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Commentary on Isaiah 36 verses 1–10
We shall here only observe some practical lessons. 1. A people may be in the way of their duty and yet meet with trouble and distress. Hezekiah was reforming, and his people were in some measure reformed; and yet their country is at that time invaded and a great part of it laid waste. Perhaps they began to grow remiss and cool in the work of reformation, were doing it by halves, and ready to sit down short of a thorough reformation; and then God visited them with this judgment, to put life into them and that good cause. We must not wonder if, when we are doing well, God sends afflictions to quicken us to do better, to do our best, and to press forward towards perfection. 2. That we must never be secure of the continuance of our peace in this world, nor think our mountain stands so strong that it cannot be moved. Hezekiah was not only a pious king, but prudent, both in his administration at home and in his treaties abroad. His affairs were in a good posture, and he seemed particularly to be upon good terms with the king of Assyria, for he had lately made his peace with him by a rich present (Kg2 18:14), and yet that perfidious prince pours an army into his country all of a sudden and lays it waste. It is good for us therefore always to keep up an expectation of trouble, that, when it comes, it may be no surprise to us, and then it will be the less a terror. 3. God sometimes permits the enemies of his people, even those that are most impious and treacherous, to prevail far against them. The king of Assyria took all, or most, of the defenced cities of Judah, and then the country would of course be an easy prey to him. Wickedness may prosper awhile, but cannot prosper always. 4. Proud men love to talk big, to boast of what they are, and have, and have done, nay and of what they will do, to insult over others, and set all mankind at defiance, though thereby they render themselves ridiculous to all wise men and obnoxious to the wrath of that God who resists the proud. But thus they think to make themselves feared, though they make themselves hated, and to carry their point by great swelling words of vanity, Jde 1:16. 5. The enemies of God's people endeavour to conquer them by frightening them, especially by frightening them from their confidence in God. Thus Rabshakeh here, with noise and banter, runs down Hezekiah as utterly unable to cope with his master, or in the least to make head against him. It concerns us therefore, that we may keep our ground against the enemies of our souls, to keep up our spirits by keeping up our hope in God. 6. It is acknowledged, on all hands, that those who forsake God's service forfeit his protection. If that had been true which Rabshakeh alleged, that Hezekiah had thrown down God's altars, he might justly infer that he could not with any assurance trust in him for succour and relief, Isa 36:7, We may say thus to presuming sinners, who say that they trust in the Lord and in his mercy. Is not this he whose commandments they have lived in the contempt of, whose name they have dishonoured, and whose ordinances they have slighted? How then can they expect to find favour with him? 7. It is an easy thing, and very common, for those that persecute the church and people of God to pretend a commission from him for so doing. Rabshakeh could say, Have I now come up without the Lord? when really he had come up against the Lord, Isa 37:28. Those that kill the servants of the Lord think they do him service and say, Let the Lord be glorified. But, sooner or later, they will be made to know their error to their cost, to their confusion.
(Chapter 36—Verse 1 and following) And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the washer's field. And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. And Rabshakeh said to them, "Say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?' By what plan and courage do you prepare to rebel? On whom do you have confidence, because you have turned away from me? Look, you trust in this broken reed staff, in Egypt: if a man leans on it, it will enter into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God,' is it not he whose heights and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'? And now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, and you will not be able to provide riders for them. And how will you withstand the face of one judge from my lord's servants? And if you rely on Egypt: and on chariots, and on horsemen: and now, did I ascend to this land without the Lord, to destroy it? The Lord said to me: Go up on this land and destroy it. The history is clear and does not require interpretation: and this same thing is reported more fully in the volumes of Kings and Chronicles. In the third year of Hosea the son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. And afterwards: In the Lord God of Israel he trusted, and there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who came before him. He clung to the Lord and did not turn away from his commandments. He did the commandments that the Lord had given to Moses. Therefore, the Lord was with him, and he acted wisely in all that he did (2 Kings 18:2,7). But he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. In the sixth year of his reign, Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, captured Samaria and took away the ten tribes of Israel that were called Israel. He deported them to Assyria and settled them in Halah and Habor, along the rivers of the Gozan, in the cities of the Medes (2 Kings 17 and 18). After seven years, that is, in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, the king of Assyria, Sennacherib, entered Judah and besieged its fortified cities, intending to capture them. And when he besieged Lachish, Hezekiah sent messengers to him, saying: 'I have sinned, withdraw from me and whatever you impose on me, I will bear.' And when he had paid three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold to the king's command, the king of Assyria broke down the doors of the temple of the Lord and took away its panels, which he himself had put up, and he sent the Tartan and the Rab-saris and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And when they had come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the