John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 37:36

"And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies." — Isaiah 37:36 (ASV)

And the angel of Jehovah went out. The Prophet now relates what happened to the Assyrian, so that we may not think that the Lord spoke in vain. He shows, therefore, that his prediction was proved by the event, so that it might clearly appear that God had sent him, and that he had not uttered anything rashly. Yet we should not limit so remarkable a work of God to a single prediction; for the authority of the Prophet was sustained, and his calling sanctioned, regarding the whole course of his doctrine. He has related a singular and well-known event which had recently happened, in order to prove, by means of it, until the end of the world, that God had spoken through his mouth.

It is not very clear where the angel carried out that slaughter. The generally held opinion is that it happened at the siege of Jerusalem; but it is also possible that it happened during the march of Sennacherib’s army, that is, while he was coming to besiege the city. I leave that matter uncertain, because it is of little importance. From the context, certainly, we can clearly learn that the tyrant did not approach so near as to be able to throw a dart into the city.

We must indeed reject that fabrication by which Satan, through secular historians, has attempted to obscure this extraordinary judgment of God: the claim that Sennacherib returned to his own lands because a part of the army had been destroyed by a plague during the war in Egypt. Such a large number of people dying in one night cannot be attributed to a plague. And the father of lies, with his usual cunning, has diverted to Egypt the blessing that God bestowed on his Church. The event itself loudly proclaims that Jerusalem was miraculously rescued, as it were, from the midst of destruction. This is especially true since Isaiah had already delivered that message by which God testified, in an unmistakable manner, that God would bestow this deliverance on the Jews and not on the Egyptians.

And slew in the camp of the Assyrians. So that no one may ascribe the miracle to natural causes, it is expressly added that such a great multitude was slain by the hand of the angel. Nor is it a new thing for the Lord to use the services of angels to ensure the safety of believers, for whose benefit he appointed all the armies of heaven. And it greatly helps to confirm our faith when we learn that an infinite number of guardians keep watch over us (Psalms 91:11).

The Lord alone, indeed, is inherently able, and undoubtedly he alone preserves us, for the angels may be regarded as his hand, and for that reason they are called principalities and powers (Romans 8:38; Ephesians 1:21). But it does much to aid our weakness that he has appointed heavenly messengers to be our defenders and guardians.

Yet all the praise is due to God alone, whose mere instruments the angels are. Therefore, we must be careful not to fall into the superstition of the Papists, who, by their absurd worship of angels, ascribe to them the power that belongs to God—an error we know that some very learned men in all ages have been prone to.

Whether it was done by the hand of one angel or of many angels, we cannot determine with certainty, nor is it very important. For the Lord can do it as easily by one angel as by a thousand, and does not use their agency as if he needed the help of others, but rather, as we have said before, to support our weakness.

Yet it is more probable, and agrees better with the words of the Prophet, that a single angel was commissioned to execute this judgment, just as in the ancient redemption an angel passed through all of Egypt to slay the firstborn (Exodus 12:29). Although God sometimes carries out his vengeance through evil angels, yet he chose one of his willing servants, so that through him he might provide for the safety of the Church.

A hundred and eighty-five thousand. That the army was so vast need not make us wonder, as ignorant people do, who consider it incredible and mythical when they are told that such a great multitude went into battle, because we are accustomed to waging war with much smaller forces. But historians and well-known events of the present day fully testify that the case was very different with eastern nations. Nor should we be astonished at the vast forces they led into battle, for they are much more capable of enduring heat, toil, and hunger, are satisfied with a much smaller amount of food, and do not care about the luxuries that corrupt our soldiers today.

Regarding the method of the slaughter, this passage gives no definite statement. The Jews conjecture that the soldiers were struck by thunder, but they do so without any authority or probable evidence. For, being bold in inventing fables, they unjustifiably affirm as certain whatever comes into their mind, as if it were supported by some historical account.

Behold, they were all dead corpses. It is very evident from this narrative, which states that they were lying dead, that the slaughter was not carried out as openly as the Jews allege. Now, if they had been struck by a thunderbolt, everyone would have known it, and the Prophet would not have omitted it. This might serve to refute the conjecture of the Jews, but I prefer to leave the matter uncertain. It is enough that the Lord, having determined to save Jerusalem from the hand of the Assyrian, cut off his army by a sudden death, without any human agency.