Bible Strands
2 Kings 19:17
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Hezekiah addresses Yahweh during the Assyrian siege, cataloging the historical devastation wrought by Assyrian kings to frame his plea for divine intervention. The words — אָמְנָ֖ם ('a.me.Nam) translates literally to "truly," while הֶחֱרִ֜יבוּ (he.che.Ri.vu) means "they have made desolate," emphasizing the confirmed and total nature of the Assyrian campaigns. The thread — This record of Assyrian conquest aligns with the deportations and territorial seizures documented in 2 Kings 16:9, 17:6, and 17:24. Why it lands — The verse demands acknowledgment of historical reality before contrasting it with the futility of human-made idols, forcing the reader to evaluate power solely through the lens of divine sovereignty.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 16:9 So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.
- 2 Kings 17:6 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
- 2 Kings 17:24 Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
- 1 Chronicles 5:26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria) to take the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day.
- Job 9:2 “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God?
- Isaiah 5:9 I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied.
- Isaiah 7:17 The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”
- Isaiah 10:9 “Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus?
- Jeremiah 26:15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves, upon this city, and upon its residents; for truly the LORD has sent me to speak all these words in your hearing.”
- Daniel 2:47 The king said to Daniel, “Your God is truly the God of gods and Lord of kings, the Revealer of Mysteries, since you were able to reveal this mystery.”