Sennacherib

Sennacherib or Senherib, d. 681 BC, king of Assyria (705-681 BC). The son of Sargon, Sennacherib spent most of his reign fighting to maintain the empire established by his father. It is difficult to determine the exact sequence of his conquests, but his first campaign seems to have been waged against Babylonia. Later he marched against an uprising of the western nations (Phoenicia, Judah, and Philistia), who were supported by Egypt. He defeated the Egyptians at Eltekeh (701 BC) and prepared to take Jerusalem. Isaiah had warned Hezekiah not to join the uprising against Assyria, but the king had refused the advice. Thus, Sennacherib destroyed many Judaean cities and besieged Jerusalem, forcing the king to pay a heavy tribute. Hezekiah built the famous Siloam Tunnel when the water supply was threatened by the approach of the Assyrian forces. Disturbances in Babylonia called the king to that area, and he waged a naval campaign against the Chaldaeans. He laid Elam waste and finally fought both the Chaldaeans and the Elamites at the battle of Halulina (Khaluli; c.691 BC). The exact outcome of the battle is uncertain. Two years later Sennacherib captured and destroyed Babylon. He constructed canals and aqueducts and built a magnificent palace at Nineveh. Two of his sons, jealous of their brother Esar-haddon, murdered Sennacherib. Esar-haddon succeeded to the throne.

Bibliography: See L. L. Homor, Sennacherib's Invasion of Palestine (1926, repr. 1966); B. S. Childs, Isaiah and the Assyrian Crisis (1967).

Sennacherib King of Assyria, 705–681 BCE. He led several campaigns against Babylon, to the south, but the main campaign in the west was in 701 BCE, after Hezekiah king of Judah had organized an alliance of coastal states with some Egyptian support. The Assyrian response was swift and decisive; the coalition collapsed and Hezekiah only saved Jerusalem by paying tribute (2 Kgs. 18: 14–16). Isaiah had counselled defiance. The account in 2 Kgs. 19: 32 ff. that the siege of Jerusalem was suddenly lifted is not corroborated from Assyrian sources. Sennacherib was assassinated by his sons (2 Kgs. 19: 37).