The account of Sancheiriv is recorded in the Book of Melachim, repeated in the Book of Yeshayahu, and presented a third time here in Divrei HaYamim II, Chapter 32. In Melachim and Yeshayahu, the narrative appears in great detail, and there we have already studied it thoroughly according to the Malbim. Here, by comparison, the account is shorter, and therefore we will not elaborate on every detail; rather, we will cite the sections that the Malbim quotes or references so that we may understand the matters in their proper context. As noted several times, Ezra does not simply copy everything, since the main narrative can already be learned there; he comes only to introduce key points or to elaborate on matters that were not detailed in the earlier books.
כֹּה אָמַר סַנְחֵרִיב מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר: עַל מָה אַתֶּם בֹּטְחִים וְיֹשְׁבִים בְּמָצוֹר בִּירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - Thus said Sancheiriv, king of Assyria: On what do you rely, that you sit under siege in Jerusalem?
His argument is directed at what is written in the Book of Melachim concerning Chizkiyahu: "He trusted in Hashem, the God of Israel," and immediately afterward, "and he rebelled against the king of Assyria." To this, he says to them: On what do you rely that you dare rebel against me, and as a result, you are now forced to sit under siege and die of hunger and thirst? The Metzudas David explains: it would be one thing if you were to achieve something through this - sitting under siege and ultimately being freed. But here, the exact opposite is true: you have no basis for trust, for ultimately you will be delivered into my hands. If so, wouldn't it be better to surrender into my hands right now and avoid paying the price of hunger and thirst in the meantime? You are paying a price that you could have spared yourselves, because either way, you will be handed over to me.
The Malbim adds that in Melachim and Yeshayahu it is mentioned that Sancheiriv sent messengers to him a second time, when he went out to wage war against the king of Cush. Ezra condensed the content of these messages, choosing specifically to highlight how he blasphemed against Hashem, claiming, as it were, that He could not save them from him. And because of this, as recorded in Yeshayahu, he ultimately fell by the sword - because of his blasphemy and reviling of Heaven.
הֲלֹא יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ מַסִּית אֶתְכֶם לָתֵת אֶתְכֶם לָמוּת בְּרָעָב וּבְצָמָא לֵאמֹר: יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יַצִּילֵנוּ מִכַּף מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר׃ - Does not Chizkiyahu incite you, to deliver you over to die of famine and thirst, saying: Hashem our God will rescue us from the hand of the king of Assyria?
This is Chizkiyahu's incitement, as he supposedly tells you that you will gain. And what will you truly gain? You will die here of hunger - that is your entire gain. Chizkiyahu indeed thinks and hopes that you can be saved, but I tell you that this is nothing but deceitful instigation. What is the proposition he offers you? To die of starvation. You will have no deliverance. "Hashem will rescue us" is not true security, and you have nothing upon which to rely.
הֲלֹא הוּא יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ הֵסִיר אֶת בָּמֹתָיו וְאֶת מִזְבְּחֹתָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לִיהוּדָה וְלִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לֵאמֹר: לִפְנֵי מִזְבֵּחַ אֶחָד תִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ וְעָלָיו תַּקְטִירוּ׃ - Was it not this very Chizkiyahu who removed His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, saying: Before one altar shall you prostrate yourselves, and upon it shall you burn incense?
Now he explains to them why they have no grounds to trust in Hashem: realize that Chizkiyahu has angered the Master of the World. (It should be noted at the outset that this was the pagan mindset of that gentile king, not the truth of the matter.) His intention was to say: even if his God possessed the power to help, He would not wish to help him, for Chizkiyahu sinned against Him - removing the high places, dismantling the altars, and telling Judah and Jerusalem, "Before one altar shall you prostrate yourselves." Would it not be better if Judah bowed before one altar while Jerusalem had two or three altars? Such a vast nation - and only one altar?! Surely he did something contrary to the Divine will.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains that Sancheiriv was convinced that everything mentioned regarding Chizkiyahu - such as cutting down the asherah trees and the like - had all been established for the sake of Hashem. Nor should one wonder at his error, for the high places had indeed originally been built for the sake of Hashem. Seeing that Chizkiyahu abolished high places erected in the Name of Hashem, he assumed that the asheros had also been dedicated to Hashem, and that destroying them served only to anger Hashem, blessed be He. Thus, in Sancheiriv's view, Chizkiyahu had provoked the Master of the World, and He no longer had any interest in coming to his aid.
