Keraia
2 Chronicles 32

2 Chronicles 32:3

Sennacherib Invades Judah · 2 Chronicles 32:1–8
Read 2 Chronicles 32

Translations

Modern
…he consulted with his leaders and mighty men about stopping up the waters of the springs outside the city, and they helped him carry it out.
Traditional
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.
Literal
…and he counseled with his leaders and commanders to stop up the water from the springs that were outside of the city, and they helped him.
Latin
…inito cum principibus consilio, virisque fortissimis, ut obturarent capita fontium qui erant extra urbem: et hoc omnium decernente sententia,

Original

Hebrew
English
…he consulted with his leaders and mighty men about stopping up the waters of the springs outside the city, and they helped him carry it out.

Notes

2 Chronicles 32:3–5

Sennacherib's attack was not a surprise; Hezekiah provoked it by breaking a treaty (2 Kings 18:7, 20). Water was crucial for both attackers and defenders during sieges. Hezekiah ensured Sennacherib's army could not access the city's water supply. In a famous ancient engineering feat, Hezekiah's tunnel connected the fresh waters of the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, providing water within the city walls. This tunnel is almost 530 meters long (about 580 yards or one-third of a mile) and about two meters (six feet) high. The Hezekiah inscription, found in the tunnel in 1880, describes how the excavators met to connect the two ends. Although much of the tunnel used natural underground aqueducts, it was a brilliant strategy to protect the city's citizens.

2 Chronicles 32:1–23

The Chronicler summarizes the long account of the siege against Jerusalem in twenty-three verses (compare 2 Kings 18:17–19:37; Isaiah 36–38). God responded to King Sennacherib of Assyria's attack by blessing Judah and Hezekiah for their faithfulness in seeking the Lord.

Theme notes and profiles

Hezekiah Jerusalem

Parallels

2 Kings 18:13–16 Psalm 46:1–11

Glossary

Chronicles, Books of First and Second Genealogy Gihon, Spring of Hezekiah Hezekiah’s Tunnel Pool of Siloam Siloam Tunnel

Topics

Fountains and Springs: Sometimes Stopped or Turned off to Distress Enemies Jerusalem: Water Supply Brought in from the Gihon Brook by Hezekiah Sennacherib: Invades Judah Siege by Sennacherib Sieges: Cities Invested by The Inhabitants of, Cut off Beforehand Supplies of Water Water: Collected in Fountains