ISAIAH
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| Isaiah 36:1-37:13 | The King of Assyria | His summons to surrender Jerusalem | ||||||||||||
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| Isaiah 38:1 | The King of Terrors | His solemn summons to Hezekiah to surrender his life | ||||||||||||
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| Isaiah 39:1 | The King of Babylon | His letters and present | |||||||||
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The concluding words, in which the Assyrian boasts of having Jehovah on his side, affect the messengers of Hezekiah in the keenest manner, especially because of the people present.
Speak in Aramaic
They spoke Yehuudiith, i.e., the colloquial language of the kingdom of Judah.
The kingdom of Israel was no longer in existence, and the language of the
Israelitish nation, as a whole, might therefore already be called Judaean
(Jewish), as in Nehemiah 13:24, more especially as there may have been a far greater
dialectical difference between the popular speech of the northern and southern
kingdoms, than we can gather from the biblical books that were written in the
one or the other.
| Nehemiah 13:24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. (NKJV) |
Aramaean ('arâmiith), however, appears to have been even then, as it was at a later period (Ezra 4:7 "...the letter was written in Aramaic script, and translated into the Aramaic language."), the language of communication between the empire of Eastern Asia and the people to the west of the Tigris (compare Alex. Polyhistor in Euseb. chron. arm. i. 43, where Sennacherib is said to have erected a monument with a Chaldean inscription); and consequently educated Judaeans not only understood it, but were able to speak it, more especially those who were in the service of the state.
Assyrian, on the other hand, was unintelligible to Judaeans, although this applied comparatively less to the true Assyrian dialect, which was Semitic, and can be interpreted for the most part from the Hebrew (see Oppert's "Outlines of an Assyrian Grammar" in the Journal Asiatique, 1859), than to the motley language of the Assyrian army, which was a compound of Arian and Turanian elements.
The name Sennacherib (Sancheeriibh = cin-'achiy-yeerib,
LXX Sennacheereim, i.e.,
"Sin, the moon-god, had multiplied the brethren") is Semitic; on the other hand, the name Tartan, which cannot be interpreted either from the Semitic or the
Arian, is an example of the element referred to, which was so utterly strange to
a Judaean ear.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by
Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (11) Then Eliakim and Shebna and Joah said to him, “Please speak with your servants in Aramaic since we understand it. But do not speak this message so that the men sitting on (to us in Judean so that the people on MT) the wall can hear.” |
See Note in lesson 15 on the Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
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The harsh reply is given - namely, because their rulers were exposing them to a siege which would involve the most dreadful state of famine.
The meaning of this is, that the inhabitants of the city,
if they do not surrender, will be subjected to the severest evils of
famine.
If they did not surrender, it was the purpose of the Assyrian to lay
siege to the city, and to reduce it. But it was often the work of
years to reduce and take a city.
| Nebuchadnezzar spent thirteen years before Tyre |
| The Greeks employed ten in reducing ancient Troy |
The idea in the whole verse is clearly expressed in the parallel place in 2 Chronicles 32:11: "Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, 'The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria'?"
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (12) But the Rabshakeh said “was it to you and against your lord that my lord sent me to speak this message? Was it not rather against the men sitting on the wall, who will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?” |
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After Rabshakeh had refused the request of Hezekiah's representatives in this contemptuous manner, he turned in defiance of them to the people themselves.
The Cities
| Hamath | Hama | North of Damascus (Amos 6:14) |
| Arpad | Tell Erfad | 13 miles north of Aleppo |
| Sepharvaim | Sippara | On the Euphrates, above Babylon (2 Kings 17:31) The southernmost city of Mesopotamia, on the left bank of the Euphrates. |
"Who were they among all the gods of these lands, who delivered their
land out of my hand?"
"How much less will Jehovah deliver Jerusalem out of my
hand!?"
The chronicler also has this continuation of Rabshakeh's address in part
(2 Chron 32:13-15).
The encouragement of the people, by referring to the help of Jehovah (2 Chron 32:6-8), is placed by him before this first account is given by Isaiah, and forms a conclusion to the preparations for the contest with Asshur as there described. Rabshakeh now draws nearer to the wall, and harangues the people.
A present (vs 16)
To make a berâkhâh with a person was equivalent to entering into a relation of blessing, i.e., into a state of mind in which each wished all prosperity to the
other. This was probably a common phrase, though we only meet with it here.
Yaatsaa' (OT:3318) (and come out), when applied to the besieged, is equivalent to surrendering.
If they did that, they should remain in quiet possession and enjoyment, until the Assyrian fetched them away (after the Egyptian campaign was over), and transported them to a land, which he describes to them in the most enticing terms, in order to soften down the inevitable transportation.
Rabshakeh's words in verses 18-20 are the same as those in
Isa 10:8-11. The manner
in which he defies the gods of the heathen, of Samaria, and last of all of Jerusalem, corresponds to the prophecy there.
It is the prophet himself who acts
as historian here, and describes the fulfillment of the prophecy, though without
therefore doing violence to his character as a prophet.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (13) Then the. Rabshakeh stood and called out with a loud voice
in Judean. He said, “Listen to the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
(14) Thus says the king of Assyria, ‘Do not let
Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. (15) Do not let
Hezekiah compel you to trust in the Lord, thinking, The Lord will surely deliver
us, and this city will not be given into the power of the
king of Assyria.’ (16) Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of
Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me, and come out to me; then everyone will eat
from his vine and everyone from his fig tree, and everyone will drink from the
water of his own cistern (17) until I come and take you to a land like your own
land, to a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and
vineyards. (18) Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations saved you by saying, The Lord will deliver us. Has any of the gods of the nations saved his land from the power of the king of Assyria? (19) Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharyaim? Have they saved Samaria from my power? (20) Which among all the gods of those countries has delivered their country from my power, so that the Lord might deliver Jerusalem from my power?’" |
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Here we see the effect of Rabshakeh's words.
wayachariyshuw (OT: 2790) (But they held their peace) [to be
silent]
As the Assyrians wished to speak to the king
himself (2 Kings 18:18), who sent the three to them as his representatives, the
command to hear, and to make no reply, can only have applied to them
(and they had already made the matter worse by the one remark which they had
made concerning the language).
The three were silent, because the king had imposed the duty of silence upon
them; and regarding themselves as dismissed, inasmuch as Rabshakeh had turned
away from them to the people, they hastened to the king, rending their clothes,
in despair and grief and the disgrace they had experienced.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
Hezekiah had commanded them not to answer.
They were simply to hear what Rabshakeh had to propose, and to report to him,
that he might decide on what course to pursue. It was a case also in which
it was every way proper that they should be silent. There was so much
insolence, self-confidence, blasphemy, the proposals were so
degrading, and the claims were so arrogant, that it was not proper
that they should enter into conference, or listen a moment to the terms
proposed.
| There are circumstances when it is proper to maintain a profound silence in the presence of revilers and blasphemers, and when we should withdraw from them, and go and spread the case before the LORD. |
With their clothes torn - This was a common mark of grief.
The godly do not escape their share of the trials which abound in this life of probation. Even good King Hezekiah, of whom it is testified that "he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done," was threatened with destruction by the overwhelming hosts of Sennacherib.
| Trust in Egypt was the great weakness of which the Jewish nation was guilty at that time. |
| But there was also a godly party, of whom the king was the leader, and who trusted in Yahweh. |
| Rabshakeh well said of the former trust, that Egypt was but a broken reed to lean on. |
| But of trust in Yahweh he tried to rob the godly, through misrepresentation of the pious act of their king. |
| That act was removing the unlawful high places and altars to God, and in insisting on a return to the law, which commanded that all should worship before the altar at Jerusalem. |
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (21) But they did not speak or answer at all, for the king’s command was: “Do not respond to him.” (22) Then Eliakim the 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 reported the words of the Rabshakeh to him. |
| ISAIAH ASSURES DELIVERANCE |
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See the account from Isaiah 37:1-39:8 along with 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
Went into the house of Yahweh
Went up to the temple to spread out the case before Yahweh.
This was in accordance with the usual habit of Hezekiah; and it
teaches us that when we are environed with difficulties or danger and when the
name of our God is blasphemed, we should go and spread out our
feelings before God, and seek His aid.
Then he sent...to Isaiah the prophet
It was customary on occasions of danger to consult prophets, as
those who had direct communication with God, and seek counsel from them.
| Balak | sent messengers to Balaam to consult him in a
time of perplexity (Numbers 22:5 ff) |
| Jehoshaphat | and the king of Israel consulted Micaiah in
time of danger from Syria (1 Kings 22:1-13) |
| Ahaziah | when sick, sent to consult Elijah (2 Kings 1:1-9) |
| Josiah | sent an embassage to Huldah the prophetess to
inquire in regard to the book which was found in the temple of the Lord (2 Kings 22:14) |
The children have come
Figure of speech - proverbial expression for, We are in the most extreme
danger, and have no power to avert it.
There was the highest danger, and need of aid. It was as in
childbirth in which the pains had been protracted, the strength exhausted,
and where there was most imminent danger in regard to the mother and the child.
So Hezekiah said there was the most imminent danger in the city of
Jerusalem. They had made all possible preparations for defense . And now,
in the most critical time, they felt their energies exhausted, their
strength insufficient for their defense, and they needed the interposition
of God.
The living God
The phrase 'the living God' is often applied to Yahweh in
contradistinction from idols, which were mere blocks of wood or stone.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (1) When Hezekiah the king heard this, he rent his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. (2) He sent Eliakim who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah, the son of Amoz. (3) They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: this day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of disgrace; for children are at the point of birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth. (4) Perhaps the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to scorn the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard: therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that is left in this city. |
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The external occasion which determined the return of Sennacherib, as described in Isa 37:36-37, was the fearful mortality that had taken place in his army. The shemuu'âh (rumor, hearsay), however, was not the tidings of this catastrophe, but, as the continuation of the account in vv. 8, 9, clearly shows, the report of the advance of Tirhakah, which compelled Sennacherib to leave Palestine in consequence of this catastrophe.
The faith of the king, and of the inquirers generally, still needed to be tested and exercised.
The time had not yet come for him to be
rewarded by a clearer and fuller announcement of the judgment.
Matthew Henry observes:
| 1. | The best way to baffle the malicious designs
of our enemies against us is to be driven by them to God.
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| 2. | It well becomes great men to desire the
prayers of good men and good ministers.
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| 3. | When we are most trouble, we should be
most earnest in prayer.
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| 4. | When there is a remnant left, and but a
remnant, it concerns us to lift up a prayer for that remnant.
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| 5. | Those that have made God their enemy we have
no reason to be afraid of, for they are marked for ruin.
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| 6. | The enemy's fears are but prefaces to their
falls.
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From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| .(5) So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. (6) And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you will say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, those with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. (7) Behold, I will put a spirit in him, (in him a spirit MT & LXX) and he will hear a rumor, and he will return to his own land; I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’” |
| SENNACHERIB'S AND HEZEKIAH'S PRAYER |
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Isaiah 37:8-38
Second Attempt of the Assyrians to Force the Surrender of Jerusalem
Its Miraculous Deliverance
Rabshakeh, who is mentioned alone in both texts as the leading person engaged, returns to Sennacherib, who is induced to make a second attempt to obtain possession of Jerusalem, as a position of great strength and decisive importance.
Libnah
Libnah was a city in the south of Judah (Joshua 15:42), given to
the priests,
and declared a city of refuge (1 Chronicles 6:54,57).
Eusebius and Jerome say it was in the district of Eleutheropolis
(Calmet). It was about ten miles to the northwest of Lachish.
This city was taken by Joshua, and all its inhabitants put to the sword.
After taking this Joshua next assaulted and took Lachish (Joshua 10:29-32).
He had departed from Lachish
Why the king of Assyria had done this is unknown.
| It is possible that he had taken it, though this is not recorded anywhere in history. |
| Or it is possible that he had found it impracticable to subdue it as speedily as he had desired; and had withdrawn from it for the purpose of subduing other places that would offer a more feeble resistance. |
Tirhakah (Heb: Tirhâqâh)
This king, who, by Eusebius and by most ancient writers, is called
Tarakos.
| He was a celebrated conqueror, and had subdued Egypt to himself. |
| He reigned over Egypt eighteen years. |
| When Sennacherib marched into Egypt, Sevechus or Sethon was on the throne. |
| Sennacherib having laid siege to Pelusium, Tirhakah came to the aid of the city, and, in consequence of his aid, Sennacherib was compelled to raise the siege and returned to Palestine, and laid siege to Lachish. |
| Tirhakah succeeded Sevechus in Egypt, and was the third and last of the Ethiopian kings that reigned over that country. |
| He probably took advantage of the distracted state that succeeded the death of Sevechus, and secured the crown for himself. This was, however, after the death of Sennacherib. |
| The capital
which he occupied was Thebes (see Prideaux's "Connection," vol. i. pp. 141, 145, 149. Ed. 1815). |
He sent messengers to Hezekiah
With letters or dispatches (Isaiah 37:14).
Hezekiah
was probably ignorant of the approach of Tirhakah, or at all events Sennacherib
would suppose that he was ignorant of it; and as Sennacherib knew that there
would be no hope that Hezekiah would yield if he knew that Tirhakah was
approaching to make war on him, he seems to have resolved to anticipate the
intelligence, and to see if it were possible to induce him to surrender. He,
therefore, sent substantially the same message as before, and summoned
Hezekiah to
capitulate.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (8) So the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting Libnah; for he had heard that he had left Lachish. (9) He heard a report about Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He is coming out to fight you.” When he heard this, he returned and sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, |
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There is historical importance in the fact, that here Sennacherib attributes to his fathers (Sargon and the previous kings of the Derketade dynasty which he had overthrown) what Rabshakeh on the occasion of the first mission had imputed to Sennacherib himself.
Do not let your God...deceive you
This is a known tactic of the enemy of our souls - to plant doubt of the
existence, motives, and the intent of our Creator and Savior. Satan tried
it successfully with Eve in
Genesis 3:1 - "Has God indeed said...?"
The first message which had been sent by Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36:14-15) had been sent to the people
| to induce them not to put confidence in Hezekiah, as if he would deceive them by leading them to rely on the aid of Yahweh. |
| designed to alienate his mind from God, and assuring him that resistance would be vain. |
Gozan - in Mesopotamia, on the Chabour (2 Kings 17:6; 18:11). Gozan is the name of the district, Chabour of the river.
Haran - more to the west. Abraham removed to it from Ur (Genesis 11:31). His father died here; and from this place he was called to go into the land of promise. It is also the Carroe of the Romans.
Rezeph - further west, in Syria. It was situated about a day's journey west of the Euphrates, and is mentioned by Ptolemy by the name of Reesafa.
Eden - there is an ancient village, Adna, north of Bagdad.
Eden was evidently a country well known in the time of Isaiah, and
was, doubtless, the tract within which man was placed when he was
created. The garden or Paradise was in Eden, and
was not properly itself called Eden (Genesis
2:8). It is probable that Eden was a region or tract of country
of considerable extent. It is evident from the passage before us
that it was either in Mesopotamia, or in the neighborhood of that
country, since it is mentioned in connection with cities and towns of
that region. It is mentioned by Amos (787 BC), as a country then
well known, and as a part of Syria, not far from Damascus.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Telassar - According to Layard, Tel-afer, west of Mosul.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (10) “Say this to Hezekiah king of Judah, ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, Jerusalem will not be delivered into the power of the king of Assyria. (11) Indeed, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, absolutely annihilating them. Will you be rescued? (12) Have the gods of the nations rescued them, those nations, which my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? (13) Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of Lair and of Sepharyaim and of Na, Ivvah, and Samaria?.” |
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This intimidating message, which declared the God of Israel to be utterly powerless, was conveyed by the messengers of Sennacherib in the form of a letter.
The Assyrians have certainly destroyed nations and their gods, because these gods were nothing but the works of men.
Hezekiah's Sevenfold Prayer
| 1. | verse 16 | He addressed the Lord of Hosts (Yahweh tsŞbaa'owt 'Eloheey), the God of Israel. |
| 2. | verse 16 | He recognized that God still dwelled between
the cherubim. This was according to the covenant with Moses and all Israel about 940 years before this (Exodus 25:22). |
| 3. | verse 16 | He recognized that Jehovah was the only God on earth. |
| 4. | verse 16 | He acknowledged Him as creator of heaven and earth. |
| 5. | verse 17 | He asked God to hear and see what was written in the letter which was spread out before Him, that it reproached the living God. |
| 6. | verse 18-19 | He acknowledged that many nations and their lands had been laid waste by the king of Assyria who had also destroyed the gods of these nations; now he was threatening Judah. |
| 7. | verse 20 | He concluded his prayer by appealing to God to save Judah from the hand of this mighty king so that all the nations of earth might know that He was the only true and living God. |
Notice how Hezekiah's prayer follows the pattern of the Lord's prayer:
| The Pattern |
The Lord's Prayer Matt 6:9-13 |
Hezekiah's Prayer Isaiah 37:16-20 |
| Praise and Worship | Our Father which art in heaven , Hallowed be thy name | O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, |
| Recognition and acceptance of His Kingdom | Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. | You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. |
| The petition | Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. | Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God... |
| Request for deliverance | And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil | Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, |
| Praise and Worship | For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. | that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone. |
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (14) Hezekiah received the letters from the messengers and read them. Then Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.
(15) Hezekiah prayed to the Lord,
saying, (16) “Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you
alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth; you made heaven and earth.
(17)
Incline your ear, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to
every word of Sennacherib, which he sent to mock the living God. (18) Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria and devastated all the lands, (19) and they have cast their gods into the fire – for they were not gods but the works (work MT) of human hands, wood and stone; thus they have destroyed them. (20) Now, Lord our God, I will save us from his power, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.” (alone are Lord MT) |
| THE WORD OF YAHWEH CONCERNING SENNACHERIB |
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The prophecy of Isaiah that follows here is in all respects one of
the most magnificent that we meet with.
The question in verse 23 reaches as far as "and you turn your eyes on high
against the Holy One of Israel" (Hitzig, Ewald, Drechsler, and Keil).
The
question is put for the purpose of saying to Asshur, that He at whom they scoff
is the God of Israel, whose pure holiness breaks out into a consuming fire
against all by whom it is dishonored.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
Because you have prayed
"Because you have come to Me instead of relying on your own resources
and strength."
"Because you have come to Me instead of relying on anther sinful nation
to save you."
In
2 Kings 19:20, it is, 'Because you have prayed to Me ... I have heard.'
Despised you
That is, it is secure from thy contemplated attack.
The idea is, that Jerusalem would exult over the ineffectual attempts of
Sennacherib to take it, and over his complete overthrow.
Laughed you to scorn
Sennacherib and his army would become an object of derision.
Against whom have you raised your voice?
He had evinced arrogance in his manner.
He was yet to learn that it was against the living and true God.
Not, as he supposed, against a helpless people.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (21) Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel to whom you prayed (because you prayed to me MT) about Sennacherib king of Assyria; (22) this is the word which the Lord spoke concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and mocked you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you. (23) Whom have you mocked and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and arrogantly lifted up your eyes? Against the Holy One of Israel. |
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Here Yahweh begins to quote the boast of Sennacherib.
Height of the mountains, to the limits of Lebanon
Imagery from the Assyrian felling of trees in Lebanon (Isaiah
14:8; 33:9);
figurative for , 'I have carried my victorious army through the regions most
difficult of access, to the most remote lands.'
The extreme retreats;
the furthest part of Lebanon. Perhaps referring to the fact that on
the ascent to the top of the mountain there was a place for the repose of
travelers; a species of inn or caravansera which bounded the usual
attempts of persons to ascend the mountain. Such a lodging-place on
the sides or tops of mountains which are frequently ascended, was
not uncommon.
The Vulgate has: 'the height of his summit.'
Tall cedars
The word here denotes the cypress, a tree resembling the white cedar.
It grew on Lebanon, and, together with the cedar, constituted
its glory.
Its wood, like that of the cedar, was employed for
| The floors and ceilings of the temple | (1 Kings 6:15) |
| The decks and sheathing of ships | (Ezekiel 27:5) |
| Musical instruments | (2 Samuel 6:5) |
Stanley says that pine foliage and cedars are still found on the northwest side of Lebanon.
The Chaldaic paraphrases, 'I will ascend to the stronghold of their cities, and moreover I will take the house of their sanctuary ("Lebanon"), and I will kill the fairest among their brave men' (answering to the tall cedars).
The boast of Sennacherib was that he would strip it of its beauty and ornament; that is, that he would lay the land waste.
Its fruitful forest
The Chaldaic paraphrases, 'the multitude of their army.'
It is known that Lebanon was covered on the top, and far down the sides,
with perpetual snow.
But there was a region lying on its sides, between the snow and the base of
the mountain, that was distinguished for fertility, and that was
highly cultivated. This region produced grapes in abundance; and
this cultivated part of the mountain, thick set with vines and trees,
might be called a beautiful grove.
At a distance, this tract on the sides of Lebanon appeared doubtless as a
thicket of shrubs and trees. The phrase 'garden-forest,'
will probably express the sense of the passage.
Hogg says:
"After leaving Baalbec, and approaching Lebanon, towering walnut
trees, either singly or in groups, and a rich carpet of
verdure, the offspring of numerous streams, give to this
charming district the air of an English park, majestically bordered with
snow-tipped mountains. At Deir-el-Akmaar, the ascent begins winding
among dwarf oaks, hawthorns, and a great variety of shrubs and
flowers. A deep bed of snow had now to be crossed, and the horses
sunk or slipped at every moment. To ride was impracticable, and to
walk dangerous, for the melting snow penetrated our boots, and our
feet were nearly frozen. An hour and a half brought us to the cedars."
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (24) By your servants you have reviled my Lord and said, ‘With my many chariots I myself have climbed the highest mountains, to the farthest parts of Lebanon where I cut it down, its tallest cedars and its choicest cypresses. I entered its highest point, its most fertile forest. |
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Yahweh continues with His quote of Sennacherib's boast.
I have dug
In
2 Kings 19:24, it is "strange waters."
He was saying: "I have marched into foreign lands, where I had to dig
wells for the supply of my armies; even the natural destitution of
water there did not impede my march."
With the soles of my feet
Sennacherib thus alludes to his recent expedition against Egypt. But
he suppresses his forced retreat from Pelusium.
"With the sole of my foot" expresses that as soon as his vast armies
marched into a region, the streams were drunk up by them; or rather,
that the rivers proved no obstruction to the onward march of his armies.
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright
(c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
Isaiah 37:25
The brooks of defense
"All the canals of fenced places." The principal cities of
Egypt, the scene of his late exploits, were chiefly defended
by deep moats, canals, or large lakes, made by labor and art,
with which they were surrounded.
The boast of drying up streams with the sole of the foot, is
intended to convey the idea that he had not only supplied water for his own
empire by digging wells, but that he had cut off the supplies of
water from the others against whom he had made war.
The idea perhaps is, that if such an army as his was, should pass
through the streams of a country that they should invade, and should only
take away the water that would adhere to the sole or the hollow of the
foot on their march, it would still dry up all the streams. It is
strong hyperbolical language, and is designed to indicate the number of
the forces which were under his command.
The whole language of the verse therefore, is that of a
proud and haughty prince, desirous of proclaiming his conquests,
and forgetting his mortifying defeats.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (25) I myself cried out and drank foreign waters, and with the sole of my foot I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.’ |
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Now Yahweh ceases his quote of Sennacherib's boasts, and continues with His message to Sennacherib.
The historical reality, in this instance the Assyrian judgment upon the nations, had had from all eternity an ideal reality in God (see at Isa 22:11).
It is designed to state to Sennacherib that he was under Yahweh's control; that this was the reason why the inhabitants of the nations had been unable to resist him; that he was entirely in Yahweh's hands.
God said to him - You boast that it is all by your counsel and might, but
| It is I who, long ago, have ordered it so |
| You are but the instrument in My hands |
| This was the reason why 'the inhabitants were of small power before you' |
| Namely, that I ordered it so; yet you are in my hands, and I know your ways (Isaiah 37:28), and I will check you (Isaiah 37:29). |
God pointed out that in reality, Sennacherib's conquests were no conquests at all:
| Therefore | Not because you have so great power; but because I have rendered them incapable of resisting you. |
| They had little power | They were feeble, unable to resist you. |
| They were dismayed | Their spirits sank; they were ashamed of their feeble powers of resistance; and they submitted to the ignominy of a surrender. |
| They were as grass of the field | The idea here is, as the grass of the field offers no resistance to the march of an army. |
| They were as grass on the roof | His enemies were not simply like the grass in the field, but they were like the thin, slender, and delicate blade that sprung up in the little earth on the roof of a house, where there was no room for the roots to strike down, and where it soon withered beneath the burning sun. |
| They were as grain blighted | Before it acquires any strength. They were incapable of offering even the feeblest resistance. |
Thus Yahweh shows Sennacherib that it is not by his cunning or military might that he had been successful in the past, but because he attacked the weak and helpless, and because Yahweh allowed him to achieve victory.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (26) Did you not hear how in the distant past I decided to do it, in ancient times planned it? Now I have made it happen that fortified cities should become devastated, besieged heaps. (you should make fortified cities crash into ruined heaps MT) (27) Their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and ashamed. They were wild plants, grassy sprouts, grass on the roofs, scorched by the east wind. (and a field before the standing grain MT) |
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Your going out, and your coming in
The expressions here describe a person's whole course of life.
Sitting down and
rising up (Ps 139:2), going out and coming in (Ps 121:8), denote every kind of
human activity. All the thoughts and actions, the purposes and undertakings of
Sennacherib, more especially with regard to the people of Jehovah. Like a wild
beast that had been subdued by force, the Assyrian would have to return home, without having achieved his purpose with Judah (or with Egypt).
Asshur is Jehovah's chosen instrument while thus casting down the nations, which are "short-handed against him," i.e., incapable of resisting him. But Jehovah afterwards places this lion under firm restraint; and before it has reached the goal set before it, He leads it back into its own land, as if with a ring through its nostril.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (28) But I know your rising up and sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. (29) I have heard of your arrogance, (Because I have heard of your raging against me and your arrogance MT) so I will put my hook in your nose and my bit on your lips, and I will turn you back on the way on which is destruction on which you came. |
|
The prophet now turns to Hezekiah.
According to Thenius,
| hasshânâh | (this year) | The first year after Sennacherib's invasions, in which the people had been hindered from cultivating their fields by the Assyrian who was then in the land |
| hasshânâh hassheeniith | (the 2nd year) | The current year in which the words were uttered by Hezekiah |
| hasshânâh hassheliishiith | (the 3rd year) | The year that was coming in which the land would be cleared of the enemy and they could resume agricultural operations |
It was autumn at the time when Isaiah gave this sign, and the current civil year was reckoned from one autumnal equinox to the other, as, for example, in Exodus 23:16, where the feast of tabernacles or harvest festival is said to fall at the close of the year; so that if the fourteenth year of Hezekiah was the year 714, the current year would extend from Tishri 714 to Tishri 713
But in the third year, that is to say the year 712-11, freedom and peace would
prevail again, and there would be nothing more to hinder the cultivation of the
fields or vineyards. If this should be the course of events during the three
years, it would be a sign to king Hezekiah that the fate of the Assyrian would
be no other than that predicated. The year 712-11 would be the peremptory limit
appointed him, and the year of deliverance.
