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((Short description|Conflict between the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah, c. 701 BC))
((Refimprove|date=July 2007))
((Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Siege of Jerusalem
| partof = [[Sennacherib's campaign in the Levant]]
| image = Biblical_Jerusalem_Wall_Remnants.jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption = Hezekiah's Wall
| date = 701 BC
| place = [[City of David (historic)|Jerusalem]], [[Kingdom of Judah]]
| result = '''Both sides claim victory'''
*Kingdom of Judah subjugated
*King Hezekiah of Judah remains in power
| combatant1 = [[File:Map_of_Assyria.png|22px]] [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]]
| combatant2 = [[File:Kingdom_of_Judah_insignia_(based_on_LMLK).jpg|22px]] [[Kingdom of Judah]]
| commander1 = [[Rabshakeh|Sennacherib's Rabshakeh]]<br/>[[Rabsaris|Sennacherib's Rabsaris]]<br/>[[Tartan (Assyrian)|Sennacherib's Tartan]]
| commander2 = [[Hezekiah|King Hezekiah of Judah]]<br/>[[Eliakim (Bible)|Eliakim ben Hilkiyahu]]<br/>[[Joah|Yoah ben Asaf]]<br/>[[Shebna]]
| strength1 = Unknown
| strength2 = Unknown
| casualties1 = Unknown<br/>'''Ancient Sources:'''
*185,000 (According to the Biblical account)
| casualties2 = Unknown
))
((Battles involving Assyria))
((Jerusalem sidebar))
The '''Assyrian''' '''siege of Jerusalem''' (circa 701 BC) was an aborted siege of [[Jerusalem]], then capital of the [[Kingdom of Judah]], carried out by [[Sennacherib]], king of the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]]. The siege concluded [[Sennacherib's campaign in the Levant|Sennacharib's campaign in the Levant]], in which he attacked the fortified cities and devastated the countryside of Judah in a campaign of subjugation. Sennacherib besieged [[Jerusalem]], but did not capture it.

[[Sennacherib's Annals]] describe how the king trapped [[Hezekiah]] of Judah in Jerusalem "like a caged bird" and later returned to Assyria when he received tribute from Judah. In the [[Hebrew Bible]], Hezekiah is described as paying 300 [[Talent (measurement)|talents]] of silver and 30 talents of gold to Assyria. The biblical story then adds a miraculous ending in which Sennacherib marches on Jerusalem with his army only to have it struck down near the gates of Jerusalem by an angel, prompting his retreat to Nineveh.

According to biblical archaeological theory, [[Siloam tunnel]] and the [[Broad Wall (Jerusalem)|Broad Wall]] in Jerusalem were built by Hezekiah in preparation for the impending siege.

==Background==
In 720 BC, the [[Assyrian army]] captured [[Samaria (ancient city)|Samaria]], the capital of the northern [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]], and carried away many Israelites into [[Assyrian captivity|captivity]]. The virtual destruction of Israel left the southern kingdom, [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]], to fend for itself among warring Near-Eastern kingdoms. After the fall of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|northern kingdom]], the kings of Judah tried to extend their influence and protection to those inhabitants who had not been exiled. They also sought to extend their authority northward into areas previously controlled by the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]]. The latter part of the reigns of [[Ahaz|King Ahaz]] and [[Hezekiah|King Hezekiah]] were periods of stability during which [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]] was able to consolidate both politically and economically. Although Judah was a [[Vassal state|vassal]] of Assyria during this time and paid an annual tribute to the powerful empire, it was the most important state between Assyria and Egypt.<ref name=Malamat>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2kSovzudhFUC&dq=Battle+of+Carchemish&pg=PA153 Malamat, Abraham and  Ben-Sasson, Haim Hillel. ''A History of the Jewish People'', Harvard University Press, 1976] ((ISBN|9780674397316))</ref>

When [[Hezekiah]] became [[Kings of Judah|king of Judah]], he initiated widespread religious changes, including the breaking of religious idols. He re-captured [[Philistine]]-occupied lands in the [[Negev desert]], formed alliances with [[Ascalon]] and [[Ancient egypt|Egypt]], and made a stand against [[Assyria]] by refusing to pay tribute.<ref name=pritchard>((Cite web |url=http://www.gonzaga.org/Document.Doc?id=3415 |title=Pritchard, James B. ed., ''Ancient Near Eastern Texts'', 2nd ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1955), 287ff. |access-date=2013-07-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006123957/http://www.gonzaga.org/Document.Doc?id=3415 |archive-date=2014-10-06 |url-status=dead ))</ref> In response, [[Sennacherib]] attacked Judah, laying siege to Jerusalem.

==The siege==
Sources from both sides claimed victory, the [[Tribe of Judah|Judahites]] (or biblical authors) in the [[Tanakh]], and [[Sennacherib]] in his [[Taylor prism|prism]].  Sennacherib claimed the siege and capture of many Judaean cities, but only the siege—not capture—of Jerusalem.

