Isaiah 36:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

NIV: Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him.

NASB: Behold, you have relied on the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.

CSB: Look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it. This is how Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him.

NLT: On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable!

KJV: Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

NKJV: Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

King Sennacherib of Assyria sent a messenger to King Hezekiah of Judah (Isaiah 36:1). Assyria stands poised to complete its destruction of Judah by destroying Jerusalem. There, the remnant of Judah's population now hides behind the walls. The messenger mockingly asked Hezekiah who he trusts to save him and Jerusalem from defeat.

Now the messenger, the Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36:3), reveals that he knows exactly who Judah once hoped to rely on. Hezekiah had formed an alliance with the Egyptians (2 Kings 18:19–21), paying the Pharaoh a treasure to protect Judah from the Assyrians. Isaiah warned Judah's leaders that it was a foolish alliance that would be of no use in the end (Isaiah 30:1–17). The prophet has been proved right once more. The Egyptians were badly defeated by the Assyrians making their way to destroy Jerusalem.

Now the Rabshakeh unknowingly agrees with the prophet Isaiah about Egypt. The Assyrian official compared Egypt to a fragile stick that will break and stab the hand of someone who leans on it. That's what happens to everyone who trusts the king of Egypt, so says Assyria's messenger. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled and supported by Judah's great enemy.

Isaiah knows Hezekiah should have put his trust in the Lord God, instead. But the Assyrian field commander would not agree with that.

Isaiah 36:4–10 is the Assyrian king's message to Jerusalem, delivered by a royal commander or "Rabshakeh." The spokesman mocks Israel for trying to ally with Egypt, who is now defeated. He sneers at the idea of Israel's God having power. He even dares to give Israel 2,000 war horses if they have men to ride them, which they do not. The Assyrian even claims that it was Israel's God who sent him there in the first place.

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).