MPV Commentary

Sennacherib Sends a Blasphemous Letter to Hezekiah.

8. Rab-shakeh, having found the king of Assyria waging war against Libnah, reported back to Sennacherib on his mission. Although it's unclear whether Lachish had fallen, Sennacherib had moved his battering-rams against the nearby fortress of Libnah (Joshua 10:29; compare Joshua 10:31 and 15:42), where the chief cup-bearer informed him of the execution of his orders.

9-13. When he heard that Tirhakah, king of Upper Egypt, was advancing to fight against him, Sennacherib sent a menacing letter to Hezekiah. This was the rumor Isaiah had mentioned earlier (2 Kings 19:7). Tirhakah and So (or Sabaco), who ruled in Lower Egypt, were powerful monarchs, leaving many monuments of their greatness behind. The image of Tirhakah receiving war captives can still be seen in the Egyptian temple of Medinet Abou. Sennacherib's letter was a sneer at Hezekiah for allying himself with Egypt, or perhaps a hope that he would be better equipped to face this southern attack. In response, Sennacherib sent a letter meant to force Hezekiah into an immediate surrender of his capital. This letter, written in the same boastful and imperious style as Rab-shakeh's speech, exceeded it in blasphemy, listing many conquered places to terrify Hezekiah and demonstrate the hopelessness of any resistance.