INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 36 In this chapter we have an account of the king Assyria's invasion of Judea, and of the railing speech of Rabshakeh his general, to discourage the ministers and subjects of the king of Judah. The time and success of the invasion are observed in Isaiah 36:1 the messenger the... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE FOURTEENTH YEAR OF KING HEZEKIAH,.... The following piece of history is inserted from the books of Kings and Chronicles, as an illustration of some preceding prophecies, and as a confirmation of them; see 2 Kings 18:13 THAT SENNACHERIB KING OF ASSYRIA CAME UP AGAINST ALL... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING OF ASSYRIA SENT RABSHAKEH FROM LACHISH TO JERUSALEM UNTO KING HEZEKIAH WITH A GREAT ARMY,.... Notwithstanding he had taken Hezekiah's money to withdraw his army out of his country, yet sends it out to his very capital; along with this Rabshakeh he sent two other generals, Tartan and Rab... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CAME FORTH UNTO HIM,.... Being sent by Hezekiah; for otherwise Rabshakeh had the impudence to call to him, in order to parley, and treat with him about the surrender of the city; but as this was not thought either safe or honourable for the king to go in person, his following ministers went; se... [ Continue Reading ]
AND RABSHAKEH SAID UNTO THEM,.... The three ministers above mentioned: SAY YE NOW TO HEZEKIAH; tell him what follows; he does not call him king, as he does his own master: THUS SAITH THE GREAT KING, THE KING OF ASSYRIA; this he said boastingly of his master, and in order to terrify Hezekiah and hi... [ Continue Reading ]
I SAY, (SAYEST THOU,) BUT THEY ARE BUT VAIN WORDS,.... Or, "word of lips" f; meaning the following, which he suggests were only the fruit of his lips, not of his heart; or were vain and foolish, and without effect, and stood for nothing; so the first part of the words are Hezekiah's, "I say (sayest... [ Continue Reading ]
LO, THOU TRUSTEST IN THE STAFF OF THIS BROKEN REED, ON EGYPT,.... His ally and auxiliary; and which is rightly called "the staff of a broken reed", if trusted to, and leaned upon, being weak and frail, and an insufficient ground of confidence to depend upon; the allusion seems to be to the cane or r... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT IF THOU SAY TO ME, WE TRUST IN THE LORD OUR GOD,.... In his promises, providence, power, and protection, and not in human counsels and strength; not in allies and auxiliaries, as Pharaoh king of Egypt; should this be replied, Rabshakeh has something to say to that; having shown the vanity of tru... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THEREFORE GIVE PLEDGES TO MY MASTER THE KING OF ASSYRIA,.... Or; "hostages" h; that thou wilt not rebel against him, but be faithful to him, and he will withdraw his army; or give security for the horses after promised: "or mingle thyself with him"; agree the matter with him, give pledges for fu... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW THEN WILT THOU TURN AWAY THE FACE OF ONE CAPTAIN OF THE LEAST OF MY MASTER'S SERVANTS,.... Be able to resist him; or be a match for him; or cause him to flee; the least captain or general in the army having, as Kimchi says, two thousand men under him; and therefore, if Hezekiah could not produce... [ Continue Reading ]
AND AM I NOW COME UP WITHOUT THE LORD AGAINST THIS LAND TO DESTROY IT?.... He would insinuate that he had a commission from the Lord God, and that it was by his will and order that he came up to destroy the land; which he said to intimidate Hezekiah and his subjects, as knowing that nothing was more... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID ELIAKIM AND SHEBAH AND JOAH UNTO RABSHAKEH,.... That is, one of them addressed him in the name of the rest; for the verb is singular; and what follows confirms it; perhaps Eliakim was the speaker: SPEAK, I PRAY THEE, UNTO THY SERVANTS IN THE SYRIAC LANGUAGE; which was somewhat different f... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT RABSHAKEH SAID, HATH MY MASTER SENT ME TO THY MASTER, AND TO THEE, TO SPEAK THESE WORDS?.... That is, to them only, that he should use a language only understood by them: HATH HE NOT SENT ME TO THE MEN THAT SIT UPON THE WALL; and therefore it is proper to speak in a language which they understa... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN RABSHAKEH STOOD, AND CRIED WITH A LOUD VOICE IN THE JEWS' LANGUAGE,.... In which he spoke before; but now he raised up himself, and elevated his voice, and strained himself to the utmost, that all the people might hear, and that he might strike a terror into them, and stir them up to mutiny and... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE KING,.... The king of Assyria, whom he personated, whose general and ambassador he was; so he spake to command the greater awe of the people, and the more to terrify them: LET NOT HEZEKIAH DECEIVE YOU; with fair words, promising protection and safety, making preparations for the defe... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER LET HEZEKIAH MAKE YOU TRUST IN THE LORD,.... Hezekiah trusted in the Lord himself, and he endeavoured, both by his own example, and by arguments, to persuade his people to do so likewise; of this Rabshakeh was sensible, and was more afraid of this than of any thing else, and, therefore labou... [ Continue Reading ]
HEARKEN NOT TO HEZEKIAH,.... To his exhortations and persuasions to trust in the Lord; nor would he have them obey him in things civil, any more than hearken to him in things sacred, though their liege lord and sovereign; for his view and endeavour were to stir them up to mutiny and rebellion; and s... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTIL I COME AND TAKE YOU AWAY TO A LAND LIKE YOUR OWN LAND,..... Some have thought, as Jerom observes, that the land of Media was meant, which bore some likeness to the land of Judea in situation and fruitfulness. Maimonides thinks that Africa is intended l. Rabshakeh names no land, nor could he na... [ Continue Reading ]
BEWARE LEST HEZEKIAH PERSUADE YOU,.... To trust in the Lord, stand up in your own defence and not listen to these proposals; or, lest he "deceive you" m; with vain words; whom he would represent not only as not being their lawful king, and therefore never gives him that title, but also as a deceiver... [ Continue Reading ]
WHERE ARE THE GODS OF HAMATH AND ARPHAD?.... What is become of them? where are they to be found? where's their power to protect and defend the people they presided over? thus they might be justly derided, but not so the God at Israel; these places are mentioned in Isaiah 10:9. Hamath was a city in... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO ARE THEY AMONGST ALL THE GODS OF THESE LANDS, THAT HAVE DELIVERED THEIR LAND OUT OF MY HAND?.... Not one of them, it is suggested; wherefore then should it be thought practicable, THAT THE LORD SHOULD DELIVER JERUSALEM OUT OF MY HAND? thus blasphemously setting the Lord God of Israel upon a lev... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THEY HELD THEIR PEACE, AND ANSWERED HIM NOT A WORD,.... The three ministers of Hezekiah; not as confounded, and unable to return an answer: they were capable of saying many things in proof that the Lord God was greater than the gods of the nations, and in favour of their king, Hezekiah, whom he... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CAME ELIAKIM, THAT WAS OVER THE HOUSEHOLD,.... The first of the commissioners sent to Rabshakeh: AND SHEBNA THE SCRIBE, AND JOAH, THE SON OF ASAPH, THE RECORDER, TO HEZEKIAH: by which it seems that he could not be with them on the wall, but was all the while in his own palace, whither they cam... [ Continue Reading ]