Sennacherib (Suh-nak´uh-rib)

King of Assyria 705–681 BCE. He assumed the throne of the vast Assyrian Empire following the death of his father, Sargon II. Details of his military undertakings are referenced in (2Kgs 18:13-19:37). King Hezekiah of Judah spearheaded an anti-Assyrian coalition of Phoenician, Philistine, and south Syrian states, but the coastal cities succumbed quickly and the full brunt of reprisal was soon directed against Judah. The counsel of the prophet Isaiah not to surrender strengthened Hezekiah’s determination to hold out (2Kgs 19:5-7). But “when all the fortified cities of Judah” had fallen to Sennacherib, Hezekiah capitulated (2Kgs 18:14-16). The siege of Jerusalem was lifted and the city spared destruction. (2Kgs 19:35-36) attributes this to divine intervention.