John Gill Commentary 2 Chronicles 32

After these things, and the establishment thereof
What are recorded in the preceding chapters, when matters were well settled, especially with respect to religion and temple service, and when Hezekiah was well established in the throne of his kingdom, had fought with and defeated the Philistines, and cast off the Assyrian yoke, and was in very prosperous circumstances.

For it was in the fourteenth year of his reign that what follows was done:

Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered into Judah, and encamped
against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself ;
or to break them, or into them; or through them ^F25 to break down the walls to take them, and join them to himself, as the Targum, and he did take them, see (2 Kings 18:13) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F25: (Meqbl) "ad perrumpendum eas", Montanus; "diffindere illas", Piscator; "abscindere", Schmidt.

And when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib was come Into the land of Judah, which he perceived and understood by reports brought to him: and that he was purposed to fight against Jerusalem; to besiege it and take it, if possible; this he saw was his design, by taking the fenced cities in his way, and coming forward with his forces.

He took counsel with his princes, and his mighty men
With his nobles, and the officers of his army, what steps should be taken to resist, retard, and distress the enemy, and among the rest what follows was proposed:

to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city ;
that so the Assyrian army would find it difficult to supply themselves with water, which was an article of great importance:

and they did help him ;
to stop the fountains, not only with their advice how to do it, but with their men, their servants, who assisted those that Hezekiah employed in this work.

So there was gathered much people together
At the instance of Hezekiah, his nobles and officers:

who stopped all the fountains ;
perhaps by laying planks over them, and earth upon them, so that it could not be discerned there were any fountains there:

and the brook that ran through the midst of the land ;
which, according to Kimchi, was Gihon, (2 Chronicles 32:30) , which was near Jerusalem; the stream of this very probably they turned into channels under ground, whereby it was brought into the city into reservoirs there provided, that that might have a supply during the siege, while the enemy was distressed for want of it:

saying, why should the kings of Assyria come and find much water ?
by which means they would be able to carry on the siege to a great length, when otherwise they would be obliged to raise it quickly: mention is made of kings of Assyria, though there was but one, with whom there might be petty kings, or tributary ones; and, besides, as he boasted, his princes were altogether kings, (Isaiah 10:8) .

Also he strengthened himself
In the Lord his God, and fortified his city, and put it in the best manner of defence he could:

and built up all the wall that was broken ;
which was broken from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate by Joash king of Israel; and though it might have been repaired by Uzziah, it might again be broken down in the times of Ahaz, by Pekah, king of Israel, or some other enemy, see (2 Chronicles 25:3) (26:9) (2 Chronicles 28:6 2 Chronicles 28:7)

and raised it up to the towers ;
from the corner tower to the tower of the gate of Ephraim, which, as before observed, had been broken down:

and another wall without ;
a second wall, either all around the city, or at such a part of it which was weakest; Josephus ^F26 says the city of Jerusalem had three walls about it:

and repaired Millo in the city of David ;
a wall on the north side of the city:

and made darts and shields in abundance ;
darts to cast from the walls of the city, to annoy the enemy with, and shields to defend them from those of the enemy.

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 3.