{"id":66912,"date":"2019-12-14T23:33:16","date_gmt":"2019-12-14T21:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=66912"},"modified":"2023-07-10T21:41:41","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T18:41:41","slug":"sennacheribs-downfall-take-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/sennacheribs-downfall-take-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Sennacherib\u2019s Downfall: Take Two"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hezekiah dispatched a delegation of notables to seek advice from Isaiah himself on <\/span>\u201c<\/span>a day of distress, of chastisement, and of disgrace\u201d (3)<\/span>. <\/span>Malbim* related this incident to an earlier prophecy (recorded in chapter 10) in which God consoled Israel with the assurance that the Assyrians were only \u201cthe staff of My anger\u201d (5) and that their incursion into Judah would be halted at Nob, just short of Jerusalem (32). Here (v.3), he elaborated as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah had already prophesied to them that Sennacherib would falter at Mt. Zion and explained, there, that his downfall would occur after two things would precede it. (A) He would have to curse and blaspheme the preeminent Lord (10:8-20), and (B) Zion\u2019s salvation would occur only at the end of her distress, at the darkest time of night (24 f.). Therefore, now he stipulated that the conditions had been met.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. This was indeed a \u201cday of distress\u201d because the enemy had reached the gates of Jerusalem.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. It was a day of \u201cdisgrace\u201d because [Sennecharib\/ Rab Shakeh] had cursed and blasphemed God.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. It was also a day of \u201cchastisement\u201d since he had come to demonstrate that God would not save them, which would lead people to assert that He was incapable of salvation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Just like a woman in childbirth sitting on the birthing stool, who despite the great pain [recognizes] that the birth is near, so, we shall know that salvation is near. However, just as she lacks the strength to give birth, so do we lack the mitzvot and good deeds that are the force that will naturally propel [our deliverance] outwards.<\/span><\/p>\n

    By utilizing the metaphor of birthing, with which the verse concludes, Malbim draws our attention to the fact that national salvation, too, comes at considerable physical exertion and spiritual energy.<\/span><\/p>\n

    *For the significance of Malbim\u2019s commentary to the Book of Isaiah,<\/span> see our introduction to chapter 1.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","image":false,"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"Sennecharib\u2019s Downfall: Take Two","main_caption":"Just like a woman in childbirth sitting on the birthing stool, who despite the great pain recognizes that the birth is near, so, we shall know that salvation is near","main_caption_size":"2","sub_caption":"","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":false,"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66912"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116586,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66912\/revisions\/116586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}