Sennacherib's Siege and Rabshakeh's Taunt
Isaiah 36:1-22
Isa.36.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בארבע: PREP
- עשרה: NUM,card,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- למלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- סנחריב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- ערי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הבצרות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- ויתפשם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:13 (quotation): Near-verbatim parallel: both report that in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against and captured the fortified cities of Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 32:1 (verbal): Chronicles gives a closely related account of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah's fortified cities during Hezekiah's reign, echoing the same event.
- Isaiah 37:8 (structural): Immediate continuation within Isaiah's narrative: further details the Assyrian campaign and the role of the Rabshakeh in the siege of Judah.
- 2 Kings 19:35 (thematic): Provides the outcome of the Assyrian campaign narrated in Isa 36:1—divine intervention that defeats Sennacherib's army—thus thematically linked as consequence to the invasion described.
Alternative generated candidates
- In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah, and took them.
- In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
Isa.36.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- שקה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלכיש: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ירושלמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בחיל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כבד: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ויעמד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בתעלת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הברכה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- העליונה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- במסלת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cons
- שדה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כובס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:17-18 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel: the king of Assyria sends Rabshakeh (with other officers) from Lachish to Hezekiah at Jerusalem; he stands by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the washer's (fuller's) field—same setting and characters.
- 2 Kings 18:28-35 (thematic): Continuation of the same episode in Kings: Rabshakeh's public address and threats from the same location, expanding the interaction introduced in Isa 36:2.
- 2 Chronicles 32:9-19 (verbal): Chronicles retells the Sennacherib/Rabshakeh episode: background, envoy’s taunts, and the Assyrian confrontation with Hezekiah at Jerusalem—parallel narrative material to Isaiah 36.
- Isaiah 37:1-7 (structural): Immediate sequel within Isaiah: Hezekiah and Isaiah respond to the Assyrian envoy’s threat; the passage shows the theological and narrative outcome of the scene set in 36:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the king of Assyria sent Rab‑shakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah, with a great army; and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the Washer's Field.
- The king of Assyria sent Rab‑shakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large force, and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Fuller's Field.
Isa.36.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אליקים: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חלקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושבנא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הספר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויואח: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אסף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המזכיר: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:18 (verbal): Direct parallel/duplicate wording of the same scene: lists Eliakim son of Hilkiah (over the household), Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder.
- 2 Kings 18:26 (structural): Same episode continued—Rabshakeh addresses Eliakim, Shebna and Joah directly, showing the interaction implied by Isa. 36:3.
- Isaiah 22:20-22 (allusion): Prophecy concerning Eliakim and Shebna: Eliakim is given authority (key of the house) and Shebna is removed—connects thematically to their offices named in Isa. 36:3.
- 2 Kings 18:37 (structural): Continuation of the narrative: Eliakim, Shebna and Joah report Rabshakeh’s message to King Hezekiah, linking back to their role introduced in Isa. 36:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, came out to him.
- Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him.
Isa.36.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- שקה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- נא: PART
- אל: NEG
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הגדול: ADJ,m,sg,def
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- הבטחון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בטחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:19 (verbal): Direct parallel account of Rabshakeh’s speech to Hezekiah; the taunting question about what Hezekiah is trusting appears almost verbatim.
- 2 Chronicles 32:9 (structural): Parallel retelling of the Assyrian challenge to Hezekiah; same scene and rhetorical attack on Judah’s confidence.
- Psalm 20:7 (thematic): Contrasts human/military confidence (chariots and horses) with trust in the LORD—answers the Assyrian taunt about reliance on strength.
- Psalm 118:8 (thematic): Affirms the principle that it is better to trust in the LORD than in any human power, countering the question about where Judah’s confidence lies.
- Jeremiah 17:5-8 (thematic): Contrasts the cursed fate of those who trust in humans with the blessing of those who trust in the LORD—parallels the theological issue raised by the Assyrian challenge.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Rab‑shakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you trust?”
- And Rab‑shakeh said to them, 'Say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which you trust?''
Isa.36.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- אך: PART
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שפתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עצה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וגבורה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- למלחמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עתה: ADV
- על: PREP
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- בטחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- מרדת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:25 (verbal): Direct parallel narrative: Rabshakeh's taunt is repeated almost word‑for‑word in Kings, including the phrase about 'words of the lips' and the challenge 'on whom do you trust?'.
- 2 Chronicles 32:10-12 (verbal): Chronicles' account of the Assyrian envoy repeats the same tactic—mocking Judah's trust and urging surrender—echoing the rhetorical question about whom they rely on.
