King James Version
Isaiah 36
22 verses with commentary
Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem
Now 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.
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KJV Study Commentary
This historical crisis introduces the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem under Hezekiah, testing faith in God's promises to protect Zion. The synchronization with Hezekiah's fourteenth year (701 BC) confirms biblical chronology and demonstrates God's sovereignty over pagan empires. The Rabshakeh's propaganda campaign foreshadows Satan's tactics of undermining trust in God's Word through logical-sounding ...
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XXXVI.
(1) **It came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah . . .**—In the judgment of nearly all Assyriologists (Sir Henry Rawlinson, Sayce, Hinckes, Lenormant, Schrader, Cheyne), we have to rectify the chronology. The inscriptions of Sennacherib fix the date of his campaign against Hezekiah in the third year of his reign (B.C. 700), and that coincides not with the fourteenth, but with t...
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**2. navel--**rather, "girdle-clasp," called from the part of the person underneath. The "shoes" (So 7:1) prove that dress is throughout presupposed on all parts where it is usually worn. She is "a bride adorned for her husband"; the "uncomely parts," being most adorned (1Co 12:23). The girdle-clasp was adorned with red rubies resembling the "round goblet" (crater or mixer) of spice-mixed wine (no...
Read full commentary →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 fuller's field.
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KJV Study Commentary
Rabshakeh was the Assyrian field commander sent with a large army to Jerusalem. His position at the "conduit of the upper pool" was strategic—threatening Jerusalem's water supply demonstrated Assyria's power to besiege the city. This geographical detail emphasizes the real historical threat. The large army's presence was psychological warfare, meant to intimidate. This sets the stage for God's dra...
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(2) **The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh.**—The word is a title (*the *Rabshakeh) probably the chief officer or cup-bearer. In 2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 32, we have the previous history of the war. Hezekiah, on hearing Sennacherib’s reproach, began to strengthen the fortifications of Jerusalem, called his officers and troops together, and made an appeal to their faith and courage. In Isaiah 22 we h...
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3. The daughters of Jerusalem describe her in the same terms as Jesus Christ in So 4:5. The testimonies of heaven and earth coincide.
**twins--**faith and love.
Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder. scribe: or, secretary
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KJV Study Commentary
Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah were Hezekiah's senior officials who went to negotiate with Rabshakeh. Their titles indicate governmental organization: Eliakim "over the household" (palace administrator), Shebna "the scribe" (secretary of state), and Joah "the recorder" (official historian). This diplomatic delegation shows proper protocol but also Hezekiah's wise refusal to personally engage with blasp...
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(3) **Eliakim.**—It is significant that Eliakim now fills the office which, a short time before, had been filled by Shebna, while the latter is reduced to the inferior position of a scribe (Isaiah 22:15-25). The change is clearly traceable to Isaiah’s influence. The “scribe” was the secretary who formulated despatches and degrees; the “recorder,” probably the registrar of the official annals.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. tower of ivory--**In So 4:4, Jesus Christ saith, "a tower of David builded for an armory." Strength and conquest are the main thought in His description; here, beauty and polished whiteness; contrast So 1:5.
**fishpools--**seen by Burckhardt, clear (Re 22:1), deep, quiet, and full (1Co 2:10, 15).
**Heshbon--**east of Jordan, residence of the Amorite king, Sihon (Nu 21:25, &c.), afterw...
Read full commentary →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?
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KJV Study Commentary
The Rabshakeh's taunt reveals the spiritual warfare dimension behind political crises. His rhetorical question 'What confidence is this?' attacks the very foundation of faith - trusting God despite circumstances. This mirrors Satan's temptation strategy, questioning God's Word and provision. Hezekiah's silence models godly wisdom in not defending oneself before mockers.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. upon thee--**the headdress "upon" her.
**Carmel--**signifying a well-cultivated field (Is 35:2). In So 5:15 He is compared to majestic Lebanon; she here, to fruitful Carmel. Her headdress, or crown (2Ti 4:8; 1Pe 5:4). Also the souls won by her (1Th 2:19, 20), a token of her fruitfulness.
