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Easy-to-Read Version

Isaiah 20:1

Sargon was the king of Assyria. He sent his military commander to fight against Ashdod. The commander went there and captured the city.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ashdod;   Isaiah;   Sargon;   Tartan;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Prophets;   Sargon;   Tartan;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ashdod;   Philistia, philistines;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ashdod;   Sargon;   Tartan;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ashdod;   Captivity;   Hezekiah;   Israel;   Merodach Baladan;   Philistia;   Rabshakeh;   Sargon;   Tartan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Archaeology and Biblical Study;   Ashdod;   Assyria, History and Religion of;   Hezekiah;   Isaiah;   Israel, History of;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Sargon;   Tartan;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ashdod;   Assyria and Babylonia;   Philistines;   Sargon;   Tartan;   Time;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ashdod ;   Assyria ;   No;   Sargon ;   Tartan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Egypt;   No-amon;   Sargon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Philis'tines;   Sar'gon;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Esar-Haddon;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ashdod;   Captivity;   Chronology of the Old Testament;   Hezekiah (2);   Isaiah;   Sargon;   Tartan;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Assyria;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Chronology;   Daniel, Book of;   Parable;   Sargon;   Tartan;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In the year that the chief commander, sent by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it—
Hebrew Names Version
In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Ashshur sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;
King James Version
In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
English Standard Version
In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and captured it—
New American Standard Bible
In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it,
New Century Version
Sargon king of Assyria sent a military commander to Ashdod to attack that city. So the commander attacked and captured it.
Amplified Bible
In the year that the Tartan [the Assyrian commander in chief] came to Ashdod [in Philistia], when Sargon king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it,
World English Bible
In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;
Geneva Bible (1587)
In the yeere that Tartan came to Ashdod, (when Sargon King of Asshur sent him) and had fought against Ashdod, and taken it,
Legacy Standard Bible
In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it,
Berean Standard Bible
Before the year that the chief commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it,
Contemporary English Version
King Sargon of Assyria gave orders for his army commander to capture the city of Ashdod.
Complete Jewish Bible
In the year that Sargon the king of Ashur sent his commander-in-chief to attack Ashdod, he captured it.
Darby Translation
In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, (and he fought against Ashdod and took it,)
George Lamsa Translation
IN the year that Tartan came to Ashdod (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him) and fought against Ashdod and took it,
Good News Translation
Under the orders of Emperor Sargon of Assyria, the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army attacked the Philistine city of Ashdod.
Lexham English Bible
In the year the commander-in-chief came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and he took it,
Literal Translation
In the year Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The same yeare that Harthan came to Aschod, where Sarge the kinge of the Assirians sent him, what tyme as he also beseged Aschdod, & wane it ye same season:
American Standard Version
In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;
Bible in Basic English
In the year when the Tartan came to Ashdod, sent by Sargon, king of Assyria, and made war against it and took it;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
In the year that Tartan came into Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;
King James Version (1611)
In the yeere that Tartan came vnto Ashdod (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him) and fought against Ashdod and tooke it:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
In the yere that Tharthan came vnto Asdod when Sargon the kyng of Assyria had sent hym, and had fought agaynst Asdod, and taken it:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
In the year when Tanathan came to Azotus, when he was sent by Arna king of the Assyrians, and warred against Azotus, and took it;
English Revised Version
In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In the yeer wherynne Tharthan entride in to Azotus, whanne Sargon, the kyng of Assiriens, hadde sent hym, and he hadde fouyte ayens Azotus, and hadde take it;
Update Bible Version
In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;
Webster's Bible Translation
In the year that Tartan came to Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;
New English Translation
The Lord revealed the following message during the year in which King Sargon of Assyria sent his commanding general to Ashdod, and he fought against it and captured it.
New King James Version
In the year that Tartan [fn] came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it,
New Living Translation
In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod,
New Life Bible
In the year that Sargon the king of Assyria sent his head captain to fight against Ashdod, he took it in battle.
New Revised Standard
In the year that the commander-in-chief, who was sent by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and took it—
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In the year that Tartan entered Ashdod, when Sargon king of Assyria, sent him, - and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, -
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the year that Tharthan entered into Azotus, when Sargon the king of the Assyrians had sent him, and he had fought against Azotus, and had taken it:
Revised Standard Version
In the year that the commander in chief, who was sent by Sargon the king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it and took it, --
Young's Literal Translation
In the year of the coming in of Tartan to Ashdod, when Sargon king of Asshur sendeth him, and he fighteth against Ashdod, and captureth it,
THE MESSAGE
In the year the field commander, sent by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought and took it, God told Isaiah son of Amoz, "Go, take off your clothes and sandals," and Isaiah did it, going about naked and barefooted.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it,

