Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Isaiah 36 Study Notes: The Rabshakeh Taunts Jerusalem

After Sennacherib of Assyria takes Judah's fortified towns, his officer the Rabshakeh comes to Jerusalem to demand surrender. He mocks trust in Egypt and in the LORD, calls out his offer to the listeners on the wall, and boasts that no god has stopped Assyria, while the people stay silent.

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General

Why did Hezekiah's three officials ask the Rabshakeh to speak in Aramaic rather than Hebrew (36:11)?

Answer: So the listeners on the wall would not understand him

The officials understood Aramaic and asked the Rabshakeh to use it so that the people listening from the wall would not follow what he said (36:11; 2 Kings 18:26). He refused. He said his master had sent him to speak not only to the officials and their king but to the men on the wall, whom he threatened with the horrors of a long siege (36:12). Then he stood and shouted his message to them in Hebrew (36:13). Chronicles explains that the aim was to frighten them so the city could be taken (2 Chronicles 32:18).

  • Isaiah 36:11-12 (BSB)
    “Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?””
    Hezekiah's officials ask for Aramaic, and the Rabshakeh says his message is meant for the men on the wall as well.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:18 (BSB)
    “Then the Assyrians called out loudly in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them in order to capture the city.”
    Chronicles says the Assyrians shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall to frighten them and capture the city.
  • 2 Kings 18:26 (BSB)
    “Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.””
    Kings records the same request by Eliakim, Shebnah, and Joah.

Theological

What was the reason for the officials' request in 36:11 that the Rabshakeh switch to Aramaic?

Answer: So the listeners on the wall would not understand him

The officials wanted the negotiation conducted in Aramaic, which they understood, so the citizens on the wall would not hear the threats in their own Hebrew (36:11; 2 Kings 18:26). The Rabshakeh rejected the request, insisting that his words were aimed at the men on the wall too, who would share the siege's misery (36:12), and he then addressed them loudly in Hebrew (36:13). Chronicles names the tactic: shouting in Hebrew to terrify the defenders so the city could be taken (2 Chronicles 32:18).

  • Isaiah 36:11-12 (BSB)
    “Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?””
    Hezekiah's officials ask for Aramaic, and the Rabshakeh says his message is meant for the men on the wall as well.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:18 (BSB)
    “Then the Assyrians called out loudly in Hebrew to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them in order to capture the city.”
    Chronicles says the Assyrians shouted in Hebrew to the people on the wall to frighten them and capture the city.
  • 2 Kings 18:26 (BSB)
    “Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.””
    Kings records the same request by Eliakim, Shebnah, and Joah.

General

What does the Rabshakeh claim in 36:10 to justify the invasion?

Answer: That the LORD Himself had told him to attack and destroy the land

The Rabshakeh says he did not come against the land without the LORD's backing; the LORD Himself told him to go up and destroy it (36:10). He uses this to frighten Judah. Earlier, Isaiah had indeed called Assyria the rod the LORD used in His anger, sent against an ungodly people, but said the Assyrian king had no thought of serving God; his heart was set on destroying many nations (10:5-7). So the LORD would punish him for his pride once He had finished using him (10:12). God rules over the invader's march, and the invader is still guilty for his arrogance.

  • Isaiah 36:10 (BSB)
    “So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’””
    The Rabshakeh closes his first speech by claiming the LORD's own authority for the invasion.
  • Isaiah 10:5-7 (BSB)
    “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.”
    The LORD calls Assyria the rod of His anger, yet says the Assyrian king intends only to destroy for himself.
  • Isaiah 10:12 (BSB)
    “So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.”
    The LORD promises to punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant heart after using him.

Theological

On what authority does the Rabshakeh claim, in 36:10, to have come against Judah?

Answer: That the LORD Himself had told him to attack and destroy the land

The Rabshakeh asserts that the LORD Himself commanded him to go up and destroy the land (36:10). Whatever he meant by it, Isaiah had already taught that Assyria was the LORD's rod of anger sent against an ungodly nation, while the Assyrian king intended only conquest for himself (10:5-7), and that the LORD would punish him for his arrogance afterward (10:12). God's sovereign use of Assyria and Assyria's full guilt stand together: the LORD directs the instrument, and the instrument answers for its own proud intent.

