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ISAIAH CHAPTER 36
OBSERVATION STAGE
The purpose of
the observation stage is to maintain focus on the text at hand within the
normative rules of language, context and logic 
.
.This
limits the observer to the content offered by the book of Isaiah. This
will serve to avoid going on unnecessary tangents elsewhere; and more
importantly, it will provide the framework for a proper and objective
comparison with passages located elsewhere in Scripture.
Remember that something elsewhere may be true, but in the text at hand it may not be in view.
The subject matter of Isaiah chapters 8 & 10, which was available for the people of Judah to know, is directly related to that of chapters 36 & 37 relative to ancient Assyria's rampage through the fortified cities of Judah, and the great army of Assyria set to do battle at the gates of Jerusalem when Hezekiah was king. For in chapters 8 & 10, Isaiah encouraged the people of Judah to trust in the LORD's promise of deliverance of Jerusalem and its people from Assyria:
****** EXCERPTS FROM ISAIAH CHAPTERS 8 & 10 ******
Or
skip to the beginning of chapter 36: 
(Isa 8:5-15) THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM OF ISRAEL IN SAMARIA REJECTED THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD AND HIS PEOPLE IN JUDAH FOR AN ALLIANCE WITH ARAM TO CONQUER AND RULE OVER JUDAH. CONSEQUENTLY, THE LORD INDICATED THAT ASSYRIA WOULD FLOOD THEIR ARMIES INTO ARAM, SAMARIA AND JUDAH EVEN UP TO THE GATES OF JERUSALEM. THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH WERE REPEATEDLY COMMANDED NOT TO PANIC BUT TO TRUST IN THE LORD TO PROTECT THEM. WHEN THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TRUSTED IN THE LORD, HE WAS THEIR SANCTUARY; BUT WHEN THEY DID NOT, HE WAS A ROCK OF OFFENSE TO BOTH HOUSES, EVEN THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM. NEVERTHELESS, THE LORD WOULD PRESERVE JERUSALEM FROM DESTRUCTION BY ASSYRIA
(Isa 7:14 YLT) '''Therefore the Lord Himself [is giving] to you [plural, i.e., Judah] a sign, [behold], the Virgin [the pregnant one] [the one giving birth to] a son, And she [has called] his name Immanuel. (Isa 7:15 NKJV) Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. (Isa 7:16 NKJV) For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings... (Isa 8:1 NKJV) Moreover the Lord said to me, "Take a large [tablet], and write on it with [an engraving tool] of man [i.e., in the language of the common man] 'Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz' [lit., 'quick to plunder, swift to the spoil']." (Isa 8:2 NKJV) And I [Isaiah] will take for myself faithful witnesses to [bear witness]: Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. (Isa 8:3 NKJV) Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, "Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; (Isa 8:4 NKJV) for before the child shall have knowledge to cry 'My father' and 'My mother,' the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria. (Isa 8:5 NKJV) "The Lord also spoke to me again, saying: (Isa 8:6 NKJV) "Inasmuch as these people [Israelites of Northern Israel] refused The waters of Shiloah that flow softly, And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah's son; (Isa 8:7 NKJV) Now therefore, behold, the Lord [bringing] up over them The waters of the River, mighty and great... king of Assyria and all his glory; He [ascends] all his channels And goes over all his [river] banks. (Isa 8:8 NKJV) He [passes] through Judah, He [overflows] and [passes through], He [is touching] up to the neck; ... the stretching out of His wings Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel. (Isa 8:9 NKJV) Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces; Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. (Isa 8:10 NKJV) Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;" Speak the word, but it will not stand, For God is with us. (Isa 8:11 NKJV) For the Lord spoke thus to me [Isaiah] with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people [of both houses of Israel], [the LORD said] [to Isaiah]: (Isa 8:12 NKJV) "Do not say '[an unlawful alliance]' concerning all that this people call [an unlawful alliance - referring to the alliance between Aram and Ephraim against Judah], Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled." (Isa 8:13 NKJV) The LORD of hosts, Him you shall [sanctify, i.e., set apart as God] [Let] Him [be] your fear, and [let] Him [be] your dread. (Isa 8:14 NKJV) He will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of [striking] and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Isa 8:15 NKJV) And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken.''' =
The phrase "these people" in Isa 8:6 refers to the Israelites of the Northern Kingdom, i.e., Samaria. They were described as having "refused the waters of Shiloah [i.e., Siloam] that flow softly." Since the waters of Shiloah were a spring that fed a small reservoir within Jerusalem's walls, hence a figure of speech for Jerusalem, i.e., the kingdom of Judah; then to refuse the waters of Shiloah is to reject being aligned with the people of the LORD in Judah. So the phrase rendered "Inasmuch as these people [Israelites of Northern Israel] refused The waters of Shiloah that flow softly, And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah's son" indicates that the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had rejected their relationship and alliance with God and His chosen people in Judah. They had rejoiced amongst themselves in their alliance with Rezin, king of Aram to conquer and rule over Judah, (cf. Isa 7:1). And they had rejoiced in their own king, (Pekah) son of Ramaliah who made that foolish alliance which did not accomplish its purpose, (Isa 8:5-6).
(Isa 7:1 NKJV) "Now it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Ramaliah, [and] king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it."
The LORD goes on to tell Isaiah that He will overflow, i.e., flood the kingdoms of Aram and Israel with "the waters of the River, mighty and great" traditionally referring to the Euphrates, the greatest river of that area of the world which flowed through the kingdom of Assyria, hence a figure of speech for Assyria, (cf. Isa 8:7b).
So the LORD would bring the armies of Assyria to ascend and overflow into the kingdoms of Ephraim and Aram in 732 B.C. and 734 B.C. respectively, (Isa 8:7; cf. 7:17). The armies would pass through Judah in 701 B.C. "up to the neck," (for above the neck was the capital of Judah, Jerusalem, elevated on hills, being the head), (Isa 8:8c). The phrase rendered "The stretching out of His wings Will fill the breadth of Your land, O Immanuel" at the end of Isa 8:8 conveys an image of the LORD protecting Jerusalem against the onslaught of Assyrian stopping it short of conquering Jerusalem. The phrase rendered "O Immanuel" at the end of verse 8 which means "God is with us" conveys to Judah that the LORD would protect His people as promised - from Aram and Ephraim and Assyria, (cf. Isa 3:17). This message is corroborated in Isa 7:14 and 8:9-15; (Isa 8:8).
Isaiah goes on to report that the LORD said to those far away peoples who would try to conquer Judah, (Isa 8:9 NKJV) "Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! Give ear, all you from far countries. Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces; Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces. (Isa 8:10 NKJV) Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; Speak the word, but it will not stand, For God is with us.." Isaiah explains that God is with Judah, His people, and warns that those who try to conquer Judah will be broken into pieces, (Isa 7:8, 10; 8:9-10).
Isaiah went on to explain that the LORD told him and the people of Judah, (verbs are plural), not to walk in such an unfaithful manner as those people from Aram and Ephraim, who conspired to attack Judah. Note that the word rendered "conspiracy" from the Hebrew word "qesher" means an unlawful alliance, a conspiracy referring to the ungodly alliance of Aram and Ephraim. Since it had already been established that there was a conspiracy between Aram and Ephraim to the extent that these two kingdoms actually waged war on Jerusalem, (Isa 7:1, 8:6), then the word cannot mean confederacy as some maintain. So when Isaiah went on to say that that the LORD told him, (Isa 8:12 NKJV) "Do not say '[an unlawful alliance]' concerning all that this people call [an unlawful alliance - referring to the alliance between Aram and Ephraim against Judah], Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled;" he could not be contradicting the clear evidence of the combined attack of Aram and Ephraim on Judah. The LORD had commanded Isaiah and His people, ("this people [who are] calling [this alliance between Aram and Ephraim a conspiracy") to not speak fearfully of the alliance of Aram and Ephraim against them, (cf. Isa 8:6), for this would incite "this people" to be all the more fearful. Nor were they to dread the Assyrian kingdom's forces, (cf. Isa 8:4-10). He [the LORD] will be as a sanctuary, but a stone of [striking] and a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, as a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (Isa 8:15 NKJV) And many among them shall stumble; They shall fall and be broken, Be snared and taken."
So the LORD would be a sanctuary, a place of safety, for those of His people who believed in Him. But for those who did not believe in Him, He would be the means of destruction - literally, a stone, a rock, a trap, and a snare to both houses of Israel - which included the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The LORD's prophecy through Isaiah went beyond the temporary application in Ahaz's time.
(Isa 10:5 HOLMAN) '''[The LORD spoke] "Woe to Assyria [lit., ashur] the rod of My anger - the staff in their hands is My wrath. (Isa 10:6 NKJV) I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people [destined for] My wrath. I ... give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isa 10:7 YLT) And he [the Assyrian king] - he thinks not so, [in the sense of this is not what he intends] And his heart reckons not so, [in the sense that this is not what he plans] For - to destroy [is] in his heart, And to cut off nations not a few [i.e., it is his intent to destroy and to cut off many nations]. (Isa 10:8 NKJV) For he [Assyrian king] says, 'Are not my princes kings? (Isa 10:9 NKJV) Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? (Isa 10:10 NKJV) As my [Assyria ruler] hand has [seized] the kingdoms of the idols [in the sense of graven images], Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, (Isa 10:11 ASV) Shall I [Assyrian ruler] not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?' " (Isa 10:12 NKJV) Therefore it shall come to pass when the LORD has performed all His work on Mount Zion and Jerusalem [through Assyrian conquest], that He will say, "I ... punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks. (Isa 10:13 NKJV) For he [has said] 'By the strength of my hand I have done [it,] And by my wisdom, for I am prudent: Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, And have robbed their treasures; So I have put down the inhabitants like [the mighty ones - in the sense of mighty gods]. (Isa 10:14 NKJV) My hand [finds] like a nest the riches of the people, And as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; And there was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep.' " (Isa 10:15 NKJV) Shall the ax boast itself against him who chops with it? Or shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it? As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift up, as if it were not wood! (Isa 10:16 NKJV) Therefore the LORD, the LORD of hosts, Will send leanness among his [Assyria's] fat ones; And under his [Assyria's] glory He [the LORD] will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire. (Isa 10:17 YLT) And the [Light] of Israel [has] been for a fire, And his [Israel's] Holy One for a flame, And it [has] burned, and devoured his thorns [Assyria's] And his [Assyria's] briers in one day. (Isa 10:18 NKJV) And [He, the LORD] will consume the glory of his [Assyria's] forest and of his [Assyria's] fruitful field, Both soul and body; And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. (Isa 10:19 NKJV) Then the rest of the trees of his [Assyria's] forest [in the sense of soldiers] Will be so few in number That a child may write them [down, in the sense of number them]" ''' =
The Hebrew word rendered, "Woe," in 10:5, indicates that the LORD would severely punish Assyria. Hence verse 5 in Isaiah chapter ten moved from the exercise of the LORD's wrath upon His people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah to the rod of His anger and wrath which He used in that exercise: Assyria. He would severely punish Assyria once He had performed all His work on Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Although He would send Assyria as His unwitting agent "against an ungodly nation," referring to Judah - the people who were destined for the wrath of the LORD; and although He gave Assyria "charge to seize the spoil, take the prey, and tread His people down like the mire of the streets;" the Assyrians would nevertheless experience the wrath of the LORD after that. It is implied that in His sovereignty, the LORD has the capacity to and did use, as His agent, nations such as Assyria, a stranger to Him, and an ungodly people, to be His tool to exercise His wrath due upon His people, Judah, (Isa 10:5-6).
The Assyrian king of that time in history did not consider that he was the tool of the LORD. He thought his power was superior to the idols/gods of the nations his nation had conquered including Samaria [the Northern Kingdom, its capitol - indicating that Samaria was worshipping idols instead of the LORD]; and superior to the idols which he considered that Judah was worshipping because that nation was successfully attacked a number of times by some of the nations which his army had conquered, (Aram and Samaria and others). The king's heart (mind) was set upon destroying many nations without any help from the LORD, or from any of the gods whom the conquered nations worshipped. The king had no thoughts of serving anyone but himself. He arrogantly justified his motives in his own mind, 'Are not my princes kings?' [referring to his subordinate leaders and implying that he would conquer nations and give his princes rule over them] - as if it was his right and destiny to rule over the nations of the world through those who were subordinate to him. The Assyrian ruler noted to himself that the following Aramean cities had been conquered by Assyria: Calno and Arpad, (in northern Syria. Calno was conquered by Tiglath-Pileser III in 738 B.C.), Damascus, (in 732), Samaria, (the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Shalmaneser V in 722), Hamath, (on the Orontes in 720), and Carchemish, (a former capital of the Hittite Empire, on the upper Euphrates was conquered by Sargon II in 717). Note that these conquests were accomplished by a series of Assyrian monarchs - not just one king. Evidently all the kings of Assyria were of the same arrogant, ungodly attitude and practice. Each one prided himself on being above the gods of those nations they conquered, declaring himself to be King of the Universe - hence exalting themselves even above their own gods.
Hence the king of Assyria at this time would reason, 'Is not Jerusalem attainable.' For in his mind, the gods of Aram, which nation was conquered by Assyria, were greater than "the idols," which he considered Jerusalem, (Judah), worshipped. For Aram had succeeded in battle against Judah a number of times, short of taking the city. By this the king of Assyria was measuring the strength of a kingdom's god(s) with the capacity and accomplishments of its military power egoistically limited to the short period of time in history when the Assyrians were dominant in their part of the world. So the Assyrian ruler arrogantly and boastfully concluded that he could easily conquer Jerusalem, impugning the sovereignty of the LORD - the God of Israel, Whom he did not know, for he indicated that those of Jerusalem worshipped idols, (cf. Is 36:19-20; 37:12). This arrogance corroborated that the current king, typical of the kings of Assyria, was chiefly motivated by aggressive and cruel expansionism - which would bring about his undoing by the LORD. The sad fact is that Samaria and Jerusalem at this time were worshipping idols instead of the LORD, which made them the target of the wrath of the LORD and easy prey for Assyria, (Isa 10:7-11).
Therefore, when the LORD has performed all of His work on Mount Zion and Jerusalem, "Zion" referring to the rulership as opposed to "Jerusalem," the people in general, through the actions of Assyria; then He will say, "I ... punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks. For he [has said] 'By the strength of my hand I have done [it,] And by my wisdom, for I am prudent... [The first person singular "I" and "my" are repeatedly used by the king to convince himself that he had achieved all of this by his own strength and wisdom - not recognizing God's sovereignty]: "Also I have removed the boundaries of the people, [in the sense of scattering the people or taking them into captivity as slaves and including their territory into the Assyrian Empire] And have robbed their treasures; So I have put down the inhabitants like [the mighty ones - in the sense of mighty gods]. [i.e., he considers himself invincible and godlike]. My hand [finds] like a nest the riches of the people, And as one gathers eggs that are left, I have gathered all the earth; And there was no one who moved his wing, Nor opened his mouth with even a peep,' " ''' In his insufferable arrogance he thought to himself how he had conquered other nations and took their wealth as easily as one takes eggs left in a nest. No one was able to oppose him, (Isa 10:12-14).
But the LORD declared, "Shall the ax [referring to Assyria] boast itself against Him who chops with it? [referring to the LORD and His sovereignty in the working of Assyria to do His bidding - not the other way around]. "Or Shall the saw exalt itself against him who saws with it?" [i.e., the instrument is not above the One who uses it, nor has a choice in what it does outside of the sovereignty of that One - referring to the LORD]. In the same vein, the verse goes on to say, "As if a rod could wield itself against those who lift it up, Or as if a staff could lift itself up, as if it were not wood [but a sentient being]!" (Isa 10:15).
The consequence of the arrogance of Assyria is declared in the next four verses with graphic imagery portraying the destruction of the Assyrian army through the wasting away of consumptive disease and suddenly as a forest fire quickly burns up everything in its path: "Therefore the LORD, the LORD of hosts, Will send leanness among his [Assyria's] fat ones; [in the sense of causing a wasting away of human flesh, i.e., consumptive disease] And under his [Assyria's] glory He [the LORD] will kindle a burning Like the burning of a fire. And the [Light] of Israel [the phrase the Light of Israel is a title for the God of Israel Who enlightens with absolute truth] [has] been for a fire, And his [Israel's] Holy One for a flame, And it [has] burned, and devoured his thorns [Assyria's] And his [Assyria's] briers in one day. And [He, the LORD] will consume the glory of his [Assyria's] forest and of his [Assyria's] fruitful field. Both soul and body [i.e., utterly]."
[Note that the word rendered "fruitful field," literally, "Carmel," was a rich mountain in Assyria. It was used figuratively for Sennacherib's mighty army.]
"And they will be as when a sick man wastes away. Then the rest of the trees of his [Assyria's] forest [in the sense of soldiers] Will be so few in number That a child may write them [down, in the sense of number them]" '''
Verse 19 corroborates the subject of verses 16-19 as the Assyrian army. So the LORD would destroy Assyria's soldiers through consumptive disease or destroy them as trees are massively and suddenly burned in a forest fire. Note that in 701 B.C., 185,000 Assyrian soldiers surrounding Jerusalem were killed in a single day, (37:36-37). Then in 609 B.C. the Assyrian Empire fell to Babylon. The number of soldiers that survived would be so few that even a child could count them. Notice that not all of the Assyrians would be destroyed. There would be a remnant of them who would survive, (Isa 10:16-19).
(Isa 10:19 NKJV) "Then the rest of the trees of his [Assyria's] forest [in the sense of soldiers] Will be so few in number That a child may write them [down, in the sense of number them] ... (Isa 10:24 NKJV) Therefore [returning to ancient times of Judah and Assyria] thus [has said] the LORD GOD of hosts, 'O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. (Isa 10:25 NKJV) For yet a very little while and the [destruction] will [have ceased], as will My anger in their [Judah's] destruction.' (Isa 10:26 NKJV) And the LORD of hosts [will have stirred up] a scourge [a whip] for him [Assyria] like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His [the LORD's] rod [Egypt] was on the sea, so will He [the LORD] [will have lifted] it [the new rod] up [against Assyria] in the manner of Egypt. (Isa 10:27 NKJV) And it shall come to pass, in that day, That His [the LORD's] burden [Assyrian oppression of Judah] will [have been turned away] from your [the people of the LORD's] shoulder, And his yoke [Assyria] from your neck, And the yoke will [have been] destroyed because of the [fat] [in the sense of the fatness of the oxens' neck being so thick it breaks the yoke]. (Isa 10:28 NKJV) He [Assyria] has come to Aiath, He has passed Migron; At Michmash he [deposits in the sense of storing] his [warfare equipment]. (Isa 10:29 NKJV) They [have passed over at the ford], They have taken up lodging at Geba. Ramah is afraid, Gibeah of Saul has fled. (Isa 10:30 NKJV) Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Cause it to be heard as far as Laish - O poor Anathoth! (Isa 10:31 NKJV) Madmenah has fled, The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge. (Isa 10:32 NKJV) As yet he [Assyria] will remain at Nob that day; He will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. (Isa 10:33 NKJV) Behold, the LORD of hosts, Will lop off the bough with [with violence]; Those of high stature will be hewn down, And the haughty will be humbled. (Isa 10:34 NKJV) He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One." =
Therefore, [returning to ancient times of Judah and the details of the fall of the Assyrian Empire, and in light of the LORD's promise to His people conveyed in verses 20-23 above], Isaiah conveyed to the reader which included his people, "The LORD GOD of hosts has said, 'O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He [the Assyrian] shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt," [i.e., it will not last and won't lead to total destruction]. For yet a very little while and the [destruction] will [have ceased], as will My anger in their [the people of Judah's] destruction.' Note that only those who trusted in their deliverance by the LORD - the remnant of believers who choose to be faithful - would be comforted by this message. The many unbelievers and believers who chose to be unfaithful, will not be comforted. Many of these latter individuals had already succombed to Assyria's onslaught of the villages and cities surrounding Jerusalem. Although all of those inside the walls of Jerusalem would not be harmed by the Assyrian attack to come upon the city. "The LORD of hosts [will have stirred up] a scourge [a whip] for him [in the sense of against Assyria] like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb, (Jud 7:1-25) [referring to when the LORD gave Israel victory against Midian]; as His [the LORD's] rod [Egypt] was on the sea [referring to the LORD's destruction of the Egyptian army using the Sea of Reeds, (Exodus 14:19-28)], so will He [the LORD] [will have lifted] it [the new rod] up [against Assyria] in the manner of Egypt. And it shall come to pass, in that day, That His [the LORD's] burden [Assyrian oppression of Judah] will [have been turned away] from your [the people Judah's] shoulder, And his [Assyria's] yoke from your neck, And the yoke will [have been] destroyed because of the [fat] [the image is conveyed of a strong, fattened ox breaking its yoke, i.e., the Power of the LORD behind Israel is such that she would not be fully conquered; and Assyria would be destroyed.
Note that the RSV has the phrase, "because of the fat" as "he [Assyria] as gone up from Rimmon,"which assumes that the advance of the Assryian Army begins with the last phrase of verse 27; but the Masoretic Text is best rendered "because of the fat," which rendering is supported by 1QIsa and the LXX (B), (Isa 10:24-27).
In the next 5 verses, in dramatic fashion with vivid imagery in his vision of the future, Isaiah conveyed the future path of the Assyrian onslaught toward an attempt to defeat Judah and Jerusalem. The actual attempt occurred in 701 B.C: "He [Assyria] has come to Aiath [another name for Ai, in the north of the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, about eight miles north of Jerusalem]. He has passed Migron. At Michmash [nine miles northeast of Jerusalem] he has deposited [in the sense of storing] his warfare equipment. They have passed over at the ford at Michmash, [at the Wadi Suwenit], They have taken up lodging [in the sense of making an encampment] at Geba [about 6 miles north-northeast of Jerusalem]. Ramah is afraid, [nearby Geba, seven miles from Jerusalem]. Gibeah of Saul has fled, [Saul's birthplace and residence, in Benjamin, six miles from Jerusalem - distinct from Gibeah of Judah]. Isaiah wrote on, "Lift up your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Cause it to be heard as far as Laish, [Not the town in Dan (Jdg 18:7), but one of the same name near Jerusalem (1 Maccabees 9:9)]. O poor Anathoth! [Anathoth - three miles from Jerusalem in Benjamin; the birthplace of Jeremiah] Madmenah has fled [not the city in Simeon (Jos 15:31), but a village near Jerusalem], The inhabitants of Gebim seek refuge. [Note that the site of all but four of the 12 towns are known today] As yet he [Assyria] will remain at Nob that day [in the sense of a 24 hour day of rest before moving on to the gates of Jerusalem. Nob is northeast of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus just north of the Mount of Olives - within sight of Jerusalem; a town of the priests, (Neh 11:32)]; He [Assyria] will shake his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem." Note Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 10 stopped short of Assyria's final maneuvers to the point from which it positioned an army from Lachish to the north to an encampment around Jerusalem and made a demand for its surrender in 701 B.C. Note that Sennacherib’s records indicate his army did surround Jerusalem in 701 B.C., so this prophecy would have been fulfilled some time during that year, (Isa 10:28-32).
The account in chapter ten verses 33-34 jumps to the point in future time to when the LORD of hosts has taken Assyria down, (cf. Isa 36:3): The LORD of hosts had other plans for Assyria - she would not succeed in her plans to take Jerusalem: "Behold, [in the sense of an exhortation to visualize and to take special note of what the LORD will do]: the LORD of hosts, Will lop off the bough [the king of Assyria] [with violence]; Those of high stature will be hewn down [referring to Assyrian leaders, (cf. 10:19)], And the haughty [everyone who is arrogant, especially the leaders] will be humbled. He will cut down the thickets of the forest [the Assyrian army] with iron, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One," i.e. those in Lebanon, known for its thick forests of cedar trees - refers to the Assyrian army] would be cut down. The word rendered "iron" refers to an iron axe that is used to fell trees - a reference to the 185,000 Assyrians who were cut down by the Angel of the LORD at the gates of Jerusalem, (Isa 37:36). The phrase rendered, "Mighty One," refers to the LORD, (Isa 10:33-34).
****** END OF EXCERPT FROM ISAIAH CHAPTER 10:20-34 ******
(Isa 36:1 NKJV) '''''Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria [had gone] up against all the fortified cities of Judah and he took them.
(Isa 36:2 NKJV) Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh [chief officer] with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field.
(Isa 36:3 NKJV) Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder came out to him
(Isa 36:4 NKJV) And the Rabshakeh [chief officer] said to them, ''''Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: '''What confidence is this in which you trust?
(Isa 36:5 NKJV) I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?
(Isa 36:6 NKJV) Look! You [have trusted] in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
(Isa 36:7 NKJV) But if you say to me, "We trust in the LORD our God," is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar?" '''
(Isa 36:8 NKJV) Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses - if you are able on your part to put riders on them!
(Isa 36:9 NKJV) How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
(Isa 36:10 NKJV) '''[Sennacherib] Have I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, "Go up against this land, and destroy it." ''' ''''
(Isa 36:11 NKJV) Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh [chief officer], ''''Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew [lit., the Jewish language] in the hearing of the people who are on the wall''''
(Isa 36:12 NKJV) But the Rabshakeh [chief officer] said, ''''Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?''''
(Isa 36:13 NKJV) Then the Rabshakeh [chief officer] stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, ''''Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!!
(Isa 36:14 NKJV) Thus says the king: '''Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you;
(Isa 36:15 NKJV) nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." '''
(Isa 36:16 NKJV) Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: '''Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern
(Isa 36:17 NKJV) until I come and [have taken] you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
(Isa 36:18 NKJV) Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, "The LORD will deliver us." Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
(Isa 36:19 NKJV) Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
(Isa 36:20 NKJV) Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?''' ''''
(Isa 36:21 NASB) But they [those of Judah] were silent and answered him not a word; for the king's [of Judah's] commandment was, ''''Do not answer him.''''
(Isa 36:22 NKJV) Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh [chief officer].'''''
(Isa 36:1 NKJV) '''''Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib king of Assyria [had gone] up against all the fortified cities of Judah and he took them. (Isa 36:2 NKJV) Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh [chief officer] with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field. (Isa 36:3 NKJV) Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder came out to him. (Isa 36:4 NKJV) And the Rabshakeh [chief officer] said to them, ''''Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: '''What confidence is this in which you trust? (Isa 36:5 NKJV) I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? (Isa 36:6 NKJV) Look! You [have trusted] in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. (Isa 36:7 NKJV) But if you say to me, "We trust in the LORD our God," is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar?" =
Chapter 36 moves to a new subject from chapter 35's portrayal of the earth when it will be transformed into the kingdom of God to the fourteenth year of the rule of King Hezekiah at the time when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had just gone up against the fortified cities of Judah and conquered them; whereupon he sent his Rabshakeh [chief officer] with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. All of this because Hezekiah had turned against Assyrian rule and stopped paying tribute.
Previous to this, Hezekiah had co-ruled with his father Ahaz; but when Ahaz died in 715 B.C., Hezekiah then began counting the years of his reign over again. So the fourteenth year of his rule was 701 B.C., the year of the Assryian invasion of Judah as corroborated in the annals of Sennacherib, (cf. 2 Kings 18:13).
Hezekiah's decision to rebel against Assyrian control stemmed from the change in rulers of the Assyrian empire. While Sargon was on the throne of Assyria, Hezekiah obeyed the treaty his father, Ahaz had made with Assyria, (cf. 2 Ki 16:7); hence he continued to pay tribute. But when Sennacherib became ruler in 705 B.C., and Assyria became occupied with the Chaldeans' attempt to take over Babylon on the far side of the Assyrian empire; Hezekiah stopped paying tribute and conspired to revolt against Assyria, (cf. 2 Ki 18:7). Since Egypt appeared to be gaining strength under Piankhi, Hezekiah made an alliance with Egypt for protection against Assyria, against the advice of Isaiah who told him to trust instead in the LORD, (cf. Isa 10:24-34; 19:14-16; 30:1-7; 31:1-3; 36:5-6; 37:6-7; 33-35). Hezekiah defeated the Philistines and took control of their territory as far as Gaza (cf. 2 Ki 18:8); and then he imprisoned the Philistine King Padi of Ekron in Jerusalem for trying to keep his city, Ekron, from joining Hezekiah's revolt against Assyria.
But it only took Sennacherib 6 months to drive out Merodach-Baladan and regain control of Babylon. He headed west toward Egypt and Judah. Sennacherib's campaign began with the capture of the coastal cities of Phoenicia, the defeat of an Egyptian army at Eltekeh in Philistia, (about 32 miles west-northwest of Jerusalem), the conquest of Ekron, and the scattering of Hezekiah's mercenary troops. When he turned east, Moab and Edom submitted and sent tribute. He went from the north along the coast defeating (among others) the towns of Aphek, Timnah, Ekron, and Lachish. He took every one of the fortified cities of Judah. Lachish became his staging area for attacking a number of other towns. From Lachish, Sennacherib sent a large army against Jerusalem to surround it and to demand its surrender. In Sennacherib’s annals, it stated that he captured 46 of Judah's fortified cities plus many unwalled villages and took 200,156 people captive. And he forced Hezekiah to give Padi up to be restored to his throne in Ekron.
It is evident that Sennacherib had decided not to leave Jerusalem fortified nor populated with Judeans. He was bent on its destruction, for Jerusalem's fortifications gave Hezekiah confidence that he was in a position to continue to rebel against Assyrian authority. Hence Assyria went on a rampage, destroying all the fortified cities in Judah leading up to a siege and destruction of Jerusalem. And when Sennacherib began to beseige Lachish - the second most fortified city in Judah, located about 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem, Hezekiah's hopes of freeing his kingdom from Assyrian control were completely lost. For he had not been trusting in the LORD for deliverance. The capture of Lachish blocked the way for Egypt to come to the aid of Judah - the Hezekiah's last line of defense instead of relying solely upon the LORD.
1) [Compare 2 Kings 18:14-18]:
(2 Kings 18:14 NKJV) "Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, 'I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.' And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver [~ ten metric tons] and thirty talents of gold.
(2 Kings 18:15 NKJV) So Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house.
(2 Kings 18:16 NKJV) At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
(2 Kings 18:17 NKJV) Then the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish, with a great army against Jerusalem, to King Hezekiah. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they went and stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, which was on the highway to the Fuller's Field.
(2 Kings 18:18 NKJV) And when they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them."
Note that 2 Kings 18:13-37 are nearly identical to Isa 36:1-22, with additional but non-contradictory facts.
[Mazar, 1990 pp. 427-428]
" 'As for Hezekiah the Jew, who did not submit to my yoke, forty-six of his strong-walled cities, as well as the small cities in their neighborhood, which were without number - by constructing ramparts out of trampled earth and by bringing up battering rams, by the attack of infantry, by tunnels, breaches and axes - I besieged and conquered.
Two hundred thousand one hundred and fifty men, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, asses, camels, oxen and sheep without number I brought out from them, I counted as spoil. Hezekiah I shut up like a caged bird in Jerusalem, his royal city; the walls I fortified against him. Whoever came out of the gates of the city I turned back. His cities which I had plundered I divided from his land and gave them to Mitinti, king of Ashdod, to Padi, king of Ekron, and to Sillibel, king of Gaza, and thus diminished his territory. To the former tribute, paid yearly, I added the tribute of alliance of my lordship and laid that upon him.
Hezekiah himself was overwhelmed by the fear of the awful splendor of my lordship. The Arabians and his other faithful warriors whom, as a defense for Jerusalem his royal city he had brought in, fell into fear.
With thirty talents of gold and eight hundred talents of silver, precious stones, rouge dakkassi, lapis lazuli, couches of ivory, thrones of ivory, ushu wood, ukarinnu wood, various objects, a heavy treasure, and his daughters, his women of the palace, male and female musicians, to Nineveh, the city of my lordship, I caused to be brought after me. And he sent his ambassadors to give tribute and pay homage.'
[Note that the 800 talents in Sennacherib's accounting evidently includes silver, precious stones, rouge dakkassi and lapis luzuli; whereas the accounting in 2 Kings 18:14 lists 200 talents of silver only]
Lachish is identified with a 20-acre mound called Tell el-Duweir about 50km south west of Jerusalem. Lachish was Judah's second largest city and heavily fortified. Fortifications included two walls, the inner one being in places 6 metres thick."
