Commentators overwhelmingly agree that this verse describes the chaos of Sennacherib's invasion. Specifically, 'he hath broken the covenant' refers to the Assyrian king treacherously violating the peace treaty he had just made with King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:14–17). Despite being paid off, he continued his attack, showing a complete disregard for his word, for cities, and for human life.