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Isaiah 36 KJV

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

Major Prophets 4 min 22 verses 690 words Isaiah king ร—14 hezekiah ร—9 assyria ร—8 rabshakeh ร—6 trust ร—5

Isaiah Chapter 36: Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

The Rabshakeh's claim that Hezekiah angered Yahweh by removing the high places ironically exposes the Assyrian's ignorance of the Deuteronomic reforms central to Isaiah's theology of exclusive worship in Jerusalem.

N1๐Ÿ”—ow it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

2๐Ÿ”— And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fullerโ€™s field.

3๐Ÿ”— Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiahโ€™s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaphโ€™s son, the recorder.

4๐Ÿ”— And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

5๐Ÿ”— I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

6๐Ÿ”— Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

7๐Ÿ”— But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

8๐Ÿ”— Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

9๐Ÿ”— How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my masterโ€™s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

10๐Ÿ”— And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

11๐Ÿ”— Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jewsโ€™ language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

12๐Ÿ”— But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

13๐Ÿ”— Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jewsโ€™ language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.

14๐Ÿ”— Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.

15๐Ÿ”— Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

16๐Ÿ”— Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;

17๐Ÿ”— Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18๐Ÿ”— Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

19๐Ÿ”— Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

20๐Ÿ”— Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

21๐Ÿ”— But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the kingโ€™s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

22๐Ÿ”— Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain fourteenth โ€” the third of Sennacherib's reign. His ultimate object was Egypt, Hezekiah's ally. Hence he, with the great body of his army (2Ch 32:9), advanced towards the Egyptian fโ€ฆ

Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Isaiah 36 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Sennacherib's invasion; Blasphemous solicitations; Hezekiah is told of them.

1
fourteenth โ€” the third of Sennacherib's reign. His ultimate object was Egypt, Hezekiah's ally. Hence he, with the great body of his army (2Ch 32:9), advanced towards the Egyptian frontier, in southwest Palestine, and did not approach Jerusalem.
2
Rab-shakeh โ€” In 2Ki 18:17, Tartan and Rab-saris are joined with him. Rab-shakeh was probably the chief leader; Rab is a title of authority, "chief-cup-bearer." Lachish โ€” a frontier town southwest of Jerusalem, in Judah; represented as a great fortified city in a hilly and fruitful country in the Koyunjik bas-reliefs, now in the British Museum; also, its name is found on a slab over a figure of Sennacherib on his throne. upper pool โ€” the side on which the Assyrians would approach Jerusalem coming from the southwest (see on Isa 7:3).
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Chapter Context

Did You Know?

1

The Rabshakeh's claim that Hezekiah angered Yahweh by removing the high places ironically exposes the Assyrian's ignorance of the Deuteronomic reforms central to Isaiah's theology of exclusive worship in Jerusalem.

2

By requesting the conversation switch to Aramaic while deliberately continuing in Hebrew, the Rabshakeh exploits the linguistic divide between court diplomacy and common speech, aiming to demoralize the wall-listening populace as a calculated siege tactic.

3

The specific offer of two thousand horses mocks Judah's inability to field cavalry, underscoring Isaiah's recurring motif that trust in Egyptian military aid (mentioned earlier in the chapter) is futile compared to reliance on Yahweh.

4

This narrative directly fulfills the earlier oracle in Isaiah 10 where Assyria is called the 'rod of mine anger,' positioning chapter 36 as the historical pivot from prophetic warning to imminent fulfillment.

5

The officials Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah reappear with altered fates in Isaiah 22, creating a literary link that contrasts Shebna's disgrace with Eliakim's elevation as a sign of the coming Davidic restoration after the Assyrian crisis.