| Sennacherib was the
King of Assyria and the son of Sargon
II. Austin
Henry Layard discovered
his palace in 1847 in the city of Nineveh the
Assyrian capital. Inscribed in cuneiform on
the colossal sculptures in the doorway of his
throne room was Sennacherib's own account of
his siege of Jerusalem. The Iraq department
of antiquities has worked to preserve the site
and named it as the Sennacherib Palace Site
Museum. Wall reliefs from Sennacherib’s
palace can be viewed online at the British
Museum’s official web site.
Sennacherib's Prism also known as Taylor’s
prism is a hexagonal baked clay prism, containing
six paragraphs of cuneiform written in the
Akkadian language. The text was translated
by Daniel David Luckenbill of the University
of Chicago Press in 1924. The prism was discovered
in 1830 by Colonel Taylor in the ruins of Sennacherib’s
palace and was purchased by the British Museum.
Sennacherib’s Prism Contains the Following
Text:
“I had completed the palace in the midst
of the city of Nineveh for my royal residence.”
"I shut King Hezekiah up like a bird
inside Jerusalem."
“
Hezekiah, the Judahite”
This siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib is
documented in three books of the Bible. 2nd
Kings, 2nd Chronicles and Isaiah.
“Now it came to pass in the fourteenth
year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king
of Assyria came up against all the defenced
cities of Judah, and took them.” – Isaiah
36
Sennacherib’s prism also contains the
name of Merodach Baladan found in the book
of Isaiah.
“In my first campaign I accomplished
the defeat of Merodach-Baladan”
“At that time Merodach Baladan, the
son of Baladan, king of Babylon.”
- Isaiah
39
The prism gives a detailed account of Sennacherib’s
war campaigns and he consistently brags about
the many people he has killed and what nations
he destroyed and forced to pay tribute to him.
He describes hanging people on stakes as well
as amputating hands and genitalia of his enemies.
The Bible states that God sent angels to destroy
his entire army for his arrogant threats against
Hezekiah and Israel.
“Hear all the words of Sennacherib,
which he sent to reproach the living God” – Isaiah
37
“Sennacherib was killed by his sons.” -
Isaiah 37
The Chronicle on the Reigns from Nabu-Nasir
to Samas-suma-ukin (ABC 1) is one of the historiographical
texts about ancient Assyria and Babylonia.
Line 35 reads: "On the twentieth day of
the month Tebetu, Sennacherib, King of Assyria,
was killed by his son in a rebellion.”
The historical evidence proves King Sennacherib’s
existence and his palace at Nineveh. Sennacherib’s
own writings and Assyrian documents testify
that he did in fact lay siege to Jerusalem
and was killed by his sons just as described
in the book of Isaiah.
Scriptures
2Kings
19:36 So Sennacherib
king of Assyria departed,
and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
Isaiah 37:21 Then Isaiah the son of
Amoz sent unto Hezekiah,
saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel,
Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib
king of Assyria
2 Chronicles 32:10 Thus saith Sennacherib
king of Assyria,
Whereon do ye trust, that ye abide in the siege
in Jerusalem?
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