הֲלֹא תֵדְעוּ מֶה עָשִׂיתִי אֲנִי וַאֲבוֹתַי לְכֹל עַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת, הֲיָכוֹל יָכְלוּ אֱלֹהֵי גּוֹיֵ הָאֲרָצוֹת לְהַצִּיל אֶת אַרְצָם מִיָּדִי׃ - "Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands at all able to rescue their land from my hand?"
מִי בְּכָל אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱרִימוּ אֲבוֹתַי אֲשֶׁר יָכוֹל לְהַצִּיל אֶת עַמּוֹ מִיָּדִי, כִּי יוּכַל אֱלֹהֵיכֶם לְהַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדִי׃ - "Who among all the gods of these nations that my fathers destroyed was able to rescue his people from my hand, that your God should be able to rescue you from my hand?"
His argument is that history proves that no one could stand against me. Even though all these lands had powerful and mighty gods, they were unable to rescue them from my hand. "My fathers destroyed" refers to Pul, king of Assyria, and Tiglath-Pileser, whom we saw come and wage war against Israel. If so, why do you think you can stand against me?
In Melachim and Yeshayahu, we saw an additional claim: If you ask, "Are you comparing Hashem to all the gods of the lands?" he answers: Yes, absolutely - for I conquered Shomron. And who is the God there? It is the Holy One, blessed be He; that is His people. Try explaining to a gentile mindset that they rebelled against Hashem's word and He was the One who brought you there to conquer them, and that all of this was punishment for their evil deeds! But in his perception, the Jewish people have a God, and this God failed to save them. If He did not save Shomron - your brothers - why do you think He could, or would want to, save you? And even if He wanted to, why would He have any interest after you removed His altars?
וְעַתָּה אַל יַשִּׁיא אֶתְכֶם חִזְקִיָּהוּ וְאַל יַסִּית אֶתְכֶם כָּזֹאת וְאַל תַּאֲמִינוּ לוֹ, כִּי לֹא יוּכַל כָּל אֱלוֹהַּ כָּל גּוֹי וּמַמְלָכָה לְהַצִּיל עַמּוֹ מִיָּדִי וּמִיַּד אֲבוֹתָי, אַף כִּי אֱלֹהֵיכֶם לֹא יַצִּילוּ אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדִי׃ - "Now, therefore, do not let Chizkiyahu deceive you or incite you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to rescue his people from my hand and from the hand of my fathers; how much less will your God rescue you from my hand!"
Notice: Here he speaks over the head of Chizkiyahu. He addresses the people directly, and we will soon see this even more clearly - how he bypasses Chizkiyahu and does not speak with him at all. There is nothing to discuss with Chizkiyahu, but there is reason to speak to the people, so they understand that Chizkiyahu is only bringing harm upon them, and that I can deliver them from his troubles and save them from death, if only they agree to become my servants. "Any god of any nation and kingdom" means the god of every nation and every kingdom. "How much less your God" - all the more so your God; since Chizkiyahu removed His high places and is at odds with Him, He certainly will not help you. And yashia ("deceive") - as in hishi'ani va'ochel ("it deceived me, and I ate"), an expression of seduction and deceit.
וְעוֹד דִּבְּרוּ עֲבָדָיו עַל יְהֹוָה הָאֱלֹהִים וְעַל יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ עַבְדּוֹ׃ - "And his servants spoke yet more against Hashem, God, and against Chizkiyahu His servant."
That is, they spoke even further words of reproach and blasphemy.
וּסְפָרִים כָּתַב לְחָרֵף לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלֵאמֹר עָלָיו לֵאמֹר: כֵּאלֹהֵי גּוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא הִצִּילוּ עַמָּם מִיָּדִי, כֵּן לֹא יַצִּיל אֱלֹהֵי יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ עַמּוֹ מִיָּדִי׃ - "He also wrote letters to insult Hashem, God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying: 'Like the gods of the nations of the lands, who did not rescue their people from my hand, so the God of Chizkiyahu will not rescue His people from my hand.'"
"Sefarim" in the language of the Prophets means letters, not a book in the sense we use the word today. Pseudo-Rashi notes that in the Book of Melachim and the Book of Yeshayahu it is written, "And Chizkiyahu took the letters from the hand of the messengers and read them, and Chizkiyahu went up to the House of Hashem and spread them out before Hashem" - he spread the letters before the Holy One, Blessed be He, as if saying: Master of the Universe, see how they revile and blaspheme against You; the battle is Yours. And the Malbim emphasizes that here we have an addition to what is written there, for there it does not mention what was written in the letters, while Ezra comes and explains that blasphemies against Hashem were written in them - "to revile Hashem, the God of Israel."