**purple--**royalty (Re 1:6). As applied to hair, it expresses the glossy splendor of black hair (lite...
Read full commentary →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? vain: Heb. a word of lips I have: or, but counsel and strength are for the war
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KJV Study Commentary
Rabshakeh's taunt "I say, thy counsel and strength for war are but vain words" attacks the foundation of Hezekiah's trust. The Assyrian accurately identifies that military preparedness requires both strategy ("counsel") and power ("strength"). His claim that Judah possesses neither is designed to demoralize. However, he fundamentally misunderstands the source of Judah's confidence—not military mig...
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(5, 6) **I have counsel and strength for war . . .**—Reports of Hezekiah’s speech. probably also of his negotiations with Egypt, had reached the ears of the Assyrian king. So Sennacherib. in his inscriptions, speaks of “the king of Egypt as a monarch who could not save those who trusted in him” (Smith, *Assyrian Canon*)*. *The Pharaoh in this case was Shabatoka, or Sabaco II., the father of the Ti...
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6. Nearer advance of the daughters to the Church (Ac 2:47; 5:13, end). Love to her is the first token of love to Him (1Jo 5:1, end).
**delights--**fascinating charms to them and to the King (So 7:5; Is 62:4, Hephzi-bah). Hereafter, too (Zep 3:17; Mal 3:12; Re 21:9).
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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The metaphor of Egypt as a "broken reed" that pierces the hand of anyone leaning on it is vivid and accurate. Egypt had encouraged Judah's rebellion against Assyria but provided no meaningful military support. The imagery teaches that alliances with worldly powers not only fail to help but actively harm. This principle extends to spiritual life—trusting created things rather than the Creator bring...
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**7. palm tree--**(Psa 92:12). The sure sign of water near (Ex 15:27; Joh 7:38).
**clusters--**not of dates, as Moody Stuart thinks. The parallelism (So 7:8), "clusters of the vine," shows it is here clusters of grapes. Vines were often trained (termed "wedded") on other trees.
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?
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KJV Study Commentary
The accusation that Hezekiah removed the high places (actually an act of faithfulness) is twisted into evidence of God's displeasure. This demonstrates how reforming obedience can be misrepresented as rebellion. The enemy always attempts to redefine righteousness as sin and faithfulness as folly. Hezekiah's reforms (2 Kings 18:4) were covenant faithfulness, not presumption.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Is it not he, whose high places . . .**—This was this impression left on the mind of the Rabshakeh by what he heard of Hezekiah’s reformation. From the Assyrian stand-point a god was honoured in proportion as his sanctuaries were multiplied, but wherever he went, the Rabshakeh had found “high places “where Jehovah had been worshipped, which Hezekiah had desecrated. How could one who had so a...
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8. The daughters are no longer content to admire, but resolve to lay hold of her fruits, high though these be. The palm stem is bare for a great height, and has its crown of fruit-laden boughs at the summit. It is the symbol of triumphant joy (Joh 12:13); so hereafter (Re 7:9).
**breasts--**(Is 66:11).
**the vine--**Jesus Christ (Ho 14:7, end; Joh 15:1).
**nose--**that is, breath; the Holy G...
Read full commentary →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. pledges: or, hostages
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KJV Study Commentary
Rabshakeh's mocking offer—"I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able to set riders upon them"—ridicules Judah's military weakness. This insult implies Judah lacks even basic cavalry forces. The offer is disingenuous psychological warfare meant to humiliate and demoralize. However, it inadvertently highlights a spiritual truth: God's strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 1...
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(8) **Now, therefore, give pledges.**—Better, *make a wager. *This would seem to be a taunt interpolated by the Rabshakeh in the midst of his official message. There was something absurd in the idea of Judah coming out as strong in its cavalry. Had they two thousand men who could manage their horses if they had them?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. roof of thy mouth--**thy voice (Pr 15:23).
**best wine--**the new wine of the gospel kingdom (Mr 14:25), poured out at Pentecost (Ac 2:4, 13, 17).
**for my beloved--**(So 4:10). Here first the daughters call Him theirs, and become one with the bride. The steps successively are (So 1:5) where they misjudge her (So 3:11); So 5:8, where the possibility of their finding Him, before she regain...
