Isaiah 36:1

The book of 2 Kings also speaks of this event. Isaiah has included it to his prophecy in order to show that his prophecy is true. Previously the prophet has made announcements concerning Babylon, Tyre, Egypt and other nations, but he is mostly concerned with the incarnation of our Savior, the unbelief and resultant judgment of Israel, and the call and salvation of the Gentiles. He has also announced Assyria's attack and their ultimate destruction. It follows that he would include this event here to demonstrate that his prophecies are true. By showing that the announcement related to Sennacherib is true, he can show that all his other prophecies will be fulfilled in the same way.

I read in a certain Commentary that the same person is Sennacherib who also captured Samaria, which is completely false. For the Sacred History recounts that first Phul, the king of the Assyrians, devastated the ten tribes under Manahen, the king of Israel. Secondly, Theglathphalasar came against Samaria under Phacee, the son of Romelia of Israel. Salmanasar, under the reign of King Hoshea of Israel, captured the entire city of Samaria. Sargon is said to be the fourth king who captured Ashdod. Asarhaddon, the fifth king, relocated Israel and sent the Samaritans as guardians to the land of Judah. Sennacherib, the sixth king, besieged Jerusalem after capturing Lachish and other cities of Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah. However, some believe that these names could refer to one and the same king with multiple names.

Rabshakeh, on the other hand, is believed to be the son of Isaiah the Jewish prophet, who also was a traitor; and the other son of Isaiah, who is called Jasub, is said to be left behind, which means "left" in our language. Others, on the other hand, think that he was a Samaritan, and therefore knew the Hebrew language, and boldly and impiously blasphemed the Lord. Let us consider the words of Rabshakeh; and first what he says: "You trust in this broken reed, in Egypt," is false: for no history tells that Hezekiah sent to the Egyptians and asked for the help of Pharaoh. And what he infers: "If you answer me, we trust in the Lord our God," is true. But again, he joins a lie to the truth, that Hezekiah took away its high places and altars. For he did this not against God, but for God, so that idolatry and ancient error being destroyed, he commanded God to be worshipped in Jerusalem, where his Temple was: although we read that by a very bad custom, the people offered sacrifices to God on altars already built on mountains and hills. And he, wanting to show the scarcity of the besieged, promises two thousand horses, of which Hezekiah cannot provide the riders, not because of the weakness of the people of Judah, who lacked knowledge of riding: but by observing the commandments of God, who had commanded Israel through Moses concerning the king: "He shall not multiply horses for himself, nor have many wives." And he said to me, "By yourself, you cannot withstand the servant of Sennacherib, who am the least of his servants, how then will you withstand the great power of the king?" And to what he had said, "If you answer me, we trust in the Lord our God," he cunningly and wisely responded that he had come not by his own will, but by the command of the Lord. "The Lord said to me, Go upon this land and destroy it." And this is the proof: certainly, without the will of the Lord, I could not have come here. But when I come and capture many cities, and part of Jerusalem remains untouched, it is evident that I have come by its will.