Human conflicts are typically defined by overwhelming chaos, the deafening roar of battle, and the tragic sight of bloodshed. Yet, the downfall of the Assyrian army stands in stark contrast to this norm. Their defeat was not secured through clashing weapons or physical combat, but through a sudden, silent intervention by God.
The imagery of a standard battlefield captures this intense commotion. The primary approach among commentators is that the text portrays the sheer volume of war, including triumphant shouts, battle cries, and the heavy galloping of horses [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מלבי״ם]. Another perspective focuses on the physical gear of the soldiers, suggesting the noise stems from the rhythmic, pounding march of spiked military boots designed for both protection and attack [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
Accompanying this deafening noise is the grim reality of a blood-soaked battlefield, vividly represented by the garments of fallen soldiers or the stained uniforms of active warriors [רש״י, מצודת דוד, אבן עזרא, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, this imagery might not refer to personal clothing at all. Instead, it represents a red military banner raised to signal a merciless attack, which ultimately became stained with the very blood the enemy forces had spilled [מלבי״ם].
Against this backdrop of noise and gore, the victory over Sennacherib's camp highlights a profound reversal. Instead of a loud and bloody clash, the threat was neutralized silently and without human bloodshed when an angel of God struck the enemy camp at night, consuming them in fire [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. Opinions differ on the exact nature of this fire. Some commentators maintain that the soldiers themselves were miraculously burned [רד״ק]. Others explain that following the quiet victory, the Israelites gathered and burned the leftover enemy uniforms and military equipment that were no longer fit for use [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
Ultimately, these events illustrate how the enemy engineered their own destruction. There is a deep poetic justice in their end: the Assyrian army, which had swept across the region like a raging fire consuming other nations, was in turn completely consumed by fire and reduced to ash [מלבי״ם].