Read full commentary →How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
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KJV Study Commentary
The rhetorical question "How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants?" emphasizes hopelessness from a human perspective. Even the lowest Assyrian officer supposedly outmatches all Judah. The continued mention of trusting Egypt for chariots and horsemen shows the Assyrians understood Judah's diplomatic maneuvering. This sustained mockery aims to break m...
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10. Words of the daughters of Jerusalem and the bride, now united into one (Ac 4:32). They are mentioned again distinctly (So 8:4), as fresh converts were being added from among enquirers, and these needed to be charged not to grieve the Spirit.
**his desire is toward me--**strong assurance. He so desires us, as to give us sense of His desire toward us (Psa 139:17, 18; Lu 22:15; Ga 2:20; 1Jo 4:1...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Rabshakeh's claim "Am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it?" is particularly insidious—asserting that YHWH Himself authorized Assyria's invasion. The phrase "the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land" mimics prophetic language. This psychological warfare technique attempts to create religious doubt, suggesting that resisting Assyria means resisting God. While God doe...
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(10) **Am I now come up without the Lord . . .**—The words may be simply an empty boast. Possibly, however, Isaiah’s teaching that it was Jehovah who brought the King of Assyria into Judah, and used him as an instrument (Isaiah 7:17-18), had become known, or Sennacherib may have dreamt, or have said that he had dreamt, that the God of Judah, irritated with the destruction of the high places, had g...
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**11. field--**the country. "The tender grape (Maurer translates, flowers) and vines" occurred before (So 2:13). But here she prepares for Him all kinds of fruit old and new; also, she anticipates, in going forth to seek them, communion with Him in "loves." "Early" implies immediate earnestness. "The villages" imply distance from Jerusalem. At Stephen's death the disciples were scattered from it t...
Read full commentary →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 Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
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KJV Study Commentary
The officials' request to speak in "Syrian" (Aramaic) rather than "Jews' language" (Hebrew) shows concern for public morale. They recognize Rabshakeh's speech is aimed at the people on the wall, not just the negotiating team. Aramaic was the diplomatic lingua franca, understood by educated officials but not common people. The request reveals wisdom in protecting the vulnerable from demoralizing pr...
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(11) **Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants . . .**—The king’s officers, knowing the “little faith” of their people, are not, perhaps, without misgivings of their own. Might not the townsmen, listening eagerly on the wall, recognise in Rabshakeh’s words an echo of Isaiah’s, and lose courage, as feeling that they were fighting against the God who was chastising them? The Syrian or Aramaic was a co...
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12. (Mr 1:35; Joh 9:4; Ga 6:10). Assurance fosters diligence, not indolence.
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?
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KJV Study Commentary
Rabshakeh's graphic response about people eating their own dung and drinking their own urine depicts siege horror. He explicitly states his message targets the common people on the wall who will suffer siege deprivation. This crude psychological warfare aims to create panic and civilian pressure on Hezekiah to surrender. The tactic reveals Satan's methodology—targeting the vulnerable with worst-ca...
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(12) **Hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall . . .?**—The words, which in their brutal coarseness have hardly a parallel in history, till we come to Bismarck’s telling the Parisians that they may “stew in their own gravy,” imply that the Assyrians were in a position to cut off the supplies both of food and water.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. mandrakes--**Hebrew, dudaim, from a root meaning "to love"; love apples, supposed to exhilarate the spirits and excite love. Only here and Ge 30:14-16. Atropa mandragora of Linnæus; its leaves like lettuce, but dark green, flowers purple, root forked, fruit of the size of an apple, ruddy and sweet-smelling, gathered in wheat harvest, that is, in May (Mariti, ii. 195).
**gates--**the entran...
Read full commentary →Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
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KJV Study Commentary
Rabshakeh standing and crying "with a loud voice in the Jews' language" deliberately violates the officials' request, showing contempt for Judah's leaders. Speaking loudly in Hebrew ensures maximum dissemination of his message. His opening "Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria" parodies prophetic announcements ("Hear the word of the LORD"). This blasphemous appropriation of div...
Read full commentary →Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
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KJV Study Commentary
The command "Let not Hezekiah deceive you" attempts to reframe the king's faith as deception. The claim "he shall not be able to deliver you" directly challenges God's power, though Rabshakeh addresses it to Hezekiah's competence. This is spiritual warfare disguised as political negotiation. The tactic is to separate the people from their godly leader by portraying his faith as foolish fantasy. Sa...
