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NOW THAT SO MUCH ATTENTION IS BEING FOCUSED ON THE NEW excavations around the Gihon Spring and Hezekiah's Tunnel-which was built as a defense against a siege by the Assyrian leader Sennacherib-it may be time to look at the siege itself Specifically, was there one attack in 701 B.C., or were there two attacks, the second of which did not occur until 688 B.C.? And if there were two attacks, was Hezekiah's Tunnel, which carries water from the Gihon Spring to the other side of the city, built in anticipation of the first or the second?
The idea that Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.) campaigned against Judah twice has been around at least since George Rawlinson proposed it in 1858. More recent advocates of this interpretation include such leading scholars as William Foxwell Albright, John Bright and Siegfried Horn.1 The theory stems from tensions within the Biblical text: The first part of Hezekiah's reign is described in 2 Kings 18. There we learn that one of Sennacherib's predecessors, Shalmaneser V (727-722 B.C.), had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and deported its citizens (2 Kings 18: 10-11). Then in the 14th year of Hezekiah, king of Judah, "King Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them" (2 Kings 18:13). Hezekiah pleaded with his adversary to withdraw, offering to pay whatever tribute Sennacherib demanded. Sennacherib's terms were harsh: 300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold (2 Kings 18:14). Hezekiah had no alternative but to agree. To meet the demand, Hezekiah even stripped the Temple of its silver and gold (2 Kings 18:15-16).*
Then something strange happens in the text: Beginning in 2 Kings 18:17, we are. told that messengers from Sennacherib came to Jerusalem to tell Hezekiah that he is foolish to resist, that his reliance on Egypt is a weak reed, that he cannot mount even 2,000 horsemen and that Israel's God Yahweh is, in fact, on Sennacherib's side (2 Kings 18:17-25). Ignoring Hezekiah's plea, the messengers speak directly to the populace of Jerusalem, urging them to make peace with Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:26-35). The prophet Isaiah predicts that Sennacherib's siege will be unsuccessful (2 Kings 19:5-7).
What's going on here? Hezekiah has already made his peace...