- Psalm 20:7 (thematic): Contrasts trust in military strength ('some trust in chariots, some in horses') with trust in the LORD; thematically parallels the challenge to Judah's reliance on allies or force rather than God.
- Isaiah 30:1-3 (thematic): Isaiah's earlier denunciation of seeking help from Egypt instead of God parallels the theme of misplaced trust that Rabshakeh taunts in his speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- I have said, ‘Only words—mere lip‑talk, counsel and might for war’; now on whom do you rely that you have rebelled against me?
- 'I have said, “Only words of lip” — counsel and might for war. Now on whom are you relying, that you have rebelled against me?''
Isa.36.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- בטחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- משענת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הקנה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הרצוץ: ADJ,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- על: PREP
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יסמך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- ובא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בכפו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- ונקבה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- כן: ADV
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לכל: PREP
- הבטחים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:21 (verbal): Verbatim parallel: Rabshakeh's taunt about trusting 'the staff of this broken reed' (Egypt) appears in the parallel historical account.
- Isaiah 30:7 (thematic): Same theme of Egypt's help being vain—'the Egyptians shall help in vain' echoes the warning that Egypt is an unreliable ally.
- Isaiah 31:1-3 (thematic): Judgment oracle against seeking help from Egypt and trusting foreign power rather than the LORD; the motif of relying on Egypt as a false support parallels Isaiah 36:6.
- Ezekiel 17:15 (allusion): Ezekiel's parable condemns Judah's turning to Egypt for support (sending to Egypt for water), paralleling the theme of relying on Egypt instead of God.
- 2 Chronicles 32:7-8 (structural): Contextual parallel in the historical narrative: exhortation to trust the LORD rather than foreign powers (Egypt/Assyria) responds to the same challenge posed by Rabshakeh in Isaiah 36.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, you rely upon the staff of this bruised reed—upon Egypt; when a man leans on it it goes into his hand and pierces it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
- 'Behold, you rely on the broken reed of Egypt; when a man leans on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.'
Isa.36.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכי: CONJ
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:1,pl
- בטחנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- הלוא: PART
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הסיר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חזקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- במתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- מזבחתיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ליהודה: PREP+PN,masc,sg
- ולירושלם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,prop,f,sg
- לפני: PREP
- המזבח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- תשתחוו: VERB,hitp,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:4 (verbal): Explicitly records Hezekiah's removal of the high places, sacred poles and altars and his trust in Yahweh—parallels Isaiah's reference to Hezekiah's having removed altars and high places.
- 2 Kings 18:28-35 (quotation): Parallel narrative of Rabshakeh's taunt to Jerusalem—challenges the people's trust in Hezekiah and in the LORD, using language and arguments similar to Isaiah 36:5–7.
- 2 Chronicles 31:1 (verbal): Reports that the people of Judah broke down pillars, cut down Asherim and threw down high places after Hezekiah's reforms—corresponds to Isaiah's mention of Hezekiah removing altars/high places.
- Deuteronomy 12:5,11 (structural): Law requiring centralized worship 'at the place the LORD will choose' (the sanctuary/altar) provides the theological/legal background for Hezekiah's command that Judah and Jerusalem worship at the one altar/temple cited in Isaiah 36:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God’—is not he the one of whom Hezekiah has taken away his (your) high places and his altars, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘Before this altar you shall worship’?
- 'And if you say to me, “We trust in the LORD our God” — did not Hezekiah remove the high places and the altars and say to Judah and Jerusalem, “Before this altar shall you bow”?'
Isa.36.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- התערב: VERB,hithpael,imp,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- את: PRT,acc
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ואתנה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אלפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- סוסים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אם: CONJ
- תוכל: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לתת: VERB,qal,inf
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- רכבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:23 (quotation): Direct parallel account of Rabshakeh’s taunt/offering—“Make a bargain with my lord the king of Assyria; I will give you (thousands/two thousand) horses, if you can set riders on them.” (Same speech as Isaiah 36:8.)
- 2 Chronicles 32:9 (quotation): Parallel retelling of the Assyrian envoy’s message to Jerusalem; repeats the offer/threat involving horses and chariots as inducement to surrender.
- Isaiah 31:1 (thematic): Condemns reliance on Egypt and horses/chariots for help—connects with Rabshakeh’s offer by highlighting the prophetic critique of trusting in horses rather than God.
