Isaiah 36:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master 's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

NIV: How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen ?

NASB: How then can you drive back even one official of the least of my master’s servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

CSB: How then can you drive back a single officer among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

NLT: With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master’s troops, even with the help of Egypt’s chariots and charioteers?

KJV: How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

NKJV: How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?

Judah was a tiny nation on the verge of imminent defeat. Of their fortified cities, only Jerusalem remained. In addition, the foolish alliance with Egypt has been thwarted. Whatever forces Egypt sent were badly defeated by the invading Assyrians. Nothing remains except for the Assyrians to crush Jerusalem and move on. The Assyrian king's representative (Isaiah 36:1) is leaving no doubt that this is exactly what he plans to do.

In the prior verse, the commander mockingly offered 2,000 war horses to Judah if they could amass enough men to ride them. The full Assyrian army, not far from Jerusalem, was nearly a hundred times that size. If Judah depends on Egypt for military power, and Egypt is defeated, Jerusalem has no chance. The Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36:4) says that just one of his captains could take the city.

This spokesman has one final verbal blow meant to undermine any confidence Hezekiah and his people may have left: claiming that their own God is on the enemy's side (Isaiah 36:10).

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).

Accessed 5/14/2026 5:14:34 AM