Isaiah 36:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Beware lest Hezekiah mislead you by saying, "The Lord will deliver us." Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

NIV: "Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Have the gods of any nations ever delivered their lands from the hand of the king of Assyria?

NASB: Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, 'The Lord will save us.' Has any one of the gods of the nations saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

CSB: Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us.’ Has any one of the gods of the nations rescued his land from the power of the king of Assyria?

NLT: Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you by saying, ‘The Lord will rescue us!’ Have the gods of any other nations ever saved their people from the king of Assyria?

KJV: Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

NKJV: Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The Lord will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

The Rabshakeh, or "field commander" of the Assyrian army, is shouting out a tempting offer to the people of Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:12). Ine their own language, he warns them of impending doom. And yet, those who surrender are offered the chance to live in peace before being relocated. This messenger's strategy is to create fear and panic among the people, as well as resentment against their king.

Due to those motives, the Assyrian officer cautions the people not to trust Hezekiah if he says that their God will save them. He states something very rational from his point of view: none of the other nations or cities were helped by their gods. The Rabshakeh brings up the fact that all the other nations Assyria has conquered had their own gods. And none of those deities could stop the Assyrian invasion. Why think the Lord God of Judah would be any different?

At this time in history, the Assyrians were ruthlessly and relentlessly sweeping through every nation they set their sights on. Nothing had stopped them. No matter how fervently victim cultures had worshiped their gods, nothing had blocked the Assyrians from victory and destruction (Isaiah 36:19–20). Ancient spiritual beliefs of the day interpreted battles to mean that the god of the winning side was more powerful than the god of the losing side. To some extent, the Assyrian Empire is placing its king, Sennacherib, above the God of Israel and all the other deities defeated by his army (Isaiah 36:19–20).

The Rabshakeh's point is clear: it's foolish to think God will save the people of Jerusalem when no other so-called-gods have done the job. Fortunately, the people have been warned not to respond (Isaiah 36:21). Even more fortunately, the God of Judah is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He fully intends to defeat this invading army (Isaiah 37:36).

Isaiah 36:11–22 records psychological warfare from the commander of the Assyrian army. He shouts in the local dialect so everyone can experience terror. The speech promises horrors of siege and death unless the people surrender now. The Assyrian notes that no other nation's gods have stopped this invasion. Nor has any supernatural force protected the territories of Israel and Judah. Jerusalem seems to have no earthly hope, and Hezekiah's messengers wisely say nothing before returning to the city in grief.

Sennacherib and the Assyrian army conquer all of Judah except for Jerusalem. There, a remnant of the people waits inside the walls. Sennacherib sends a messenger to meet with Hezekiah's officials. The messenger taunts Hezekiah, mocking their attempts at alliances as well as their faith in God. This commander, also called "the Rabshakeh" calls out in the local Hebrew language so everyone will understand. He offers life and prosperity to those who surrender now. In his opinion, none of the gods of any of the nations the Assyrians have defeated were able to stop them. So why will the Lord God of Israel be any different?

Isaiah 36 shifts from poetic prophecies to the historical account of an Assyrian army's threats against Judah. Sennacherib's army conquers everything in Judah other except for Jerusalem. An Assyrian messenger taunts the people and tells them that no gods have stopped Assyria yet, so they shouldn't trust in Judah's God, either. Diplomats return to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem with this news. Hezekiah will seek help from Isaiah, pray to God, and receive a spectacular miraculous rescue (Isaiah 37).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).