TRV
See on the biblical-era map
Study This Verse
Commentary on 2 Kings 18 verses 17–37
Here is, I. Jerusalem besieged by Sennacherib's army, Kg2 18:17. He sent three of his great generals with a great host against Jerusalem. Is this the great king, the king of Assyria? No, never call him so; he is a base, false, perfidious man, and worthy to be made infamous to all ages; let him never be named with honour that could do such a dishonourable thing as this, to take Hezekiah's money, which he gave him upon condition he should withdraw his army, and then, instead of quitting his country according to the agreement, to advance against his capital city, and not send him his money again either. Those are wicked men indeed, and, let them be ever so great, we will call them so, whose principle it is not to make their promises binding any further than is for their interest. Now Hezekiah had too much reason to repent his treaty with Sennacherib, which made him much the poorer and never the safer.
II. Hezekiah, and his princes and people, railed upon by Rabshakeh, the chief speaker of the three generals, and one that had the most satirical genius. He was no doubt instructed what to say by Sennacherib, who intended hereby to pick a new quarrel with Hezekiah. He had promised, upon the receipt of Hezekiah's money, to withdraw his army, and therefore could not for shame make a forcible attack upon Jerusalem immediately; but he sent Rabshakeh to persuade Hezekiah to surrender it, and, if he should refuse, the refusal would serve him for a pretence (and a very poor one) to besiege it, and, if it hold out, to take it by storm. Rabshakeh had the impudence to desire audience of the king himself at the conduit of the upper pool, without the walls; but Hezekiah had the prudence to decline a personal treaty, and sent three commissioners (the prime ministers of state) to hear what he had to say, but with a charge to them not to answer that fool according to his folly (Kg2 18:36), for they could not convince him, but would certainly provoke him, and Hezekiah had learned of his father David to believe that God would hear when he, as a deaf man, heard not, Psa 38:13-15. One interruption they gave him in his discourse, which was only to desire that he would speak to them now in the Syrian language, and they would consider what he said and report it to the king, and, if they did not give him a satisfactory answer, then he might appeal to the people, by speaking in the Jews' language, Kg2 18:26. This was a reasonable request, and agreeable to the custom of treaties, which is that the plenipotentiaries should settle matters between themselves before any thing be made public; but Hilkiah did not consider what an unreasonable man he had to deal with, else he would not have made this request, for it did but exasperate Rabshakeh, and make him the more rude and boisterous, Kg2 18:27. Against all the rules of decency and honour, instead of treating with the commissioners, he menaces the soldiery, persuades them to desert or mutiny, threatens if they hold out to reduce the to the last extremities of famine, and then goes on with his discourse, the scope of which is to persuade Hezekiah, and his princes and people, to surrender the city. Observe how, in order to do this,
1.He magnifies his master the king of Assyria. Once and again he calls him That great king, the king of Assyria, Kg2 18:19, Kg2 18:28. What an idol did he make of that prince whose creature he was! God is the great King, but Sennacherib was in his eye a little god, and he would possess them with the same veneration for him that he had, and thereby frighten them into a submission to him. But to those who by faith see the King of kings in his power and glory even the king of Assyria looks mean and little. What are the greatest of men when either they come to compare with God or God comes to contend with them? Psa 82:6, Psa 82:7.
2.He endeavours to make them believe that it will be much for their advantage to surrender. If they held out, they must expect no other than to eat their own dung, by reason of the want of provisions, which would be entirely cut off from them by the besiegers; but if they would capitulate, seek his favour with a present and cast themselves upon his mercy, he would give them very good treatment, Kg2 18:31. I wonder with what face Rabshakeh could speak of making an agreement with a present when his master had so lately broken the agreement Hezekiah made with him with that great present, Kg2 18:14. Can those expect to be trusted that have been so grossly perfidious? But, Ad populum phaleras - Gild the chain and the vulgar will let you bind them. He thought to soothe up all with a promise that if they would surrender upon discretion, though they must expect to be prisoners and captives, yet it would really be happy for them to be so. One would wonder he should ever think to prevail by such gross suggestions as these, but that the devil does thus impose upon sinners every day by his temptations. He will needs persuade them, (1.) That their imprisonment would be to their advantage, for they should eat every man of his own vine (Kg2 18:31); though the property of their estates would be vested in the conquerors, yet they should have the free use of them. But he does not explain it now to them as he would afterwards, that it must be understood just as much, and just as long, as the conqueror pleases. (2.) That their captivity would be much more to their advantage: I will take you away to a land like your own land; and what the better would they be for that, when they must have nothing in it to call their own?
