21 Yahweh sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he had come into the house of his god, those who came forth from his own bowels killed him there with the sword.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
The Lord sent an angel - See 2-Kings 19:36 (note), and the note there.
House of his god - Nisroch.
They that came forth of his own bowels - His sons Adrammelech and Sharezer.
And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and (o) captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his (p) own bowels slew him there with the sword.
(o) To the number of 185,000 as in (2-Kings 19:35-36).
(p) Meaning, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons.
And the Lord sent an angel,.... The Targum is,"the Word of the Lord sent Gabriel;''Josephus (a) takes this angel, or messenger sent of God, to be the pestilence; and others suppose it to be a hot pestilential wind, common in the eastern countries, called "Samiel", or the poison wind, by which multitudes are sometimes destroyed at once; of which Thevenot and other travellers make mention; see Gill on Job 27:21; see Gill on Psalm 91:6, but be it as it may, it was sent of God, was under his direction, and by his power and providence did the execution according to his prediction:
which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria; the generals and officers of his army, with the common soldiers, to the number of 185,000, Isaiah 36:1, among these, no doubt, were the three generals sent with railing letters to Hezekiah, particularly Rabshakeh; see Gill on Isaiah 37:36.
so he returned with shame of face to his own land; Assyria, particularly to Nineveh, the metropolis of it, Isaiah 37:37.
and when he was come into the house of his god; the temple of his idol, whose name was Nisroch:
they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword; his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer, Isaiah 37:38.
(a) Antiqu. l. 10. c. 1. sect. 5.
AN ANGEL DESTROYS THE ASSYRIANS. (2-Chronicles 32:21-23)
an angel . . . cut off all the mighty men--(See on 2-Kings 19:35-37).
The deliverance: cf. 2-Kings 19:35.; Isaiah 37:36. The number of Assyrians smitten by the angel of the Lord is not stated, as it was not of importance, the main fact being that the whole Assyrian host was annihilated, so that Sennacherib had to return with disgrace into his own land. This is what is signified by the rhetorical phrase: The angel of Jahve destroyed all the valiant warriors, and the leaders and princes of the king of Assyria, and he returned with shame of face (cf. Ezra 9:7; Psalm 44:16) to his land, where his sons slew him in the temple. In regard to the facts, see on 2-Kings 19:37 and Isaiah 37:38. The Keth. מיציאו is an orthographical error for מיציאי, a contraction of מן and יציאי from יציא, a passive formation with intransitive signification: some of those who went forth from his own bowels, i.e., some of his sons; cf. the similar formation miyliydeey, 1-Chronicles 20:4.
The Lord sent an angel - The Jewish comment says the word of the Lord sent Gabriel to do this execution, and that it done with lightning, and in the passover night, the same night wherein the first - born in Egypt were slain.
*More commentary available at chapter level.