Isaiah 37:9 - Exposition

Tirhakah, King of Ethopia . Tirhakah is among the most famous of the monarchs belonging to this period. The Greeks called him "Tearchon," the Assyrians "Tarku" or "Tarqu." His name, as represented on his own monuments, is "Tahark" or "Tahrak." According to the Egyptian remains, he had a reign of at least twenty-six years in Egypt—from b.c. 693 to b.c. 667. He would seem, however, to have been King of Ethiopia, and lord paramount of the lower valley of the Nile, from about b.c. 700, Shabatok for some years ruling Egypt, or a portion of it, as his deputy. Hezekiah's negotiations had, it is probable, been with Tirhakah ( Isaiah 19:13 ; Isaiah 20:5 ; Isaiah 30:1-6 ). This monarch, having engaged to help him, now put his forces in motion, and began to descend the Nile valley to his relief. His movement rather provoked than alarmed Sennacherib, who, having defeated one Egyptian army in b.c. 701, was confident of success against another. He sent messengers . It is not very clear what advantage Sennacherib expected from this second embassy. He had no fresh argument to bring forward, unless it were a suggestion that Hezekiah's God was endeavouring to deceive him. In the main, Isaiah 37:10-13 are a mere expansion of Isaiah 36:18-20 .