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II Kings 19:18

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They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods, but only wood and stone—the work of human hands.

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Commentaries

Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.

Matthew Henry Bible Commentaryv. 18

Jerusalem's great distress we read of in the foregoing chapter, and left it besieged, insulted, threatened, terrified, and just ready to be swallowed up by the Assyrian army. But in this chapter we have an account of its glorious deliverance, not by sword or bow, but by prayer and prophecy, and by the hand of an angel. I. Hezekiah, in great concern, sent to the prophet Isaiah, to desire his prayers (Kg2 19:1-5) and received from him an answer of peace (Kg2 19:6, Kg2 19:7). II. Sennacherib sent a letter to Hezekiah to fright him into a surrender (Kg2 19:8-13). III. Hezekiah thereupon, by a very solemn prayer, recommended his case to God, the righteous Judge, and begged help from him (Kg2 19:14-19). IV. God, by Isaiah, sent him a very comfortable message, assuring him of deliverance (Kg2 19:20-34). V. The army of the Assyrians was all cut off by an angel and Sennacherib himself slain by his own sons (Kg2 19:35-37). And so God glorified himself and saved his people.

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Original language

The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).

Strong's Concordancev. 18

נָתַן (nâthan, H5414) — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.) אֱלֹהִים (ʼĕlôhîym, H430) — gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with… אֵשׁ (ʼêsh, H784) — fire (literally or figuratively) מַעֲשֶׂה (maʻăseh, H4639) — an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication,… אָדָם (ʼâdâm, H120) — ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.) יָד (yâd, H3027) — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.), עֵץ (ʻêts, H6086) — a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks) אֶבֶן (ʼeben, H68) — a stone אָבַד (ʼâbad, H6) — properly, to wander away, i.e. lose oneself; by implication to perish (causative, destroy)

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Cross-references

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Acts 17:29rank 4

Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

II Samuel 5:21rank 2

There the Philistines abandoned their idols, and David and his men carried them away.

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