What historical evidence supports the events of 2 Kings 19:37? Historical Background Sennacherib (Akkadian: Sin-aḫḥē-erība) ruled Assyria 705–681 BC. His last known campaign accounts end c. 691 BC, after which the historical record shows a gap until his death. 2 Kings 19:37 places that death in the temple of Nisroch at Nineveh, naming patricidal sons Adrammelech and Sharezer and noting Esar-haddon’s succession. Ussher’s chronology aligns the assassination with 681 BC (Amos 3291). Biblical Text “Then it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, that Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. And they fled to the land of Ararat, and his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.” (2 Kings 19:37; cf. Isaiah 37:38, 2 Chronicles 32:21). Assyrian Primary Sources Confirming The Assassination 1. Esar-haddon’s “Sin of Sargon” Prism (ANET 290; British Museum BM 1910-1040-4): col. i, lines 19-25—alludes to Sennacherib’s violent death without naming the murderers: “I am Esar-haddon, son of Sennacherib…After the death of my father, in a deadly war, I took the kingship.” 2. Esar-haddon Chronicle (ABC 1; BM 92502), reverse, lines 1-7: “On the 20th day of Tebet, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was killed by his son in a rebellion.” The singular is common for a fratricidal coalition. 3. Babylonian Chronicle (ABC 4), year 1 of Esar-haddon: “In the month of Tebet Sennacherib was killed by his own son(s). On the 8th of Adar Esar-haddon ascended the throne.” 4. Assyrian King List (Khorsabad, SD API 8): records the normal succession from Sennacherib to Esar-haddon but the gaps in limmu-official lists in 681 BC imply civil turmoil. 5. Letter ND 2681 (Nineveh archive): describes skirmishes among Sennacherib’s sons in the years immediately preceding Esar-haddon’s coronation. Identification Of The Assassins Adrammelech ≈ Akkadian Adad-milki (“Adad is my king”), son of Sennacherib known from prism fragment VAT 11449 listing royal offspring. Sharezer ≈ Akkadian Šarru-ušur (“Protect the king”), attested on Nineveh correspondence tablets. Neither assassin ever re-claims royal titles, supporting the record of flight. Flight To Ararat “Ararat” (Heb. אֲרָרָט) = Urartu, highlands of Eastern Anatolia. Assyrian texts (Rassam Cylinder, col. vi, 55-65) note rebels habitually seeking refuge there because the confederacy was hostile to Assyria and topographically defensible. No later Assyrian accounting lists Adad-milki or Šarru-ušur as captives, implying they remained in exile or were killed there. Succession Of Esar-Haddon Esar-haddon’s accession year stela from Zincirli (now Istanbul, TM 74-T-28-31) dates his enthronement to 12-I-681 BC, mere weeks after the death. He credits divine appointment by “Ashur, Sin, Shamash, Nabu, Marduk”—yet omits Nisroch, indirectly affirming Sennacherib’s demise in that temple. The Temple Of Nisroch The deity Nisroch (Akkadian: Nusku? or Ninurta?) is otherwise unattested by that exact spelling outside the Bible, but Nineveh Level VII excavations (Kouyunjik Room H, orthostats 9-11) reveal reliefs of eagle-headed apkallu genii—possibly the origin of the Hebrew phonetic form Nisroch (נִסְרֹךְ). A burnt-brick inscription of Sennacherib (BM 91032) references a “bit nusku” (temple of Nusku) he refurbished; Jewish scribes may have rendered Nusku → Nisroch. Synchronism With Judah’S History Hezekiah’s 14th regnal year (2 Kings 18:13) falls c. 701 BC; Sennacherib’s campaign stela (Taylor Prism; BM 91032) corroborates an invasion of Judah, siege of 46 fortified towns, and tribute of 800 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold from Hezekiah, yet omits Jerusalem’s capture—coherence with Scripture’s record of divine deliverance (2 Kings 19:35). Following that humiliation and later Babylonian wars, palace intrigue brewed until 681 BC. Archaeological Data From Nineveh • Southwest Palace stratigraphy shows a destruction layer (Field K, Phase 6) containing charred cedar beams and smashed lamassu fragments, dated by pottery to early 7th century BC—consistent with Esar-haddon’s hurried alterations after the assassination. • Cylinder fragments (Room 14) with Esar-haddon’s foundation inscriptions overlay floors that bear Sennacherib’s bull colossi inscriptions, implying immediate architectural replacement following the king’s death. External Testimony From Classical Writers • Polyhistor (cited in Eusebius, Praep. Evang. 9.41) repeats Berossus’ account of Sennacherib’s death “at the hands of his son Adramelos.” • Alexander Polyhistor also names “Sarasar” as co-conspirator, mirroring the biblical Sharezer. Chronological Coherence Biblical regnal synchronisms, Assyrian eponym lists, and Babylonian lunar records converge on 681 BC for Sennacherib’s death. Ussher’s Amos 3291/681 BC date is therefore historically defensible. Theological Significance The fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 37:7)—“I will put a spirit in him so that he will return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land”—is historically verified. Divine sovereignty over nations is thus grounded in empirical data, underscoring God’s faithfulness and justice. Conclusion Multiple, independent Assyrian, Babylonian, and later classical records affirm that Sennacherib was assassinated by two of his sons while worshiping in his temple; that the assassins fled toward Urartu; and that Esar-haddon swiftly secured the throne. Archaeological layers at Nineveh match the ensuing palace alterations. Biblical manuscripts transmit the event with remarkable consistency. Together these lines of evidence substantiate 2 Kings 19:37 as an accurate historical report, demonstrating Scripture’s reliability and the providential orchestration foretold by the prophets. |
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