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CHAPTER 8
So 8:1-14.
1. He had been a brother already. Why, then, this prayer here? It refers to the time after His resurrection, when the previous outward intimacy with Him was no longer allowed, but it was implied it should be renewed at the second coming (Joh 20:17). For this the Church here prays; meanwhile she enjoys inward spiritual communion with Him. The last who ever "kissed" Jesus Ch...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Rabshakeh's command not to let Hezekiah 'make you trust in the LORD' reveals the ultimate goal of all worldly philosophy - preventing faith in God. This verbal form emphasizes the ongoing nature of trust that must be actively maintained. The promise that Jerusalem would not be delivered into Assyria's hand becomes a test case for divine faithfulness versus human calculation.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15, 16) **Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord . . .**—Rabshakeh had apparently heard from spies or deserters of Hezekiah’s speech to his people (2Chronicles 32:7-8). In contrast with what he derides as trust in a God who was against those who trusted Him, he offers tangible material advantages They have only to leave the besieged city, and to go to the Assyrian camp, and they will be ...
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2. Her desire to bring Him into her home circle (Joh 1:41).
**who would instruct me--**rather, "thou wouldest instruct me," namely, how I might best please thee (Is 11:2, 3; 50:4; Lu 12:12; Joh 14:26; 16:13).
**spiced wine--**seasoned with aromatic perfumes. Jesus Christ ought to have our choicest gifts. Spices are never introduced in the song in His absence; therefore the time of His return f...
Read full commentary →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; Make: or, Seek my favour by a present: Heb. Make with me a blessing
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KJV Study Commentary
The offer of 'a land like your own land' is a satanic counterfeit of God's promises - a substitute blessing that requires surrender and compromise. This echoes the serpent's offer in Eden and foreshadows the Antichrist's false peace. The enemy always offers immediate comfort at the cost of ultimate blessing. True faith endures present difficulty for future glory (Romans 8:18).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3-4. The "left and right hand," &c., occurred only once actually (So 2:6), and here optatively. Only at His first manifestation did the Church palpably embrace Him; at His second coming there shall be again sensible communion with Him. The rest in So 8:4, which is a spiritual realization of the wish in So 8:3 (1Pe 1:8), and the charge not to disturb it, close the first, second, and fourth cant...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Rabshakeh's offer of relocation to "a land like your own land" is dressed-up slavery. The litany of promised abundance—grain, wine, bread, vineyards—sounds appealing but ignores that these blessings are tied to the Promised Land covenant. Exchanging the land God gave for foreign territory means abandoning covenant promises. This temptation parallels Satan offering Jesus all kingdoms (Matthew 4:8-9...
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3-4. The "left and right hand," &c., occurred only once actually (So 2:6), and here optatively. Only at His first manifestation did the Church palpably embrace Him; at His second coming there shall be again sensible communion with Him. The rest in So 8:4, which is a spiritual realization of the wish in So 8:3 (1Pe 1:8), and the charge not to disturb it, close the first, second, and fourth cant...
Read full commentary →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?
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KJV Study Commentary
The warning "Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you" repeats the deception charge, while adding "The LORD will deliver us" as the supposedly false promise. Rabshakeh now explicitly attacks trust in YHWH, escalating from political to theological assault. The rhetorical question "Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land?" equates YHWH with impotent pagan deities. This blasphemy reveals the ...
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(18) **Hath any of the gods of the nations . . .**—The Rabshakeh speaks in the natural language of polytheism. The Jehovah of Israel was one of gods many and lords many, a simple national deity; but Asshur and Ishtar, the gods of Assyria, were supreme above them all (*Records of the Past, *i. 25, 33).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. Who is this--**Words of the daughters of Jerusalem, that is, the churches of Judea; referring to Paul, on his return from Arabia ("the wilderness"), whither he had gone after conversion (Ga 1:15-24).
**I raised thee ... she ... bare thee--**(Ac 26:14-16). The first words of Jesus Christ to the bride since her going to the garden of nuts (So 6:9, 10); so His appearance to Paul is the only on...