3.That which he aims at especially is to convince them that it is to no purpose for them to stand it out: What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? So he insults over Hezekiah, Kg2 18:19. To the people he says (Kg2 18:29), "Let not Hezekiah deceive you into your own ruin, for he shall not be able to deliver you; you must either bend or break." It were well if sinners would submit to the force of this argument, in making their peace with God - That it is therefore our wisdom to yield to him, because it is in vain to contend with him: what confidence is that which those trust in who stand it out against him? Are we stronger than he? Or what shall we get by setting briars and thorns before a consuming fire? But Hezekiah was not so helpless and defenceless as Rabshakeh would here represent him. Three things he supposes Hezekiah might trust to, and he endeavours to make out the insufficiency of these: - (1.) His own military preparations: Thou sayest, I have counsel and strength for the war; and we find that so he had, Ch2 32:3. But this Rabshakeh turns off with a slight: "They are but vain words; thou art an unequal match for us," Kg2 18:20. With the greatest haughtiness and disdain imaginable, he challenges him to produce 2000 men of all his people that know how to manage a horse, and will venture to give him 2000 horses if he can. He falsely insinuates that Hezekiah has no men, or none fit to be soldiers, Kg2 18:23. Thus he thinks to run him down with confidence and banter, and will lay him any wager that one captain of the least of his master's servants is able to baffle him and all his forces. (2.) His alliance with Egypt. He supposes that Hezekiah trusts to Egypt for chariots and horsemen (Kg2 18:24), because the king of Israel had done so, and of this confidence he truly says, It is a broken reed (Kg2 18:21), it will not only fail a man when he leans on it and expects it to bear his weight, but it will run into his hand and pierce it, and rend his shoulder, as the prophet further illustrates this similitude, with application to Egypt, Eze 29:6, Eze 29:7. So is the king of Egypt, says he; and truly so had the king of Assyria been to Ahaz, who trusted in him, but he distressed him, and strengthened him not, Ch2 28:20. Those that trust to any arm of flesh will find it no better than a broken reed; but God is the rock of ages. (3.) His interest in God and relation to him. This was indeed the confidence in which Hezekiah trusts, Kg2 18:22. He supported himself by depending on the power and promise of God; with this he encouraged himself and his people (Kg2 18:30): The Lord will surely deliver us, and again Kg2 18:32. This Rabshakeh was sensible was their great stay, and therefore he was most large in his endeavours to shake this, as David's enemies, who used all the arts they had to drive him from his confidence in God (Psa 3:2; Psa 11:1), and thus did Christ's enemies, Mat 27:43. Three things Rabshakeh suggested to discourage their confidence in God, and they were all false: - [1.] That Hezekiah had forfeited God's protection, and thrown himself out of it, by destroying the high places and the altars, Kg2 18:22. Here he measures the God of Israel by the gods of the heathen, who delighted in the multitude of altars and temples, and concludes that Hezekiah has given a great offence to the God of Israel, in confining his people to one altar: thus is one of the best deeds he ever did in his life misconstrued as impious and profane, by one that did not, or would not, know the law of the God of Israel. If that be represented by ignorant and malicious men as evil and a provocation to God which is really good and pleasing to him, we must not think it strange. If this was to be sacrilegious, Hezekiah would ever be so. [2.] That God had given orders for the destruction of Jerusalem at this time (Kg2 18:25): Have I now come up without the Lord? This is all banter and rhodomontade. He did not himself think he had any commission from God to do what he did (by whom should he have it?) but he made this pretence to amuse and terrify the people that were on the wall. If he had any colour at all for what he said, it might be taken from the notice which perhaps he had had, by the writings of the prophets, of the hand of God in the destruction of the ten tribes, and he thought he had as good a warrant for the seizing of Jerusalem as of Samaria. Many that have fought against God have pretended commissions from him. [3.] That if Jehovah, the God of Israel, should undertake to protect them from the king of Assyria, yet he was notable to do it. With this blasphemy he concluded his speech (Kg2 18:33-35), comparing the God of Israel with the gods of the nations whom he had conquered and putting him upon the level with them, and concluding that because they could not defend and deliver their worshippers the God of Israel could not defend and deliver his. See here, First, His pride. When he conquered a city he reckoned himself to have conquered its gods, and valued himself mightily upon it. His high opinion of the idols made him have a high opinion of himself as too hard for them. Secondly, His profaneness. The God of Israel was not a local deity, but the God of the whole earth, the only living and true God, the ancient of days, and had often proved himself to be above all gods; yet he makes no more of him than of the upstart fictitious gods of Hamath and Arpad, unfairly arguing that the gods (as some now say the priests) of all religions are the same, and himself above them all. The tradition of the Jews is that Rabshakeh was an apostate Jew, which made him so ready in the Jews' language; if so, his ignorance of the God of Israel was the less excusable and his enmity the less strange, for apostates are commonly the most bitter and spiteful enemies, witness Julian. A great deal of art and management, it must be owned, there were in this speech of Rabshakeh, but, withal, a great deal of pride, malice, falsehood, and blasphemy. One grain of sincerity would have been worth all this wit and rhetoric.
