Isaiah 36:14

_THUS SAITH THE KING, LET NOT HEZEKIAH DECEIVE YOU: FOR HE SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO DELIVER YOU._ No JFB commentary on this verse....

14._Thus saith the king. _While he claims for his master the name of _king, _he speaks of Hezekiah as a private individual, without adding any title. _Let not Hezekiah impose upon you. _He goes on to utter impudent calumnies against him, and at the same time vomits out his venom against God himself; for he calls it “imposture” and “deception” for Hezekiah to rely on his favor, and to exhort his subjects to cherish the same confidence. But with similar calumnies are we now assailed by the Papists, who say that we bewitch the minds of men and lead them to destruction, and who have no pretext for saying so, except that we teach them that they ought to hope in the true God. But we have no reason to wonder that the same things which were spoken against the good king are likewise brought forward against us, since they proceed from the same inventor and teacher of slander, Satan. _For he will...

LET NOT HEZEKIAH DECEIVE YOU - By inducing you to put your trust in Yahweh or in himself; or with promises that you will be delivered. NOT BE ABLE TO DELIVER YOU - In 2 Kings 18:29, it is added, ‘out of his hand;’ but the sense is substantially the same....

PART II. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EVENTS IN THE REIGN OF HEZEKIAH (CH. 36-39.). SECTION I. SENNACHERIB'S ATTEMPTS TO REDUCE JUDAEA, AND HIS OVERTHROW (Isaiah 36:1; Isaiah 37:1.). EXPOSITION IF the Book of Isaiah be regarded as the result of a gradual accretion (see the General Introduction), whether that accretion is to be ascribed to the action of the prophet himself or to that of later editors, we may equally consi

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 defence of the city, and to oblige the besiegers to break up the siege of it: FOR HE SHALL NOT BE ABLE TO DELIVER YOU; but if he was not, his God, whom he served, and in whom he trusted, was able to deliver them, and did deliver them; though he endeavoured to dissuade them from trusting in him, or hearkening to Hezekiah's persuasions thereunto, as in the following verse....

THE HISTORICAL PARENTHESIS (36-39) The center of the book of Isaiah is a brief but deeply interesting historical account of events during the reign of King Hezekiah. His name is mentioned not less than thirty-one times in these Chapter s. His great works in reformation and otherwise are recorded in 2 Kings 18:4, 2 Chronicles 29:1; 2Ch 30:5-22, 2 Kings 20:20. From Proverbs 25:1 we learn that he was a great lover of the Word of God, for he had it copied, perhaps by many scribes. He was 25 years old when he ascended the throne and reigned 29 years, 727-699 B.C. No doubt he was one of the greatest kings of Judah. T

ISAIAH 36-39. This section has been extracted from 2 Kings 18:13 to 2 Kings 20:19, and the Song of Hezekiah has been added. For an exposition see the notes on 2 K.; here we have simply to deal with the Song of Hezekiah. ISAIAH 38:10. THANKSGIVING FOR DELIVERANCE FROM IMMINENT DEATH. This is now generally regarded as a post-exilic psalm. Its absence in the parallel narratine in Kings is significant. Apparently it was inserted here by an editor who thought it suitable to Hezekiah's circumstances. If, as seems likely, it has been influenced by the Book of Job, it must be post-exilic. The title cannot, any more than the Psalm titles, weigh against internal evidence. Hezekiah's writing after his recov

The Rabshakeh's appeal to the people....

2. PROPOSITION TEXT: Isaiah 36:13-20 13 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. 14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to deliver you: 15 neither let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. 16 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, 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; 17 until 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. 18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you,

1. IN THE FOURTEENTH YEAR] The chronology is difficult. From Isaiah 38:1; Isaiah 39:1 we might conclude that Hezekiah's sickness and the Babylonian embassy followed Sennacherib's invasion, whereas Isaiah 38, 39 chronologically must precede Isaiah 36, 37. Samaria fell in 722, Hezekiah's 6th year (2 Kings 18:10); Sennacherib's invasion of Judah was in 701, which would therefore be Hezekiah's 27th year. The date 14th year here given must then be an error. Hezekiah reigned in all 29 years; 15 additional years were promised in his sickness (Isaiah 38:5), which accordingly must have befallen him in his 14th year. It looks as though the note of time in