washer's field, and they called for the king. But Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, went out to them, along with the court secretary, Shebna, and the court historian, Joah, the son of Asaph. Rabshekah addressed them as follows: “Tell Hezekiah: This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says... and so on, as recorded in the history. In this, we can see the arrogance of Rabshekah, who, in a manner contrary to true strength, imitates the custom of the prophets. While they usually begin their pronouncements with 'This is what the Lord says,' he now says, 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says.' But Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, went out to him, along with the royal secretary Shebna and the court official Joah son of Asaph. Eliakim is the same person mentioned in the Vision of the Valley of Zion (see Isaiah 22:20-21): I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him in your robe and fasten your sash around him. I will hand your authority over to him, and he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the people of Judah, and so on. But these things are said to Shebna, who was the governor of the Temple before him, of whom it is written in the same vision: Go and enter to him who dwells in the tabernacle, to Shebna the governor of the Temple, whom the Hebrews say handed over his hands to the Assyrians, terrified by Rabsaris' threats, and betrayed the lower part of Jerusalem to the enemy, and except for the fortress of Zion and the Temple, nothing else remained that the Assyrian did not hold. Where are those who think that Sobna, who is now going out with Eliacim and Joahe to meet Rabsacen, is the same person as before. There, Sobna, the head of the Temple, is said to be captured by the Assyrians; but here Sobna is a scribe, that is, a γραμματεὶς, who is called Sopher in Hebrew, and is the same as the previous one. Rabsacen, on the other hand, is believed to be the son of Isaiah the Jewish prophet, who also was a traitor; and the other son of Isaiah, who is called Jasub, is said to be left behind, which means 'left' in our language. Others, on the other hand, think that he was a Samaritan, and therefore knew the Hebrew language, and boldly and impiously blasphemed the Lord. Let us consider the words of Rabshakeh; and first what he says: You trust in this broken reed, in Egypt, is false: for no history tells that Hezekiah sent to the Egyptians and asked for the help of Pharaoh. And what he infers: If you answer me, we trust in the Lord our God, is true. But again, he joins a lie to the truth, that Ezechias took away its high places and altars. For he did this not against God, but for God, so that idolatry and ancient error being destroyed, he commanded God to be worshipped in Jerusalem, where his Temple was: although we read that by a very bad custom, the people offered sacrifices to God on altars already built on mountains and hills. And he, wanting to show the scarcity of the besieged, promises two thousand horses, of which Ezechias cannot provide the riders, not because of the weakness of the people of Judah, who lacked knowledge of riding: but by observing the commandments of God, who had commanded Israel through Moses concerning the king: He shall not multiply horses for himself, nor have many wives. And he said to me, 'By yourself, you cannot withstand the servant of Sennacherib, who am the least of his servants, how then will you withstand the great power of the king? And to what he had said, if you answer me, we trust in the Lord our God, he cunningly and wisely responded that he had come not by his own will, but by the command of the Lord. The Lord said to me, Go upon this land and destroy it. And this is the proof: certainly, without the will of the Lord, I could not have come here.' But when I come and capture many cities, and part of Jerusalem remains untouched, it is evident that I have come by its will. I read in a certain Commentary that the same person is Sennacherib who also captured Samaria, which is completely false. For the Sacred History recounts that first Phul, the king of the Assyrians, devastated the ten tribes under Manahen, the king of Israel. Secondly, Theglathphalasar came against Samaria under Phacee, the son of Romelia of Israel. Salmanasar III, under the reign of King Hoshea of Israel, supposedly captured the entire city of Samaria (2 Kings 15:17). Sargon II is said to be the fourth king who captured Ashdod (Isaiah 20). Asarhaddon, the fifth king, supposedly relocated Israel and sent the Samaritans as guardians to the land of Judah (2 Kings 17). Sennacherib, the sixth king, besieged Jerusalem after capturing Lachish and other cities of Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 18). However, some believe that these names could refer to one and the same king with multiple names.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 36:7 captures a critical moment of psychological warfare during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, as the Rabshakeh, King Sennacherib's field commander, delivers a cunning and deceptive taunt to the people of Judah. He shrewdly twists King Hezekiah's righteous religious reforms—specifically the removal of "high places" and the centralization of worship at the Jerusalem Temple—into an act of disloyalty against the very God in whom Judah claimed to trust. This calculated statement aims to sow deep doubt and undermine the people's faith in both their king and their divine protector, presenting obedience to God's covenant law as an offense worthy of divine abandonment.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Rabshakeh's speech in Isaiah 36:7 is a masterful demonstration of Propaganda and Psychological Warfare. He employs a potent Rhetorical Question ("is it not he...?") to frame his accusation, designed not to elicit information but to insidiously implant a specific, damaging idea into the minds of his listeners, thereby forcing them to question the integrity of their king and the faithfulness of their God. The verse also showcases profound Irony, as Rabshakeh's accusation—that Hezekiah's actions alienated God—is the exact antithesis of the truth. Hezekiah's reforms were acts of deep piety, covenant obedience, and spiritual purification that, in fact, drew Judah closer to God, making Rabshakeh's claim a cynical and calculated distortion of reality. This deliberate manipulation of truth underscores the enemy's enduring tactic of sowing doubt and division by twisting righteous actions into perceived offenses.