2 Kings 18:14
in 2 Kings 18So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from me.” And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
KJV
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
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This verse in 2 Kings 18
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Return from me - Or “retire from me,” i. e., “withdraw thy troops.” Three hundred talents ... - According to Sennacherib’s own account, the terms of peace were as follows: (1) A money payment to the amount of 800 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold. (2) the surrender of the Ekronite king. (3) a cession of territory toward the west and the southwest, which was apportioned between the kings of Ekron, Ashdod, and Gaza.
This site's exposition
Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured
on 2 Kings 18:13-14
Lachish, where Hezekiah sends his message, is the city Sennacherib's own palace reliefs at Nineveh show under siege. "I have done wrong" is a plain surrender. The submission sits in the chapter that has said he trusted in the LORD, and the text lets both stand without resolving the tension.
This site's exposition
I have done wrong
Matthew Henry asks why Hezekiah sent word to Lachish without first consulting Isaiah. JFB trace the submission to failed help from Egypt. Barnes adds that the king of Assyria's own account demanded more silver, the surrender of the king of Ekron, and land from Judah.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Of Hezekiah it is written, "And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He destroyed the high places, and broke the statues in pieces, and burned the groves and broke the brazen serpent that Moses had made." And again, "He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel, and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah who were before him.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Why did he not advise with Isaiah before he sent this crouching message? (2.) Of a vast sum of money-300 talents of silver and thirty of gold (above 200,000 l. ), not to be paid annually, but as a present ransom. To raise this sum, he was forced not only to empty the public treasures (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish,....
He thought to soothe up all with a promise that if they would surrender upon discretion, though they must expect to be prisoners and captives, yet it would really be happy for them to be so. One would wonder he should ever think to prevail by such gross suggestions as these, but that the devil does thus impose upon sinners every day by his temptations.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Hezekiah . . . sent to Lachish, saying, . . . that which thou puttest on me will I bear--Disappointed in his expectations of aid from Egypt, and feeling himself unable to resist so mighty a conqueror who was menacing Jerusalem itself, Hezekiah made his submission.
The words behind it
31 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח | vaiyishlach | and he sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| חִזְקִיָּ֣ה | chizkiyah | Hezekiah | H2396 → | 127 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יְהוּדָ֣ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אַשּׁוּר֩׀ | ʾashur | Assyria | H804 → | 151 times |
| לָכִ֨ישָׁה׀ | lakhishah | Lachish towards | H3923 → | 24 times |
| לֵאמֹ֤ר׀ | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| חָטָ֙אתִי֙ | chatati | I have sinned | H2398 → | 238 times |
| שׁ֣וּב | shuv | turn back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| מֵֽעָלַ֔י | mealai | from on <the> me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֵ֛ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | [that] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| תִּתֵּ֥ן | titen | you will put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| עָלַ֖י | ʾalai | on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶשָּׂ֑א | ʾesa' | I will bear | H5375 → | 656 times |
| וַיָּ֨שֶׂם | vaiyasem | and he imposed | H7760 → | 584 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אַשּׁ֜וּר | ʾashur | Assyria | H804 → | 151 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| חִזְקִיָּ֣ה | chizkiyah | Hezekiah | H2396 → | 127 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יְהוּדָ֗ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| שְׁלֹ֤שׁ | shelosh | three | H7969 → | 432 times |
| מֵאוֹת֙ | meot | hundred<s> | H3967 → | 581 times |
| כִּכַּר־ | kikar- | talent[s] of | H3603 → | 68 times |
| כֶּ֔סֶף | kesef | silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖ים | usheloshim | and thirty | H7970 → | 172 times |
| כִּכַּ֥ר | kikar | talent[s] of | H3603 → | 68 times |
| זָהָֽב׃ | zahav | gold | H2091 → | 389 times |
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣חand he sent
vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times
חִזְקִיָּ֣הHezekiah
chizkiyahH2396 →127 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
יְהוּדָ֣הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
אַשּׁוּר֩׀Assyria
ʾashurH804 →151 times
לָכִ֨ישָׁה׀Lachish towards
lakhishahH3923 →24 times
לֵאמֹ֤ר׀<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
חָטָ֙אתִי֙I have sinned
chatatiH2398 →238 times
שׁ֣וּבturn back
shuvH7725 →1056 times
מֵֽעָלַ֔יfrom on <the> me
mealaiH5921 →5755 times
אֵ֛ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
אֲשֶׁר־[that] which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
תִּתֵּ֥ןyou will put
titenH5414 →2011 times
עָלַ֖יon me
ʾalaiH5921 →5755 times
אֶשָּׂ֑אI will bear
ʾesa'H5375 →656 times
וַיָּ֨שֶׂםand he imposed
vaiyasemH7760 →584 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
אַשּׁ֜וּרAssyria
ʾashurH804 →151 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
חִזְקִיָּ֣הHezekiah
chizkiyahH2396 →127 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
יְהוּדָ֗הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
שְׁלֹ֤שׁthree
sheloshH7969 →432 times
מֵאוֹת֙hundred<s>
meotH3967 →581 times
כִּכַּר־talent[s] of
kikar-H3603 →68 times
כֶּ֔סֶףsilver
kesefH3701 →403 times
וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֖יםand thirty
usheloshimH7970 →172 times
כִּכַּ֥רtalent[s] of
kikarH3603 →68 times
זָהָֽב׃gold
zahavH2091 →389 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 29:25The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.
it leads to
- Psalms 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
- Luke 12:4
I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
- Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
- Psalms 91:14
“Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him.
- Proverbs 16:20
Whoever heeds instruction will find success, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.
- Psalms 118:8
Through
2 Kings 18:7And the LORD was with Hezekiah, and he prospered wherever he went. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him.
it leads to
- Psalms 60:12
With God we will perform with valor, and He will trample our enemies.
- 2 Kings 16:7
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me from the hands of the kings of Aram and Israel, who are…
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Psalms 60:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
On this verse
What the record shows
1 entry- Lachish Reliefsundisputed
Southwest Palace of Sennacherib, Nineveh · British Museum
Counterpoint: David Ussishkin, who excavated Lachish, cautions that the panels are a formal victory composition rather than a photograph — details are arranged for propaganda effect, and elements are stylized or repeated. They are still the best ancient picture of an Assyrian siege, but they should be read against the excavated evidence, not as a literal record of it.
About 2 Kings
Who and where
4 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsJudahJacob's fourth son who pledges himself for Benjamin; the tribe that carries the scepter to Shiloh (49:10) and the line to Christ (…
- PersonDivided kingdomHezekiahThe reforming king of Judah who trusted Jehovah against Sennacherib, spread the Assyrian letter before the LORD, was granted fifte…
- PlaceUpper MesopotamiaAssyriaMesopotamian empire whose capital Nineveh repented at Jonah's preaching and fell to Nahum's burden in 612 BC; the rod of God's ang…
- PlaceShephelahLachishJudah's second city, besieged by Sennacherib in 701 BC, its siege carved on the walls of his palace at Nineveh and confirmed in th…
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); F. W. Farrar, The Second Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Against the Pelagians 2.21; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.