Isaiah 36:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem, with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer 's Field.

NIV: Then the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. When the commander stopped at the aqueduct of the Upper Pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field,

NASB: And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the road to the fuller’s field.

CSB: Then the king of Assyria sent his royal spokesman, along with a massive army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. The Assyrian stood near the conduit of the upper pool, by the road to the Launderer’s Field.

NLT: Then the king of Assyria sent his chief of staff from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.

KJV: And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.

NKJV: Then the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field.

The king of Assyria, Sennacherib, has been on a campaign to put down rebellions throughout the conquered people of his empire. Those rebellions took the form of refusals to pay tribute, as well as alliances between nations to stand together against the invaders. King Hezekiah of Judah had made an alliance with the Egyptians for that purpose. He called other the smaller nations to join him in refusing to acknowledge Assyria's right to rule over them.

The enormous and well-ordered Assyrian army put down one nation after another. Moving from the north, they arrived at Judah and successfully defeated all the fortified cities in the nation. Only Jerusalem remains. The siege of the city of Lachish, not far from Jerusalem, was apparently nearing its end.

Sennacherib sends a delegation to Jerusalem to demand Hezekiah surrender. He deploys a high-ranking military official described using the word Rabshaqeh. Some translations leave this as a proper name, others as a title, and others translate it as a sort of commander or ambassador. The parallel account in 2 Kings notes two other Assyrian officials, the "Tartan" (Isaiah 20:1), and the "Rab-saris," but they don't contribute much to the conversation.

The Assyrian delegates wait outside of Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:11). Modern scholars aren't sure exactly where this; it may have been outside of Jerusalem's eastern gates. It was a significant spot for Isaiah. This is where he met with Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, in confrontation over a foolish alliance with the Assyrians (Isaiah 7:3). Ahaz had refused to trust the Lord.

Isaiah 36:1–3 introduces delegations from Assyria and Judah who meet just outside of Jerusalem. Hezekiah of Judah rebelled against Sennacherib of Assyria (2 Kings 18:19–21). Faced with invasion, Hezekiah agreed to send ransom, but the army did not stop (2 Kings 18:14–16). The main Assyrian spokesman is identified with the word Rabshaqeh, which seems to describe a royal advisor and military field commander. Two other Assyrians are also there but don't contribute to the incident (2 Kings 18:17).

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).