2 Kings 19:2

KJV

And he sent Eliakim, which [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

KJV (with Strong's)

And he sent {H7971} Eliakim {H471}, which was over the household {H1004}, and Shebna {H7644} the scribe {H5608}, and the elders {H2205} of the priests {H3548}, covered {H3680} with sackcloth {H8242}, to Isaiah {H3470} the prophet {H5030} the son {H1121} of Amoz {H531}.

Complete Jewish Bible

He sent Elyakim, who was in charge of the household, Shevnah the general secretary and the leading cohanim, covered with sackcloth, to Yesha'yahu the prophet, the son of Amotz.

Berean Standard Bible

And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz

American Standard Version

And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
King Hezekiah, facing the overwhelming and blasphemous threat of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib, responds not with military might but with profound spiritual humility and dependence. This verse details his immediate action: dispatching his highest officials—Eliakim, the steward of the household; Shebna, the scribe; and the elders of the priests—all clothed in sackcloth, to seek divine counsel from the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz. This act underscores Hezekiah's exemplary spiritual leadership and his conviction that ultimate deliverance would come from God alone.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse immediately follows King Hezekiah's personal response to the Assyrian general Rabshakeh's intimidating and blasphemous message. In [2 Kings 19:1](/2_kings/19-1 "2 Kings 19:1 - Hezekiah's Humiliation"), Hezekiah tears his clothes and covers himself with sackcloth, signifying deep distress and reliance on God. Verse 2 details the next crucial step in his spiritual strategy: sending a formal delegation to God's prophet. This action sets the stage for Isaiah's divine oracle of deliverance, which will unfold in the subsequent verses, leading to the miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army (as recounted in [2 Kings 19:35](/2_kings/19-35 "2 Kings 19:35 - God's Miraculous Deliverance")). The narrative highlights a pivotal moment where human despair meets divine intervention.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The events described in 2 Kings 19 occurred around 701 BC, during Sennacherib's devastating campaign against Judah. The Assyrian Empire was the dominant superpower of the ancient Near East, known for its brutal military tactics and effective siege warfare. Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, found itself isolated and besieged, with many surrounding cities already fallen. The wearing of sackcloth was a widely recognized cultural practice throughout the ancient Near East, symbolizing deep mourning, distress, repentance, and desperate supplication to a deity. For high-ranking officials and priests to wear it publicly underscored the national emergency and the king's profound spiritual posture, seeking divine mercy and intervention rather than relying solely on military or political strategies.
* **Key Themes:**
* **Humility in Crisis:** The act of wearing sackcloth by the king and his most prominent officials and priests demonstrates a profound sense of national humility and lament before God. It signals a recognition of their utter inability to overcome the overwhelming Assyrian threat on their own, echoing the sentiment found in [Psalm 46:1](/psalm/46-1 "Psalm 46:1 - God Our Refuge and Strength"). This humility is presented as a prerequisite for divine intervention.
* **Seeking Divine Wisdom and Intervention:** Hezekiah's decision to consult Isaiah highlights his profound trust in God's ability to intervene and provide guidance through His chosen prophet. This contrasts sharply with reliance on human strength or political maneuvering alone, aligning with the wisdom found in [Proverbs 3:5-6](/proverbs/3-5 "Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord").
* **The Role of the Prophet as God's Mouthpiece:** Isaiah serves as God's direct channel of communication, providing the divine response and assurance that would ultimately lead to Judah's miraculous deliverance. This emphasizes the critical function of prophetic revelation in guiding God's people, a theme also seen in the ministry of prophets like [Samuel](/1_samuel/3 "1 Samuel 3 - The Call of Samuel").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Sackcloth (Hebrew, _saq_):** A coarse, dark fabric, typically made of goat hair, worn as a public sign of mourning, deep distress, penitence, or desperate supplication. Its use by the king's highest officials and priests in this context emphasizes the national crisis and their collective posture of humility and desperate plea for divine mercy, signifying a corporate act of lament and turning to God.
* **Scribe (Hebrew, _sopher_):** A high-ranking official in the ancient Near East, responsible for royal correspondence, records, and administration. Shebna's presence alongside Eliakim, the steward of the household, indicates that the highest levels of government and administration were involved in this spiritual appeal, underscoring the gravity and official nature of the delegation sent to Isaiah.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And he sent Eliakim, which [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests":** This clause details the composition of the delegation dispatched by King Hezekiah. Eliakim, as the chief steward ("over the household"), held a position of immense authority and trust, managing the king's palace and affairs. Shebna, the scribe, was a key administrative and diplomatic official. The inclusion of "the elders of the priests" signifies the involvement of the religious leadership. This was not a casual or private visit but a formal, high-level delegation representing the king and the entire nation, underscoring the utmost seriousness and national scope of the crisis.
* **"covered with sackcloth":** This crucial detail describes the attire of the delegation. Their being "covered with sackcloth" was a visible, public declaration of their deep distress, humiliation, and desperate appeal to God. It was a culturally recognized sign of lament, mourning, and repentance, indicating that the nation, through its representatives, was humbling itself profoundly before the Lord in the face of an overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable threat. This visual element powerfully conveys their spiritual posture.
* **"to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz":** This specifies the destination of the delegation. Isaiah was God's chosen messenger for this period, known for his direct access to divine counsel and his bold proclamations. Hezekiah's decision to consult Isaiah, rather than relying solely on military or political strategies, demonstrates his profound faith in God's ability to intervene and provide guidance through His appointed prophet. This highlights the critical role of prophetic revelation and divine communication in times of national crisis and the king's reliance on God's word.

