Analysis of Isaiah Chapter 36
Isaiah Chapter 36 takes a significant turn in the narrative of the Book of Isaiah, bringing us from prophecies and teachings to a historical account that is rich in both political and theological implications. This chapter is situated within a broader context of the Assyrian threat against Judah, which is a central theme in the latter part of the Book of Isaiah. This historical account aligns with the narrative found in 2 Kings 18-19, offering a vivid depiction of a crisis faced by Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and his people. Let us delve into a detailed analysis, verse by verse, to uncover the depth and implications of this chapter.
Verses 1-3: The Assyrian Invasion
Verse 1: “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.”
In this opening verse, we are immediately thrust into a situation of dire urgency and peril. The “fourteenth year of King Hezekiah” establishes a specific time frame within the reign of a king renowned for his faithfulness to God. The mention of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, brings to the forefront a formidable and ruthless power of the ancient Near Eastern world. Historically, Sennacherib’s campaign against Judah (around 701 BC) was part of a broader Assyrian effort to subjugate rebellious states. The capturing of “fortified cities” indicates a methodical and relentless advance, signifying the utter urgency and gravity of the threat facing Judah.
Verse 2: “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.”
Here, the narrative zooms in on a specific diplomatic and psychological maneuver. The Rabshakeh, likely a high-ranking Assyrian official or military commander, is dispatched from Lachish, another city that had fallen to Assyria. The mention of “a great army” at Jerusalem’s gates escalates the tension. Standing by the “conduit of the upper pool” is not just a geographical marker; it symbolically represents the Assyrians positioning themselves at a vital lifeline of the city – its water supply. This move is both strategic and symbolic, aiming to assert Assyrian dominance and psychological pressure on the besieged city.
Verse 3: “And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him.”
In response, Hezekiah’s officials – Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah – emerge to engage with the Rabshakeh. These officials hold significant positions, representing the king and the administrative heart of the kingdom. Their appearance signifies the seriousness with which Hezekiah views this situation and sets the stage for the ensuing dialogue. The engagement at this level also illustrates the structured and hierarchical nature of ancient Near Eastern diplomacy.
Verses 4-10: The Rabshakeh’s Challenge
Verse 4: “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?”‘
The Rabshakeh begins his address with a challenge directed at King Hezekiah. By referring to his own monarch as “the great king, the king of Assyria,” he seeks to elevate Sennacherib’s authority and diminish Hezekiah’s. The pointed question about the foundation of Hezekiah’s trust serves as a rhetorical strategy to undermine the king’s confidence and, by extension, the morale of his people. It is an opening salvo intended to instill doubt and fear.
Verse 5: “Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me?”
The Rabshakeh continues to erode Judah’s confidence by dismissing Hezekiah’s words and strategies as ineffective. By questioning the trust Hezekiah has placed—in God, his own plans, or potential allies—the Rabshakeh aims to expose any perceived weaknesses and justify Assyria’s superiority. The emphasis on “mere words” is a direct challenge to the power and efficacy of Hezekiah’s leadership and divine reliance.
Verse 6: “Behold, you are trusting now 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.”
This verse introduces a geopolitical dimension to the Rabshakeh’s argument, referencing Egypt, historically a rival and sometimes an ally to smaller states like Judah. By calling Egypt “a broken reed,” the Rabshakeh mocks its reliability and military power. The imagery of a staff piercing the hand of one who leans on it accentuates the futility and danger of seeking Egyptian support. This assertion aims to further isolate Judah and sow seeds of despair by debunking any hopes of external assistance.
Verse 7: “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’?”
The Rabshakeh now shifts his focus to the religious reforms implemented by Hezekiah. By highlighting the removal of “high places and altars,” he attempts to question Hezekiah’s fidelity to God and implies a weakened or angered deity. The Rabshakeh either misunderstands or deliberately misrepresents Hezekiah’s reforms, which were actually intended to centralize worship in Jerusalem and eliminate idolatry. This tactic seeks to create religious doubt and confusion among Judah’s inhabitants.
Verse 8: “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.”
The Rabshakeh employs sarcasm by offering a fictitious wager that Judah cannot possibly meet. By proposing the provision of two thousand horses, he mocks the inadequacy of Judah’s military capability. This derisive offer is designed to further humiliate and demoralize Hezekiah and his people, emphasizing their defenselessness against Assyria’s might.
Verse 9: “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?”
The mockery continues as the Rabshakeh belittles the idea that Judah could repel even a minor Assyrian officer. By comparing Judah’s reliance on Egypt to the might of Assyria, he underscores the futility of any resistance. The Rabshakeh’s derision is intended to strip away any remaining vestiges of hope within Hezekiah’s leadership and among the populace.
Verse 10: “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.'”
The Rabshakeh concludes his challenge with a theological provocation, claiming divine endorsement for Assyria’s conquest. By asserting that the LORD Himself commanded the invasion, he aims to confuse and demoralize Judah by suggesting that their plight is divinely sanctioned. This audacious claim is an attempt to manipulate the religious beliefs of the people, making them doubt the validity and support of their own faith.
