After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem, saying,
After this, Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his messengers to Jerusalem (while he himself was attacking the city of Lachish with his entire army) to speak to Hezekiah king of Judah and to all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem, saying:
The writer is describing how the powerful Assyrian king sent threatening messengers to Jerusalem while he was busy conquering another city with his massive army.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred around 701 BC when the Assyrian Empire was at its peak power and systematically conquering cities throughout the region. Sennacherib was using psychological warfare by sending intimidating messages to Jerusalem while demonstrating his military might by besieging Lachish, a major fortified city in Judah. This was a common Assyrian tactic to terrify enemies into surrender without having to fight.
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