===Hebrew account===
[[File:Siloam22.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Inside [[Siloam tunnel]], 2010]]
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 122.png|thumb|right|''Jerusalem Delivered from Sennacherib'', 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]]]]

The story of the Assyrian siege is told in the biblical books of [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] (7th century BC), [[Books of Kings|Second Kings]] (mid-6th century BC) and [[Books of Chronicles|Chronicles]] (c. 350–300 BC).((sfn|Evans|2023|p=89)) As the Assyrians began their invasion, King [[Hezekiah]] began preparations to protect Jerusalem. In an effort to deprive the Assyrians of water, springs outside the city were blocked. Workers then dug a [[Siloam tunnel|533-meter tunnel]] to the [[Spring of Gihon]], providing the city with fresh water. Additional siege preparations included fortification of the existing walls, construction of towers, and the erection of a new reinforcing wall. [[Hezekiah]] gathered the citizens in the square and encouraged them by reminding them that the Assyrians possessed only "an arm of flesh", but the Judeans had the protection of [[Yahweh]].

According to [[2 Kings 18]], while [[Sennacherib]] was [[Siege of Lachish|besieging]] [[Lachish]], he received a message from Hezekiah offering to pay tribute in exchange for Assyrian withdrawal. According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], Hezekiah paid 300 [[Talent (measurement)|talents]] of silver and 30 talents of gold to Assyria—a price so heavy that he was forced to empty the temple and royal treasury of silver and strip the gold from the doorposts of [[Solomon's Temple]]. Nevertheless, [[Sennacherib]] marched on Jerusalem with a large army. When the Assyrian force arrived, its field commander [[Rabshakeh]] brought a message from Sennacherib. In an attempt to demoralize the Judeans, the field commander announced to the people on the city walls that Hezekiah was deceiving them, and that [[Yahweh]] could not deliver Jerusalem from the king of Assyria. He listed the gods of other peoples defeated by Sennacherib then asked, "Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me?"
 
During the siege, Hezekiah dressed in [[sackcloth]] (a sign of mourning), but the prophet [[Isaiah]] assured him that the city would be delivered and Sennacherib would fail.<ref name=Malamat/> According to Isaiah, an [[Destroying angel (Bible)|angel]] then killed 185,000 Assyrian troops overnight.<ref name=pritchard/> Some scholars believe this number has been transcribed incorrectly, with one study suggesting the number was originally 5,180.<ref name="Bright">"A History of Israel", [[John Bright (biblical scholar)|John Bright]], SCM 1980, p.200</ref> Another scholar advises that the biblical narrative is marked by legendary embellishments that end with a miracle that saves Jerusalem.<ref>((cite book |last1=Lemche | first=Niels Peter|title=The Old Testament between Theology and History |date=2008 |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |isbn=978-0-664-23245-0 |page=118))</ref>
===Assyrian account ===
[[File:Taylor Prism-1.jpg|thumb|[[Sennacherib's Prism]]]]
[[Sennacherib's Prism]], which details the events of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah, was discovered in the ruins of [[Nineveh]] in 1830, and is now stored at the [[University of Chicago Oriental Institute|Oriental Institute]] in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]].<ref name=pritchard/> The Prism dates from about 690 BC, and its account is taken from an earlier cuneiform inscription dating to 700 BC.((sfn|Kalimi|Richardson|2014|pp=53–54)) The text of the prism boasts how Sennacherib destroyed 46 of Judah's cities and trapped [[Hezekiah]] in Jerusalem "like a caged bird."  The text goes on to describe how the "terrifying splendor" of the Assyrian army caused the [[Arabs]] and [[mercenaries]] reinforcing the city to desert. It adds that the Assyrian king returned to Assyria where he later received a large tribute from Judah. This description inevitably varies somewhat from the Jewish version in the Tanakh. The massive Assyrian casualties mentioned in the Tanakh are not mentioned in the Assyrian version.

After he besieged Jerusalem, Sennacherib was able to give the surrounding towns to Assyrian [[Vassal|vassal rulers]] in [[Ekron]], [[Gaza City|Gaza]] and [[Ashdod (ancient city)|Ashdod]]. His army still existed when he conducted campaigns in 702&nbsp;BC and from 699&nbsp;BC until 697&nbsp;BC, when he made several campaigns in the mountains east of Assyria, during one of which he received tribute from the [[Medes]]. In 696&nbsp;BC and 695&nbsp;BC, he sent expeditions into [[Anatolia]], where several vassals had rebelled following the death of [[Sargon II]]. Around 690&nbsp;BC, he campaigned in the northern Arabian deserts, conquering [[Dumat al-Jandal]], where the queen of the [[Arabs]] had taken refuge.((sfn|Grayson|1991|p=111–113))

