Why did Sharezer kill his father Sennacherib?

The Bible states that Sharezer and his brother killed their father while he was worshiping his god Nisroch. This act of regicide likely stemmed from a power struggle or revenge, as Sennacherib had recently suffered a devastating military defeat by God's intervention (2 Kings 19:35-37).

What is the significance of Sharezer's story?

Sharezer's story demonstrates God's judgment against the arrogant Assyrian empire and its king, Sennacherib, who had threatened Jerusalem. It shows that even powerful kings are not beyond the reach of divine justice and familial betrayal as a consequence of their pride (Isaiah 10:12).

Sharezer

Q: Who was Sharezer in the Bible?

Sharezer was a son of King Sennacherib of Assyria. He, along with his brother Adrammelech, assassinated their father and then fled to the land of Ararat (2 Kings 19:37, Isaiah 37:38).

Old TestamentDivided MonarchyMaleFather

Sharezer, along with his brother Adrammelech, assassinated their father, King Sennacherib of Assyria, and fled to the land of Ararat.

Sharezer

Biography

Sharezer was a son of the Assyrian king Sennacherib who, together with his brother Adrammelech, murdered their father while Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch (2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38). The parricide occurred shortly after Sennacherib's failed siege of Jerusalem, during which the angel of the LORD had struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. After assassinating their father, Sharezer and Adrammelech fled to the land of Ararat, present-day Armenia. The throne then passed to another son, Esarhaddon. Extrabiblical Assyrian sources confirm Sennacherib's assassination, though they do not name Sharezer specifically. His name is Assyrian in origin, meaning "protect the king", an ironic title for a patricide.

Significance

The account of Sharezer's patricide carries profound theological weight as the culminating divine judgment upon Sennacherib, the Assyrian king who had blasphemed Yahweh and threatened Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:23-29). God had promised through Isaiah that Sennacherib would fall by the sword in his own land (Isaiah 37:7), and Sharezer became the unwitting instrument of that prophecy's fulfillment. This narrative reinforces the biblical theology that no earthly empire, however powerful, can mock Israel's God with impunity. The downfall of the house of Sennacherib from within underscores divine sovereignty over the rise and fall of nations throughout redemptive history.

Verse Appearances (2)

2Kgs

2Kgs 19:37

Isaiah

Isaiah 37:38

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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