- Psalm 20:7 (thematic): Contrasts human confidence in chariots and horses with trust in the name of the LORD—thematises the same tension behind the Assyrian promise of horses and riders.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now therefore make a present for my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to set riders upon them.
- 'Now therefore make a bargain with my lord the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to provide riders for them.'
Isa.36.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואיך: CONJ+ADV
- תשיב: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- פחת: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- הקטנים: ADJ,m,pl,def
- ותבטח: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- על: PREP
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לרכב: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ולפרשים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:30-31 (quotation): Direct parallel/near-quotation of Rabshakeh’s taunt—same challenge about turning the face of 'one captain of the least of my lord's servants' and trusting Egypt for chariots and horsemen.
- 2 Chronicles 32:10-12 (structural): Parallel account of the Assyrian envoy’s taunt to Hezekiah/Jerusalem, challenging reliance on Egypt and its chariots and horsemen.
- Isaiah 31:1 (verbal): Prophetic denunciation of seeking help from Egypt and trusting in horses and chariots—same theme and similar wording warning against reliance on Egypt.
- Psalm 20:7 (verbal): Contrasts human trust in chariots and horses with trust in the LORD—echoes the motif of misplaced confidence in military power (horses/chariots).
- Proverbs 21:31 (thematic): Wisdom maxim that readiness of horses does not secure victory; thematically opposes trust in chariots/horsemen and affirms dependence beyond military strength.
Alternative generated candidates
- How then will you turn back the face of one officer of the least of my lord's servants, and rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
- 'How then will you repel one officer of the least of my lord's servants, that you should rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?''
Isa.36.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- המבלעדי: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עליתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- על: PREP
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- להשחיתה: VERB,hiphil,inf,3,f,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- והשחיתה: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:28-35 (quotation): Parallel account of the Rabshakeh’s speech; many of the same taunting phrases (e.g. 'go up against this land and destroy it' and the challenge to trust in YHWH) appear verbatim in 2 Kings.
- Isaiah 37:10-13 (verbal): Repetition of the Assyrian taunt in the parallel narrative (Isaiah/2 Kings material): similar wording questions whether YHWH told the envoy to 'go up against this land and destroy it.'
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): Ridicule of idols’ impotence: these verses stress that carved gods cannot speak, see, or save—echoing the Assyrian challenge that the nations’ gods did not deliver their lands.
- Psalm 135:15-18 (thematic): Another denunciation of worthless idols that cannot act to deliver or save, thematically paralleling the taunt about other nations' gods failing to protect their territories.
Alternative generated candidates
- And now, is it the LORD who has sent me up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”
- 'And now, without the LORD, I have come up against this land to destroy it. The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.”'
Isa.36.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליקים: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ושבנא: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- ויואח: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- שקה: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נא: PART
- אל: NEG
- עבדיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- ארמית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- שמעים: VERB,qal,part,?,m,pl
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תדבר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- יהודית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- החומה: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:26 (quotation): Direct parallel account of the same exchange; Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah ask the Rabshakeh to speak in Aramaic because they understand it and not in the Jewish language before the people on the wall.
- 2 Chronicles 32:18 (quotation): Chronicles' retelling of Hezekiah’s confrontation with the Assyrian envoy repeats the plea for Aramaic and the names of the officials, paralleling Isaiah’s narrative.
- Isaiah 36:5 (structural): Earlier in the chapter the Rabshakeh is described as speaking aloud 'in the Jews' language' to the people on the wall, providing the immediate context that prompts the officials’ request in v.11.
- Isaiah 36:12-13 (thematic): Immediate continuation of the scene: Rabshakeh refuses to speak Aramaic and answers in Hebrew, explaining his motive to address the people directly—clarifies why the officials made the request in v.11.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Eliakim and Shebnah and Joah said to Rab‑shakeh, “Please speak to us in Aramaic, for we understand; and do not speak to us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
- Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rab‑shakeh, 'Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in the Judean language in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.'
Isa.36.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- שקה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אדניך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואליך: PREP+2ms
- שלחני: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- לדבר: INF,qal
- את: PRT,acc
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- הלא: PART
- על: PREP
- האנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הישבים: PART,qal,ptc,3,m,pl,def
- על: PREP
- החומה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לאכל: INF,qal
- את: PRT,acc
- צואתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3mp
- ולשתות: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- מימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- רגליהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3,m,pl
- עמכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:27 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel of Rabshakeh’s taunt in the parallel Deuteronomic history — the same rhetorical question about the men on the wall eating their own excrement and drinking their own urine.
