Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the field commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” New Living Translation Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Assyrian chief of staff, “Please speak to us in Aramaic, for we understand it well. Don’t speak in Hebrew, for the people on the wall will hear.” English Standard Version Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” Berean Standard Bible Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” King James Bible 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. New King James Version Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” New American Standard Bible Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Judean so that the people who are on the wall hear you.” NASB 1995 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak with us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” NASB 1977 Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak with us in Judean, in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” Legacy Standard Bible Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Speak now to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak with us in Judean in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” Amplified Bible Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please, speak to your servants in Aramaic, because we understand it; and do not speak to us in Judean (Hebrew) in the hearing of the people who are [stationed] on the wall.” Christian Standard Bible Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the royal spokesman, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew within earshot of the people who are on the wall.” Holman Christian Standard Bible Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew within earshot of the people who are on the wall.” American Standard Version 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. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And Eliakim and Shebna and Yuakh said to Rabshaqeh: “Speak Aramaic with your Servants, because we hear, and do not speak Judean with us before the people who stand on the wall!” Brenton Septuagint Translation Then Eliakim and Somnas and Joach said to him, Speak to thy servants in the Syrian tongue; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jewish tongue: and wherefore speakest thou in the ears of the men on the wall? Contemporary English Version Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, "Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew." Douay-Rheims Bible And Eliacim, and Sobna, and Joahe said to Rabsaces: Speak to thy servants in the Syrian tongue: for we understand it: speak not to us in the Jews' language in the hearing of the people, that are upon the wall. English Revised Version 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. GOD'S WORD® Translation Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the field commander, "Speak to us in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in the Judean language as long as there are people on the wall listening." Good News Translation Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah told the official, "Speak Aramaic to us. We understand it. Don't speak Hebrew; all the people on the wall are listening." International Standard Version Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah replied to him, "Please speak with your servants—with us —in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew where the people sitting on the wall can hear." JPS Tanakh 1917 Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rab-shakeh: 'Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Aramean 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.' Literal Standard Version And Eliakim says—and Shebna and Joah—to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants [in] Aramaic, for we are understanding; and do not speak to us [in] Jewish, in the ears of the people who [are] on the wall.” Majority Standard Bible Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” New American Bible Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to the commander, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic; we understand it. Do not speak to us in the language of Judah within earshot of the people who are on the wall.” NET Bible Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, "Speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don't speak with us in the Judahite dialect in the hearing of the people who are on the wall." New Revised Standard Version Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah within the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” New Heart English Bible Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, "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." Webster's Bible Translation Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah to Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jew's language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall. World English Bible Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak to us in the Jews’ language in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” Young's Literal Translation And Eliakim saith -- and Shebna and Joah -- unto Rabshakeh, 'Speak, we pray thee, unto thy servants in Aramaean, for we are understanding; and do not speak unto us in Jewish, in the ears of the people who are on the wall.' Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Sennacherib Threatens Jerusalem…10So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’ ” 11Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.” 12But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”… Cross References Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated. Isaiah 22:15 This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: "Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace: Isaiah 36:12 But the Rabshakeh replied, "Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?" Isaiah 36:13 Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: "Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Daniel 1:4 young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace--and to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldeans. Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation." Treasury of Scripture Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah to Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray you, to your 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. in the Syrian 2 Kings 18:26,27 Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews' language in the ears of the people that are on the wall… Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. Daniel 2:4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. Jump to Previous Aramaic Ears Eliakim Eli'akim Field Hearing Jews Jew's Joah Jo'ah Judah Judean Language Please Rabshakeh Rab'shakeh Rab-Shakeh Servants Shebna Speak Syrian Understand Wall WithinJump to Next Aramaic Ears Eliakim Eli'akim Field Hearing Jews Jew's Joah Jo'ah Judah Judean Language Please Rabshakeh Rab'shakeh Rab-Shakeh Servants Shebna Speak Syrian Understand Wall WithinIsaiah 36 1. Sennacherib invades Judah2. Rabshakeh, sent by Sennacherib, solicits the people to revolt 22. His words are told to Hezekiah (11) Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants . . .--The king's officers, knowing the "little faith" of their people, are not, perhaps, without misgivings of their own. Might not the townsmen, listening eagerly on the wall, recognise in Rabshakeh's words an echo of Isaiah's, and lose courage, as feeling that they were fighting against the God who was chastising them? The Syrian or Aramaic was a common ground for the ambassadors on both sides, as being the language of commerce and diplomacy. Rabshakeh, it would seem, could speak three languages, Assyrian, Syrian, and Hebrew; Hezekiah's ministers the two latter; the "people on the wall" only the last. In the Jews' language.--It is uncertain whether this means simply Hebrew, which Isaiah elsewhere calls the language of Canaan (Isaiah 19:18), or a special dialect of Judah. The Moabite stone, on the one hand, shows that Hebrew was the common speech of Palestine and the border countries. On the other hand, dialects spring up quickly. Nehemiah 13:24 is the only other passage (the parallels of 2Kings 18:26 and 2Chronicles 32:18 excepted) in which the term meets us in the narrower sense, and that is after the exile. Verse 11. - Speak... unto thy servants in the Syrian language; literally, in the Aramaic language. Aramaeans were widely spread over the entire region between the Lower Tigris and the Mediterranean; and their language seems to have been in general use, as a language of commerce. "Private contract tablets in Aramaic and Assyrian have been found in the remains of ancient Nineveh" (Cheyne). Rabshakeh had, perhaps, spoken "in the Jews' language " without any ill intent, thinking that it was the only tongue which Jewish envoys would understand; but his so doing was calculated to affect the minds of the common people, and to shake their allegiance to Hezekiah. The envoys, therefore, requested him to employ a foreign tongue, and suggested Aramaic as one which was familiar to them, and which they supposed that he would understand. His employment of Hebrew had shown them that he was a linguist. In the Jews' language. There was no language peculiar to the Jews as Jews, that is to say, different from the ordinary speech of the Israelites. Both alike spoke Hebrew. In the Old Testament, however, this corn-men language is never called "Hebrew," but either "the tongue of Canaan" (Isaiah 19:18) or "the Jewish language" (2 Kings 18:26, 28; 2 Chronicles 32:18; Nehemiah 13:24). Similarly, our own tongue is called "English," though spoken also in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, America, and Australia. In the ears of the people that are on the wall; i.e. of the soldiers placed on the wall to defend it. We must suppose that the conference took place immediately outside the fortifications, so that some of those on the wall could hear.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Then Eliakim,אֶלְיָקִים֩ (’el·yā·qîm) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 471: Eliakim -- 'God sets up', three Israelites Shebna, וְשֶׁבְנָ֨א (wə·šeḇ·nā) Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 7644: Shebna -- secretary and majordomo of Hezekiah and Joah וְיוֹאָ֜ח (wə·yō·w·’āḥ) Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3098: Joah -- 'the LORD is brother', the name of several Israelites said וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the Rab-shakeh, שָׁקֵ֗ה (šā·qêh) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7262: Rabshakeh -- perhaps 'chief of the officers', an Assyrian military leader “Please נָ֤א (nā) Interjection Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then' speak דַּבֶּר־ (dab·ber-) Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to your servants עֲבָדֶ֙יךָ֙ (‘ă·ḇā·ḏe·ḵā) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 5650: Slave, servant in Aramaic, אֲרָמִ֔ית (’ă·rā·mîṯ) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 762: The language of Aram (Syria) since כִּ֥י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction we אֲנָ֑חְנוּ (’ă·nā·ḥə·nū) Pronoun - first person common plural Strong's 587: We understand it. שֹׁמְעִ֖ים (šō·mə·‘îm) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently Do not וְאַל־ (wə·’al-) Conjunctive waw | Adverb Strong's 408: Not speak תְּדַבֵּ֤ר (tə·ḏab·bêr) Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue to us אֵלֵ֙ינוּ֙ (’ê·lê·nū) Preposition | first person common plural Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to in Hebrew יְהוּדִ֔ית (yə·hū·ḏîṯ) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 3066: The Jewish -- language in the hearing בְּאָזְנֵ֣י (bə·’ā·zə·nê) Preposition-b | Noun - fdc Strong's 241: Broadness, the ear of the people הָעָ֔ם (hā·‘ām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock on עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against the wall.� הַחוֹמָֽה׃ (ha·ḥō·w·māh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 2346: A wall of protection Links Isaiah 36:11 NIVIsaiah 36:11 NLT Isaiah 36:11 ESV Isaiah 36:11 NASB Isaiah 36:11 KJV Isaiah 36:11 BibleApps.com Isaiah 36:11 Biblia Paralela Isaiah 36:11 Chinese Bible Isaiah 36:11 French Bible Isaiah 36:11 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Isaiah 36:11 Then Eliakim Shebna and Joah said (Isa Isi Is) |