Chapter Overview
Summary
Isaiah 36 begins THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE BRIDGE (chs. 36–39) between First-Isaiah (chs. 1–35) and Second-Isaiah (chs. 40–55). The narrative parallels 2 Kings 18–20 nearly-verbatim. Chapter 36 records the Assyrian-Rabshakeh's-blasphemous-speech against-Hezekiah and-the-LORD (701 BCE Sennacherib-crisis).
Notable Variants
36:1 'fourteenth year of Hezekiah' historical timestamp (701 BCE); 36:6 'broken reed' Egypt-as-unreliable; 36:18 Rabshakeh's blasphemous question 'has any god delivered his land?'
Structural Notes
MT Isaiah 36 = LXX Isaiah 36. 22 verses. // 2 Kings 18:13–37. Opens HISTORICAL-BRIDGE (chs. 36–39).
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria marched against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
'In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them' tracks MT. SENNACHERIB-INVASION 701 BCE — the most-documented foreign-king-event in-OT-history. Cf. Sennacherib's-own-Annals (Taylor Prism).
The king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah, with a large force. He took his stand by the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the Washerman's Field.
'And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field' tracks MT.
Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the palace, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, went out to meet him.
'And there came out to him Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder' tracks MT. ELIAKIM AND SHEBNA — the figures-of-Isaiah 22 now-historical.
The Rabshakeh said to them, 'Say to Hezekiah: This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says — What is this trust in which you are trusting?'
'And the Rabshakeh said to them: Say to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?' tracks MT.
'I say — your claim of strategy and strength for war is mere talk. Now, on whom are you relying, that you have rebelled against me?'
'Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me?' tracks MT.
'Look — you are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt! If a man leans on it, it goes into his hand and pierces it. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to everyone who trusts in him.'
'Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him' tracks MT. BROKEN-REED EGYPT — // Ezek 29:6.
'And if you say to me, We trust in the LORD our God — is He not the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, telling Judah and Jerusalem, You must worship before this altar?'
'But if you say to me: We trust in the LORD our God, is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem: You shall worship before this altar?' tracks MT. RABSHAKEH MISUNDERSTANDS Hezekiah's-reform — assumes-it-offends-the-LORD.
'Now then, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses — if you can find riders for them!'
'Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them' tracks MT.
'How then can you repel even a single officer among the least of my master's servants? Yet you trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen!'
'How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?' tracks MT.
'And have I marched against this land to destroy it without the LORD? The LORD Himself said to me: March against this land and destroy it!'
'Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me: Go up against this land and destroy it' tracks MT. RABSHAKEH'S BLASPHEMOUS THEOLOGY-CLAIM.
Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, 'Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.'
'Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh: Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall' tracks MT. ARAMAIC-VS-HEBREW. The diplomatic-Aramaic vs. the people's-Hebrew. The Rabshakeh deliberately speaks Hebrew-for-the-people's-demoralization.
But the Rabshakeh said, 'Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words? Has he not sent me to the men sitting on the wall — who will eat their own dung and drink their own urine along with you?'
'But the Rabshakeh said: Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?' tracks MT.
Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in Hebrew: 'Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!'
'Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!' tracks MT.
'This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot deliver you.'
'Thus says the king: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you' tracks MT.
'Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying, The LORD will surely deliver us — this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
'Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD by saying: The LORD will surely deliver us. This city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria' tracks MT.
'Do not listen to Hezekiah. For this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me, and each of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink from his own cistern —'
'Do not listen to Hezekiah. For thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me. Then each one of you will eat of his own vine, and each one of his own fig tree, and each one of you will drink the water of his own cistern' tracks MT.
'— until I come and take you to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.'
'Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards' tracks MT.
'Do not let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, The LORD will deliver us. Has any god of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?'
'Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying: The LORD will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?' tracks MT. HAS-ANY-GOD-DELIVERED — Rabshakeh's-blasphemy. Reduces-YHWH to-the-level of-pagan-defeated-deities.
'Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?'
'Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?' tracks MT.
'Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?'
'Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?' tracks MT.
But they remained silent and did not answer him a word, for the king's command was: 'Do not answer him.'
'But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was: Do not answer him' tracks MT. SILENCE-IN-FACE-OF-BLASPHEMY — Hezekiah's-instruction. Christologically — Christ-silent-before-Pilate (Matt 27:14, John 19:9) parallels.
Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the palace, Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and reported to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
'Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh' tracks MT.