- 2 Kings 18:28–35 (thematic): Continuation of the same speech in the Kings account; develops the same mocking challenge to Hezekiah’s reliance on walls and Egypt and the prediction of degradation under siege.
- 2 Chronicles 32:10–19 (structural): Chronicles’ retelling of the Assyrian envoy’s speeches to Jerusalem — a parallel narrative account that conveys the same taunting tone and psychological warfare against those on the wall.
- Ezekiel 4:12–13 (thematic): Uses imagery of defilement and forced consumption (prohibition then concession about dung) to portray siege-induced humiliation and degradation; thematically echoes the shameful consumption imagery in Rabshakeh’s taunt.
Alternative generated candidates
- But Rab‑shakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men who sit on the wall—who eat their own dung and drink the water of their feet with you?”
- But Rab‑shakeh said, 'Has my master sent me to your master and you? Is it not to the men who sit on the wall — to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you — that my lord has sent me to speak these words?''
Isa.36.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעמד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- שקה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בקול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יהודית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הגדול: ADJ,m,sg,def
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:17-37 (structural): Full parallel account of Rabshakeh's appearance and speech before Jerusalem; contains the same announcement and extended taunting speech attributed to the Assyrian commander.
- 2 Chronicles 32:16-21 (verbal): Chronicles retells the episode and reproduces the central line—Rabshakeh calling out in Hebrew, 'Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria'—with close verbal agreement to Isaiah/Kings.
- Isaiah 36:12 (verbal): Immediate literary parallel within the same chapter: describes Rabshakeh standing and calling in the language of Judah, setting up the identical announcement found in v.13.
- 2 Kings 18:28-35 (thematic): Portion of Rabshakeh's speech directed to the people of Jerusalem that develops the same themes of intimidation and claims about Assyria's might and the futility of trusting Egypt or Judah's king.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Rab‑shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Judean tongue, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
- And Rab‑shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Judean language, and said, 'Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.'
Isa.36.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- ישא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- חזקיהו: NOUN_PROP,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- להציל: VERB,qal,inf
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:31 (verbal): Direct parallel account of Rabshakeh’s challenge to Jerusalem—same taunt urging surrender and asserting they cannot be delivered.
- 2 Chron.32:10 (verbal): Parallel narrative in Chronicles recording Sennacherib/Rabshakeh’s mocking speech that Hezekiah cannot save the city.
- Isa.37:10-13 (quotation): Sennacherib’s extended taunt against Jerusalem and Hezekiah—repeats the claim that no deliverance will come and presses surrender (the wider context and direct challenge).
- Ps.20:7 (thematic): Contrasting theological parallel: whereas Rabshakeh mocks trust in rulers and weapons, Psalmist affirms that some trust in chariots and horses but true deliverance is from the LORD.
Alternative generated candidates
- Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah mislead you; he will not be able to deliver you.
- 'Thus says the king: Do not let Hezekiah mislead you, for he cannot deliver you.'
Isa.36.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- יבטח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- הצל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יצילנו: VERB,hiph,imprf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תנתן: VERB,niphal,impf,3,f,sg
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:5 (structural): States Hezekiah's trust in the LORD (same historical figure and theme of reliance on God in the face of Assyria).
- Isaiah 37:3 (thematic): Hezekiah's direct plea to God to save Jerusalem from the king of Assyria — continuation of the same crisis and trust expressed in Isa 36:15.
- 2 Chronicles 32:8 (verbal): Counters reliance on human power with confidence in Yahweh: 'With us is the LORD our God to help us...' — echoes the assurance that God will save the city.
- Psalm 20:7 (thematic): Contrasts trusting in military might with trusting in the name of the LORD ('Some trust in chariots and some in horses... but we will remember the name of the LORD our God'), echoing the attitude of Isa 36:15.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely save us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”’
- 'Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely save us; this city shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”'
Isa.36.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תשמעו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אתי: PRON,1,sg
- ברכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ואכלו: VERB,qal,imp,2,mp
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גפנו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תאנתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ושתו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- בורו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:31-32 (quotation): Near-verbatim parallel in the Deuteronomistic account: the Assyrian envoy (Rabshakeh) offers terms and promises 'each shall eat of his own vine and of his own fig tree,' matching Isaiah 36:16.
- 2 Chronicles 32:9 (quotation): Chronicles' retelling of Sennacherib's message contains the same challenge and the same offer of peace—'eat your own vine and your own fig tree'—as part of Rabshakeh's speech.
