Isaiah 36:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’"

NIV: Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"

NASB: Who among all the gods of these lands have saved their land from my hand, that the Lord would save Jerusalem from my hand?’?'

CSB: Who among all the gods of these lands ever rescued his land from my power? So will the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?"

NLT: What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the Lord can rescue Jerusalem from me?'

KJV: Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

NKJV: Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’ ”

Sennacherib's military messenger (Isaiah 36:1–3) has made a devastating case to the people inside the walls of Jerusalem. He has attacked every possible hope they might have of ending this encounter with anything other than death or surrender. Using questions instead of statements, this Rabshakeh has repeatedly brought up the idea of "trust" (Isaiah 36:4–7, 15). According to this field commander, no one Judah might have relied on is reliable. Not Egypt, not their own king, and certainly not their God.

The finale of this propaganda speech points to recent history: no god of any nation has turned away the Assyrian army. In that era, battle victories were seen as definitive proof of one god's power over another. Since Assyria had conquered all the northern tribes, and was now about to claim Judah, what reason would there be to think the Israelite God was any better? Either that God does not exist, or He has no power, it would seem.

What Sennacherib and his officers don't realize is that there's another explanation for these events. Namely, that God had allowed His people to suffer these things because they refused to fully trust and honor Him. The issue is not that Judah claimed a weak idol, but that the almighty God they were supposed to depend on was correcting their unfaithfulness.

The following chapter will reveal how God explains this to the people inside Jerusalem. Following that comes a demonstration of how devastating the power of the Lord can be (Isaiah 37).

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).