Chapters 36–39

These chapters form the conclusion of the first part of the book of Isaiah. They contain narratives of three important historical events, each of which illustrates the commanding influence exercised by the prophet in the reign of Hezekiah. These are:—(1) the unsuccessful efforts of Sennacherib to obtain possession of Jerusalem by threats and blandishments (ch. 36, 37); (2) Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery ch. 38); and (3) the embassy of Merodach-Baladan to Hezekiah ch. 39). At a time when the books of Scripture circulated separately it was important that readers of the book of Isaiah should have before them all the information about the career of the great prophet that could be collected from authentic sources; and there is no reasonable doubt that these chapters are an excerpt from the canonical books of Kings (2 Kings 18:13 to 2 Kings 20:19). The view of Vitringa and others that Isaiah himself is the author, and that the passage was transferred from his pages to those of the historian, is not borne out by a comparison of the two texts. Not only is the text in Kings on the whole superior to that in Isaiah, but the narrative before us reveals its secondary character by a tendency towards abridgement and simplification; and in other respects shews “manifest traces of having passed through the hands of the compiler of Kings” (Driver, Introd., p. 215). Moreover, it is extremely unlikely that the death of Sennacherib (b.c. 681) recorded in Isaiah 37:38 happened within the lifetime of Isaiah. That the editor of the books of Kings drew in his turn upon an older document is probable; but there is no reason to suppose that the Isaianic editor used this work as an independent authority.

The only important differences between the two narratives are: (a) the omission in Isaiah of the account of Hezekiah’s submission (2 Kings 18:14-16); and (b) the addition of Hezekiah’s Psalm of Thanksgiving on his recovery (ch. Isaiah 38:9-20). The omission (a) can be explained by the author’s desire to pass over an incident which was not of immediate interest for the biography of Isaiah. (Other critical and historical questions raised by these verses do not concern us here; but see General Introduction, pp. xix ff.) The Song of Hezekiah must have been added from a separate source.

Ch. 36, 37 Hezekiah, encouraged by Isaiah, resists Sennacherib’s summons to surrender

We have here to all appearance the record of two successive attempts of the Assyrian king to extort the surrender of Jerusalem; in the first instance by a display of armed force (Isaiah 36:1 to Isaiah 37:8), and then by a threatening letter to Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:9-38). There is certainly some improbability in the view thus presented of Sennacherib’s conduct. The advance of Tirhakah no doubt rendered the possession of Jerusalem more than ever indispensable to his safety, and a second summons to Hezekiah after the first had failed is in these circumstances perfectly intelligible. But it is less easy to suppose that he could have expected Hezekiah, with Ethiopian succour at hand, and after having defied a detachment of the Assyrian army, to yield to a mere letter, and one that simply repeats the former arguments with no additional inducement to surrender. There is besides a close parallelism between the two incidents which suggests the possibility that the chapters may contain two versions of the same occurrence instead of a single narrative of two successive events. If this view be correct the first narrative breaks off in the middle of Isaiah 37:9 with the words “and when he heard it,” and is resumed and concluded in Isaiah 37:37-38. The duplicate version is given in the intermediate section (Isaiah 37:9 b – Isaiah 37:36). The assumption may not be quite necessary, but it has commended itself even to cautious critics like Dillmann and Kittel, and deserves consideration. Nor does it seriously affect the historic credibility of the record. The discrepancies are perhaps not greater than between parallel accounts in the four Gospels.

1. (Cf. 2 Kings 18:13) in the fourteenth year] The year of Sennacherib’s expedition was beyond question 701 b.c. If this was really the fourteenth year of Hezekiah his accession must have taken place in 715. On the objections to this date, see Chronological Note, pp. lxxvi f. Assuming that the arguments there given are valid, the error in this verse might be accounted for in either of two ways. (1) It has been suggested that ch. 38 f. stood originally before ch. 36 f., and that in the process of transposition the precise specification of time, which really belonged to ch. 38, was retained as the introduction to the whole group of narratives. The 14th year of Hezekiah would thus be the true date, not necessarily of Sennacherib’s invasion, but of Hezekiah’s sickness and the embassy of Merodach-Baladan. (2) A second supposition is that the date was inserted here by an editor, who arrived at it by a calculation based on ch. Isaiah 38:5. Deducting the 15 years’ lease of life assured to Hezekiah by the prophet from the 29 years of his reign, he rightly concluded that his sickness must have occurred in the 14th year of his reign, and supposing further that all these events were nearly contemporaneous, he substituted this exact date for some vaguer statement which he may have found in his original. A third hypothesis,—that the date is correct, but that the name Sennacherib has been wrongly written for Sargon,—falls to the ground with the whole theory of an invasion of Judah by the latter monarch.

all the defenced cities of Judah] Sennacherib himself boasts that he captured forty-six of them in this campaign.

2. Rabshakeh is not a proper name, but an official designation, like the Tartan (see ch. Isaiah 20:1) and the Rab-saris (chief eunuch) who are mentioned along with him in 2 Kings 18:17. The Assyrian word is Rab-saq, said to mean “chief of the officers.”

from Lachish] The most important Judæan fortress in the Shephelah, commanding the road from Egypt. Recent excavations by Mr Flinders Petrie have identified its site with Tell-el-Hesy, a few miles distant from the modern Umm Lakis.

the conduit of the upper pool …] See on ch. Isaiah 7:3.

