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Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
2 Kings 19:17 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Truly, Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
  • KJV Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands,
  • BSB Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands.
  • NASB It is true, Lord; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
  • NLT “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Hezekiah admits it is true that Assyria's kings have devastated many nations and their lands. He honestly acknowledges Assyria's real power.

Overview

The king concedes the factual basis of Sennacherib's boast: Assyria has indeed destroyed nations. This candor strengthens his argument, for the difference lies not in Assyria's weakness but in those nations' false gods. Faith does not deny hard realities but interprets them rightly before God. The next verse will explain why those gods could not save.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Job 9:2“Truly I know that it is so, but how can man be just with God?
  • 2 Kgs 17:24The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in its cities.
  • Luke 22:59After about one hour passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!”
  • Acts 4:27“For truly, in this city against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together
  • 2 Kgs 16:9The king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus, and took it, and carried its people captive to Kir, and killed Rezin.
  • Isa 7:17–18Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.
  • 1 Chr 5:26So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath Pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, to this day.
  • 1 Cor 14:25And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed. So he will fall down on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.
  • 2 Kgs 17:6In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
  • Dan 2:47The king answered to Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you have been able to reveal this secret.
  • Isa 10:9–11Isn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?”
  • Jer 26:15Only know for certain that, if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants; for in truth Yahweh has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
  • Isa 5:9In my ears, Yahweh of Armies says: “Surely many houses will be desolate, even great and beautiful, unoccupied.
  • Matt 14:33Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, “You are truly the Son of God!”

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Kings 19:17YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.

How 2 Kings 19:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.