Contextual Overview

1 Sargon was the king of Assyria. He sent his military commander to fight against Ashdod. The commander went there and captured the city. 2 At that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said, "Go, take the sackcloth off your waist and the sandals off your feet." So Isaiah obeyed the Lord and went without clothes or sandals. 3 Then the Lord said, "My servant Isaiah has gone without clothes or sandals for three years. This is a sign for Egypt and Ethiopia. 4 The king of Assyria will defeat Egypt and Ethiopia. Assyria will take prisoners and lead them away from their countries. The people, young and old, will be led away without clothes or sandals. They will be completely naked. 5 Those who looked to Ethiopia for help will be shattered. Those who were amazed by Egypt's glory will be ashamed." 6 People living along the coast will say, "We trusted those countries to help us. We ran to them so that they would rescue us from the king of Assyria. But look at them. They have been captured, so how can we escape?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tartan: Tartan was one of the generals of Sennacherib, who, it is probable, is here called Sargon, and in the book of Tobit, Sacherdonus and Sacherdan, against whom Tirhakah, king of Cush or Ethiopia, was in league with the king of Egypt. 2 Kings 18:17

Ashdod: 1 Samuel 6:17, Jeremiah 25:20, Amos 1:8

and took: Jeremiah 25:29, Jeremiah 25:30

Reciprocal: Joshua 15:46 - near Isaiah 14:31 - for Jeremiah 25:12 - perpetual Jeremiah 43:9 - great Ezekiel 29:2 - against all

Cross-References

Genesis 10:19
The land where the Canaanites lived went from Sidon down along the coast to Gerar and from Gaza as far east as Sodom and Gomorrah and from Admah and Zeboiim as far north as Laish.
Genesis 13:1
So Abram left Egypt. He traveled through the Negev with his wife and everything he owned. Lot was also with them.
Genesis 14:7
Then King Kedorlaomer turned back, went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh), and defeated the Amalekites. He also defeated the Amorites living in Hazezon Tamar.
Genesis 16:1
Sarai was Abram's wife, but she did not have any children. She had an Egyptian slave named Hagar.
Genesis 16:7
The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert. The spring was by the road to Shur.
Genesis 16:14
So the well there was called Beer Lahai Roi. It is between Kadesh and Bered.
Genesis 18:1
Later, the Lord again appeared to Abraham near the oak trees of Mamre. It was the hottest part of the day, and Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent.
Genesis 20:13
God led me away from my father's house. He led me to wander to many different places. When that happened, I told Sarah, ‘Do something for me. Wherever we go, tell people you are my sister.'"
Genesis 20:14
So Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham. Abimelech also gave Abraham some sheep, cattle, and slaves.
Genesis 24:62
Isaac had left Beer Lahai Roi and was now living in the Negev.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod,.... Or Azotus, as the Septuagint here call it; and which is its name in the New Testament, :-. This Tartan, or whom the Septuagint names Tanathan, and the Arabic version Tathan, was one of Sennacherib's generals, 2 Kings 18:17:

(when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him); to the above place to besiege it. This Sargon is generally thought to be the same with Sennacherib, since Tartan was one of his generals, who might have more names than one. Jerom says he had seven; the Jewish Rabbins h eight; though some think a predecessor of his is meant, Shalmaneser; and others his son Esarhaddon, who in the Apocrypha:

