Sharezer שַׁרְאֶ֫צֶר
Assyrian prince who assassinated his father Sennacherib
Who is Sharezer in the Bible?
Sharezer was an Assyrian prince and son of King Sennacherib who, along with his brother Adrammelech, assassinated his father while Sennacherib was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch (2 Kings 19:37; Isaiah 37:38). After committing the murder, the two brothers fled to the land of Ararat in what is now Armenia. The assassination occurred shortly after Sennacherib's failed campaign against Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. Though the Bible provides few details about Sharezer's motives or subsequent life, the account demonstrates the violent power struggles within the Assyrian royal dynasty and serves as a historical marker of divine judgment following Sennacherib's blasphemous threats against God and His people.
Biography
Sharezer, mentioned in 2Ki.19.37 and Isa.37.38, was one of the sons of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. Along with his brother Adrammelech, Sharezer plotted against their father and assassinated him while he was worshiping in the temple of his god, Nisroch. After committing the murder, Sharezer and Adrammelech fled to the land of Ararat, which was located in modern-day Armenia. The assassination of Sennacherib occurred shortly after his campaign against Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. The text does not provide any further details about Sharezer's life or his motivations for the assassination. However, the incident highlights the political instability and power struggles within the Assyrian royal family. The fact that Sharezer and his brother fled to Ararat suggests that they feared retribution or lacked support within Assyria. The assassination of Sennacherib marked the end of his reign and was a significant event in the history of Assyria and its relations with the kingdom of Judah.
Family
Parents
In Scripture
2 biblical books ; 1 with study content2 Kings 1 verse
- 2 Kings 19:37
"One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place."
Isaiah 1 verse
- Isaiah 37:38
"One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place."
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Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | שַׁרְאֶ֫צֶר |
Sharezer
," which is the equivalent of Belshazzar (Da 5:1). The name is borne by two persons in the Old Testament:
(1) The son of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who with ADRAMMELECH (which see) murdered his father (2Ki 19:37; Isa 37:38). The Babylonian Chronicle says concerning Sennacherib's death: "On the 20th day of Tebet Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was slain by his son in a revolt." This differs from the Old Testament account in that it speaks of only one murderer, and does not give his name. How the two accounts can be harmonized is still uncertain. Hitzig, (Kritik, 194 ff), following Abydenus, as quoted by Eusebius, completed the name of Sennacherib's son, so as to read Nergal-sharezer = Nergal-shar-ucur (Jer 39:3,13), and this is accepted by many modern scholars. Johns thinks that Sharezer (shar'etser or sar'etser) may be a corruption from Shar-etir-Ashur, the name of a son of Sennacherib (1-vol HDB, under the word). The question cannot be definitely settled.
(2) A contemporary of the prophet Zechariah, mentioned in connection with the sending of a delegation to the spiritual heads of the community to inquire concerning the propriety of continuing the fasts: "They of Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech" (Zec 7:2). This translation creates a difficulty in connection with the succeeding words, literally, "and his men." The Revisers place in the margin as an alternative rendering, "They of Beth-el, even Sharezer .... had sent." Sharezer sounds peculiar in apposition to "they of Beth-el"; hence, some have thought, especially since Sharezer seems incomplete, that in the two words Beth-el and Sharezer we have a corruption of what was originally a single proper name, perhaps Bel-sharezer = Bel-shar-ucur = Bel-shazzar. The present text, no matter how translated, presents difficulties.
See REGEM-MELECH.
F. C. Eiselen
shar'-un (ha-sharon, with the definite article possibly meaning "the plain"; to pedion, ho drumos, ho Saron):
(1) This name is attached to the strip of fairly level land which runs between the mountains and the s