Podcast - Villains of the Bible: Sennacherib

Sennacherib’s story takes place in the eight century BC. He makes the villain list because of his invasion of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. His father, Sargon, came to the Assyrian throne in 722 BC which was the same year they conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

Sargon’s body was never recovered after he died in a battle in Turkey. It was believed that because his body was not recovered after battle, this was a curse from the gods, and he was doomed to wander the afterlife begging for food.

Because of this believed curse, Sennacherib attempted to distance himself from his father and moved the capital city of Assyria to Nineveh. Sennacherib attempted to conquer the Southern Kingdom of Judah just as his father had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

One of the Assyrian’s favorite military tactics was intimidation. As Sennacherib conquered each city in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, word spread of how he treated those who resisted him. The message was clear: “If you resist me, I will do the same thing to you.”

The more brutal he was, the more effective his intimidation. His tactics were as atrocious as you might think. This is why he was a villain. He would stop at nothing.

The Jerusalem Conquest

When Sennacherib approached Jerusalem, he wanted to conquer them quickly because he was trying to avoid a siege with Egypt. He sent a delegation to the walls of Jerusalem to try and barter with the leaders of Jerusalem. This delegate appealed to the fact that none of the gods had delivered their people from the hand of Sennacherib and it would be easier on the Jews for them to peacefully surrender and get rid of King Hezekiah.

Hezekiah consulted the prophet Isaiah, who told him to stand firm. Yet for the citizens hearing this appeal from the Assyrians, it probably seemed very convincing to go along the path of least resistance.

God told Hezekiah that He alone would fight the battle for Israel.

The next day, almost all of Sennacherib’s army was dead, and he fled back to Nineveh. This whole account can be read in 2 Kings 18:17-19:37.

Brittany Proffitt lives in Dallas and is a writer and content manager for So We Speak.