Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 18
The people in Jerusalem had seen the men whom the king of Assyria sent. They had now heard the commander’s speech to them. It seems that none of them left Jerusalem to go with the commander. They did not trust him. Clearly, Hezekiah had spoken the truth about the evil attitudes of the men who opposed him. The inhabitants of Jerusalem had now seen for themselves how evil these men were. Jerusalem’s people saw that they must stand with their king against these cruel enemies.
So, they obeyed Hezekiah’s instructions to them. They did not say anything to reply to the commander from Assyria. They did not even try to reply to the wrong things that he had said. They did not argue against his evil words. They remained completely silent. It would not even be clear to the commander that they had understood him. He had spoken to them in what was, for him, a foreign language.
The three government officials from Judah returned to report back to King Hezekiah. They were men with different attitudes and opinions (Isaiah 22:15-24) – but this situation had united them in support for King Hezekiah. They tore their clothes, as was the custom in a desperately sad situation. In this particular situation, they had several reasons to do that. They could have acted in shock at the evil words that the commander from Assyria had spoken. They may have torn their clothes because Jerusalem was in such a dangerous situation. However, perhaps they simply wanted to be humble in front of God. They were great and rich men – but in this situation, they were poor, weak, and truly desperate for God’s help.
Next part: Hezekiah urges Isaiah to pray (2 Kings 19:1-4)
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