Verses 11-20: The Rebuttal and Continued Assault
Verse 11: “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.'”
Hezekiah’s officials request a shift to Aramaic to prevent the people from understanding the Rabshakeh’s disheartening speech. This request highlights the officials’ concern for maintaining morale among the citizens of Jerusalem. By speaking in Hebrew, the Rabshakeh is directly targeting the common people with his psychological warfare, aiming to incite panic and surrender.
Verse 12: “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?'”
The Rabshakeh’s response is blunt and brutal. He declares his intention to address the people, emphasizing their dire situation by graphic description of their impending fate under siege. Here, the Rabshakeh seeks to exacerbate fear and desperation among the populace, aiming to break their will and force them into submission.
Verse 13: “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!'”
Undeterred by the officials’ request, the Rabshakeh deliberately projects his message in Hebrew to maximize its impact on the people. By invoking the authority of “the great king,” he seeks to assert Assyrian dominance and authority directly over the residents of Jerusalem, bypassing their own leaders.
Verse 14: “Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you.'”
The Rabshakeh’s assertion that Hezekiah cannot save the people is aimed at discrediting the king’s leadership and weakening their trust in him. This statement propels the narrative of Assyrian inevitability, pushing the idea that any reliance on Hezekiah’s capabilities or any hope of deliverance is vain.
Verse 15: “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.'”
By attacking the very core of Hezekiah’s message – trust in the LORD – the Rabshakeh attempts to sever the people’s spiritual and emotional support. This challenge strikes at the heart of Judah’s religious conviction, suggesting that their faith is misplaced and will not avail them against Assyria’s superior forces.
Verse 16: “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.'”
The Rabshakeh offers a seemingly peaceful and prosperous alternative to resistance by promising personal security and comfort under Assyrian rule. The imagery of “vine,” “fig tree,” and “cistern” evokes a life of pastoral completeness and sufficiency, contrasting starkly with the horrors of siege and warfare. This tactic is designed to tempt the people into abandoning their king and surrendering to Assyria.
Verse 17: “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.”
The promised relocation is framed as an opportunity to settle in a land equally fertile and abundant. This rhetoric seeks to downplay the trauma of exile by couching it in terms of agricultural bounty. The Rabshakeh uses an apparently benign face of Assyrian deportation policies to further entice the people into compliance.
Verse 18: “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?”
The Rabshakeh resumes his strategy of skepticism by casting doubt on the effectiveness of divine intervention. By referencing the gods of other conquered nations, he implies that the LORD is no different and lacks the power to resist Assyria. This argument aims to shake the people’s faith and highlight the seeming futility of resisting Assyrian dominance.
Verse 19: “Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?”
The Rabshakeh cites the fates of Hamath, Arpad, and Sepharvaim—cities that had succumbed to Assyrian power. By juxtaposing these fallen cities with Samaria, the former capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which Assyria had already conquered, he underscores the ineffectiveness of other deities. This rhetorical question reinforces his previous argument, attempting to sow doubt about the LORD’s ability to save Jerusalem.
Verse 20: “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?”
The Rabshakeh concludes his address with a sweeping rhetorical question intended to finalize the argument against trusting in divine intervention. By comparing the LORD to the powerless gods of other nations, he aims to portray resistance as futile and surrender as the only sensible choice. This assertion encapsulates the theological and psychological warfare at play.
Verses 21-22: The Response of Hezekiah’s Officials
Verse 21: “But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, ‘Do not answer him.'”
In contrast to the Rabshakeh’s aggressive and verbose address, the officials’ silence reflects disciplined obedience to Hezekiah’s command. This silence can be seen as a strategic non-engagement, refusing to dignify the Rabshakeh’s provocations with a response. It underscores Hezekiah’s determination to maintain composure and faith amidst adversity, trusting that the LORD will act in due time.
Verse 22: “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.”
The final verse presents the officials returning to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, a traditional sign of mourning and distress. The act of tearing clothes signifies the profound impact of the Rabshakeh’s words on them, reflecting the gravity of the situation. Their report to Hezekiah sets the stage for the subsequent chapters, where we would witness Hezekiah’s response and divine intervention. This verse hints at a turning point, pushing Hezekiah and his people to seek ultimate deliverance from the LORD.
Conclusion
Isaiah Chapter 36 provides a vivid narrative that blends historical events with profound theological questions. The chapter underscores the themes of faith, trust, and divine sovereignty amidst existential threats. The Rabshakeh’s speech serves as a powerful instrument of psychological warfare, aiming to dismantle Judah’s morale and faith. In contrast, the silence and composed response of Hezekiah’s officials reflect a steadfast reliance on divine providence. This chapter lays the groundwork for the climactic demonstration of God’s power and faithfulness in the face of overwhelming odds, reinforcing the central message of trust in the LORD above all earthly powers.