3. The words “and they called the king” in 2 Kings 18:18 are omitted. which was over the house] See ch. Isaiah 22:15. It will be seen that in accordance with ch. Isaiah 22:20, Eliakim here occupies the office formerly held by Shebna, although the latter still appears in a subordinate capacity as scribe or rather secretary (R.V. marg.).

the recorder] Lit. the remembrancer.

4–10. The speech of the Rabshakeh, dealing with the two motives which might be supposed to have induced Hezekiah to rebel: (1) his reliance on the help of Egypt (Isaiah 36:6), and (2) his religious confidence in Jehovah (Isaiah 36:7); and urging him to submit to the king of Assyria (Isaiah 36:8-10).

5. I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) &c.] Rather (as Cheyne and others) Thinkest thou that a mere word of the lips is counsel and strength for war? “You cannot think so,” reasons the Rabshakeh, “you must have some ground of confidence; what is it?” The rendering of A.V. which takes the phrase “merely a word of the lips” as a parenthetic ejaculation is intelligible, but hardly right. In any case the text must be corrected in accordance with that of 2 Kings 18:20 (“thou sayest [thinkest]” for “I say [think]”).

6. the staff of this broken reed] For the idea, cf. ch. Isaiah 30:1-5; for the figure, Ezekiel 29:6-7.

7. Not only is Hezekiah destitute of earthly help, but he has forfeited the protection of his own deity, by what from the heathen point of view seemed an act of sacrilege, the abolition of the local sanctuaries (see 2 Kings 18:4).

8. give pledges … to] Better (as R.V. marg.): make a wager with. The taunt must have been peculiarly galling to the war-party in Judah, who were painfully conscious of their weakness in cavalry; ch. Isaiah 30:16, Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 31:3, and Isaiah 36:9 of this chapter.

9. Hezekiah’s power is not equal to that of the lowest official in the Assyrian Empire; yet he dares to defy the great king! The word rendered captain means the governor of a province.

10. That the Assyrian should represent himself as commissioned by Jehovah to avenge the desecration of his sanctuaries is not by any means incredible. A precisely similar sentiment is put into the mouth of Cyrus in his account of the conquest of Babylon. It expresses no serious religious conviction (see Isaiah 36:20); and the resemblance to Isaiah’s teaching (ch. Isaiah 10:5 ff.) is either accidental, or is due to a Jewish colouring unconsciously imparted to the narrative by the writer.

For this land, in the first half of the verse, we read in 2 Kings 18:25 “this place,” i.e. Jerusalem.

11. the Syrian (or Aramean R.V. marg.) language] was the medium of international communication in Western Asia, more especially of commerce. Assyrian on the other hand was a barbarous tongue to the Hebrews (ch. Isaiah 28:11, Isaiah 33:19).

the Jews’ language] Hebrew is so called only in one other (post-Exilic) passage, Nehemiah 13:24.

11, 12. The Judæan ministers, fearing the effect of these threats on the people, implore the Rabshakeh to speak to them in Aramaic; but the astute diplomatist immediately perceives his advantage, and sets himself to stir up disaffection amongst the populace.

12. that they may eat …] Note the contrast in Isaiah 36:16. The clause, therefore, expresses not the desire or purpose of the king of Assyria, but the effect of submitting to Hezekiah’s insane policy.

13. the great king] It is to be observed that the speaker consistently withholds the title of king from Hezekiah.

13–20. The Rabshakeh’s appeal to the people.

15. The Lord will surely deliver us] Cf. ch. Isaiah 37:35.

16. Make an agreement with me by a present] R.V. Make peace with me. Lit. “Make to me a blessing” (see R.V. marg.). The expression does not occur elsewhere, and its exact sense is doubtful. Probably “make peaceful submission to me.”

come out to me] The ordinary phrase for the surrender of a city (1 Samuel 11:3; Jeremiah 21:9, &c.). and eat] that ye may eat. If they will but yield now, they may at once resume the cultivation of their fields and orchards.

17. But only for a time! The Rabshakeh does not conceal from them that their ultimate fate will be deportation; although he tries to present it in an attractive light. The parallel verse in 2 Kings (2 Kings 18:31) contains these additional words “a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die; and hearken not unto Hezekiah.”

18–20. The long record of Assyrian conquest shews the folly of Hezekiah’s trust in Divine power. Cf. ch. Isaiah 10:9-11.

persuade] Rather, beguile.

19. On Hamath and Arphad, see ch. Isaiah 10:9. Sepharvaim has usually been identified with Sippar to the north of Babylon. Since, however, it is always mentioned along with Hamath and Arpad, it is more probable that a city in northern Syria is meant. Some consider it to be the same as Sibraim in Ezekiel 47:16 (between Damascus and Hamath). 2 Kings 18:34 adds Hena and Ivvah as in ch. Isaiah 37:13.

and have they delivered] Others translate “how much less have they (the gods of Samaria) delivered.” The Hebrew is peculiar.

21. they held their peace] i.e. the people on the wall, as is expressed in 2 Kings 18:36.

Isaiah 37:1-4. Hezekiah, thrown back at last on the policy of faith consistently advocated by Isaiah, sends an influential deputation to the prophet, entreating him to intercede for the nation in this extremity. (Cf. 2 Kings 12:12-14; Jeremiah 37:3) The king’s message could not fail to be interpreted as a public confession of the utter failure of the policy which had landed him in such a desperate situation.