- Isaiah 36:4 (verbal): Earlier lines in the same chapter contain the opening formula and repeated taunt ('Do not let Hezekiah mislead you'), framing the same diplomatic/propaganda speech of the Assyrian envoy.
- Isaiah 37:6 (thematic): God's prophetic reply contrasts the Assyrian offer: instead of accepting Sennacherib's promise of peaceful subsistence, God declares He will act to thwart Assyria—an immediate theological counterpoint to the Assyrian appeal.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: “Make a bargain with me and come out to me; every man eat of his own vine, every man of his own fig tree, and drink water from his own cistern.
- 'Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: Make terms with me and come out to me. Eat each of your own vine and each of your own fig tree, and drink every spring of water.'
Isa.36.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עד: PREP
- באי: PREP+VERB,qal,ptcp,m,pl
- ולקחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כארצכם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דגן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותירוש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכרמים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:31 (verbal): Parallel account of Rabshakeh's taunt in the Hezekiah narrative; the same promise/threat to carry people off 'to a land like your land, a land of grain and new wine' appears almost verbatim.
- 2 Chronicles 32:10-19 (quotation): Chronicles offers a parallel retelling of Sennacherib/Rabshakeh's message against Jerusalem; similar threats and agricultural imagery are used to intimidate the population and king.
- Deuteronomy 8:7-8 (verbal): Uses the same traditional stock description of a fertile, desirable land ('a land of wheat and barley, vines and fig trees and pomegranates')—the kind of land invoked by Rabshakeh as either promise or lure.
- Amos 9:13-14 (thematic): Contrasts and echoes the agrarian imagery: where Isa.36:17 uses 'land of grain and new wine' as a threat/enticement, Amos 9 promises future restoration and abundance described with similar agricultural motifs.
Alternative generated candidates
- Until I come and take you away to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
- 'Until I come and take you away to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.'
Isa.36.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פן: CONJ
- יסית: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- חזקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יצילנו: VERB,hiph,imprf,3,m,sg
- ההצילו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- הגוים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ארצו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,ms
- מיד: PREP
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:31 (quotation): Parallel account of Rabshakeh's taunt to Jerusalem; nearly verbatim challenge undermining Hezekiah's confidence in Yahweh and asking whether any nation's god saved its land from Assyria.
- 2 Chronicles 32:17 (quotation): Chronicles' retelling of Sennacherib's envoy speaking against Hezekiah and the Lord; repeats the same propagandistic challenge to trust in foreign gods and rulers.
- Psalm 115:4–8 (thematic): Contrasts the impotence of stone and metal idols with trust in Yahweh; thematically echoes the taunt about the gods of nations failing to save their lands.
- Psalm 135:15–18 (thematic): Similar denunciation of idols that cannot speak or act to save their worshipers—supports the rhetorical point of the Assyrian challenge that 'the god of any nation' does not deliver its land.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not let Hezekiah mislead you to say, ‘The LORD will save us.’ Has any of the gods of the nations ever saved his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
- 'Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?'}
Isa.36.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- איה: ADV,interr
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- חמת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- וארפד: CONJ+NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- איה: ADV,interr
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ספרוים: NOUN,prop,m,pl,abs
- וכי: CONJ
- הצילו: VERB,hifil,perf,3,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- שמרון: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מידי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:33 (quotation): Direct parallel/near-quotation — Rabshakeh's taunt against the gods of Hamath, Arpad and Sepharvaim appears almost word-for-word in 2 Kings (Assyrian speech mocking the impotence of foreign gods and the futility of trusting them).
- Isaiah 36:20-22 (verbal): Immediate verbal/contextual parallel — the same Assyrian speech continues, expanding the taunt by naming other cities and asking rhetorically whether their gods rescued Samaria.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): The psalm ridicules idols as powerless objects made by human hands and contrasts them with the living God — thematically parallel to Rabshakeh’s mockery of foreign gods’ inability to save.
- 1 Samuel 5:2-7 (thematic): Narrative demonstration of the impotence of foreign deities (the fall of Dagon before Israel’s God) — echoes the theme that so-called gods fail to protect their cities/people.
- Deuteronomy 32:21 (thematic): God’s indictment of Israel’s idolatry and the appeal to ‘what is no god’ highlights the folly of trusting false gods — parallels Rabshakeh’s challenge about the inability of other nations’ gods to deliver.
Alternative generated candidates
- Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
- 'Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Did they deliver Samaria from my hand?''
