v17

V. 17: The king of Assyria sends a great host against Jerusalem. From several considerations, there seems to be a break in time between vs. 16 & 17, which, according to the most likely chronology, appears to be 12 years. For while v. 16 speaks of Hezekiah's submission and tribute (on the earlier occasion), the section starting with v. 17 speaks all through of his resistance and refusal to submit, and his miraculous deliverance. It seems clear that between vs. 16 & 17 we must put his sickness and the embassy from Babylon and the temporary uplifting of his pride and presumption, and his soon-after repentance and humbling of himself, for in the very sentence when God tells him he will add 15 years to his life (2 Kg. 20:6), He also tells him He will deliver Jerusalem from Assyria. This must be after the occasion of submission and before the occasion of resistance. The record beginning at v. 17 of ch. 18 tells of the deliverance and carries the record in an unbroken line right through to the destruction of the Assyrian host and the death of Sennacherib back in Assyria. So following v. 16 of ch. 18, we go to ch. 20, the record of his sickness. This begins, "In those days"—referring back indefinitely to some time earlier, for ch. 19 goes right down to the death of Sennacherib, which was nearly 20 years after the death of Hezekiah himself. Furthermore, we are told in this chapter (20) that 15 years were added to Hezekiah's life He reigned 29 years, so we have to go back to his 14th year for his sickness—the same year the Assyrians first came and he paid tribute, as recorded in 18:13-16.
1971 Berean rene p309