וַיִּקְרְאוּ בְקוֹל גָּדוֹל יְהוּדִית עַל עַם יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם אֲשֶׁר עַל הַחוֹמָה, לְיָרְאָם וּלְבַהֲלָם, לְמַעַן יִלְכְּדוּ אֶת הָעִיר׃ - And they called out in a loud voice in Judean to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten them and terrify them, in order that they might take the city.
"In Judean" - in the Hebrew tongue, in the language the people understood. As mentioned, he bypassed Chizkiyahu and addressed the people directly, his entire goal being "to frighten them and terrify them" - psychological warfare. The first to invent this weapon was Goliath, who went out to taunt and blaspheme the battle ranks of the living God, and the one who perfected it after him was Sancheiriv: you have no power, you are unable, you are incapable. This was long before "The Voice of Thunder from Cairo," when the Arabs broadcast in Hebrew and made psychological warfare of it (which, because of their blunders, also generated many jokes). The United States in Vietnam also employed this tactic: they set up loudspeakers in the jungles and terrified the Viet Cong with messages, "We have you surrounded, we are about to destroy you," in order to wage psychological warfare.
Here Ezra omitted the specific details, so let us quote several verses from II Melachim chapter 18: "Then Elyakim son of Chilkiyahu, Shevnah, and Yo'ach said to Ravshakeh: 'Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak with us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.'" This disturbed them greatly, and they pleaded with him to speak in Aramaic, which was the language of the nobility, sensing that speaking in Judean struck fear into the hearts of the people. "And Ravshakeh said to them: 'Has my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Is it not to the men sitting on the wall, who will eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?'" In other words: You think the message is intended for your master and for you? The message is directed at the people.
And he continues: "Then Ravshakeh stood and cried out in a loud voice in Judean, saying: 'Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: Do not let Chizkiyahu deceive you, for he will not be able to save you from his hand. And do not let Chizkiyahu cause you to trust in Hashem, saying, "Hashem will surely save us, and this city will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria." Do not listen to Chizkiyahu, for thus says the king of Assyria: Make peace with me and come out to me, and let each man eat of his vine and each of his fig tree, and let each drink the water of his cistern.'" This was in contrast to what he had told them earlier - that in the city they would eat their dung and drink their urine due to famine - whereas I am offering you vine, fig tree, and cistern water. "'Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive oil and honey, that you may live and not die.'" His practice was to exile nations from place to place, so he said: I have another place for you; I do not want to kill you, only to exile you, because Chizkiyahu rebelled against me.
And he continues his argument: "'Did any of the gods of the nations ever rescue his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Chamat and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sefarvayim, Hena, and Ivah? Did they rescue Samaria from my hand? Who among all the gods of the lands rescued their land from my hand, that Hashem should rescue Jerusalem from my hand?'" - again the same claim, that your God cannot either, for I already conquered Samaria. "And the people remained silent and did not answer him a word, for the king's command was, saying, 'Do not answer him.' Then Elyakim son of Chilkiyah, who was over the household, Shevnah the scribe, and Yo'ach son of Asaf the recorder came to Chizkiyahu with torn clothes, and told him the words of Ravshakeh" - for one who hears blasphemy must tear his garments, and therefore they came with torn garments.
וַיְדַבְּרוּ אֶל אֱלֹהֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם כְּעַל אֱלֹהֵי עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי הָאָדָם׃ - And they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of human hands.
Here Ezra laments and says: Look at the audacity and sheer insolence. They speak of the God of Jerusalem as though He were like the gods of the peoples of the earth, which are the work of human hands. He equates the Holy One, Blessed be He, with idols - as if He were just like them: they did not save from my hand, and He too will not be able to save from my hand.
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ הַמֶּלֶךְ וִישַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא עַל זֹאת, וַיִּזְעֲקוּ הַשָּׁמָיִם׃ - And King Yechizkiyahu and the prophet Yeshayahu the son of Amoz prayed concerning this, and they cried out to the Heavens.
The commentary attributed to Rashi, as well as the Malbim, note that the text of Chizkiyahu's prayer is recorded in the earlier books, and Ezra comes to convey a novelty here - that Yeshayahu also prayed, something that does not appear there, but only here.