Lastly, We are told what the commissioners on Hezekiah's part did. 1. They held their peace, not for want of something to say both on God's behalf and Hezekiah's: they might easily and justly have upbraided him with his master's treachery and breach of faith, and have asked him, What religion encourages you to hope that such conduct will prosper? At least they might have given that grave hint which Ahab gave to Benhadad's like insolent demands - Let not him that girdeth on the harness boast as though he had put it off. But the king had commanded them not to answer him, and they observed their instructions. There is a time to keep silence, as well as a time to speak, and there are those to whom to offer any thing religious or rational is to cast pearls before swine. What can be said to a madman? It is probable that their silence made Rabshakeh yet more proud and secure, and so his heart was lifted up and hardened to his destruction. 2. They rent their clothes in detestation of his blasphemy and in grief for the despised afflicted condition of Jerusalem, the reproach of which was a burden to them. 3. They faithfully reported the matter to the king, their master, and told him the words of Rabshakeh, that he might consider what was to be done, what course they should take and what answer they should return to Rabshakeh's summons.
As I have already said, Sennacherib is a type of the devil, and this hypothesis is perfectly confirmed by the words that in this passage the Rabshakeh boastfully speaks against God when he makes false promises to the people, trying to take away from [God] the praise of his supreme power and giving assurance of a land of fertile soil and abundant crops in order to persuade them to abandon the region given to them by God and to move to the new dwelling places promised by the Assyrian. With a very similar artifice the accomplices and envoys of the devil endeavor to seduce a simple soul. And for this reason, in the first place, they try to uproot all the opinions that are inspired by divine providence.
Continue studying 2 Kings 18:28 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
This verse captures a pivotal and dramatic moment during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, where Rabshakeh, King Sennacherib's chief representative, employs a calculated act of psychological warfare. By deliberately shifting from diplomatic Aramaic to the common Hebrew tongue, he directly addresses the besieged populace, aiming to bypass King Hezekiah's officials and strategically undermine the people's morale, their trust in their king, and ultimately their faith in God, by proclaiming the irresistible power and supreme authority of "the great king, the king of Assyria."
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The passage in 2 Kings 18:28 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its dramatic tension and profound thematic depth. Propaganda is the overarching device, as the Rabshakeh's entire speech is a meticulously calculated act of psychological warfare designed to demoralize the besieged city and coerce its surrender. His use of direct address ("Hear the word") and the specific, strategic choice of "the Jews' language" are deliberate tactics to bypass official channels and directly manipulate the common people's emotions and will. There is a powerful element of contrast established between the self-proclaimed "great king, the king of Assyria," representing overwhelming human might and arrogance, and the implied, yet unseen, power of Yahweh, whom the Rabshakeh attempts to diminish and blaspheme. The Rabshakeh's boastful rhetoric also contains profound irony, as his confident claims of irresistible power and his direct challenge to God will ultimately be overturned by a miraculous divine intervention, foreshadowing the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem. This subtle foreshadowing of God's coming judgment on Assyria becomes explicitly realized in the subsequent chapters.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The Rabshakeh's audacious challenge in 2 Kings 18:28 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of divine sovereignty versus human arrogance. The Assyrian king, through his representative, asserts a claim to ultimate authority, attempting to usurp the unique and rightful position of Yahweh as the true sovereign over all creation. This confrontation highlights the recurring biblical theme of the futility of human boasting and the inevitable downfall of those who presumptuously set themselves against God. It serves as a powerful call for God's people to discern between the loud, intimidating, and often deceptive voices of the world and the quiet, yet infinitely powerful, voice of divine truth and unwavering promise. The ultimate victory of Jerusalem, achieved not by military might but by a decisive divine intervention, will later vindicate God's absolute supremacy over all earthly powers and their arrogant boasts.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
In our contemporary world, we frequently encounter "Rabshakehs"—loud, intimidating voices of doubt, fear, and worldly power that seek to demoralize us and undermine our trust in God. These voices may manifest as societal pressures, pervasive media narratives, personal anxieties, or even direct spiritual attacks, all aiming to convince us that God is either unable or unwilling to act on our behalf. 2 Kings 18:28 serves as a powerful and timely reminder that we must not succumb to such psychological warfare. Instead, like King Hezekiah, who responded to the Rabshakeh's threats by turning to the Lord in earnest prayer rather than engaging in fruitless arguments or succumbing to despair (2 Kings 19:1-4), we are called to discern the true source and malicious intent of these intimidating messages. Our faithful response should be rooted in an unwavering conviction of God's ultimate sovereignty and boundless power, even when circumstances appear overwhelming and human solutions seem exhausted. This passage profoundly encourages us to stand firm in faith, trusting in divine strength and truth, rather than being swayed by the loud, boastful claims of those who oppose God's kingdom and seek to instill fear.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who was Rabshakeh, and why is his role significant in this narrative?
