Bible Strands
Isaiah 37:38
One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative concludes the account of Sennacherib, who recently returned to Nineveh after abandoning his campaign against Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:37), describing his assassination within a foreign sanctuary.
The words — מִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֜ה (mish.ta.cha.Veh) denotes the physical act of bowing down, while נִסְרֹ֣ךְ (nis.Rokh) identifies the specific deity whose temple becomes the site of the king’s death.
The thread — The flight to Ararat recalls the geographical marker of Genesis 8:4, and the sudden transfer of power to Esar-haddon establishes the historical continuity of Assyrian rule despite the violent disruption.
Why it lands — The text records the violent end of a conqueror who trusted in a foreign god, demanding the reader acknowledge that historical outcomes are not secured by imperial might or pagan sanctuary worship.
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
And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esar–haddon his son reigned in his stead.
Cross-references
- Genesis 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
- Jeremiah 51:27 “Raise a banner in the land! Blow the ram’s horn among the nations! Prepare the nations against her. Summon the kingdoms against her—Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a captain against her; bring up horses like swarming locusts.
- Ezra 4:2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families, saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”
- 2 Kings 19:36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.
- 2 Chronicles 32:14 Who among all the gods of these nations that my fathers devoted to destruction has been able to deliver his people from my hand? How then can your God deliver you from my hand?
- 2 Chronicles 32:19 They spoke against the God of Jerusalem as they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth—the work of human hands.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons struck him down with the sword.
- Isaiah 14:9 Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you—all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones.
- Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations.
- Isaiah 36:15 Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’