And what was the prayer? Let us return to II Kings 19: "And it came to pass, when King Chizkiyahu heard it, that he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the House of Hashem. And he sent Elyakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the Kohanim, covered with sackcloth, to Yeshayahu the prophet, the son of Amotz. And they said to him: 'Thus says Chizkiyahu: This day is a day of trouble, of rebuke, and of blasphemy; for the children have come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be that Hashem your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which Hashem your God has heard; wherefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.'" And Yeshayahu answers: "Thus shall you say to your master: Thus says Hashem: 'Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear a rumor, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land'" - "I will put a spirit in him" means I will alter his spirit so that he will return to his land, and there he will fall by the sword.
And further: "And Chizkiyahu received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Chizkiyahu went up to the House of Hashem and spread it before Hashem" - as if to say: Master of the Universe, see the reproaches and blasphemies they have written before You! "And Chizkiyahu prayed before Hashem, and said: 'Hashem, God of Israel, Who dwells above the cherubim, You are God alone of all the kingdoms of the earth; You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, Hashem, and hear; open Your eyes, Hashem, and see; and hear the words of Sancheiriv, who has sent him to reproach the living God. Truly, Hashem, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them. Now therefore, Hashem our God, save us, I beseech You, out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You, Hashem, are God alone.'"
And then the response came: "Then Yeshayahu the son of Amotz sent to Chizkiyahu, saying: 'Thus says Hashem, God of Israel: That which you have prayed to Me against Sancheiriv king of Assyria, I have heard. This is the word that Hashem has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and mocked you; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you. Whom have you reproached and blasphemed, and against whom have you raised your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel! By your messengers you have reproached the Lord, and have said: With the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypresses, and I will enter into its farthest lodging, into the forest of its fruitful field'" - meaning, you boast that you will reach all the way to the Beit HaMikdash. "'I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of Egypt'" - I do not even need others to supply water for me; "karti" comes from digging and excavating in the ground, and thereby I drank strange waters. And "with the sole of my feet have I dried up" - with the soles of my shoes, for my army dries up the Jordan as it crosses; each soldier takes a little more water until the river runs dry.
And the prophet continues: "Have you not heard? Long ago I made it, and from ancient days I formed it; now I have brought it to pass, that you should lay waste fortified cities into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants were of small power, they were dismayed and confounded; they were as the grass of the field, and as the green herb, as the grass on the housetops, and as grain blasted before it is grown up. But I know your sitting down, and your going out, and your coming in, and your raging against Me. Because of your raging against Me, and because your tumult has come up into My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips" - the hook and bridle are the implements by which a beast is led. "And I will turn you back by the way by which you came. And this shall be the sign to you: You shall eat this year what grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs of the same, and in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit. And the remnant that has survived of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and survivors from Mount Zion; the zeal of Hashem of Hosts will perform this. Therefore, thus says Hashem concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with a shield, nor cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and into this city he shall not come, says Hashem. For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for the sake of David My servant." And the conclusion of the episode: "And it came to pass that night, that an angel of Hashem went forth and struck down in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses! So Sancheiriv king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat; and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place." All of this is presented at length in Kings and in Isaiah, and it is brought here only as supplementary background, without expounding the verses, as the entire matter was explained there at length according to the Malbim.
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהֹוָה מַלְאָךְ וַיַּכְחֵד כָּל גִּבּוֹר חַיִל וְנָגִיד וְשָׂר בְּמַחֲנֵה מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר, וַיָּשָׁב בְּבֹשֶׁת פָּנִים לְאַרְצוֹ, וַיָּבֹא בֵּית אֱלֹהָיו וּמִיצִיאֵי מֵעָיו שָׁם הִפִּילֻהוּ בֶחָרֶב׃ - And Hashem sent an angel who annihilated every mighty warrior, leader, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria, and he returned with shamefacedness to his land; and when he entered the house of his god, those who came forth from his own loins felled him there with the sword.
The angel of Hashem strikes down one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp - and Chazal state that these were generals and army commanders, whereas the army as a whole numbered in the millions. It is also related that the Holy One, blessed be He, opened their ears to hear the song of the angels, and in this was their death: the soul is torn away, unable to bear it, and cleaves to the celestial realms. They awaken in the morning - and behold, they are all dead corpses. As noted elsewhere, this account is known even to secular historians, who describe that "a mysterious plague struck Sancheiriv's army." We know the true nature of that plague, how it arrived, and why it came; to them, it remains a mysterious plague.
וַיּוֹשַׁע יְהֹוָה אֶת יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ וְאֵת יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם מִיַּד סַנְחֵרִיב מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר וּמִיַּד כֹּל, וַיְנַהֲלֵם מִסָּבִיב׃ - Thus Hashem saved Chizkiyahu and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sancheiriv the king of Assyria, and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side.
