1Sennacherib invadeth Judah. 2He sendeth Rabshakeh, who insulteth Hezekiah, 13and in a blasphemous speech soliciteth the people to revolt.
1NOW1 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 2took them.
1 This 36th chapter, and also the following three, are here inserted by the prophet, not only to give light to the foregoing chapters, but also to draw an occasion to speak of the Kingdom of Christ, whereof something is spoken in the foregoing chapters in figurative terms; and all this by occasion of the glory of king Hezekiah, who was in many things a type of the Kingdom of Christ.
2 Namely, some of them.
2And the king of Assyria sent Rab-shakeh from 3Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood 4by the conduit of the upper pool 5in the highway of the fuller's field.
3 A city situated in the tribe of Judah, which the king of Assyria had besieged at that time. Compare 2 Chron. 32:9; Isa. 37:8.
4 See 2 Kings 18:17; Isa. 7 on verse 3.
5 Or, in the street of the fuller’s field. See 2 Kings 18:17.
3Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house, and Shebna 6the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.
6 See the annotation at 1 Kings 4 on verse 3.
4¶And Rab-shakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?
5I 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?
6Lo, 7thou trustest in the staff of this brokena 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.
7 Rabshakeh does king Hezekiah great wrong in judging and speaking of him this way; for, he trusted on the Lord.
a Ezek. 29:6, 7.
7But 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 8to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall 9worship before this altar?
8 That is, to the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
9 Namely, to bow down to adore.
8Now therefore 10give 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.
10 Or, put in security. Other, pledge thyself to my lord, or, set thyself for a pawn or pledge unto my lord, as Neh. 5:3, namely, that you will be under his dominion, if you are not able to produce as many riders as I shall deliver to you horses.
9How 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?
10And am I now come up 11without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD 12said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.
11 That is, without the command of the Lord.
12 See 2 Kings 18 on verse 25.
11¶Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rab-shakeh, 13Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for 14we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
13 They desire this, being afraid that Rabshakeh, by his railing and reviling speeches, might persuade and stir up the people to mutiny.
14 Hebr. we hear it, as Isa. 33:19.
12¶But Rab-shakeh 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, 15that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
15 That is, to tell them, that they shall be brought to that extreme want and necessity, when Sennacherib shall besiege the city of Jerusalem, as that they shall be forced to eat their own dung, etc. See the annotation at 2 Kings 18 on verse 27.
13Then Rab-shakeh stood, and cried 16with a loud voice in the Jews' language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
16 Hebr. with greater voice.
14Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
15Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, 17The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
17 Hebr. delivering, the Lord will deliver us.
16Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me 18by a present, 19and 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;
18 Hebr. by a blessing, that is, present. See 2 Kings 18 on verse 31.
19 The sense is: On this condition will I permit you that you come out.
17Until I come and 20take you away to a land 21like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
20 Or, fetch. Hebr. take. See Gen. 12:15; Jer. 37:17, with the annotations.
21 That is, a land that is as fruitful as your own land.
18Beware 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?
19Where are the gods of 22Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered 23Samaria out of my hand?
22 See of this city Num. 13:21.
23 See of this city 1 Kings 16:24
20Who 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?
21But 24they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
24 Namely, the men whom Hezekiah had deputed, and the people. See 2 Kings 18:36.
22¶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 25with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh.
25 Which they had rent themselves unto a sign of their trouble and perplexity, also unto a sign of their grief, by reason of the blasphemous words which Rabshakeh had uttered. Concerning this custom of rending the garments, see Gen. 37:29.