  • Isaiah 36:10 (BSB)
    “So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’””
    The Rabshakeh closes his first speech by claiming the LORD's own authority for the invasion.
  • Isaiah 10:5-7 (BSB)
    “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath. I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.”
    The LORD calls Assyria the rod of His anger, yet says the Assyrian king intends only to destroy for himself.
  • Isaiah 10:12 (BSB)
    “So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.”
    The LORD promises to punish the king of Assyria for his arrogant heart after using him.

General

What picture does the Rabshakeh use for Egypt and its Pharaoh in 36:6?

Answer: A broken staff that wounds the hand leaning on it

The Rabshakeh says Judah is leaning on Egypt, a cracked reed used as a walking stick that breaks and pierces the palm of whoever puts weight on it (36:6). The enemy's taunt actually agrees with what Isaiah had preached: seeking shelter from Pharaoh, without asking the LORD, would end in shame (30:1-3), and trusting Egypt's horses and chariots meant failing to look to the LORD (31:1). Ezekiel later used the same picture of Egypt as a reed staff that splinters (Ezekiel 29:6-7).

  • Isaiah 36:6 (BSB)
    “Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.”
    The Rabshakeh mocks Judah's reliance on Pharaoh.
  • Isaiah 30:1-3 (BSB)
    ““Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade. But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.”
    Isaiah had already condemned the plan to seek shelter in Egypt as a path to shame.
  • Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)
    “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”
    Isaiah warned that those who rely on Egypt's horses and chariots fail to look to the Holy One of Israel.
  • Ezekiel 29:6-7 (BSB)
    “Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel. When Israel took hold of you with their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.”
    Ezekiel later uses the same picture of Egypt as a reed staff that snaps and injures those who lean on it.

Theological

With what image does the Rabshakeh describe reliance on Pharaoh in 36:6?

Answer: A broken staff that wounds the hand leaning on it

Egypt, the Rabshakeh says, is a splintered reed that pierces the hand of whoever leans on it (36:6). The pagan official's verdict coincides with Isaiah's own indictment of the Egyptian alliance as a scheme the LORD had not given, which would bring disgrace (30:1-3) and as a failure to seek the LORD (31:1). Ezekiel 29:6-7 later applies the same reed-staff image to Egypt. Human props give way; only the LORD can bear the weight of His people's trust.

  • Isaiah 36:6 (BSB)
    “Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.”
    The Rabshakeh mocks Judah's reliance on Pharaoh.
  • Isaiah 30:1-3 (BSB)
    ““Woe to the rebellious children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out a plan that is not Mine, who form an alliance, but against My will, heaping up sin upon sin. They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade. But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.”
    Isaiah had already condemned the plan to seek shelter in Egypt as a path to shame.
  • Isaiah 31:1 (BSB)
    “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.”
    Isaiah warned that those who rely on Egypt's horses and chariots fail to look to the Holy One of Israel.
  • Ezekiel 29:6-7 (BSB)
    “Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel. When Israel took hold of you with their hands, you splintered, tearing all their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs were wrenched.”
    Ezekiel later uses the same picture of Egypt as a reed staff that snaps and injures those who lean on it.

General

True or False: The Rabshakeh argued that Judah could not count on the LORD because Hezekiah had torn down the LORD's shrines and altars (36:7).

Answer: True

This is true. The Rabshakeh claims that if Judah says it trusts the LORD, it is trusting the very God whose hilltop shrines and altars Hezekiah tore down when he told the people to worship at one altar (36:7). He assumed that removing these shrines offended the LORD. In fact Hezekiah's reform was obedience: Kings commends him for removing those shrines, approving his conduct in the LORD's eyes (2 Kings 18:3-4), the Law had required offerings only where the LORD Himself chose (Deuteronomy 12:13-14), and the people tore down the shrines across the land (2 Chronicles 31:1).

  • Isaiah 36:7 (BSB)
    “But 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, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?”
    The Rabshakeh argues that Hezekiah's removal of the high places has turned the LORD against him.
  • 2 Kings 18:3-4 (BSB)
    “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.”
    Kings says that in removing the high places Hezekiah did what was right in the LORD's eyes.
  • Deuteronomy 12:13-14 (BSB)
    “Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.”
    The Law required burnt offerings to be made only at the place the LORD would choose.
  • 2 Chronicles 31:1 (BSB)
    “When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own property.”
    Chronicles records the people tearing down the high places and altars throughout the land in Hezekiah's reform.

Theological

True or False: In 36:7 the Rabshakeh contends that Hezekiah forfeited the LORD's help by abolishing His local shrines and altars.

