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fear of the majesty of my sovereignty overwhelmed Hezekiah and the Urbi and his trusty
warriors, whom he had brought into his royal city of Jerusalem to protect it, deserted.
And he despatched after me his messenger to my royal city Nineveh to pay tribute and to
make submission with 30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, precious stones, eye paint,
ivory couches and thrones, hides and tusks, precious woods, and diverse objects . . . . ."
Before proceeding a word may not be amiss relative to the different amounts of silver
that Hezekiah is said to have paid. The Scripture says Hezekiah was appointed to pay
300 talents of silver, whereas Sennacherib himself says he received 800 talents. We will
not occupy space by recounting the many ingenious suggestions put forward by
commentators to harmonize these, apparently, conflicting accounts, for there is no
discrepancy, both statements being perfectly true. Mr. Basil T. A. Everts, formerly of the
Assyrian Department of The British Museum, tells us that "The Palestinian talent of silver
was exactly eight-thirds of the Babylonian; the talent of gold, on the other hand, was the
same in both countries." This of course settles the question. Simple arithmetic
demonstrates the perfect agreement of the two accounts.
A question has been raised as to why Sennacherib, after receiving the tribute from
Hezekiah, should come "with a great host against Jerusalem." Urquhart in The New
Biblical Guide says, "The change in Sennacherib's attitude is not formally explained in
the Bible statement, and yet the Bible has all along contained the explanation.
II Chron. 32: 5 gives us special information which puts in our hands the key to this
enigma. We read there that Hezekiah
`built up all the wall that was broken, and raised it up to the towers, and another wall
without, and repaired Millo in the city of David.'
"Hezekiah strengthened the defences of Jerusalem. This was apparently done just after
the tribute was paid. . . . it was an act that looked like preparation for a fresh rebellion;
and Sennacherib himself tells us that this was the cause of his assault upon Jerusalem. In
another inscription, which also details the incidents of this third campaign, he says:--
`As for himself, like a bird in a cage, inside Jerusalem his royal city I shut him up,
FOR HE HAD GIVEN COMMAND TO RENEW THE BULWARKS OF THE GREAT
GATES OF HIS CITY."
In Table case E (No. 92,502) will be found a clay tablet inscribed in the Babylonian
characters. This is a Babylonian Chronicle, and gives a list of the principle events that
took place between the third year of Nabunassir, King of Babylon, and the first year of
Shammash-shum-ukin. In column 3:, lines 34, 35, we read:--
"The 20th Tebet, Sennacherib was slain by his son in a revolt."
Isaiah 37: 38 records his assassination, and also mentions the names of the two
sons implicated in it--Adrammelech and Sharezer. The Prophet goes on to tell us that
Esarhaddon reigned in the stead of Sennacherib. Esarhaddon was not the eldest son, but
was the favourite of Sennacherib, whose will, the earliest will extant, confers upon him
much treasure (Records of the Past, Vol. 1:, page 138).