2 Kings 18:14

KJV

And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

KJV (with Strong's)

And Hezekiah {H2396} king {H4428} of Judah {H3063} sent {H7971} to the king {H4428} of Assyria {H804} to Lachish {H3923}, saying {H559}, I have offended {H2398}; return {H7725} from me: that which thou puttest {H5414} on me will I bear {H5375}. And the king {H4428} of Assyria {H804} appointed {H7760} unto Hezekiah {H2396} king {H4428} of Judah {H3063} three {H7969} hundred {H3967} talents {H3603} of silver {H3701} and thirty {H7970} talents {H3603} of gold {H2091}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Hizkiyahu king of Y'hudah sent this message to the king of Ashur at Lakhish: "I have done wrong. If you will go away from me, I will pay whatever penalty you impose on me." The king of Ashur imposed on Hizkiyahu a penalty of ten tons of silver and a ton of gold.

Berean Standard Bible

So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from me.” And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

American Standard Version

And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
This verse records a pivotal moment during Sennacherib's Assyrian invasion of Judah, detailing King Hezekiah's desperate attempt to appease the powerful Assyrian monarch and avert the destruction of Jerusalem. Faced with overwhelming military might and the fall of numerous Judahite cities, Hezekiah dispatches an envoy to Lachish, Sennacherib's headquarters, admitting guilt and offering to pay any demanded tribute. The Assyrian king then imposes an enormous sum of three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold, a staggering burden that underscores Judah's dire predicament and Hezekiah's initial reliance on human appeasement rather than divine intervention.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** 2 Kings 18 begins by praising Hezekiah as a righteous king who trusted in the Lord and removed idolatry. Verses 7-8 describe his bold rebellion against Assyrian tribute, an act seemingly rooted in faith. However, by verse 13, Sennacherib's invasion has begun in earnest, conquering numerous fortified cities of Judah. Verse 14 marks a critical turning point: Hezekiah's faith appears to waver under immense pressure, leading him to seek a human, financial solution to the national crisis. This desperate act sets up a stark contrast with God's miraculous deliverance in the subsequent chapter, highlighting the inadequacy of human efforts when God's sovereignty is at stake. The following verses [2 Kings 18:15-16](/2_kings/18-15 "2 Kings 18:15-16 - Hezekiah Strips the Temple") detail how Hezekiah was forced to strip the temple and royal treasuries to meet the demand, further emphasizing the immense cost of this appeasement and the depth of his desperation.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The late 8th century BC was dominated by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, a ruthless military power known for its brutal siege warfare, forced deportations, and insatiable demands for tribute. After destroying the Northern Kingdom of Israel and deporting its inhabitants in 722 BC [2 Kings 17:6](/2_kings/17-6 "2 Kings 17:6 - Fall of Samaria"), Assyria turned its attention to Judah. Sennacherib's campaign in 701 BC was particularly devastating, as evidenced by archaeological finds at Lachish, a major Judahite city that served as Sennacherib's temporary headquarters during the siege of Jerusalem. The demand for tribute was a common Assyrian practice to assert dominance and extract wealth from conquered or subservient states. The "talent" was the largest unit of weight in the ancient world, making the demanded sum truly astronomical, reflecting the Assyrian strategy of crippling vassal states financially to prevent future rebellion.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully illustrates the theme of **human desperation versus divine sovereignty**. Hezekiah, initially portrayed as a king who trusts God [2 Kings 18:5](/2_kings/18-5 "2 Kings 18:5 - Hezekiah's Trust in the Lord"), momentarily succumbs to fear and attempts to resolve the crisis through financial appeasement. This highlights the **limitations of human wisdom and wealth** in the face of overwhelming spiritual or physical threats. It also serves as a crucial setup for the **theme of God's miraculous deliverance**, as Hezekiah's failed human strategy ultimately paves the way for a dramatic display of God's power in [2 Kings 19](/2_kings/19 "2 Kings 19 - God's Deliverance of Jerusalem"), where the Assyrian army is supernaturally defeated without Judah's intervention. The immense tribute also underscores the **economic burden of sin and rebellion**, though in this case, Hezekiah's "offense" is primarily a political capitulation rather than a moral sin against God.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Offended (Hebrew, _ḥāṭā'_):** This verb, commonly translated as "to sin" or "to miss the mark" in a moral or theological sense, is used here by Hezekiah in a political context. It signifies an admission of political transgression or wrongdoing against Sennacherib, acknowledging that his earlier rebellion against Assyrian vassalage was an act of defiance. It's an attempt to humble himself before the conqueror and seek clemency, rather than a confession of moral sin against God.
* **Talent (Hebrew, _kikkār_):** Literally meaning "a circle" or "a round loaf," this term refers to a large unit of weight, not a specific coin. In the ancient Near East, a silver talent typically weighed around 75 pounds (approximately 34 kg), while a gold talent was even heavier, around 125 pounds (approximately 57 kg). The sums demanded—300 talents of silver and 30 talents of gold—were colossal, representing an astronomical amount of wealth designed to bankrupt Judah and demonstrate Assyrian dominance and punitive power.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying":** This clause establishes the setting and the desperate initiative taken by Hezekiah. Lachish was a strategically vital Judahite city, whose fall to Sennacherib was a major blow, widely depicted on Assyrian palace reliefs. Sennacherib's presence there indicates he was personally overseeing the campaign, making Hezekiah's direct appeal to him a sign of utmost urgency and desperation, acknowledging the Assyrian king's overwhelming power.
* **"I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear":** Hezekiah's plea is one of abject submission and capitulation. "I have offended" is a direct admission of guilt for his earlier rebellion against Assyrian tribute. "Return from me" is a desperate request for the Assyrian army to withdraw its siege and military presence from Judah, particularly from Jerusalem. The promise "that which thou puttest on me will I bear" signifies his complete willingness to accept any terms or tribute, no matter how burdensome, to save his capital and people from total destruction.
* **"And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold":** This details Sennacherib's immediate and exorbitant demand. The specific, immense amounts highlight the severe financial strain placed on Judah, forcing Hezekiah to deplete the temple and royal treasuries, as described in the subsequent verses. This sum was a punitive measure, designed to ensure Judah's continued subservience, compensate Assyria for the military campaign, and prevent any future acts of rebellion.

#### Literary Devices
The passage employs **Irony** and **Foreshadowing**. The irony lies in Hezekiah, a king celebrated for his trust in the Lord and his righteous reforms, resorting to a purely human, financially crippling solution to an existential threat. This act of appeasement, seemingly a sign of weakness and a temporary lapse in faith, paradoxically sets the stage for God's ultimate and far more dramatic intervention. This act of human failure thus **foreshadows** the divine deliverance that will occur in the next chapter, where God's power is displayed precisely because human efforts have proven insufficient. The immense sums of silver and gold also serve as a form of **Hyperbole**, emphasizing the overwhelming power and greed of Assyria and the desperate, seemingly hopeless situation of Judah.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This moment in Hezekiah's reign serves as a profound theological lesson on the nature of trust and divine sovereignty. While understandable from a human perspective, Hezekiah's attempt to buy off Sennacherib reveals a temporary lapse in his otherwise strong faith. It underscores the biblical principle that human resources and strategies, no matter how vast or clever, are ultimately insufficient to solve problems that require divine intervention. God often allows circumstances to reach a point of human impossibility to demonstrate His unique power and faithfulness, ensuring that the glory belongs to Him alone. This narrative challenges believers to examine where their ultimate trust lies when faced with overwhelming odds, reminding us that true security is found not in human appeasement but in divine reliance.