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 36:7 powerfully illustrates the ongoing spiritual battle between divine truth and cunning deception, between faithful obedience and insidious compromise. Rabshakeh's sophisticated argument highlights how the enemy often seeks to undermine faith not through outright denial of God's existence or power, but by subtly twisting God's commands and maliciously misrepresenting the righteous actions of His faithful servants. Hezekiah's reforms, though divinely inspired and in direct alignment with God's covenant demands for pure, centralized worship, were weaponized by the Assyrians to create confusion, sow doubt, and erode trust. This incident underscores the profound theological truth that true worship is defined solely by God's revealed commands, not by human preference, convenience, or the prevailing cultural norms, and that unwavering obedience, even when misunderstood, slandered, or attacked, is the pathway to divine favor, protection, and vindication. The passage challenges believers to cultivate acute spiritual discernment, to stand firm on God's unassailable truth, and to place their unwavering trust in His faithfulness, even when confronted with overwhelming opposition and highly sophisticated lies.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This passage serves as a potent and enduring reminder that spiritual warfare frequently involves the subtle twisting of truth, the misrepresentation of righteous actions, and the calculated sowing of doubt. In a world saturated with information, misinformation, and competing narratives, believers must cultivate profound spiritual discernment to identify and resist propaganda that seeks to undermine faith, whether it originates from secular sources, political agendas, or even those claiming religious authority. Just as King Hezekiah's obedience was slandered and his reforms maligned, our own faithful acts, undertaken in sincere obedience to God's Word, may be misunderstood, criticized, or even weaponized by those hostile to God's kingdom or uncomfortable with biblical truth. The call to worship God "in spirit and truth" found in John 4:24 implies a steadfast commitment to biblical fidelity, a refusal to compromise on God's revealed will, and a willingness to stand firm even when such faithfulness is unpopular or under direct attack. Ultimately, our trust must remain solely and unreservedly in the LORD, who faithfully vindicates His devoted servants and delivers those who cling to Him, regardless of the enemy's most cunning taunts or overwhelming threats.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Rabshakeh accuse Hezekiah of removing God's altars if it was a good thing?
Answer: Rabshakeh's accusation was a deliberate and sophisticated act of psychological warfare. King Hezekiah's reforms, which included the removal of "high places" and the centralization of all legitimate worship at the single Temple in Jerusalem, were in fact acts of profound obedience to God's explicit law, as commanded in passages like Deuteronomy 12:13-14. However, Rabshakeh cunningly twisted this righteous act, portraying it as Hezekiah destroying legitimate altars and limiting access to God, thereby implying that Hezekiah had alienated the very God in whom Judah trusted. His strategic goal was to sow confusion, doubt, and division among the people of Jerusalem, making them question their king's piety and God's willingness to protect them, thus weakening their resolve to resist the Assyrians and encouraging their surrender.
What were "high places" and why were they problematic?
Answer: "High places" (Hebrew: bâmâh) were elevated sites, often natural hills or constructed mounds, where altars were erected for religious worship. While some of these sites may have been used for legitimate worship of Yahweh in earlier periods of Israelite history, prior to the construction and establishment of the central Temple in Jerusalem, they increasingly became centers for syncretistic practices, blending the worship of Yahweh with pagan rituals, or outright idolatry. God had explicitly commanded the Israelites to destroy these high places and to centralize their worship at one designated place in Jerusalem, as articulated in Deuteronomy 12:2-5. Therefore, King Hezekiah's removal of them was not an act of sacrilege but a necessary and divinely sanctioned act of religious purification, a vital step in restoring covenant faithfulness and pure worship within Judah.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 36:7, with Rabshakeh's deceptive taunt and the Assyrian strategy of twisting truth, finds profound and multifaceted Christ-centered fulfillment. The enemy's tactic of misrepresenting righteous actions and sowing doubt powerfully foreshadows the spiritual warfare waged against believers throughout history, where Satan, "the father of lies" (John 8:44), constantly seeks to undermine faith by distorting God's character, misrepresenting His commands, and slandering His faithful. King Hezekiah's righteous reforms, aimed at purifying worship and centralizing it in Jerusalem, point forward to Jesus Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the law and established a new covenant where true worship is no longer confined to a physical location or a single earthly altar but is offered "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24). The ultimate trust that Hezekiah placed in the LORD, which miraculously led to Jerusalem's deliverance from an overwhelming foe, finds its supreme object and eternal fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) whose perfect sacrifice on the cross effectively removed the true "high places" of sin, rebellion, and idolatry, thereby establishing direct and unhindered access to God for all who believe (Hebrews 10:19-22). The miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib's seemingly invincible force thus serves as a powerful type of Christ's ultimate and decisive victory over the powers of sin, death, and the spiritual enemy, offering eternal salvation, security, and true freedom to all who place their trust in Him alone (Colossians 2:15).