Answer: True

This is true. The Rabshakeh argues that Hezekiah's centralizing of worship at a single altar, with the removal of the high places, has cut Judah off from the LORD (36:7). The argument misreads the reform completely. Scripture commends it as right in the LORD's eyes (2 Kings 18:3-4), in keeping with the Law's command to bring offerings only at the site of the LORD's choosing (Deuteronomy 12:13-14), and records its thoroughness (2 Chronicles 31:1).

  • Isaiah 36:7 (BSB)
    “But 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, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?”
    The Rabshakeh argues that Hezekiah's removal of the high places has turned the LORD against him.
  • 2 Kings 18:3-4 (BSB)
    “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.”
    Kings says that in removing the high places Hezekiah did what was right in the LORD's eyes.
  • Deuteronomy 12:13-14 (BSB)
    “Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see; you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.”
    The Law required burnt offerings to be made only at the place the LORD would choose.
  • 2 Chronicles 31:1 (BSB)
    “When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own property.”
    Chronicles records the people tearing down the high places and altars throughout the land in Hezekiah's reform.

General

What argument about the gods of other nations does the Rabshakeh make in 36:18-20?

Answer: That no nation's god had saved its land from him, so neither would the LORD

The Rabshakeh asks whether any nation's god has rescued its land from Assyria, pointing to Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, and Samaria. Since none of them saved their lands, he reasons, the LORD cannot save Jerusalem (36:18-20; 2 Chronicles 32:15). Isaiah had earlier quoted this same Assyrian boast that Jerusalem would go the way of Samaria (10:9-11). The mistake is treating the LORD as one more local idol. The nations' gods are idols, but the LORD made the heavens (Psalm 96:5), and the next chapter shows the difference.

  • Isaiah 36:18-20 (BSB)
    “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?””
    The Rabshakeh lists conquered peoples and asks how the LORD could rescue Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 10:9-11 (BSB)
    ““Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria, and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?””
    Isaiah had quoted the Assyrian boasting that Jerusalem's fate would match Samaria's and other cities' before it.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:15 (BSB)
    “So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!””
    Chronicles reports the same boast that no god of any nation had been able to save its people from Assyria.
  • Psalm 96:5 (BSB)
    “For all the gods of the nations are idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.”
    The gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD is the Maker of the heavens.

Theological

What reasoning about the nations' gods underlies the Rabshakeh's challenge in 36:18-20?

Answer: That no nation's god had saved its land from him, so neither would the LORD

The Rabshakeh argues by precedent: the deities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, and Samaria failed to deliver their lands, so the LORD will fail to deliver Jerusalem (36:18-20; cf. 2 Chronicles 32:15). This is the Assyrian boast Isaiah had already exposed (10:9-11). The argument places the LORD in the category of the nations' gods, which are mere idols, whereas the LORD is the Creator of the heavens (Psalm 96:5). The blasphemy sets up chapter 37, where the LORD vindicates His name.

  • Isaiah 36:18-20 (BSB)
    “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?””
    The Rabshakeh lists conquered peoples and asks how the LORD could rescue Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 10:9-11 (BSB)
    ““Is not Calno like Carchemish? Is not Hamath like Arpad? Is not Samaria like Damascus? As my hand seized the idolatrous kingdoms whose images surpassed those of Jerusalem and Samaria, and as I have done to Samaria and its idols, will I not also do to Jerusalem and her idols?””
    Isaiah had quoted the Assyrian boasting that Jerusalem's fate would match Samaria's and other cities' before it.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:15 (BSB)
    “So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!””
    Chronicles reports the same boast that no god of any nation had been able to save its people from Assyria.
  • Psalm 96:5 (BSB)
    “For all the gods of the nations are idols, but it is the LORD who made the heavens.”
    The gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD is the Maker of the heavens.

General

What did the Rabshakeh promise the people if they surrendered and came out to him (36:16-17)?

Answer: That they would eat from their own vines until he deported them

He told the people to make peace and come out; then each could enjoy the grapes and figs from his own trees and the water of his own cistern, but only until he came to remove them to another land that he claimed would match theirs, full of grain, wine, bread, and vineyards (36:16-17). The offer of peace ended in exile. Micah used each person sitting beneath vine and fig tree, free from fear, as a picture of the secure peace the LORD promises (Micah 4:4), and Assyria had already carried Samaria's people away from their land (2 Kings 17:6).

