Isaiah 36:17

Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

Until I come {H935} and take you away {H3947} to a land {H776} like your own land {H776}, a land {H776} of corn {H1715} and wine {H8492}, a land {H776} of bread {H3899} and vineyards {H3754}.

until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land with grain and wine, a land with bread and vineyards.

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.

until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

Isaiah 36:17 is part of a dramatic confrontation during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in the reign of King Hezekiah. This verse captures a deceptive promise made by Rabshakeh, the field commander of King Sennacherib of Assyria, to the people of Judah.

Context

In Isaiah chapters 36 and 37 (also recorded in 2 Kings 18-19 and 2 Chronicles 32), the mighty Assyrian army, having conquered many nations, stands at the gates of Jerusalem. Rabshakeh, speaking in Hebrew to be understood by the common people, attempts to demoralize them and undermine their trust in King Hezekiah and their God. He urges them to surrender, promising them a comfortable future in exile rather than facing the horrors of siege and destruction. This verse is a key part of his persuasive, yet ultimately false, appeal, designed to make surrender seem like a desirable option.

Key Themes

  • Deceptive Promises: The core of this verse is a calculated lie. Rabshakeh offers a desirable land, but it's a land of forced relocation and captivity, not a genuine blessing. His words are designed to sound appealing, promising comfort and abundance, but they mask a cruel reality of enslavement. This highlights the danger of trusting in human promises that contradict divine truth.
  • Material Allure vs. Spiritual Freedom: The Assyrians tempt the people with material prosperity ("corn and wine," "bread and vineyards") in exchange for their freedom and their relationship with God and their homeland. This illustrates a common tactic of the enemy: offering worldly comforts to distract from and compromise spiritual integrity and true liberty.
  • Counterfeit of God's Promises: The description of the land echoes God's own description of the Promised Land given to Israel (e.g., Deuteronomy 8:7-9). Rabshakeh is co-opting divine language to serve a nefarious purpose, creating a counterfeit promise. God’s true promises of a land flowing with milk and honey were tied to obedience and covenant, not surrender to an oppressor.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards" is a common biblical idiom (often translated as "grain and new wine") used to describe a fertile, prosperous land. In Hebrew, terms like דָּגָן (dagan, "grain" or "corn") and תִּירוֹשׁ (tirosh, "new wine") frequently appear together to denote agricultural abundance. Here, Rabshakeh strategically uses this familiar imagery, which would have resonated with the people's understanding of a blessed land, to make his offer seem more legitimate and appealing, even though his true intent was enslavement and displacement.

Practical Application

This verse serves as a powerful reminder to be discerning about the voices we listen to and the promises we trust. In our own lives, we may encounter "Rabshakehs" who offer seemingly appealing solutions or comforts that require us to compromise our faith, values, or true freedom. It encourages us to:

  • Discern the Source: Always question the motives and true intentions behind alluring offers, especially if they demand a surrender of principles or faith.
  • Trust God's Promises: Recognize that true security and lasting abundance come from God alone, not from human schemes or materialistic enticements. Just as God miraculously delivered Jerusalem in Isaiah 37:36, He remains faithful to His covenant and provides genuine peace and prosperity.
  • Guard Against Deception: Be vigilant against promises that sound too good to be true, especially when they come from sources that oppose biblical truth or demand a compromise of spiritual integrity.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 2 Kings 18:32

    Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.

  • Job 20:17

    He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter.

  • Exodus 3:8

    And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

  • 2 Kings 18:9

    ¶ And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Hezekiah, which [was] the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, [that] Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it.

  • 2 Kings 18:12

    Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, [and] all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear [them], nor do [them].

  • Deuteronomy 8:7

    For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

  • Deuteronomy 8:9

    A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any [thing] in it; a land whose stones [are] iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

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