Sennacherib was about 35 years old when he ascended to the Assyrian throne in August of 705 BC. He had a great deal of experience with how to rule the empire because of his long tenure as crown prince. His reaction to his father's fate was to distance himself from Sargon.
- 705–681 BC
- Ra'īmâ
Sennacherib, Akkadian Sin-akhkheeriba, (died January 681 bce, Nineveh [now in Iraq]), king of Assyria (705/704–681 bce), son of Sargon II. He made Nineveh his capital, building a new palace, extending and beautifying the city, and erecting inner and outer city walls that still stand.
Jul 15, 2014 · Sennacherib (r. 705-681 BCE) was the second king of the Sargonid Dynasty of Assyria (founded by his father Sargon II, r. 722-705 BCE). He is one of the most famous Assyrian kings owing to the part he plays in narratives in the biblical Old Testament (II Kings, II Chronicles, and Isaiah ).
- Joshua J. Mark
- Content Director
- Who was Sennacherib?Sennacherib (r. 705-681 BCE) was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire best known from the Bible and his siege of Jerusalem. He is also the Neo-Assyr...
- Why is Sennacherib famous?Sennacherib is famously mentioned in the Bible (II Kings, II Chronicles, Isaiah) and is best-known for the account from II Kings 19 in which his ar...
- Why did Sennacherib destroy the city of Babylon?Sennacherib destroyed Babylon because the city was too independent and constantly stirring up rebellion against his reign.
- How did Sennacherib die?Sennacherib was assassinated by his sons - possibly because he had passed over them and chosen his youngest son, by a secondary wife, as his succes...
Jan 4, 2022 · Sennacherib was the king of Assyria who reigned from about 720 BC to 683 BC. Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of his palace in Khorsebad, near the ancient city of Nineveh ( Jonah 1:1–3 ). During the reign of King Hezekiah in Judah, Sennacherib invaded Judah, bent on conquering Jerusalem ( 2 Kings 18:13 ).
Sennacherib was the king of Assyria who reigned from 705 BC to 681 BC and threatened Jerusalem while Hezekiah was king of Judah. Sennacherib is remembered as a violent and brutal king. He conquered many cities and, as was the Assyrian custom, then deported conquered peoples throughout the kingdom in order to annihilate their distinct cultures.
After he besieged Jerusalem, Sennacherib was able to give the surrounding towns to Assyrian vassal rulers in Ekron, Gaza and Ashdod. His army still existed when he conducted campaigns in 702 BCE and from 699 BCE until 697 BCE, when he made several campaigns in the mountains east of Assyria, during one of which he received tribute from the Medes .
Sennacherib, in 701 B.C., moved against the cities in the West. He ravaged the environs of Tyre, but made no attempt to take the city, as he was without a naval force. After Elulaeus the king of Sidon fled, the city surrendered without a battle, and Ethbaal was appointed king.