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Rh city of David, and made weapons and shields in abundance. And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the broad place at the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying, Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there is a greater with us than with him: with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah. After this did Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (now he was before Lachish, and all his power

of it) and enclosing the pool of Siloam on the S.E., which, he says, "may date back as far as Hezekiah" (pp. 325 f.). Dr Bliss also, following up a clue given by earlier explorers, found a second wall (running at an angle to the first) enclosing the pool on the west. This second wall was probably due to Herod, but Dr Bliss suggests that the line it follows may have been defended by a wall as early as Hezekiah's day (p. 326). For further discussion see G. A. Smith, Jerusalem, 182, 207.

Millo] Cp. 1 Chr. xi. 8, note.

weapons and shields] Properly, darts and shields. These were meant, not for such trained soldiers as Hezekiah could collect, but for the levy en masse with which the king proposed to man the walls. A dart to throw and a shield to protect the thrower as he threw were all that the citizen-soldier needed. The Heb. word (shelaḥ) means "dart, missile"; the more general rendering "weapons" obscures the precise nature of Hezekiah's preparations.

6. in the broad place at the gate] Cp. xxix. 4; Neh. viii. 16. There is nothing here to show which of the two broad places mentioned in Nehemiah is meant, or whether some third place is intended.

8. an arm of flesh] Cp. Jer. xvii. 5. Contrast the frequent phrase "a mighty hand and a stretched out arm" (of Jehovah). An "arm" is an ally or helper.

with us is the ] Cp. xv. 2, xx. 17; Is. viii. 10.

9—19 (cp. 2 Kin. xviii. 17—35).&emsp;

In this section Chron. briefly and freely summarises 2 Kin.

9. his servants] Three of these are specified in 2 Kin. by their titles, viz. the Tartan ("Commander-in-chief"), the Rabsaris (perhaps "Chief of the Princes"), and the Rabshakeh ("Chief of the officers or cup-bearers").

now he was before Lachish] The capture of Lachish by Sennacherib