Sennacherib had a son.
Sennacherib ( Akkadian : Sîn-ahhī-erība , `` Sîn has replaced the brothers '' ; [ ܣܝܢܚܪܝܒ , Sīnḥārīḇ ] pronounced in Modern Hebrew [ / sanχeːˈʁiv / ] or in some Mizrahi dialects [ / sanħeːˈʁiv ] ) was the king of Assyria from 705 BCE to 681 BCE . He was assassinated in obscure circumstances in 681 BCE , apparently by his eldest son ( his designated successor , Esarhaddon , was the youngest ) .