  • Isaiah 36:16-17 (BSB)
    “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.”
    The Rabshakeh offers peace on terms that end in removal to another land.
  • Micah 4:4 (BSB)
    “And each man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken.”
    Micah pictures each man under his own vine and fig tree, with no one to frighten him, as the peace the LORD promises.
  • 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)
    “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”
    The king of Assyria had already carried the people of Samaria off to Assyria.

Theological

What terms of surrender does the Rabshakeh offer the people in 36:16-17?

Answer: That they would eat from their own vines until he deported them

The Rabshakeh promises that if they make peace and come out, each will enjoy his own vine, fig tree, and cistern until he comes to deport them to another country like theirs (36:16-17). Assyria's peace is only a pause before removal from the land of promise, as Samaria's deportation had shown (2 Kings 17:6). The image of each man under his vine and fig tree is used by Micah for the security the LORD Himself promises (Micah 4:4).

  • Isaiah 36:16-17 (BSB)
    “Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.”
    The Rabshakeh offers peace on terms that end in removal to another land.
  • Micah 4:4 (BSB)
    “And each man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the LORD of Hosts has spoken.”
    Micah pictures each man under his own vine and fig tree, with no one to frighten him, as the peace the LORD promises.
  • 2 Kings 17:6 (BSB)
    “In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.”
    The king of Assyria had already carried the people of Samaria off to Assyria.

General

In 36:3, which of the officials who went out to meet the Rabshakeh held the post of palace administrator?

Answer: Eliakim

Three officials went out. Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, was over the palace; Shebna served as scribe; and Joah, whose father was Asaph, kept the records (36:3). Asaph is named only as Joah's father. Earlier in the book Shebna had been the steward over the palace (22:15), and the LORD had announced that He would give Shebna's office and authority to Eliakim (22:20-21). By chapter 36 Eliakim holds the post and Shebna serves as scribe.

  • Isaiah 36:3 (BSB)
    “Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.”
    Three of Hezekiah's officials go out to meet the Rabshakeh.
  • Isaiah 22:15 (BSB)
    “This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace:”
    Shebna had earlier been addressed as the steward in charge of the palace.
  • Isaiah 22:20-21 (BSB)
    “On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.”
    The LORD had said He would put Eliakim son of Hilkiah in Shebna's place of authority.

Theological

Which official does 36:3 identify as the palace administrator among those sent to the Rabshakeh?

Answer: Eliakim

Isaiah 36:3 lists Eliakim as palace administrator, Shebna as scribe, and Joah as recorder; Asaph appears only as Joah's father. The arrangement matches the oracle of 22:15-21, where Shebna, then steward of the palace, was told that his authority would be transferred to Eliakim.

  • Isaiah 36:3 (BSB)
    “Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.”
    Three of Hezekiah's officials go out to meet the Rabshakeh.
  • Isaiah 22:15 (BSB)
    “This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace:”
    Shebna had earlier been addressed as the steward in charge of the palace.
  • Isaiah 22:20-21 (BSB)
    “On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.”
    The LORD had said He would put Eliakim son of Hilkiah in Shebna's place of authority.

General

Where did the Rabshakeh stop when he arrived at Jerusalem from Lachish (36:2)?

Answer: By the upper pool's aqueduct on the Launderer's Field road

The Rabshakeh, a high Assyrian official, came from Lachish with a large army and halted at the water channel from the upper pool, beside the highway leading to the field where cloth was washed (36:2; 2 Kings 18:17). This is the same place where the LORD had sent Isaiah to meet King Ahaz, Hezekiah's father, when Ahaz was facing an earlier threat (7:3).

  • Isaiah 36:2 (BSB)
    “And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    The Rabshakeh comes from Lachish with a large army and halts outside Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 7:3 (BSB)
    “Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,”
    Isaiah had been sent to meet King Ahaz at this very spot during an earlier crisis.
  • 2 Kings 18:17 (BSB)
    “Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    Kings places the Assyrian officers at the same aqueduct on the same road.

Theological

At what location does 36:2 say the Rabshakeh halted outside Jerusalem?

Answer: By the upper pool's aqueduct on the Launderer's Field road

Arriving from Lachish with a large force, the Rabshakeh halted at the channel feeding the upper pool, beside the Launderer's Field road (36:2; 2 Kings 18:17). Isaiah 7:3 names the identical location as the place where Isaiah confronted Ahaz when Aram and Israel were threatening him.

  • Isaiah 36:2 (BSB)
    “And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    The Rabshakeh comes from Lachish with a large army and halts outside Jerusalem.
  • Isaiah 7:3 (BSB)
    “Then the LORD said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the aqueduct that feeds the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,”
    Isaiah had been sent to meet King Ahaz at this very spot during an earlier crisis.
  • 2 Kings 18:17 (BSB)
    “Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.”
    Kings places the Assyrian officers at the same aqueduct on the same road.