Isa.36.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- הארצות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הצילו: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- ארצם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- מידי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יציל: VERB,hiphil,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מידי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:32 (quotation): Direct parallel in the Kings account of the same episode; Rabshakeh rhetorically asks which of the gods of the nations has delivered its land, challenging trust in any god to save Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 37:11 (verbal): The same taunting question is repeated later in the Isaianic narrative (Sennacherib/Rabshakeh’s challenge), using similar wording to mock reliance on a deity for deliverance.
- 2 Kings 19:11 (quotation): In the parallel material of the Hezekiah/Sennacherib episode the Assyrian taunt reappears in a letter/propaganda context, again asserting that the gods of other lands have not saved their peoples.
- Psalm 115:4-8 (thematic): The psalm contrasts the impotence of idols with the power of YHWH; thematically related to the taunt that the gods of the nations failed to save their lands and so cannot be trusted to save Jerusalem.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
- 'Which of all the gods of these lands has delivered its land from me, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?''
Isa.36.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחרישו: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- ענו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- מצות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לא: PART_NEG
- תענהו: VERB,qal,imperf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:26 (verbal): Almost identical narrative line in the Deuteronomistic account: the envoys were silent and did not answer because the king had commanded them not to reply to the Assyrian field commander (same scene and wording).
- 2 Chronicles 32:17-19 (structural): Parallel retelling of the Rabshakeh episode in Chronicles; the episode and the instruction not to answer the envoy are recounted with similar motives and outcome.
- Isaiah 53:7 (thematic): Shares the motif of silent endurance before hostile speech or accusation—'he opened not his mouth'—linking prophetic theme of staying silent under attack to the silence commanded in Isaiah 36:21.
- Mark 14:61 (thematic): Jesus' silence before the high priest—'But he held his peace, and answered nothing'—is a New Testament parallel of the motif of refusing or withholding a verbal response in a charged, official interrogation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they were silent and answered him not, for the king's command was, “Do not answer him.”
- But they were silent and answered him not a word, for the king's command was, 'Do not answer him.'
Isa.36.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אליקים: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חלקיהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- על: PREP
- הבית: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושבנא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הסופר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויואח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אסף: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- המזכיר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קרועי: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- בגדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויגידו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- שקה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 18:18-37 (verbal): Direct narrative parallel — the same episode of Rabshakeh's speech and the officials (Eliakim, Shebna, Joah) returning to Hezekiah 'with their clothes rent' to report his words; much of Isaiah 36 is reproduced in Kings.
- 2 Chronicles 32:9-23 (structural): Chronicles' account of Sennacherib's campaign and Rabshakeh corresponds to Isaiah 36–37; the scene of envoys reporting to Hezekiah and the surrounding crisis is retold with similar details.
- Job 1:20 (thematic): Shared cultural motif — tearing garments as an outward expression of shock, mourning, or distress in response to catastrophic news; parallels the officials' torn clothes when they report Rabshakeh's words.
- Genesis 37:34 (thematic): Another Old Testament instance of tearing garments as mourning (Jacob's reaction to Joseph's supposed death), illustrating the common ancient Near Eastern ritual of rending clothes in grief, comparable to the reaction of Hezekiah's officials.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and related to him the words of Rab‑shakeh.
- Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder came to Hezekiah, their clothes torn, and related to him the words of Rab‑shakeh.
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a great army; and he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field.
Then Elyakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went out to him. And Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah: Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What is this confidence in which you trust?
I said, ‘Only mere words of the lips.’ Are counsel and might for war now to be found? On whom do you rely that you have rebelled against me?
Behold, you rely upon the broken reed of Egypt, which, if a man leans on it, goes into his hand and pierces it; so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to everyone who trusts in him. And if you say to me, ‘We rely upon the LORD our God’—is it not he whose Hezekiah has taken away his high places and his altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Before this altar you shall bow’? Now then, entreat my lord the king of Assyria, and I will give you a thousand horses—if you are able on your part to set riders upon them.
How then will you turn back one captain of the least of my lord’s servants, and will you rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? And now is it not the LORD who told me to come up against this land and to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”
Then Elyakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand; and do not speak to us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” But Rabshakeh said, “Has my lord sent me to speak these words to your masters and not to the men who sit upon the wall—who will eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?” So Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, saying, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah make you trust; he will not be able to save you.
Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”’
Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: “Make a bargain with me and come out to me; each of you eat from his own vine and each from his own fig tree, and drink the water of his own cistern.
Until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Do not let Hezekiah mislead you, saying, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’ Have any of the gods of the nations ever delivered their land from my hand?
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
Who of all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” And they were silent and answered him not, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.”
Then Elyakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.