#### Literary Devices
The passage powerfully employs **Symbolism** through the pervasive use of sackcloth, which visually and culturally communicates the nation's profound distress, humility, and desperate supplication. This immediate imagery conveys the gravity of the situation and Hezekiah's spiritual posture. The precise listing of high-ranking officials—Eliakim, Shebna, and the elders of the priests—creates a strong sense of **Verisimilitude**, emphasizing the official and national scope of this spiritual appeal and demonstrating that the crisis was acknowledged and addressed at the highest levels of both governmental and religious authority. Furthermore, the narrative structure presents a clear **Juxtaposition** between the Assyrian king's arrogant and blasphemous challenge to Yahweh in the preceding verses and Hezekiah's immediate, humble, and faith-filled response, setting the stage for the dramatic divine intervention that follows.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse powerfully illustrates the principle that true strength in times of overwhelming crisis comes not from human might or strategic brilliance, but from humble reliance on God. Hezekiah's immediate recourse to seeking divine counsel through His prophet, accompanied by visible signs of national lament and humility, sets a precedent for how God's people should respond to seemingly insurmountable threats. It underscores God's willingness to hear and respond to the cries of His people when they turn to Him in genuine humility and faith, demonstrating that His power is made perfect in weakness and that He is a refuge in times of trouble.

* [2 Chronicles 20:3-4](/2_chronicles/20-3-4 "2 Chronicles 20:3-4 - Jehoshaphat's Humble Response")
* [Jonah 3:5-6](/jonah/3-5-6 "Jonah 3:5-6 - Nineveh's Repentance")
* [Psalm 34:17-18](/psalm/34-17-18 "Psalm 34:17-18 - The Lord Hears the Righteous")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
In a world that often prioritizes self-reliance, strategic planning, and immediate action, Hezekiah's response to the Assyrian threat offers a counter-cultural yet profoundly biblical model. When faced with overwhelming challenges—whether personal, communal, or national—our first and most critical step should be to humble ourselves before God, acknowledge our dependence, and seek His divine wisdom and intervention. The act of sending high officials "covered with sackcloth" to the prophet Isaiah is a powerful reminder that spiritual surrender is not a sign of weakness but the ultimate demonstration of faith and the pathway to true strength. It teaches us to prioritize prayer, lament, and seeking God's revealed will through His Word and His appointed messengers, trusting that He is able to deliver when all human options seem exhausted. This posture invites God's miraculous power into our seemingly impossible situations, transforming despair into an opportunity for divine glory.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **When facing significant challenges, what is your immediate default response: self-reliance, human strategy, or seeking God?**
* **In what ways can you tangibly express humility and dependence on God in your current circumstances, perhaps through prayer, fasting, or seeking wise counsel?**
* **How does Hezekiah's reliance on a prophet inform your approach to seeking divine guidance today, through diligent study of Scripture and listening to the Spirit through faithful spiritual leaders?**

### FAQ

**Why did Hezekiah send his officials to Isaiah instead of going himself?**

Answer: While King Hezekiah himself had already demonstrated his personal distress and humility by tearing his clothes and covering himself with sackcloth (as noted in [2 Kings 19:1](/2_kings/19-1 "2 Kings 19:1 - Hezekiah's Immediate Response")), sending a delegation of his highest officials (Eliakim, Shebna) and the elders of the priests served several important purposes. Firstly, it underscored the official and national gravity of the appeal; this was not merely a private prayer but a collective, public cry for divine intervention on behalf of all Judah. Secondly, it demonstrated the king's profound respect for the prophetic office and his recognition of Isaiah as God's authoritative mouthpiece. Thirdly, it allowed the king to remain at the center of governance during a critical siege, while still ensuring that the most vital spiritual appeal was made. This delegation acted as the king's representatives, carrying his deep concern and the nation's plea directly to the prophet, symbolizing a unified national posture of humility and supplication before God.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The humility and intercession displayed by Hezekiah and his officials, seeking divine deliverance in the face of an overwhelming enemy, powerfully foreshadow the ultimate intercessor and deliverer, Jesus Christ. Just as Hezekiah's delegation, covered in sackcloth, approached God's prophet on behalf of a distressed people, so too does Christ, in His incarnate humility, stand as our great High Priest, interceding for us before the Father (as seen in [Hebrews 7:25](/hebrews/7-25 "Hebrews 7:25 - Christ Our High Priest")). The desperate situation of Judah, facing an enemy too powerful to overcome by human strength, mirrors humanity's plight under the dominion of sin and death, an enemy that only God Himself could conquer. Christ, the true "Son of Amoz" in a spiritual sense, the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King, embodies the divine response to our deepest need. His perfect obedience and sacrificial death on the cross, a profound act of humility and self-emptying (as described in [Philippians 2:7-8](/philippians/2-7-8 "Philippians 2:7-8 - Christ's Humility")), secured deliverance far greater than any earthly victory. Through Him, we gain not just temporary relief from an earthly foe, but eternal salvation and freedom from spiritual bondage, fulfilling the promise of God's ultimate victory over all His enemies, as prophesied by Isaiah himself concerning the coming Messiah (e.g., [Isaiah 9:6-7](/isaiah/9-6-7 "Isaiah 9:6-7 - The Prophecy of the Messiah's Reign")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Isaiah 1:1

¶ The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Isaiah 2:1

¶ The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Kings 22:13

Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great [is] the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.

2 Kings 22:14

So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.

2 Chronicles 26:22

Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.

Isaiah 37:2

And he sent Eliakim, who [was] over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

Isaiah 37:5

So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.