General

According to 36:1, which king invaded Judah in Hezekiah's fourteenth year and took its fortified cities?

Answer: Sennacherib, the ruler of Assyria

Isaiah 36:1 dates the crisis to Hezekiah's fourteenth year, when Sennacherib of Assyria attacked Judah and seized every one of its walled cities. The same event is recorded in 2 Kings 18:13 and 2 Chronicles 32:1. Years earlier Isaiah had warned that Assyria's ruler would pour into Judah like a river in flood, rising until it reached the neck (8:7-8). With the walled towns taken, the Assyrian army turns toward Jerusalem.

  • Isaiah 36:1 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.”
    The narrative section of Isaiah opens with the Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah's fourteenth year.
  • 2 Kings 18:13 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.”
    The account in Kings dates the same invasion to the same year of Hezekiah's reign.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:1 (BSB)
    “After all these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them for himself.”
    Chronicles also records Sennacherib invading Judah and besieging its fortified cities.
  • Isaiah 8:7-8 (BSB)
    “the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!”
    Isaiah had long warned that the king of Assyria would sweep into Judah like a flood reaching up to the neck.

Theological

Which invader does 36:1 name as capturing all of Judah's fortified cities in Hezekiah's fourteenth year?

Answer: Sennacherib, the ruler of Assyria

Isaiah 36:1 opens the historical section of the book with Sennacherib's campaign in Hezekiah's fourteenth year, in which every fortified city of Judah fell; 2 Kings 18:13 and 2 Chronicles 32:1 record the same invasion. The scene answers Isaiah's earlier warning that Assyria would flood Judah until the water rose to its neck (8:7-8). With Judah's walled cities taken and the army turning toward Jerusalem, the question of the chapter becomes whom Judah will trust.

  • Isaiah 36:1 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.”
    The narrative section of Isaiah opens with the Assyrian invasion in Hezekiah's fourteenth year.
  • 2 Kings 18:13 (BSB)
    “In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.”
    The account in Kings dates the same invasion to the same year of Hezekiah's reign.
  • 2 Chronicles 32:1 (BSB)
    “After all these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, intending to conquer them for himself.”
    Chronicles also records Sennacherib invading Judah and besieging its fortified cities.
  • Isaiah 8:7-8 (BSB)
    “the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!”
    Isaiah had long warned that the king of Assyria would sweep into Judah like a flood reaching up to the neck.

General

True or False: The citizens on the wall shouted defiant answers back at the Rabshakeh after his speech (36:21).

Answer: False

This is false. The people kept quiet and said nothing at all, because Hezekiah had ordered them not to answer him (36:21). Then the three officials came to the king in torn garments, a sign of grief and alarm, and reported everything (36:22). The LORD had told His people that their strength lay in quiet trust in Him (30:15), just as He fought for Israel at the sea while they stood still (Exodus 14:14).

  • Isaiah 36:21-22 (BSB)
    “But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.” Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.”
    The people keep silent, and the officials report to Hezekiah with torn clothes.
  • Exodus 14:14 (BSB)
    “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””
    Moses told Israel at the sea that the LORD would fight for them while they kept still.
  • Isaiah 30:15 (BSB)
    “For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.””
    The LORD had told Judah that its strength would lie in quiet confidence in Him.

Theological

True or False: In response to the Rabshakeh, the citizens on the wall answered him back, disregarding Hezekiah's orders (36:21).

Answer: False

This is false. The citizens stayed quiet because Hezekiah had commanded them not to reply (36:21), and the officials brought the report to the king with torn garments (36:22). The silence fits the LORD's call to quiet confidence (30:15), echoing the word at the Red Sea that the LORD would fight while Israel kept still (Exodus 14:14). The matter is taken to the king, and in chapter 37 to the LORD.

  • Isaiah 36:21-22 (BSB)
    “But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.” Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.”
    The people keep silent, and the officials report to Hezekiah with torn clothes.
  • Exodus 14:14 (BSB)
    “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””
    Moses told Israel at the sea that the LORD would fight for them while they kept still.
  • Isaiah 30:15 (BSB)
    “For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: “By repentance and rest you would be saved; your strength would lie in quiet confidence—but you were not willing.””
    The LORD had told Judah that its strength would lie in quiet confidence in Him.