"And guided them" - the Metzudat David explains: He led them gently and with compassion.
וְרַבִּים מְבִיאִים מִנְחָה לַיהֹוָה לִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם וּמִגְדָּנוֹת לִיחִזְקִיָּהוּ מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה, וַיִּנַּשֵּׂא לְעֵינֵי כָל הַגּוֹיִם מֵאַחֲרֵי כֵן׃ - And many brought gifts to Hashem to Jerusalem, and precious things to Chizkiyahu king of Judah; so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations from then on.
There are two elements here: a tribute to Hashem - for they recognized the greatness of the Creator and knew that Hashem performed all these miracles for them; and on the other hand, precious gifts to Chizkiyahu. "Precious gifts" (migdanot), the Metzudat Tziyon explains, denotes something of prime quality, whether fruit, clothing, or precious stones. They brought him tribute in the manner customary for a king, and because Hashem performed such a miracle for him, he became exalted and honored in the eyes of all the nations. Here the matter is stated briefly, because there was also another miracle here, about which we will read immediately.
בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם חָלָה יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ עַד לָמוּת, וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל אֶל יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ וּמוֹפֵת נָתַן לוֹ׃ - "In those days Chizkiyahu became ill unto death, and he prayed to the Lord, and He spoke to him and gave him a wonder."
Chizkiyahu fell ill and reached the gates of death; he prayed to Hashem, was answered, and a wonder was given to him. The Malbim asks: why does it say "a sign" (ot) there [in Kings and Isaiah], whereas here it says "a wonder" (mofet)? He answers: because some indulged in philosophizing - that is, there were philosophers who refused to understand the matter literally. There it states that the sun receded ten degrees backward, and they wanted to say that the sun itself did not go back, but only the shadow receded while the sun remained in its place, since they found it difficult to accept that the Holy One, blessed be He, would perform such a miracle and move the sun from its course, as the Ralbag cited there. Therefore, Ezra comes and alters the expression: not an "ot" (sign) but a "mofet" (wonder), and a wonder is an extraordinary phenomenon that departs from the laws of nature. This teaches us that the sun itself went back ten degrees, unlike their view that the change was merely in the shadow while the sun continued along its normal course.
וְלֹא כִגְמֻל עָלָיו הֵשִׁיב יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ כִּי גָבַהּ לִבּוֹ, וַיְהִי עָלָיו קֶצֶף וְעַל יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - "Yet Chizkiyahu did not render according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath came upon him, and upon Yehudah and Yerushalayim."
The meaning of the text is: he did not respond in kind to the kindness the Holy One, blessed be He, bestowed upon him - healing him and saving him from the hand of Sancheriv. In spite of all this goodness, he conducted himself with pride when emissaries came to visit him and he showed them his entire treasure-house. Here, Ezra does not elaborate, but we will mention the matter from the other books where it is described at length.
The Malbim explains: We have already explained there that the purpose of the wonder was to elevate the standing of Israel, so that the nations would fear them and not wage war against them. He, however, attributed the miracle to himself - as if to say, "The miracle was performed for me because I am worthy and upright." Furthermore, the phrase "his heart was lifted up" also includes his amassing of treasures of silver and gold, as we will soon see. After all, a king is warned: "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold," "that his heart not be lifted up above his brethren." Thus his heart was lifted up by going and amassing treasures of silver and gold for himself.
וַיִּכָּנַע יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ בְּגֹבַהּ לִבּוֹ הוּא וְיוֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם, וְלֹא בָא עֲלֵיהֶם קֶצֶף יְהֹוָה בִּימֵי יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ׃ - "Then Chizkiyahu humbled himself for the pride of his heart, he and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Chizkiyahu."
He humbled himself, as seen from the other sources, and this caused the Holy One, blessed be He, to tell him that the wrath would not strike during his lifetime, but rather in the days of his sons. We see, therefore, that there was genuine submission on his part.
וַיְהִי לִיחִזְקִיָּהוּ עֹשֶׁר וְכָבוֹד הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד, וְאֹצָרוֹת עָשָׂה לוֹ לְכֶסֶף וּלְזָהָב וּלְאֶבֶן יְקָרָה וְלִבְשָׂמִים וּלְמָגִנִּים וּלְכֹל כְּלֵי חֶמְדָּה׃ - "And Chizkiyahu had exceedingly much riches and honor; and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of desirable vessels."
Chizkiyahu amassed exceedingly great wealth, and as the Malbim noted, this was part of the cause for the wrath against him.