* [Psalm 20:7](/psalms/20-7 "Psalm 20:7 - Trust in the Name of the Lord")
* [Proverbs 3:5-6](/proverbs/3-5 "Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart")
* [Isaiah 31:1](/isaiah/31-1 "Isaiah 31:1 - Woe to Those Who Go Down to Egypt for Help")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Hezekiah's desperate act in 2 Kings 18:14 offers a poignant mirror for contemporary believers. In moments of intense pressure, fear, or seemingly insurmountable challenges, the temptation to compromise, to rely on our own resources, or to seek purely human solutions can be overwhelming. We might, like Hezekiah, feel compelled to "offend" or concede, hoping to buy peace or security by sacrificing valuable resources or even principles. This verse reminds us that while prudence and negotiation have their place in life, there are certain spiritual and existential battles that only God can fight and win. It challenges us to consider whether our first impulse is to deplete our spiritual and material "treasuries" in human appeasement, or to turn in radical dependence to the Lord, who is able to deliver when all human efforts fail. Our ultimate security and deliverance come not from what we can pay or concede to the world, but from the unwavering faithfulness and sovereign power of God.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of your life are you tempted to "pay tribute" or compromise your faith to avoid conflict or gain perceived security?**
* **When faced with overwhelming challenges, do you first exhaust human solutions before turning to God, or is God your immediate refuge and ultimate hope?**
* **How does Hezekiah's temporary lapse in faith here, followed by God's miraculous intervention, encourage or challenge your own walk with God?**

### FAQ
**Why did Hezekiah admit "I have offended"?**

Answer: Hezekiah's admission of "offense" was a political confession, acknowledging that his earlier rebellion against Assyrian tribute (mentioned in [2 Kings 18:7](/2_kings/18-7 "2 Kings 18:7 - Hezekiah's Rebellion")) was a transgression against the dominant power. It was a desperate attempt to appease Sennacherib and de-escalate the conflict, hoping to avoid the complete destruction of Jerusalem. This was a common diplomatic tactic in the ancient Near East for a defeated or besieged ruler to seek terms from a conqueror, demonstrating submission to avoid further devastation.

**How much was "three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold"?**

Answer: This was an astronomical sum, designed to cripple Judah financially and demonstrate Assyrian dominance. A silver talent was approximately 75 pounds (34 kg), so 300 talents would be about 22,500 pounds (over 10 metric tons) of silver. A gold talent was even heavier, around 125 pounds (57 kg), making 30 talents about 3,750 pounds (over 1.7 metric tons) of gold. To put this in perspective, Hezekiah had to strip the temple of its gold and cut off the gold from the doors and doorposts ([2 Kings 18:15-16](/2_kings/18-15 "2 Kings 18:15-16 - Hezekiah Strips the Temple")) to meet this demand, indicating the immense value and the severe economic burden placed upon Judah.

**Did this payment work? Did Sennacherib withdraw?**

Answer: No, the payment did not work as Hezekiah hoped. Despite receiving the tribute, Sennacherib did not withdraw his forces from Judah and continued to threaten Jerusalem, sending his Rabshakeh to demand the city's surrender ([2 Kings 18:17-37](/2_kings/18-17 "2 Kings 18:17-37 - The Rabshakeh's Taunts")). This highlights the Assyrian king's treachery and insatiable demands, ultimately setting the stage for God's miraculous intervention and the supernatural destruction of the Assyrian army in [2 Kings 19:35](/2_kings/19-35 "2 Kings 19:35 - The Angel of the Lord Strikes Down the Assyrian Army"), demonstrating that human appeasement is insufficient against the plans of God.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Hezekiah's desperate attempt to pay off the Assyrian king, offering an astronomical sum to avert destruction, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate, perfect payment made by Christ. While Hezekiah's tribute was a human effort to appease a human enemy, ultimately failing to secure lasting peace, Jesus Christ offered Himself as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice to appease divine wrath and secure eternal peace for humanity. We, like Judah, were under the overwhelming burden of sin's debt, enslaved by a spiritual enemy far more formidable than Assyria. No amount of human effort, wealth, or good works could ever pay the "talent" of our sin. But God, in His infinite love and justice, "appointed" His Son, the [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), to bear the full cost. [2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Became Sin for Us") tells us that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Through His atoning death on the cross, Jesus bore the "burden" of our sin, paying a debt we could never repay, securing true freedom and an eternal covenant of peace ([Hebrews 9:12](/hebrews/9-12 "Hebrews 9:12 - Christ Entered Once for All into the Holy Place")). Unlike Sennacherib, who took the tribute and still threatened, God, having received the perfect sacrifice of Christ, extends grace, mercy, and complete deliverance to all who trust in Him, ushering us into His glorious kingdom ([Colossians 1:13-14](/colossians/1-13 "Colossians 1:13-14 - Delivered from the Domain of Darkness")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.