Assyrian King Sargon II and the Anti-Assyrian Coalition

The Assyrian King Sargon mentioned in Isaiah 20 is the historical Sargon II, whose name means “Son of the Sun.” He reigned from 722–705 BC. He was the son of Shalmaneser V and the father of Sennacherib. Sargon II’s name appears only once in the Bible, in Isaiah 20, but his role is very significant; his campaigns in Syria and Palestine form the historical backdrop for the prophecies in the entire book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 20:1: “In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it.” Ashdod was one of the five Philistine cities, a major city located on the Mediterranean coast, west of Jerusalem. In 713 BC, Cush occupied and ruled all of Egypt. As a warning to Egypt, Assyria invaded Ashdod, which lay on the main route to Egypt. Soon after, Ashdod rebelled against Assyria, expelled the Assyrian puppet king, and formed a coalition with surrounding countries like Judah, Edom, and Moab to prevent another Assyrian invasion.

In 713 BC, Sargon II’s commander, the “tartan,” suppressed the rebellion (see 2 Kings 18:17), quickly ending Ashdod’s independence. The rebellion’s leader, Yamani, fled to Egypt. It was at this time that God gave Isaiah a critical mission: to advise Judah not to form an alliance with Egypt and other neighboring nations out of fear of Assyria. God warned Judah that relying on worldly power would lead to destruction. God commanded Isaiah to “go stripped and barefoot for three years,” acting as a prisoner of war to warn Egypt and Cush that they would soon become defeated captives under the Assyrian king. At the same time, this served as a warning to Judah that if they allied with Egypt and were defeated, they would share in Egypt’s shame.

In 705 BC, Sargon II died, and the famous Assyrian King Sennacherib ascended to the throne. The new ruler of Ashdod once again formed an anti-Assyrian coalition with Ashkelon, Ekron, Judah, Ammon, Moab, and Edom, and secured military support from the succeeding pharaoh of Egypt. In 701 BC, Sennacherib suppressed this rebellion. He then captured all of Judah’s military fortresses and, with an army of over 185,000, laid siege to the isolated city of Jerusalem. Faced with the overwhelming Assyrian army, King Hezekiah of Judah, who had been tempted to compromise with Assyria and ally with Egypt, finally remembered the warnings of the prophet Isaiah. He decided not to rely on a coalition of nations but to trust honestly in the Lord. God accepted King Hezekiah’s repentance. The Assyrian army was destroyed by an angel overnight, Sennacherib’s power was severely weakened, and the crisis in Judah was temporarily averted (see Isaiah 37:1-2).。  

Around 684 BC, Sennacherib’s son, King Esarhaddon of Assyria, completely conquered Egypt, ending Cush’s rule in the Nile Valley. The Cushites, including members of the royal family, were taken captive to Assyria. Thus, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled.