36:1 The thought of pilgrims reaching Zion with songs of joy, as the preceding chapter ended, now receives a nasty shock as the Assyrian juggernaut approaches the holy city. In his annals, Sennacherib claims that forty-six cities of Judah fell to him.79 Lachish, some 35 miles (56 km) southwest of Jerusalem, has fallen, or is about to fall, and now Jerusalem is left alone to face the full force of the invader.

36:2 Sennacherib sends the “Rabshakeh” as his envoy; the word probably means “chief cupbearer” and would certainly indicate a high official, a close confidante of the king, trusted to speak for him.80 The location at which the Assyrian delegation pauses (“the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer’s field”) is enormously significant: this is where, some thirty years before, Ahaz rejected the way of faith urged by Isaiah and chose the way of worldly alliances (7:4–9).

36:3 Three cabinet members come out from Jerusalem to delegation, headed by Eliakim, the prime minister. With him is Shebna, now demoted to secretary (cf. 22:20–23), and Joah, who appears to be responsible for liaising between king and people. Hezekiah will not deal personally with Sennacherib’s underlings, which already somewhat marginalizes the Assyrian top brass.

36:4–5 The Rabshakeh shows himself to be no mere loudmouthed bully; much of what he says is true and indeed echoes some of the prophet’s own words. His worldview, however, revolves around a total confidence in the Assyrian domination of the world and the futility of opposing its king. He does not give Hezekiah the title “king” but speaks of the incomparably greater power of “the great king, the king of Assyria,” a phrase he is to repeat. Unwittingly, he echoes 7:4–9, in which Ahaz rejected the way of faith. Scornfully, he dismisses “mere words”—yet words are crucial both in Hezekiah’s prayer (37:14–20) and in Isaiah’s judgment oracle (37:21–35).

36:6 The Rabshakeh is on safer ground when he dismisses Egypt as a spent force; indeed, his words are not unlike Isaiah’s on this subject (19:14–16; 30:7; 31:3). The hapless king of Ashdod discovered the unreliability of Egypt when the Egyptians handed him over to the Assyrians (ch. 20). Egypt is not only unreliable but will inflict serious injury on those who trust it.

36:7 The Rabshakeh is well informed about Hezekiah’s reform program (2 Kings 18:1–7; 2 Chronicles 29–31); with his pagan background, he assumes Yahweh is simply a local god that Hezekiah has demoted and dishonored. The Rabshakeh likely has the intuition that not everyone is sympathetic to Hezekiah’s reforms; he implicitly appeals to them to distance themselves from the king.

36:8–9 The Rabshakeh returns to the subject of Egypt and derides Judah’s weakness in cavalry, even if Egyptian help is forthcoming. How can little Judah defy the great king when she is too weak even to face one of his captains?

36:10 The Assyrians no doubt have spies in Jerusalem who have heard what Isaiah has said. After all, in Isaiah 8:7–8 and 10:5–6 the prophet said God would use the Assyrians to punish his people. However, the spies have failed to tell the Rabshakeh of the content of 10:12 and its message concerning Yahweh’s punishing the arrogant boasting of Assyria’s king.

36:11–12 This speech clearly troubles Eliakim and the other envoys, who appeal to the Rabshakeh to use Aramaic, the diplomatic language of the day, in order to avoid spreading panic among the citizens and weakening the loyalty of those uncommitted to Hezekiah’s reforms. No doubt the Rabshakeh is flaunting his mastery of languages by speaking in the “language of Judah,” which would have been the particular dialect of Hebrew spoken in and around Jerusalem. He further resorts to a coarse, bullying tone as he speaks in the most offensive terms of the horrors of a siege.

36:13–17 In his second speech the Assyrian again emphasizes the titles of Sennacherib and the weakness of Hezekiah, scorning the idea of putting faith in a small king and his god. Once again the theme of trust, so prominent throughout the book, comes to the fore. In effect the Rabshakeh is claiming that Sennacherib is more trustworthy than Yahweh: since the Hebrews’ God would inevitably let them down, they ought to recognize reality and open the gates to the great king.

Then the Rabshakeh speaks in tones of sweet reasonableness. Having spoken of the horrors of a siege, he now paints a happy picture of people allowed to return to their homes and live in peace. He is too shrewd to make a promise that they will be left alone, for everyone knows of the Assyrian practice of deportation. What he does is gloss over the miseries of deportation and represents their future destination as a home away from home. The news of the fate of Lachish and other cities, where captured inhabitants were flayed alive, would scarcely inspire confidence in these promises.

36:18–20 Now the Rabshakeh makes his fatal error. He treats Yahweh and his promises as if he were a pagan godlet, claiming that Yahweh will not deliver because he cannot. He is just one more of the gods whose cities the Assyrians have destroyed. Hamath was an important Syrian city on the River Orontes, about 150 miles (240 km) north of Damascus, while Arpad was about 100 miles (160 km) further north. Sepharvaim is unknown but may be a general name for the district. The mention of Samaria is historically accurate because, had the Assyrians failed to take these northern towns of Syria, they would have failed to strike south to the capital of Israel. The logic of all this is that if the gods of these cities have failed to rescue them, it is pointless to expect Yahweh to deliver Jerusalem (not least since Samaria claimed to follow this Yahweh as well). Sennacherib believes he is stronger than the one who made heaven and earth.

36:21–22 The envoys are silent because on any rational grounds there is no answer to the Assyrian boasts. Hezekiah warned them not to engage in a shouting match. But the chapter ends in deep despair as the envoys return with torn clothes, a sign of mourning.

37:1–2 Here the focus is on Hezekiah, now given his title of king that the Rabshakeh has denied him. His attitude is one of penitence and grief. He is king, father of his people, and must lead the nation in repentance. He could pray anywhere, but to go to the house of Yahweh is particularly appropriate. Long before, when the temple was dedicated, Solomon recognized that the highest heaven could not contain Yahweh but that he would listen to the prayers offered in the sanctuary (1 Kings 8:27–30).

Hezekiah then sends envoys to Isaiah, who will receive them far differently than how they were treated by the Rabshakeh.

37:3–4 The words of the king to the prophet are an admission of failure and a recognition of total helplessness. The Assyrian invasion is a sign that just judgment has come on the land and that its future is bleak. Children will not be brought to birth; hopes are dashed. These words show something of the character of Hezekiah. He does not hope God will hear him because of his vigorous program of reform and commitment to God; rather he appeals for help while being conscious that he and his people deserve nothing.

The words “your God” do not mean that Hezekiah has no personal faith; rather this is recognition of the prophet as the channel of true revelation. When Hezekiah says “It may be,” he is not doubting Yahweh’s power but instead is unsure of whether he will act in this situation (cf. Dan. 3:17). This God is the “living God,” unlike the lifeless idols (Isa. 46:5–7), and it is this God to whom David had appealed against Goliath’s taunts (1 Sam. 17:26, 36). Goliath had similarly mocked Yahweh—and had suffered for it.

37:5–7 When the envoys come to Isaiah, he does not pray but immediately announces that the Assyrian threat will be removed. He had earlier told Ahaz not to be afraid, and now he uses the same words in speaking to Hezekiah. He further expresses contempt for the threat by describing the menacing and self–important Assyrian delegation as the “young men of the king of Assyria,” swaggering macho young men full of confidence in their own powers and with egos the size of a planet. This does not impress Yahweh at all and need not inspire fear in the people.

The “spirit” here is probably not the Holy Spirit but rather part of an assertion that God is in complete control of human attitudes and emotions. The king’s heart is indeed in Yahweh’s hands (Prov. 21:1). There is here no mention of the coming destruction of the Assyrian army but simply an assurance that Sennacherib will be dealt with.

37:8–13 Attention now switches to Sennacherib himself and the military situation. The Rabshakeh returns to his master, hearing that Lachish has fallen and that Sennacherib is now at Libnah, 10 miles (16 km) further to the north. The news about Tirhakah king of Cush is probably the “rumor” of Isaiah 37:7, which shows that, for all the Assyrian contempt for Egypt and Cush, they fear being trapped far from home. The Egyptians have already been defeated at Eltekeh but are by no means destroyed. In any case, the divinely sent rumor is part of the process by which the Assyrians will fail to take Jerusalem. Sennacherib, like his envoy, warns the people that Yahweh is not to be trusted and that Assyria will conquer Jerusalem as they have conquered everyone else. The point of this little section is not simply to repeat and reinforce the words of the Rabshakeh but to show that this is a contest no longer between Assyria and Judah but between Sennacherib and Yahweh.

Sennacherib boasts that, just as earlier Assyrian kings had devastated cities between the Tigris and Euphrates, from Gozan in the east to Telassar in the west, so also will he destroy Jerusalem. In a menacing way he plays on Hezekiah’s own instincts for survival by focusing not on the cities but on their kings. The gauntlet has been thrown down; the great king of Assyria has defied the great King, the Lord of hosts.

37:14–15 As already mentioned, Hezekiah could pray anywhere, but the physical action of taking the threatening letter and placing it before Yahweh is a sign that he means business with God. At the end of the chapter Sennacherib will also go to the house of his god, but instead of finding an answer from a lifeless idol he will be assassinated by his own sons (37:38).

Hezekiah’s prayer is one of the great prayers of the Bible. It begins not with the immediate need but with the greatness of God. Sometimes people use the pious-sounding phrase “Prayer changes things,” which implies that our human words are more important than the one to whom we pray. In fact, prayer calls on the power of the God who changes things.

37:16 Who is this God to whom Hezekiah prays? He is the covenant Lord, committed to his people by promises he cannot and will not break. He is the Lord of hosts, with every power in the universe at his disposal. He is the one who actually sits on the throne, not Sennacherib. The “cherubim” were the figures at each end of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 37:6–9), which formed Yahweh’s throne in the midst of his people. He is Lord of the nations, and thus—despite Sennacherib’s taunts—it is folly not to trust him. He is the Creator, the maker of heaven and earth. This conviction is at the heart of Israel’s faith: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:2). No power in heaven or earth can stand against him.

37:17 Unlike the pagan gods, the Lord can listen and see, for he is the “living God,” in contrast to dead idols. He does not depend on his creatures; rather, they derive their life from him.

37:18–19 This statement anticipates the polemic against idolatry in Isaiah 41–48. It is not that Judah is strong and the other nations defeated by the Assyrians are weak. Rather, it is that the other nations believe in powerless gods, who are mere human inventions.

37:20 Hezekiah’s prayer closes not with his desire to be vindicated but with a concern that all nations would abandon their idols and acknowledge Yahweh alone as God. This concern remains at the heart of the gospel, which is a message for all the nations, not just Israel.

37:21–22 The Rabshakeh has said that “mere words” (36:5) will not help Judah. But these words are the words of Yahweh, which dominate the rest of the story and will not return empty (55:11). The ridicule Sennacherib had directed at Zion is turned back on him. He thought he could despise Zion and her God, but it is Zion who now mocks him: “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (Ps. 2:4). The title “Isaiah, son of Amoz” indicates that this is an authentic oracle by the author of the book. The response comes immediately after Hezekiah’s prayer and shows that the Lord is providing the king immediate reassurance.

37:23 Sennacherib has in fact mocked not Zion but the God of Zion, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah is not afraid of the great king of Assyria, because he has stood in the presence of the King, the Lord of hosts (Isa. 6:5).

37:24–25 “By your servants” is another reference to the Rabshakeh and his companions and is further evidence of Assyrian boasting. The Assyrians claim power over every kind of terrain and landscape. With their “many chariots,” they are lord of all they survey. Sennacherib boasts about cutting down the mighty forests of Lebanon, but he and his mighty army will be cut down like trees (10:18–19). He sees the mighty Nile as a small irrigation channel he can block with his foot. He surveys the whole earth at his feet and believes nothing could stand in his way. This kind of hyperbolic language is typical of the Assyrian annals.81

37:26–27 What Sennacherib fails to realize is that he is not lord of history—not even his own. Long before his time, Yahweh had planned for Assyria to be the rod of his anger (10:5). As with all that God plans, the outcome is certain. “Determined” is literally “did,” which speaks of the still-future act as already accomplished; “planned” is a word used of a potter shaping his materials with meticulous care, while “bring to pass” shows how these plans are working out. A good illustration of this comes from Amos 1–2, where the only agent mentioned in the destruction of the cities listed there is Yahweh himself. It is not that the Lord necessarily approves of military violence but that in the outworking of his plans he uses nations to punish other nations, after which they themselves are judged. This is the problem with which Habakkuk wrestles (cf. Hab. 1:5–11). The weakness of the conquered nations is brought out by the similes of plants and tender grass.

37:28–29 In language reminiscent of Psalm 139 Isaiah emphasizes Yahweh’s total sovereignty. Sennacherib has behaved as a bully; his arrogance has caused him to imagine complacently that he is invulnerable. It is ironic that Assyria will suffer the same fate as her victims, who are dragged with hooks away to exile.

37:30–32 Ahaz refused a sign (Isa. 7:12), but after he has dealt with the Assyrians God will give a sign that he is still with his people, not only in the big crises but in the ordinary life of a community dependent on agriculture. For two years there will be subsistence-level farming only, but in the third year agriculture and normal living will resume. The mention of a vineyard is a reminder that a vine requires peaceful conditions for cultivation and growth. Peace will return to the land.

The “remnant” always looks beyond the immediate conditions and is an assurance that God’s purposes will continue. This is reinforced by the phrase “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (9:7); the promised future will eventually be fulfilled in the the Prince of Peace, who will come both to and from the remnant (Luke 1–2).

37:33–35 Jerusalem will be saved. Isaiah has already predicted that Assyrian power will be broken in the hills of Judah (Isa. 14:24–27), and indeed Sennacherib himself will not come near enough to shoot an arrow into the city, which will not be subject to a siege. Indeed, Sennacherib will return to Nineveh, the object of his campaign unfulfilled. He imagines that what he says counts, but in the end what matters is not what he says about Yahweh but what Yahweh says about him. The Lord will defend and save the city to demonstrate that he is sovereign—otherwise Sennacherib’s boasts might be believed. The covenant with David will be honored (2 Sam. 7:16), highlighting the fact that the present king, Hezekiah, is indeed a true son of David.

37:36 With terrifying swiftness the judgment on Assyria unfolds and the invincible army melts away. The agent of destruction is the angel of the Lord, that figure who is both the Lord and distinct from him (cf. Ex. 3:2–6, where the speaker from the bush is described both as the angel and as God himself).

Many have dismissed this event as legendary but give no convincing reason other than a denial of the miraculous. Those who hold such a view must ask why Sennacherib, in a large room in his most important palace in Nineveh, lavishly portrays the fall of Lachish, a town of which most people in Assyria would never have heard. There is a Lachish Room at the British Museum in London—but no Jerusalem Room. Assyrian spin doctors do not report failures as failures; they always focus on the positive, which in this case does not involve the capture of the city.

37:37–38 The king of Assyria cannot get away quickly enough; the piling up of the verbs “departed,” “returned,” and “lived” emphasizes his desire to forget this episode. He reigns for a further twenty years but never returns to the west. As far as Isaiah is concerned, Sennacherib is already history; he thus telescopes events by next recording his death in 681 BC.

The irony of his death is shown in that this man who thinks he is a god is assassinated as he prays to his god. Not only is he insecure; he loses his life as well, with his god powerless to help him. Hezekiah’s living God saves him, but Sennacherib’s lifeless god cannot protect him. Sennacherib is succeeded by Esarhaddon, who establishes a short-lived ascendancy over Egypt (cf. Nah. 3:8–10), but the Assyrian Empire is already on its way out and will soon begin to vanish.