The Lord replies to that proud question. He says, in substance, that when he has chastised his people on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, the king of Assyria will be made to eat the fruit of his boasting.
Leanness. (v. 16) Literally, a "pining sickness in his fat body." May refer to the miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib. (Is. 37:30-38)
In a manuscript found at Nineveh, Sennacherib has left this account of his exploits: "This Hasakijahu Jahudu, fear of the greatness of my majesty swept him away and the guards and soldiers he had scraped up to defend the city Ursalimmo (Jerusalem), his powerful city; their ships he sent away with thirty talents of silver * * * and his daughters, the women in the palace, his slaves, male and female, to Ninua, the city of my dominion, and he sent his equerry to pay the tribute and to acknowledge his submission."
This shows to perfection the accuracy of the character drawn of the Assyrian ruler by the Prophet Isaiah.