===Other theories===
[[Herodotus]] wrote that the [[Military history of the Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrian army]] was overrun by mice when attacking Egypt.<ref>[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2707/2707-h/2707-h.htm The History Of Herodotus], Book 2, Verse 141</ref> Some Biblical scholars take this to an allusion that the Assyrian army suffered the effects of a mouse- or rat-borne disease such as [[bubonic plague]].<ref>"Sennachrib", New Bible Dictionary, [[InterVarsity Press]], 2nd Edition, Ed. J.D.Douglas, N.Hillyer, 1982</ref><ref>((cite journal|last=Caesar|first=Stephen W.|date=2017|title=The Annihilation of Sennacherib's Army: A Case of Septicemic Plague|url=https://jbqnew.jewishbible.org/assets/Uploads/454/jbq_454_caesarplague.pdf|journal=[[Jewish Bible Quarterly]]|volume=45|issue=4|pages=222–228|s2cid=218529968))</ref> Even without relying on that explanation, [[John Bright (biblical scholar)|John Bright]] suggested it was an epidemic of some kind that saved Jerusalem.<ref name="Bright" /> The Babylonian historian [[Berossus]] also wrote that it was a plague that defeated the Assyrian army in the siege.<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-10.html Antiquities of the Jews]'', Book 10, chapter 1, section 5</ref>

[[Henry T. Aubin]] writes in ''The Rescue of Jerusalem: The Alliance Between Hebrews and Africans in 701 B.C.''<ref>((cite book |last1=Aubin |first1=Henry |author1-link=Henry T. Aubin |title=The rescue of Jerusalem : the alliance between Hebrews and Africans in 701 BC |date=2002 |publisher=Doubleday Canada |location=Toronto |isbn=9780385659123))</ref> that the Assyrian army was routed by an [[Ancient egypt|Egyptian]] army under [[Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt|Kushite]] ([[Nubia]]n) command.<ref>((cite journal |title=Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacherib's Departure, and the Kushite Role in 701 BC: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem |journal=The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures |volume=19 |pages=1–297 |publisher=Swiss French Institute for Biblical Studies |doi=10.5508/jhs29552 |year=2019 |editor-last=Bellis |editor-first=Alice Ogden |location=Lausanne |doi-access=free ))</ref> However, Nazek Matty argues in his archaeological analysis that Aubin's Egyptian hypothesis is unlikely.<ref>Nazek Khalid Matty (2016), Sennacherib's Campaign Against Judah and Jerusalem in 701 BC; pp. 178–180;  De Gryuter, Berlin/Boston.</ref>

==In popular culture==
An 1813 poem by [[Lord Byron]], [[The Destruction of Sennacherib]], commemorates Sennacherib's campaign in Judea from the Hebrew point of view. Written in [[anapestic tetrameter]], the poem was popular((citation needed|date=November 2022)) in school recitations.

==Ancient sources==
*[[Books of Kings|Book of Kings]]
*[[Book of Isaiah]]
*[[Book of Chronicles]]
*[[Sennacherib's Prism]]
*[[Antiquities of the Jews]], [[Titus Flavius Josephus]]

==See also==
*[[Siege of Jerusalem (disambiguation)]], in particular [[Siege of Jerusalem (597 BC)]] and [[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)]]

==References==
((Reflist))

===Bibliography===
* ((Cite book  
|last                           = Evans 
|first                          = Paul S. 
|title                          = Sennacherib and the War of 1812: Disputed Victory in the Assyrian Campaign of 701 BCE in Light of Military History
|publisher                      = Bloomsbury Publishing 
|year                           = 2023 
|isbn = 978-0-567-70897-7 
|url                            = https://books.google.com/books?id=fG2jEAAAQBAJ
))
* ((Cite book
|last                           = Grabbe
|first                          = Lester
|title                          = Like a Bird in a Cage: The Invasion of Sennacherib in 701 BCE
|year                           = 2003
|publisher                      = A&C Black
|isbn = 9780826462152
|url                            = https://books.google.com/books?id=ln5NwF8L840C
))
* ((Cite book
|last                           = Grayson
|first                          = A.K.
|chapter                        = Assyria: Sennacherib and Essarhaddon
|editor1-last                   = Boardman
|editor1-first                  = John
|editor2-last                   = Edwards
|editor2-first                  = I. E. S.
|title                          = The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume III Part II
|year                           = 1991
|publisher                      = Cambridge University Press
|isbn = 9780521227179
|chapter-url                    = https://books.google.com/books?id=OGBGauNBK8kC&pg=PA103
))
* ((cite book  
|last                           = Kalimi 
|first                          = Isaac 
|title                          = Sennacherib at the Gates of Jerusalem: Story, History and Historiography
|publisher                      = BRILL
|year                           = 2014 
|isbn = 978-90-04-26562-2 
|url                            = https://books.google.com/books?id=bF_bAgAAQBAJ 
|last2                          = Richardson 
|first2                         = Seth
))
((The Bible and warfare))
((coord|31.768319|N|35.21371|E|display=title))
((Authority control))
[[Category:8th-century BC conflicts]]
[[Category:8th century BC in the Kingdom of Judah]]
[[Category:Sieges of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Battles involving Assyria]]
[[Category:Sennacherib]]
[[Category:Hezekiah]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible battles]]

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