Isaiah Chapter 36 — The Assyrian Invasion
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah and sends a messenger to Jerusalem to demand surrender and undermine the people's trust in God.
1Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
2The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. He stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool in the fuller’s field highway.
3Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recorder came out to him.
4Rabshakeh said to them, “Now tell Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust?
5I say that your counsel and strength for the war are only vain words. Now in whom do you trust, that you have rebelled against me?
6Behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt, which if a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
7But if you tell me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ isn’t that he whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?”
8Now therefore, please make a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.
9How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
10Have I come up now without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land, and destroy it.” ’ ”
11Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak to us in the Jews’ language in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
12But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you, to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”
13Then Rabshakeh stood, and called out with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!
14The king says, ‘Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you.
15Don’t let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city won’t be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” ’
16Don’t listen to Hezekiah, for the king of Assyria says, ‘Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and each of you eat from his vine, and each one from his fig tree, and each one of you drink the waters of his own cistern;
17until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
18Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Have any of the gods of the nations delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria?
19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
20Who are they among all the gods of these countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’ ”
21But they remained silent, and said nothing in reply, for the king’s commandment was, “Don’t answer him.”
22Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Isaiah 36:6
“Behold, you trust in the staff of this bruised reed, even in Egypt, which if a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.”
This verse highlights the Assyrian mockery of Judah's political alliances and the perceived weakness of worldly help.
Isaiah 36:15
“Don’t let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city won’t be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.””
This represents the central spiritual challenge of the chapter, testing the people's faith in God's protection.
Isaiah 36:20
“Who are they among all the gods of these countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?”
The Rabshakeh equates the God of Israel with the idols of conquered nations, setting the stage for divine intervention.
Chapter Summary
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, the Assyrian King Sennacherib captures the fortified cities of Judah. He sends his field commander, the Rabshakeh, to Jerusalem with a large army. Standing by the aqueduct, the Rabshakeh addresses Hezekiah’s officials—Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah. He mocks their reliance on Egypt, calling it a 'bruised reed,' and questions their trust in the Lord. He even claims that God told him to destroy the land. When the Judean officials ask him to speak in Aramaic to avoid panicking the citizens, the Rabshakeh instead shouts in Hebrew directly to the people on the city wall. He promises them prosperity if they surrender but warns that no god has ever saved a nation from Assyria. Following Hezekiah’s orders, the people remain silent, and the officials return to the king with torn clothes in a sign of mourning.
Frequently Asked Questions
He is a high-ranking official and military messenger for King Sennacherib of Assyria. He is tasked with delivering the demand for surrender and using psychological warfare to demoralize the people of Jerusalem.
Eliakim and his colleagues wanted to prevent the common citizens on the city walls from understanding the terrifying threats of the Assyrian army. Aramaic was the language of international diplomacy, while the 'Jews' language' or Hebrew was understood by everyone in the city.
Hezekiah ordered the people on the wall not to answer the Rabshakeh's taunts or enter into a debate. This silence demonstrated discipline and a refusal to engage with the messenger's attempts to create fear and division.
Study Note
The Rabshakeh’s speech is a classic example of ancient psychological warfare, designed to undermine the religious and political authority of King Hezekiah by questioning his alliances and his God.
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