So despite the enormous tribute that Hezekiah paid, Sennecherib nevertheless sent his chief officer and an entourage along with a great army to Jerusalem. The Assyrian chief officer arrived at the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller's Field to give king Sennacherib's message to King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. Whereupon Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah who was over the household in the sense of being in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe in the sense of being secretary of state, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder who kept official records came out to the Assyrian chief officer to hear his message from the king of Assyria, (Isa 36:1-3).
The Rabshakeh, i.e., the Assyrian chief officer said to them to relay to Hezekiah, "Say to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria." Notice that Hezekiah is addressed without his title as king, and Sennacherib is called "the great king, the king of Assyria, displaying arrogance with an intent to intimidate. The Assyrian chief officer, speaking for his master the great king of Assyrian, asks king Hezekiah, "What confidence is this in which you trust? I say you speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. Now in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me?" The truth of the matter was that Sennacherib was actually right, because Hezekiah's confidence in his own military strength and in his alliance with Egypt had led to this point of impending disaster. It was misdirected, certainly not in the LORD, for deliverance from Assyrian rule. Sennacherib, through his commander, pointed out, "Look! You [have trusted] in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him," reminding Hezekiah his reliance upon Egypt had failed. The reminder also spoke of a splintered reed piercing ones hand which implied that the Pharaoah of Egypt would have turned against Hezekiah. And Isaiah had warned Hezekiah not to make an alliance with Egypt, but instead trust in the LORD, (cf. Isa 10:24-34; 19:14-16; 30:1-7; 31:1-3; 36:5-6).
Then the commander said, speaking for his master, '''But if you say to me, "We trust in the LORD our God," is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar?" Assyria evidently knew that Hezekiah had taken away the shrines and altars and limited worship to the altar in the temple in Jerusalem; but the Assyrians evidently thought that Hezekiah's removal of the high places and altars, (cf. 2 Kings 18:1-5; 2 Chr. 31:1-3), indicated that Hezekiah was limiting the places his people could go to worship their God to the temple in Jerusalem; hence limiting the peoples' capacity to petition for the LORD's support for their cause against Assyria. Sennacherib did not understand that the altars and high places that Hezekiah took away were used to worship Baal, not the LORD. In any case, the implication was made that the God of Judah would not protect them from Assyria. The Assyrians were convinced that they were invincible and that the God of Israel was no different from any other gods they had overcome on their westward march, especially in light of their success in conquering all the fortified cities of Judah, (Isa 36:4-7).
(Isa 36:8 NKJV) ''''Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses - if you are able on your part to put riders on them! (Isa 36:9 NKJV) How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?'''' =
The Assyrian chief officer urged Hezekiah to give a pledge in a skeptical and sarcastic tone to make the point that Judah was defenseless against Assyria and should surrender: "Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses - if you are able on your part to put riders on them!" The commander's offer was contemptuous, mocking and wholly unrealistic in view of Judah's complete lack of cavalry troops and total reliance upon Egypt to supply calvary support.
Since Assyria had just defeated the Egyptian army at Eltekeh, about 32 miles west-northwest of Jerusalem, and had rolled over Laschish nearby Jerusalem which guarded the highway to Egypt; any support from Egypt was neutralized. So the Assyrian chief officer concluded, "How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?" The Hebrew word "pahat" rendered "captain" in the NKJV was originally an Akkadian word which in this context denotes a minor military officer. The Assyrian commander made Judah's utter inability to defend itself against Assyria painfully clear. So the message was that Judah had better surrender now to Assyria, (Isa 36:8-9).
(Isa 36:10 NKJV) '''[Sennacherib] Have I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, "Go up against this land, and destroy it." ''' '''' (Isa 36:11 NKJV) Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh [chief officer], '''Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew [lit., the Jewish language] in the hearing of the people who are on the wall'''' (Isa 36:12 NKJV) But the Rabshakeh [chief officer] said, ''''Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?'''' ''''' =
The Assyrian commander asked, evidently with the words of his master, the King of Assyria, using the name of the God of Judah despite the fact that he neither worshipped nor knew the LORD, rather he blasphemed His name: '''Have I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, "Go up against this land, and destroy it." ''' This implied that since Assyria had come up to the land of Judah to destroy it, and since Assyria so far had such success with the destruction of so many fortified cities around Jerusalem and were now in full force at the gates of the city, then it must have been with the LORD's approval. So the King of Assyrian used the name of Israel's God to prove that the LORD must be on his side, not Judah's. Part of the psychological warfare of ancient kings was to declare that the gods of the people had turned against the people and sent the Assyrians to attack them in order to intimidate and terroize the people into submission. But recall that Isaiah had prophesied that Jerusalem would not fall to the Assyrians. Isaiah had repeatedly told Hezekiah and Judah that the LORD would protect Jerusalem against Assyrian attack, and that would prove to be true, (cf. 10:24-34; 37:21-35); (Isa 36:10).