וּמִסְכְּנוֹת לִתְבוּאַת דָּגָן וְתִירוֹשׁ וְיִצְהָר, וְאֻרָוֹת לְכָל בְּהֵמָה וּבְהֵמָה, וַעֲדָרִים לָאֲוֵרֹת׃ - "Storehouses also for the harvest of grain, new wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of beasts, and folds for the flocks."
"Miskenot" means storehouses, as in "Vayiven arei miskenot le-Pharaoh" - "And he built storage cities for Pharaoh." Thus, he constructed storage facilities for produce: grain, new wine, and oil. "Uravot" (stalls) refers to the places where animals, especially horses, were kept. And what are "adarim la'averot"? "Averot" is a plural form related to avir (air/open space), meaning open-air enclosures. The Malbim explains, as he elaborated in Chavakuk, that the word urvah (stable/stall) derives from the word avir (air), because a horse requires a spacious place with abundant air. If animals stand out in the open air rather than in enclosed pens, that place is termed an avira - an open-air area; if they are kept inside enclosures, it is called an urvah. Thus, what is stated here, "flocks for averot," refers to a place with ample air, an unenclosed area.
וְעָרִים עָשָׂה לוֹ וּמִקְנֵה צֹאן וּבָקָר לָרֹב, כִּי נָתַן לוֹ אֱלֹהִים רְכוּשׁ רַב מְאֹד׃ - "Moreover he acquired cities, and possessions of flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him very much substance."
וְהוּא יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ סָתַם אֶת מוֹצָא מֵימֵי גִיחוֹן הָעֶלְיוֹן וַיַּישְּׁרֵם לְמַטָּה מַּעְרָבָה לְעִיר דָּוִיד, וַיַּצְלַח יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂהוּ׃ - "This same Chizkiyahu also stopped the upper spring of the waters of Gichon, and brought them straight down to the west side of the City of David. And Chizkiyahu prospered in all his works."
Chizkiyahu blocked the upper source of the Gichon waters, and "brought them straight down" - channeled them along a direct path westward to the City of David. Radak explains that the Gichon spring had two streams: he blocked the upper stream and directed the waters of the spring straight down to the City of David. However, Radak raises a difficulty: Chazal taught that "he stopped up the waters of Gichon, and they [the Sages] did not agree with him," yet earlier it is written, "He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains," and these leaders included the Sages of Israel, for the heads of thousands were the scholars and judges. If so, why does the Gemara say that they did not agree with him? After all, one can see that the Sages of the generation concurred with him! Radak explains: I found a Midrash that resolved this for me; in the Agadah I found, "He stopped up the waters of Gichon, and his intention coincided with the mind of the Omnipresent." That is, the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with his reasoning; and even though the Sages did not approve, the Holy One, blessed be He, took Chizkiyahu's side and approved of his deed.
The Malbim adds: Everything enumerated here was done by Chizkiyahu on his own initiative, since the Sages did not concur with him. Here, Scripture tells us that although he acted without the consent of the Sages, see how he succeeded in his endeavors. And why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, made this a trial for him: to see whether he would rely on the word of Hashem or seek out all sorts of human stratagems to secure his safety against enemies who might come upon him.
וְכֵן בִּמְלִיצֵי שָׂרֵי בָבֶל הַמְשַׁלְּחִים עָלָיו לִדְרֹשׁ הַמּוֹפֵת אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בָאָרֶץ, עֲזָבוֹ הָאֱלֹהִים לְנַסּוֹתוֹ לָדַעַת כָּל בִּלְבָבוֹ׃ - "However, in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart."
"Melitzei" means emissaries or envoys, as in "ki hamelitz beinotam" ("for an interpreter was between them"), since a messenger mediates between the sender and the recipient; "melitzei sarei Bavel" thus denotes the emissaries of the king of Babylon. After all this tremendous success, the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to test him to know all that was in his heart. Consequently, the Babylonian envoys were dispatched to him, coming "to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land" - to understand what had occurred in the land regarding the movement of the sun. The Midrash relates that the king of Babylon arose in the morning and asked, "Why was I not awakened until such a late hour?" They told him, "The sun turned backward." He said to them, "What nonsense are you talking?" They replied, "Come and see, this is what happened." He investigated on whose behalf this miracle had been performed and discovered it was for Chizkiyahu. Thereupon Merodach-baladan, son of Baladan, sent men to Chizkiyahu out of profound esteem for a man worthy of having the Holy One, blessed be He, alter the course of the sun in his honor. And "God left him," as Metzudat David explains, means that He did not tilt his heart toward good or toward evil, but left him to his absolute free will, with the objective "to test him."
Let us read the account in Yeshayahu chapter 39: "At that time Merodach-baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Chizkiyahu, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. And Chizkiyahu rejoiced over them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Chizkiyahu did not show them." Chazal add that he even brought out a Sefer Torah to show them. The Malbim explains there: "And Chizkiyahu rejoiced over them" indicates that he did not rejoice over the emissaries themselves, for he knew they did not come out of genuine affection; rather, he rejoiced because of the opportunity they provided - that through them he could boast and demonstrate: "Look how precious and esteemed I am in the eyes of Hashem! See what wealth and glory the Holy One, blessed be He, has granted me!" Here, he essentially took the miracle that Hashem performed for the entirety of Israel and appropriated it for himself, as though it had transpired purely on account of his own importance and virtue.
In doing so, says the Malbim, he committed a twofold sin. One was a sin against the wisdom of governance: what he did was not wise at all, for a simple reason - if you understand that they have come as spies, what logic is there in showing spies how rich you are? You only whetted their appetite. You showed them your entire treasure-house, and they realized that if they invade Chizkiyahu's land, there is a vast amount of spoils to take. The second was a sin against Hashem: the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One Who granted you all this wealth, and He Himself commanded you not to flaunt it, as it is written, "That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren," and "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." Yet you went and acted in direct opposition to Hashem's will: your heart became haughty through your wealth, and you even took pride in it and exhibited it for all to see.
The narrative continues: "Then Yeshayahu the prophet came to King Chizkiyahu and said to him: What did these men say, and from where did they come to you? And Chizkiyahu said: They came to me from a far country, from Babylon. And he said: What have they seen in your house? And Chizkiyahu said: They have seen everything in my house; there was nothing among my treasures that I did not show them. Then Yeshayahu said to Chizkiyahu: Hear the word of the Lord of Hosts: Behold, days are coming when everything in your house, and which your fathers have stored up until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord."
The Malbim there, in Yeshayahu 39, asks: What was his sin that warranted such a severe punishment? Is a king forbidden to display his treasury? After all, with Shlomo we saw that he displayed his vast wealth with pride. And in Divrei HaYamim - here in our chapter - it mentions that Chizkiyahu's heart grew haughty and wrath came upon Yehudah and Yerushalayim; why is this called haughtiness of heart if he acted in all innocence? Furthermore, it is mentioned here that God left him in the hands of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon to test him, to know all that was in his heart - why did He need to test him, and what was the purpose of this? And also, why should the punishment fall upon his children, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge"? Did Yerushalayim not sin sufficiently grievous sins without this sin of Chizkiyahu, to require saying that kings would come and seize everything in Yerushalayim? After all, exile had already been decreed for the sins of Menasheh, on account of the idol he placed in the Heichal and more.
"Then Chizkiyahu said to Yeshayahu: The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good. And he said: For there shall be peace and truth in my days." This is astonishing, and the Malbim asks: How can he say "The word of the Lord is good" merely because "there will be peace in my days"? Does a father not care for his children? You are being informed that your actions will cause suffering to your children, and not only are you untroubled by their suffering, you are not even bothered by the fact that you yourself caused it - that you brought these troubles upon them!
First of all, the Malbim explains, within Yeshayahu's words there are two answers. First: you think there is nothing to fear because "they came to me from a far country" - they are not attacking now, they do not live near me, and I will not see mortar shells or rockets from them; why should I worry about them? To this the prophet tells him: now you will see that precisely because they saw your treasures, they were incited to come from afar. They will realize it is lucrative, and they will arrive from a distant land. And additionally, he tells him: you committed an improper deed here. And we see that Chizkiyahu repented and admitted his error, realizing that he had acted foolishly.
And what was meant by his words, "The word that you have spoken is good, for there shall be peace and truth in my days"? Here the Malbim offers a truly wondrous explanation. When a prophecy contains both good and evil together, one should rejoice over the good part, and over the bad part one does not necessarily need to despair. Why? Because a prophecy of good will inevitably be fulfilled, whereas a prophecy of calamity can potentially be averted, for the Holy One, blessed be He, relents of evil, and if they repent they can annul it. Therefore Chizkiyahu says: How wonderful! Here I have a promise that there will be peace and truth in my days, a promise I did not have until now - I will have no wars, there will be peace and truth, and God will not retract this, for the Holy One, blessed be He, never retracts a promise of good, come what may. On the other hand, what was said regarding calamity befalling my children is a prophecy of evil, and from that the Holy One, blessed be He, can indeed retract, if my children truly mend their ways. Therefore, there is only good here: the good is certain, while the evil is in great doubt, as it remains subject to rectification through the repentance of his children.
