Later text
After all these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them for himself.
Intertextuality Pair
2 Chronicles 32:1 → 2 Kings 18:9-16
Allusion
Earlier text
In the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. And at the end of three years, the Assyrians captured it. So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. The king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes. This happened because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD their God, but violated His covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded—and would neither listen nor obey. In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. So 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. Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold with which he had plated the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.
Significance
These are parallel accounts of Sennacherib's invasion, but with substantially different emphases. Kings provides detailed narrative including Hezekiah's initial tribute payment (stripping temple gold, 2 Kgs 18:14-16), the Rabshakeh's extended speeches, and the military details. The Chronicler compresses the invasion to a single verse — "Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah" (2 Chr 32:1) — then focuses on Hezekiah's faithful preparations: blocking water sources, strengthening walls, and his inspiring speech: "Be strong and courageous... With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us" (2 Chr 32:7-8). The Chronicler omits Hezekiah's tribute payment entirely.
- Found via
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
- Reference Type
- Allusion
- Connection Method(s)
- Redemptive-Historical Progression — 2 Chronicles 32:1 condenses the invasion that 2 Kings 18:9-16 narrates in detail (the captured fortified cities, Hezekiah's temple-stripping tribute) into one sentence introduced by "After all these acts of faithfulness," re-framing the earlier account so the crisis becomes the stage for the LORD's deliverance of Jerusalem (32:20-22); the Chronicler carries Kings' history forward as testimony that God preserves the Davidic city and line through which redemption runs.