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Among the descendants of King David who ruled during the First Temple period there were those who were praised for following in his path and those who were condemned for not doing so.
King Ḥizkiyahu was one of the righteous kings, and, according to the Gemara on our daf, God was planning to anoint him as the Messiah.
Rabbi Yochanan said: Five Assyrians survived. They were: Sancheirev and his two sons, as well as Nevuchadnezzar and Nevuzaradan.
The Gemora proves this: That Nevuzaradan survived is known through an oral tradition. We also know that Nevuchadnezzar survived, for it is written that Nevuchadnezzar said: The form of the fourth is like an angel. Now, if Nevuchadnezzar had never seen an angel once before, how did he know what one looked like now? [It must be that Nevuchadnezzar had seen an angel previously.]
We explore the literary traditions surrounding the site of Jerusalem.