וְיֶתֶר דִּבְרֵי יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ וַחֲסָדָיו הִנָּם כְּתוּבִים בַּחֲזוֹן יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶן אָמוֹץ הַנָּבִיא עַל סֵפֶר מַלְכֵי יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Now the rest of the acts of Yechizkiyahu, and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Yeshayahu the son of Amotz the prophet, in the Book of the Kings of Yehudah and Yisrael.
Yeshayahu was the prophet of his generation, and he was also his father-in-law - he gave him his daughter in marriage. However, this match did not produce good results, for from that daughter a grandson was born, and that very grandson ultimately murdered his grandfather. Even so, if you wish to see all these matters, they are recorded in the vision of Yeshayahu the son of Amotz the prophet, upon the Book of the Kings of Yehudah and Yisrael.
וַיִּשְׁכַּב יְחִזְקִיָּהוּ עִם אֲבֹתָיו וַיִּקְבְּרֻהוּ בְּמַעֲלֵה קִבְרֵי בְנֵי דָוִיד, וְכָבוֹד עָשׂוּ לוֹ בְמוֹתוֹ כָּל יְהוּדָה וְיֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם, וַיִּמְלֹךְ מְנַשֶּׁה בְנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו׃ - And Yechizkiyahu slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the choicest of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim did him honor at his death. And Menasheh his son reigned in his place.
What is meant by "in the ascent (ma'aleh) of the tombs of the sons of David"? Radak explains: in the choicest (me'uleh) of the tombs of the sons of David. And Chazal say: beside the most distinguished members of the family, namely David and Shlomo - they are the most distinguished of the House of David, and there they buried him. And after him reigned his son Menasheh.
Chazal write concerning the miracle of salvation granted to Chizkiyahu that Chizkiyahu said: Master of the Universe, my generation is the weakest; I have no strength to do anything - I will lie on my bed, and You will act. And so it was: Chizkiyahu lay on his bed, and the Holy One, blessed be He, saved His people. We have already mentioned previously that this reflected the diminished level of his generation. For in contrast, Dovid HaMelech said, "I pursue my enemies and overtake them, and do not turn back until they are consumed." At first glance, it might appear that Dovid's bitachon was weaker - Chizkiyahu could go to sleep, while Dovid had to pursue, overtake, and destroy. Chazal trace a progression from Dovid HaMelech down to Chizkiyahu, as though there were a gradual decline here.
The answer is that, on the contrary, Dovid HaMelech's stature was greater than that of Chizkiyahu. Dovid could say, "I pursue my enemies and overtake them, and do not turn back until they are consumed," and despite this, everyone knew that it was entirely from Hashem. Chizkiyahu, on the other hand, said: Our generation is so weak in emunah that even if we were merely to sing shirah, people would say, "Did you see that? Our singing pierced the heavens, and it was in its merit that the angels arrived!" Therefore, we must go to sleep. When a person is asleep, it is obvious he did nothing - what could anyone claim, that my snoring terrified them? Here it is crystal clear that everything was accomplished solely by the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus, this precisely demonstrates the weakness of the generation: they needed it to be unmistakably clear that we did nothing whatsoever, so that everyone would finally acknowledge that everything comes solely from Hashem.
Chapter 32 presents in brief what was already recounted at length in Melachim and Yeshayahu: Sancheriv's claims, delivered over Chizkiyahu's head directly to the people - "In what do you place your trust?", "Chizkiyahu is misleading you", "He removed His high places", "Were the gods of the nations able to save?" - all part of a psychological warfare aimed at "frightening them and terrifying them." Ezra adds two novel insights here: that blasphemies against Hashem were written in the letters, and that Yeshayahu prayed together with Chizkiyahu. The prayer pierced the heavens, the angel struck the Assyrian camp, and Sancheriv returned in shame and fell by the sword of his sons. Afterward came the miracle of healing and the wonder of the sun turning back - and precisely there the trial began: Chizkiyahu attributed the miracle to himself, became haughty, amassed treasures of silver and gold, and displayed them to the Babylonian envoys, sinning both in the wisdom of statecraft and against Hashem. Yet he humbled himself and repented, so the wrath did not fall in his days. In conclusion, the text teaches us that he prospered in all his undertakings because his mind aligned with the will of the Omnipresent, and that Sancheriv's downfall occurred while Chizkiyahu lay on his bed - so that it would be clear to all that salvation comes entirely from Hashem alone.