What was happening when Rabshakeh came to Jerusalem with a great army?

This scene takes place after Assyria had already conquered the fortified cities of Judah. Hezekiah had carried out major reforms, removing idols and high places, yet his kingdom still faced a huge threat. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, was besieging Lachish and sent Rabshakeh with a large force to Jerusalem. The goal was not only military pressure but also psychological pressure. Rabshakeh stood where many could hear and tried to break the people’s courage and their trust in Hezekiah and in God, so they would surrender without a fight.

Who is Rabshakeh in this passage, and what is he trying to do?

Rabshakeh is a high officer sent by Sennacherib, king of Assyria. He acts as the king’s mouthpiece. His main aim is to scare and persuade the people of Jerusalem to give up. He mocks Hezekiah’s strength, ridicules any help from Egypt, and especially attacks their trust in the Lord. He speaks loudly in the people’s language so everyone on the wall can hear. He offers comfort and plenty if they surrender and paints a picture of misery if they do not. His speech is a mix of truth, half-truths, and lies meant to create fear and doubt.

Why does Rabshakeh call Egypt "the staff of this broken reed"?

Rabshakeh uses the picture of a man leaning on a staff made of a broken reed, which pierces his hand instead of helping him. He applies this to Egypt, saying that anyone who trusts Egypt for help will only be hurt. There is some truth here, because God had already warned that trusting in Egypt’s power instead of in Him was empty. But Rabshakeh twists this to push Judah away from any hope, not to lead them to trust God. His goal is to show that every human alliance is useless so that the people will feel they have no choice but to surrender to Assyria.

Why does Rabshakeh say the Lord told him to destroy the land?

Rabshakeh claims, “The Lord said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.” This is part of his strategy to confuse and weaken the people’s faith. Sometimes God does use foreign nations as instruments of judgment, but here Rabshakeh speaks without real understanding of God’s will. He grabs hold of religious words to give his threats more weight. This shows how enemies of God’s people may misuse God’s name to justify their actions. The right response is not to believe any claim said in God’s name, but to test it by what God has truly revealed.

Why did Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah ask Rabshakeh to speak in the Syrian language?

Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah knew the diplomatic language Rabshakeh could use, but they did not want the common people on the wall to hear his speech in their own tongue. They feared his mocking words would spread panic and weaken morale in the city. So they asked him to speak in the Syrian (Aramaic) language instead of the Jews’ language. Rabshakeh refused, because he wanted exactly the opposite: he wanted the soldiers and people listening to be terrified, to imagine starvation and shame, and to lose confidence in Hezekiah and in the Lord’s help.

Why did Hezekiah’s officials stay silent and not answer Rabshakeh?

Hezekiah had clearly commanded, “Answer him not.” His officials obeyed, even when Rabshakeh mocked God and threatened horrible things. They likely saw that arguing with him would not help and could even strengthen his influence over the people. Instead of trading insults, they showed their grief by tearing their clothes and then reported everything to the king. Their silence reflects wisdom from elsewhere in Scripture: sometimes it is better not to answer a proud, mocking person at length, especially when that person only wants to stir up more confusion and unbelief.

What does this passage teach about trusting God instead of human help?

The whole scene turns on the question, “What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?” Rabshakeh attacks trust in Egypt, which really was a false support, but then he also attacks trust in the Lord. The people of Jerusalem are pressed to choose: believe the loud, threatening voice of Assyria, or believe that the Lord can protect them even when they seem weak. The passage shows that human power, whether Assyria’s strength or Egypt’s promises, cannot replace God. Faith is tested when God’s people look surrounded and small, yet are called to keep trusting His word.

How does Rabshakeh’s speech show spiritual warfare and not just politics?

Rabshakeh’s words are more than political talk. He tries to reach the hearts and minds of the people. He mocks God, twists Hezekiah’s reforms, and compares the Lord to false gods that Assyria has already defeated. He loudly claims that no god has stopped Assyria yet, so their God will not help them either. This is spiritual warfare: using fear, lies, and half-truths to make people doubt God’s character and promises. It reminds readers that attacks on faith often come through clever words meant to shake trust, not just through swords and armies.

What does this story show about suffering and faithfulness to God?

This passage makes it clear that being faithful to God does not mean an easy life. Hezekiah had removed idols and restored right worship, yet his land was invaded and his cities were taken. Jerusalem stood nearly alone before a powerful empire. This shows that God may allow hard trials even when His people are walking in obedience. Those trials test and refine faith. God’s people are invited to keep trusting Him when circumstances look hopeless, believing that His plans are larger than what they can see and that He can deliver in His own time and way.

Isa.36.1

Isaiah 36:1

King James Version (KJV)

Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

Chapter:

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

1 Now it came to pass in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, that Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the defenced cities of Judah, and took them.

2 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.

3 Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder.

4 ¶ And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

5 I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

6 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.

7 But if thou say to me, We trust in the Lord our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

8 Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

9 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?

10 And am I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? the Lord said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

11 ¶ Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews’ language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

12 ¶ But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

13 Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.

14 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.

15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

16 Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;

17 Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

18 Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

20 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?

21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

22 ¶ Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Context:

Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem

Cross References

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