Read full commentary →Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
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KJV Study Commentary
The taunt "Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad...Sepharvaim?" lists conquered cities whose deities failed to save them. The climactic question "have they delivered Samaria?" is particularly cutting—Samaria was Israel's capital, fallen to Assyria in 722 BC. Rabshakeh implies that if YHWH couldn't save the northern kingdom, He certainly can't save Judah. This argument has superficial logic but m...
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(19) **Hamath and Arphad . . .**—See Note on Isaiah 10:9. Looking to the practice of the Assyrians, the question would have had for its answer, not the echoing “Where?” which it suggests to modern ears, but “They are to be seen in the Temples of Assyria, as trophies of its victories.”
**Sepharvaim.**—The southernmost city of Mesopotamia, on the left bank of the Euphrates, probably the same as the ...
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6. Implying approaching absence of the Bridegroom.
**seal--**having her name and likeness engraven on it. His Holy Priesthood also in heaven (Ex 28:6-12, 15-30; He 4:14); "his heart" there answering to "thine heart" here, and "two shoulders" to "arm." (Compare Jr 22:24, with Hag 2:23). But the Holy Ghost (Ep 1:13, 14). As in So 8:5, she was "leaning" on Him, that is, her arm on His arm, her head...
Read full commentary →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?
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KJV Study Commentary
The ultimate blasphemy: "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?" This rhetorical question places YHWH in the same category as demonstrably powerless false gods. Rabshakeh's arrogance assumes Assyrian power supersedes all divine authority. This echoes Satan's primal rebellion—the creature exalting himsel...
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**7. waters--**in contrast with the "coals of fire" (So 8:6; 1Ki 18:33-38). Persecutions (Ac 8:1) cannot quench love (He 10:34; Re 12:15, 16). Our many provocations have not quenched His love (Ro 8:33-39).
**if ... give all the substance ... contemned--**Nothing short of Jesus Christ Himself, not even heaven without Him, can satisfy the saint (Php 3:8). Satan offers the world, as to Jesus Christ...
Read full commentary →But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
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KJV Study Commentary
The people's silence in response to blasphemy shows remarkable discipline—"they answered him not a word; for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not." Hezekiah had wisely instructed them not to engage in verbal sparring with the enemy. This restraint demonstrates mature faith that doesn't need to defend God with arguments but trusts Him to vindicate Himself. The silence also prevents gi...
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(21) **But they held their peace . . .**—Hezekiah seems to have commanded silence, as if distrustful either of the wisdom of the ambassadors or of the effect which any chance words might have upon the garrison and people of Jerusalem. As it was, the only words they had spoken (Isaiah 36:11) had made matters infinitely worse.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. The Gentile Church (Eze 16:48). "We," that is, the Hebrew Church, which heretofore admitted Gentiles to communion, only by becoming Judaic proselytes. Now first idolatrous Gentiles are admitted directly (Ac 11:17-26). Generally, the saint's anxiety for other souls (Mr 5:19; Joh 4:28, 29).
**no breasts--**neither faith nor love as yet (see on So 4:5), which "come by hearing" of Him who first l...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The officials returning with "their clothes rent" signifies deep distress—tearing garments was the customary expression of grief or horror at blasphemy. Despite their diplomatic composure during the meeting, they appropriately grieve at the assault on God's honor. Their report to Hezekiah sets up the king's faithful response in chapter 37. The officials' grief demonstrates that spiritual leaders s...
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(22) **With their clothes rent.**—The act was the natural expression of their horror at the blasphemy of Rabshakeh’s words. (Comp. Matthew 26:65; Acts 14:14.) They would not reply to that blasphemy, and trusted to the effect of this silent protest on the minds of the people who had heard it.
**Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
**Bib...
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**9. wall ... door--**the very terms employed as to the Gentile question (Ac 14:27; Ep 2:14). If she be a wall in Zion, founded on Jesus Christ (1Co 3:11), we will not "withstand God" (Ac 11:17; 15:8-11). But if so, we must not "build" (Ac 15:14-17) on her "wood, hay, stubble" (1Co 3:12), that is, Jewish rites, &c., but "a palace of silver," that is, all the highest privileges of church commun...
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