Answer: Rabshakeh was not a personal name but a high-ranking Assyrian official's title, likely meaning "chief cupbearer" or "chief officer." His role was profoundly significant because he served as King Sennacherib's direct emissary and chief propagandist. He was dispatched to Jerusalem not primarily for immediate military assault at this stage, but for a calculated campaign of psychological warfare. His authority and direct communication, as prominently displayed in 2 Kings 18:28, were meticulously designed to demoralize the city's inhabitants, undermine their trust in King Hezekiah, and challenge their faith in God, thereby coercing them into surrender without the costly and time-consuming necessity of a prolonged siege.
Why did Rabshakeh choose to speak "in the Jews' language" (Hebrew) instead of Aramaic?
Answer: Rabshakeh's deliberate choice to speak "in the Jews' language" (Hebrew, or Yehudith) was a cunning and highly strategic move. As explicitly noted in 2 Kings 18:26, Hezekiah's officials had specifically requested that he speak Aramaic, which was the common language of diplomacy understood by the elite, precisely so that the common people on the wall would not understand his demoralizing message. By refusing this request and speaking Hebrew, Rabshakeh intentionally bypassed these officials and directly addressed the ordinary citizens and soldiers. This was a calculated tactic to spread fear, incite panic, and encourage internal rebellion from within the city walls, aiming to break the morale of the entire populace and force a swift surrender.
What was the theological significance of Rabshakeh's declaration, "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria"?
Answer: The declaration "Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria" carried immense theological weight and served as a direct challenge to God's sovereignty. "Great king" (melekh gadol) was a common and potent title for supreme monarchs in the ancient Near East, particularly the Assyrian emperors, signifying absolute authority and dominion over lesser kings and nations. By using this title, Rabshakeh was asserting Sennacherib's unparalleled power and implicitly, blasphemously, challenging the unique sovereignty of Yahweh, the God of Israel. He was positioning the Assyrian king as the ultimate, irresistible authority, suggesting that any resistance was futile and that even Judah's God could not deliver them. This declaration set up a direct confrontation between the perceived might of an earthly empire and the true, unseen, and infinitely greater power of the Almighty God, a confrontation that would ultimately be resolved by a miraculous divine intervention in 2 Kings 19:35-36.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The Rabshakeh's arrogant boast and direct challenge to the God of Israel in 2 Kings 18:28 finds its ultimate fulfillment and definitive reversal in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The "great king, the king of Assyria," represents all earthly powers, human boasts, and spiritual forces that set themselves in opposition to God and His people, seeking to intimidate, deceive, and ultimately destroy. Yet, the New Testament reveals Jesus as the true and eternal "Great King," whose authority far surpasses any earthly monarch or spiritual adversary. While the Rabshakeh's words were designed to instill fear and coerce surrender, Christ's words bring life, hope, and ultimate victory over sin and death (John 6:68). The Assyrian king's boast of invincibility was shattered by the Angel of the Lord (2 Kings 19:35), powerfully foreshadowing Christ's definitive triumph over all principalities and powers through His cross and resurrection (Colossians 2:15). He is the one before whom every knee will ultimately bow and every tongue confess His supreme Lordship (Philippians 2:9-11). Thus, the Rabshakeh's terrifying challenge, though formidable in its historical moment, ultimately points to the absolute and unshakeable sovereignty of Christ, who has definitively overcome the world and secured eternal deliverance for His people (John 16:33).