Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went home and dwelt at Nineveh is literally “And he broke camp and he went and he returned, Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, and he settled at Nineveh.” It is a feature of Isaiah’s style to use multiple verbs. After Sennacherib and his army dismantled their camp, they left Judah and returned home to Assyria. Sennacherib’s home was in Nineveh, Assyria’s capital city. All this happened because so many Assyrian troops died, though verse 7 gives another reason. For the author of the book the important point is that Sennacherib’s departure comes as the fulfillment of Yahweh’s purpose.

For the translation of this verse consider the following example:

• Then Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, broke camp and returned home [to Assyria]. He remained [there,] in Nineveh.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .