דברי הימים ב, פרק ל״ב, פסוק א׳

The invasion of Judah by the Assyrian empire occurs at a surprising historical moment. Just as King Hezekiah leads a spiritual revolution to restore the worship of God, Sennacherib arrives with his massive army to threaten the kingdom. This timing is puzzling because the war breaks out immediately following Hezekiah's good deeds, which were performed with truth, justice, and a completely devoted heart [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם].

Commentators offer two main ways to understand the timing of this attack. One approach links the invasion to the spiritual condition of the nation. Although Hezekiah was fully committed to God, the people of Judah continued to act poorly, and their hearts were not truly devoted at that time [רד״ק, מצודת דוד]. In contrast, another perspective suggests that the invasion was not a punishment at all. Instead, divine providence directed Sennacherib to attack precisely because of Hezekiah's righteousness. The goal was to bring about an open miracle by defeating the Assyrian army in the mountains of Zion, thereby magnifying the name of God and elevating the standing of Israel [מלבי״ם].

From a military and strategic standpoint, Sennacherib establishes camps around the smaller towns [מצודת ציון]. He does not march directly on the capital city of Jerusalem because his primary objective is not the conquest of Judah. His main goal is a military campaign against Egypt, and the kingdom of Judah is merely an obstacle in his path. Therefore, he chooses to first lay siege to the smaller fortified cities [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Faced with this massive threat, Hezekiah is unprepared for a war of such magnitude. He is forced to buy time to develop a strategy and gather military strength. However, once Sennacherib realizes that Hezekiah is preparing to rebel against him, he renews his campaign [מלבי״ם]. The Assyrian king plans to break through and shatter the walls of these cities [רש״י, מצודת ציון] in order to conquer and claim them for himself [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He carefully calculates his strategy to breach their defenses, and he ultimately succeeds in carrying out his plan and capturing the towns [רד״ק, מצודת דוד].