"And there passed not five and fifty days, before two of his sons killed him, and they fled into the mountains of Ararath; and Sarchedonus his son reigned in his stead; who appointed over his father's accounts, and over all his affairs, Achiacharus my brother Anael's son.'' (Tobit 1:21)

is called Sarchedon, which might easily pass by pronunciation into Sargon:

and fought against Ashdod, and took it; which was held by the Assyrians till the time of Psammiticus, and was so strong a city, and so well fortified, that it held out a siege of twenty nine years before he could be master of it i; how long Tartan lay against it, before he took it, is not said; nor is it certain what year he came against it; those who take Sargon to be Shalmaneser place it in the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign, who sent Tartan to Ashdod at the same time that he went against Samaria, 2 Kings 18:9 but others, who think Sennacherib is Sargon, fix it to the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign, as Kimchi; who, hearing of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia and Egypt coming against him, went forth to meet him, and subdued him; and at the same time sent Tartan against Ashdod; or rather this was done when he took the fenced cities of Judah, of which this was one, having been taken a little before by Hezekiah from the Philistines; see 2 Kings 18:8 though, if Esarhaddon is Sargon, this must be in the times of Manasseh, perhaps about the twenty second year of his reign, by whom he was taken, and carried captive; but it is most likely to have been in Hezekiah's time.

h T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 94. 1. i Herodot. l. 2. c. 157.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod - Tartan was one of the generals of Sennacherib. Ashdod, called by the Greeks Azotus, was a seaport on the Mediterranean, between Askelon and Ekron, and not far from Gaza (Reland’s “Palestine,” iii.) It was one of the five cities of the Philistines, assigned to the tribe of Judah, but never conquered by them Joshua 13:8; Joshua 15:46-47. The temple of Dagon stood here; and here the ark of God was brought after the fatal battle of Eben-ezer (1 Samuel 5:1, following.) It sustained many sieges, and was regarded as an important place in respect to Palestine, and also to Egypt. It was taken by Tartan, and remained in the possession of the Assyrians until it was besieged by Psammetichus, the Egyptian king, who took it after a siege of twenty-nine years (Herod. ii. 157). It was about thirty miles from Gaza. It is now a small village, and is called “Esdud.” It was besieged and taken by Tartan as preparatory to the conquest of Egypt; and if the king who is here called “Sargon” was Sennacherib, it probable that it was taken before he threatened Jerusalem.

Sargon the king of Assyria - Who this “Sargon” was is not certainly known. Some have supposed that it was Sennacherib; others that it was Shalmaneser the father of Sennacherib, and others that it was Esar-haddon the successor of Sennacherib - (Michaelis). Rosenmuller and Gesenius suppose that it was a king who reigned “between” Sbalmaneser and Sennacherib. Tartan is known to have been a general of Sennacherib 2 Kings 18:17, and it is natural to suppose that he is here intended. Jerome says that Senacherib had seven names, and Kimchi says that he had eight; and it is not improbable that “Sargon” was one of those names. Oriental princes often had several names; and hence, the difficulty of identifying them. See Vitringa on this place.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XX

The Prophet Isaiah a sign to Egypt and Cush or Ethiopia, that

the captives and exiles of these countries shall be indignantly

treated by the king of Assyria, 1-6.

NOTES ON CHAP. XX

Tartan besieged Ashdod or Azotus, which probably belonged at this time to Hezekiah's dominions; see 2 Kings 18:8. The people expected to be relieved by the Cushites of Arabia and by the Egyptians. Isaiah was ordered to go uncovered, that is, without his upper garment, the rough mantle commonly worn by the prophets, (see Zechariah 13:4,) probably three days to show that within three years the town should be taken, after the defeat of the Cushites and Egyptians by the king of Assyria, which event should make their case desperate, and induce them to surrender. Azotus was a strong place; it afterwards held out twenty-nine years against Psammitichus, king of Egypt, Herod. ii. 157. Tartan was one of Sennacherib's generals, 2 Kings 18:17, and Tirhakah, king of the Cushites, was in alliance with the king of Egypt against Sennacherib. These circumstances make it probable that by Sargon is meant Sennacherib. It might be one of the seven names by which Jerome, on this place, says he was called. He is called Sacherdonus and Sacherdan in the book of Tobit. The taking of Azotus must have happened before Sennacherib's attempt on Jerusalem; when he boasted of his late conquests, Isaiah 37:25. And the warning of the prophet had a principal respect to the Jews also, who were too much inclined to depend upon the assistance of Egypt. As to the rest history and chronology affording us no light, it may be impossible to clear either this or any other hypothesis, which takes Sargon to be Shalmaneser or Asarhaddon, &c., from all difficulties.-L. Kimchi says, this happened in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah.


 
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