At this time, '''''Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh [Assyrian chief officer], ''''Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew [lit., the Jewish language] in the hearing of the people who are on the wall'''' The three representatives of Judah were evidently fearful that the people of Judah would panic into surrendering if they continued to hear what the Assyrian commander had to say in Hebrew. This indicates that there the people were able to hear what the Assyrian commander had to say. Aramaic was the language of commerce and political communication between countries in that part of the world at that time. But it was largely unintelligible to the masses. Nevertheless, the Assyrian commander said, "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?" The Assyrian commander took a hard line. He even raised his voice to make sure that the people of Judah heard what he had to say. At this point, there still was the possibility that Hezekiah might not intend to surrender without a fight. So the Assyrian commander voiced an arrogant confidence in predicting an overwhelming Assyrian victory with his statement that those in Jerusalem would be forced to eat and drink their own body waste to survive the coming siege, (Isa 36:11-12).
(Isa 36:13 NKJV) '''''Then the Rabshakeh [chief officer] stood and called out with a loud voice in Hebrew, and said, ''''Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!! (Isa 36:14 NKJV) Thus says the king: '''Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; (Isa 36:15 NKJV) nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." ''' (Isa 36:16 NKJV) Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: '''Make peace with me by a present and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern (Isa 36:17 NKJV) until I come and [have taken] you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. (Isa 36:18 NKJV) Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, "The LORD will deliver us." Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? (Isa 36:19 NKJV) Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? (Isa 36:20 NKJV) Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?''' '''' ''''' =
The Assyrian commander, deliberately directed his message to the people of Judah. He called out in a loud voice in Hebrew, and said to them, ''''Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!! Thus says the king: '''Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, "The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria." Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: "Make peace with me by a present [in the sense of giving the King of Assyria the gift of their surrender] and come out to me; and every one of you eat from his own vine and every one from his own fig tree, and every one of you drink the waters of his own cistern until I come and [have taken] you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards." Sennacherib indicated that if the people came out to him in surrender as a present to him, then the population of Jerusalem would remain for a while in Jerusalem and each would be able to eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink the waters of his own cistern until he [Sennacherib] comes to take them away to a land like their land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. But there was only the terrorizing rumble of the Assyrian army doing their destruction throughout the countryside, smoke from the nearby burning cities, and fleeing populations - many of whom sought refuge in Jerusalem. There was no prosperity or benevolence in view. By this time it was well-known that Assyria had a policy of weakening the vanquished survivors by deporting them to other lands as slaves in servitude, not as free men seeking to prosper in the new land, (Isa 36:13-17).
The Assyrian commander reiterated that the people of Judah should not be persuaded by Hezekiah that the LORD would deliver them. For he asked, "Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Indeed, have they delivered Samaria from my hand? He concluded with, '''Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?''' Hamath and Arpad were located in Aram which Assyria had conquered. And Sepharvaim and Hamath were two of the cities from which people were captured and brought to repopulate Samaria, (2 Kings 17:2), which had been conquered and the survivors taken away captive in 722 B.C. Note that Israel had worshipped the gods of Sepharvaim; so survivors of the conquest of Sepharvaim were planted in the land of Israel (thenceforth called Samaria) by the Assyrian conqueror (2 Kings 17:24; compare 2 Kings 18:34). The Assyrian commander implied that king Sennacherib was greater than any of the gods of the countries the king had conquered, including Samaria. Since it appeared to the Assyrian commander that Jerusalem would succomb to the onslaught of Assyrian soldiers, he deemed king Sennacherib to be superior to the LORD - the God that he understood Judah worshipped. Despite Samaria's worshipping of other gods, and unbeknownst to the Assyrian commander, the God of Judah was also the true God of Samaria - of Israel. Although Samaria gave little evidence of that when Assyria conquered them.
So the Assyrian commander, in an arrogant, insolent threatening tone, speaking for king Sennacherib, made the following points in order to intimidate Hezekiah and the people of Judah into surrendering:
(1) Egypt was not going to be of any help. Furthermore, Pharoah was untrustworthy; he would turn on Judah like a broken reed pierces a man's hand, (vv. 5-6);
(2) Hezekiah removed the places of worship except for Jerusalem, which the Assyrian commander mistakenly maintained limited the availability of the people to go to their LORD for help, (v. 7);
(3) Judah was unskilled in the use of horses in warfare - a key power that the Assyrian forces used with devastating effect, leaving Jerusalem little to defend herself with against the might Assyrians, (vv. 8-9);
(4) The Assyrian commander falsely maintained that it was the LORD Himself - the God of Judah - Who gave them all the victories in destroying all Judah's fortified cities and then sent them to destroy Jerusalem, (v. 10);
(5) Hezekiah's leadership could not be trusted, (vv. 14-15, 18);
(6) The Jerusalemites would be treated well, even prosper in another land, if they surrendered;
(7) All the other cities that Assyria had confronted had failed to withstand the Assyrian attack, (vv. 18-20)
(8) Sennacherib and the Assyrians were more powerful than any of the gods of those cities Assyrian had conquered which will include Jerusalem when they conquer it, (vv. 18-20).
(Isa 36:21 NASB) '''''But they [those of Judah] were silent and answered him not a word; for the king's [of Judah's] commandment was, ''''Do not answer him.'''' (Isa 36:22 NKJV) Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh [chief officer].''''' =
Though the people had every reason to be terrified, they nevertheless followed Hezekiah's instructions: '''But they [those of Judah] were silent and answered him not a word; for the king [Hezekiah's] commandment was, "Do not answer him.' " Then Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah who was over the household [in the sense of being in charge of the palace], Shebna the scribe [in the sense of being secretary of state], and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder [who kept official records] came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, [evidently a sign of grief and horror at the blasphemy of the Assyrian commander and the impending devastation intended to be perpetrated by the Assyrian army upon Jerusalem] and [they] told him the words of the Rabshakeh [chief officer],''' (Isa 36:21-22).