The cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament - The Search For ...

SECOND BOOK OF KINGS XIX. 13
35. And it happened in the same night, there went forth
the angel of Jahve and smote in the camp of the Assyrians
185,000 men. The Assyrian inscriptions shed no light on
this obscure passage. Sanherib in his inscription is alto-
gether silent about the character of the retreat and its
causes. Compare the remarks above p. 300 (Vol. 1).
36. and returned and dwelt in Niniveh. We learn also
from the cylinder - inscription col. III. 39 that Sanherib
retired to Niniveh, his capital. But if the reader, by pres-
sing the phrase used by the Hebrew historian : "and he
remained, or dwelt (31|i^!'.l) in Niniveh", were to conclude
that Sanherib, after the misfortune in the Palestiuo-Aegyp-
tian war, wholly abstained from military enterprises, he
would make a very great mistake. On the Taylor-cylinder
Sanherib himself relates five other larger or smaller mili-
tary enterprises, all of which were in fact directed to the
East, North or South of his realm. Consequently for the
Western nations, like the Hebrews , they were as though 329
they never happened, and hence are not mentioned
by them. Among these expeditions, we have several
conducted against Babylonia, directed, moreover, against
Merodach-Baladan, whom he had already conquered (and
dethroned) in the first campaign, and also against a son
of Merodach-Baladan, called Nabli-§um-iskun*, whom
Sanherib captured alive in the battle (Taylor-cylind. col.
HI. 50 foil. VI, 6). Respecting Merodach-Baladan see
also the comment on chap. XX. 12.
37. And as lie prayed in the temple of Nisroch his god.
In place of Nisroch ("^^PJ) the LXX read '^aaaQax (if we
* Respecting this name = "Nebo bestowed the name", see Assyr.
Babyl. Keilinsch. p. 127, no. 8.