2 Chronicles 32:22

Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria,.... As most clearly appeared; for no stroke was struck but by him: and from the hand of all other; the Arabic version adds,"who were round about them;''who by this defeat were deterred from attacking them: and guided them on every side: and guarded them all around, as a shepherd leads his flock, where they may be secure from all dangers.

32:1-23 Those who trust God with their safety, must use proper means, else they tempt him. God will provide, but so must we also. Hezekiah gathered his people together, and spake comfortably to them. A believing confidence in God, will raise us above the prevailing fear of man. Let the good subjects and soldiers of Jesus Christ, rest upon his word, and boldly say, Since God is for us, who can be against us? By the favour of God, enemies are lost, and friends gained.

2 Chronicles 32:22-23. Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem — By this work of wonder he was glorified as the Protector and Saviour of his people; from the hand of Sennacherib, and of all others — For such a deliverance as this was an earnest of great mercy in store for them; and guided them on every side — That is, defended them from all their enemies; just as a shepherd doth his sheep, which he leads into places of safety. And many brought gifts unto the Lord — When they were convinced he had such wonderful power, having seen it exerted for the defence of his people, strangers were thereby induced to supplicate his favour, and those who had been enemies to him and his people, to deprecate his wrath; and both brought gifts to his temple, in token of their desire of the former, or fear of the latter. And presents to Hezekiah — In token of the esteem and honour in which they held him, and to obtain an interest in him. So that he was magnified in the sight of all nations — Or, of all those nations; namely, the nations which were not very remote from Canaan, and heard of these things.

Verse 22. - This verse, with the notification of Hezekiah's great deliverance from the hand of the King of Assyria, summarizes also his various other deliverances, with tacit reference to such suggestion of other conflicts as we have in 2 Kings 18:7, 8 . Guided them on every sid e. The Septuagint reads, gave them rest. This suits the connection as regards meaning best, and also as regards the immediately following adverb, "on every side." It has also in our present book the correspondences of ch. 14:6; 15:15; and especially 2 Chronicles 20:30 , with the Hebrew words of which, an easily supposed rectification brings it into exact agreement. 2 Chronicles 32:22

(22) Thus. — And. The whole verse is the chronicler’s own comment on the preceding narrative. (Comp. 2Kings 18:7 .) The hand of all.—Some MSS. appropriately add his enemies, an expression which may have fallen out of the text. And guided them on every side (round about).—A somewhat unusual phrase. The conjecture, “and gave them rest round about (wayyānah Iāhem for wayyĕnahālēm), appears correct. (See 2Chronicles 14:6; 2Chronicles 15:15; 2Chronicles 20:30; 1Chronicles 22:18.) So the LXX. and Vulg.

Conclusion of this event. So the Lord helped, etc., מיּד־כּל, and out of the hand of all, sc. his enemies; but we need not on that account, with some manuscripts, bring איביו into the text. וינהלם, and protected them round about. נהל, to lead, guide, with the additional idea of care and protection ( Psalm 31:4 ; Isaiah 49:10 ; Isaiah 51:18 ); and consequently here, protect, defend. There is therefore no need of the conjecture להם ויּנח להם erut, which Berth. holds to be the original reading, without considering that, though מסּביב ויּנח is a current phrase with the chronicler (cf. 2 Chronicles 14:6 ; 2 Chronicles 15:15 ; 2 Chronicles 20:30 ; 1 Chronicles 22:18 ), the supposition that these words became וינהלם מס by an orthographical error is not at all probable.

Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah cry to God; he answers, and the Assyrians are destroyed, and Sennacherib is slain by his own sons, 2 Chronicles 32:20, 2 Chronicles 32:21. The Lord is magnified, 2 Chronicles 32:22, 2 Chronicles 32:23. Hezekiah's sickness and recovery, 2 Chronicles 32:24. His ingratitude, 2 Chronicles 32:25. His humiliation, 2 Chronicles 32:26. His riches, 2 Chronicles 32:27-30. His error relative to the Babylonish ambassadors, 2 Chronicles 32:31. His acts and death, 2 Chronicles 32:32, 2 Chronicles 32:33. Verse 1 After these things - God did not permit this pious prince to be disturbed till he had completed the reformation which he had begun. 2CHRONICLES 32: 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come, and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem, Verse 2 When Hezekiah saw - This was in the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah; and at first the Jewish king bought him off at the great price of three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold; and even emptied his own treasures, and spoiled the house of the Lord, to gratify the oppressive avarice of the Assyrian king.