Isaiah 36:2

• Lachish was a city overlooking the hills west of Jerusalem. It needed to be captured before attacking Jerusalem.

• The aqueduct that supplies water to the upper pool was on the north side of Jerusalem, not the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley.

• Isaiah met Ahaz on this road leading to the field where cloth is washed about 33 years earlier (see Isaiah 7:3). At that time, he urged Ahaz to trust God. However, Ahaz trusted Assyria instead, leading to this desperate situation. Now, the challenge to trust God came from mocking foreign voices (see Isaiah 28:11–13).

Jerusalem’s rescue from King Sennacherib of Assyria is a main event in Isaiah 1–39. The Lord promised to save his people. He would remain present with Jerusalem (see 7:14). He would also keep a remnant, a small group who would survive (see study note on Isaiah 10:20).

Much of the land became empty and the population greatly reduced. This happened because Judah made a foolish alliance with Assyria (chapters 7–8). Even so, the Lord did not allow total defeat. He preserved his people through Hezekiah, a faithful king.

Hezekiah faced the same kind of test that King Ahaz had faced. It was a test of trust in the Lord. In chapter 36, the Assyrian officer repeats the word trust as he challenges the people. But Hezekiah had learned from the earlier warnings in chapters 13–35. At least at first, he trusted God and passed the test.

This story also appears in 2 Kings 18:13–20:19.