cities" (Cheyne). the soribe. It is not quite certam that this And took them. Sennacherib tell~ us that, is the same " Shebna" as the former prefect iii the campaign of his fourtl.i yee,r (B.O. 701), of the pe,lace, but the uncommonness of the he "cnptnred forty-siX of the strong cities" name is a strong argument for the idontity. belonging to Hezekiah, King of Judah, while The post of" scribe" or" secretary" (lllargino.l of the " fortresses and 61Dall cities " he took rendering) was one of some importance (see "a countless number" (' Eponym Canon,' 1 Kings iv. 3), though inferior t.o that of p. 13¼). (On the causes of the war and its pale.ce prefect. Josh . . . the recorder general course, 1188 the Introduction t.o the (comp. 2 Kings xviii. 18, where tho same book.) three officialJ! are mentioned in the same Ver. 2.-.A.nd the King of Allayria sent order). We learn from Kings that Sennn.- Rabaha.keh . . . with a great army (comp. cherib sent in rea.lity three envoys (2 Kings 2 Killgs xTiii. 13-17, where we find suffi. xviii. 17) to Hezekiah-the Tartan, or " com- cient ground for believing that this expedi- mander-in-chief;" the Rabsarie, or "chief tion is entirely distinct from that of ver. 1, eunuch; " and the Rabshakeh, or "rali- which we,s conducted bv Sennacherib in sak," the" chief captain," the second in com- periiOn, and led to Hezekiah's submission mand after the tartan. Hezekiah thought and the payment of a large tribute). It is it right to appoint e.n equal number of inconceivable that, immedi&tely after the officials to meet and confer with them. grant of terms of peace and their e,cceptance, Ver. 4.-.A.nd Re.bahakeh ae.id. Of the Sellil&Cherib should have renewed the wnr; three Assyrian envoys Rabshakeh o.lone there mUBt have been an interval, and e, obtains mention in lll11iah, prob11bly because fresh provocation. 'l'he interval can have he was the spokesman (comp. 2 Kings xviii. l,een only a short one, since Hezekiah died 19, 26, 27, 37; xix. 4). He was probably ill B.c. 6~7. It mn.y have been a couple of chosen for spokesmo.n becnuso he could years, or perhaps no more than a year, or speak Hebrew fluently (infra, vera. 11, 13). possibly only a few months. The fr81!b. The great king. "The greu.t king" (sarru provocation probably CODBisted in an appli- rabl,u,) is the most common title oasumod by cation for aid, made by Hezekiah to 'fir- the Assyrian monarchs in their inscriptions. ha.ke..h. or to the subordinate Egyptian kings, It is found as ee.rly as n.o. 1120. ou. xxxvr. 1-22.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 3