(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition,
Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
Psalm 126:5-6
(5) They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing.
(6) He who goes forth bearing seed and weeping [at needing his precious supply of
grain for sowing] shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his
sheaves with him.
Psalm 128:2
For you shall eat [the fruit] of the labor of your hands; happy (blessed,
fortunate, enviable) shall you be, and it shall be well with you.
(AMP)
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (30) “This will be the sign for you: Eat this year what grows of itself and in the second year what springs from that. In the third year sow seed, reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. |
|
The agricultural prospect of the third year shapes itself there into a figurative representation of the fate of Judah. Isaiah's watchword, "a remnant shall return," is now fulfilled; Jerusalem has been spared, and becomes the source of national rejuvenation.
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (31) The escapees of the house of Judah will gather (be increased MT) and those who are found (the remainder MT) will take root below ground and bear fruit above. (32) For a remnant will go forth out of Zion and escapees from Jerusalem. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. |
|
The prophecy concerning the protection of Jerusalem becomes more definite than it ever has been before.
To us, however, the words "Thus says Jehovah" are something more than a flower
of speech; and we hear the language of a man exalted above the standard of the
natural man, and one how has been taken, as Amos says (Amos 3:7), by God, the molder of history into "His secret."
| Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. (NKJV) |
Here also we see the prophecy at its
height, towards which it has been ascending,
through the midst of obstacles accumulated by the moral condition of the nation,
but with the same goal invariably in view.
The Assyrian will not storm
Jerusalem; there will not even be preparations for a siege.
For I will defend this city
Notwithstanding all that Hezekiah had done to put it in a posture of defense,
still it was Yahweh alone who could preserve it.
For my own sake
God had been reproached and blasphemed by Sennacherib. As his name and
power had been thus blasphemed, he says that he would vindicate himself,
and for the honor of his own insulted majesty would save the city.
And for my servant David's sake
On account of the promise which he had made to him that there should not
fail a man to sit on his throne, and that the city and nation should not
be destroyed until the Messiah should appear (see Psalms 132:11-12).
| Psalms 132:11-12 The LORD has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: "I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body. If your sons will keep My covenant and My testimony which I shall teach them, their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore." (NKJV) |
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (33) “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city, nor build up a siege mound against it, nor shoot an arrow there, nor oppose it with a shield. (nor shoot an arrow there, nor oppose it with a shield, nor build up a siege mound against it MT) (34) By the way he came, he will return. He will not enter this city, says the Lord. (35) I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.” |
| SENNACHERIB'S DEFEAT AND DEATH |
|
To this culminating prophecy there is now appended an account of the
catastrophe itself.
The
first pair of histories closes here with a short account of the result of the
Assyrian drama, in which Isaiah's prophecies were most gloriously fulfilled: not
only the prophecies immediately preceding, but all the prophecies of the
Assyrian era since the time of Ahaz, which pointed to
| The destruction of the Assyrian forces | (Isa 10:33-34) |
| The flight and death of the king of Assyrian | (Isa 31:8-9) |
According to Josephus (Ant. x. 1, 5), when Sennacherib returned from his unsuccessful Egyptian expedition, he found the detachment of his army, which he had left behind in Palestine, in front of Jerusalem, where a pestilential disease sent by God was making great havoc among the soldiers, and that on the very first night of the siege.
One angel - 185,000 men dead
When Peter cut off the soldier's ear, Jesus said to him: "Put your sword in its
place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that
I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve
legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must
happen thus?" (Matthew
26:52-54)
Nisroch his god
Gesenius supposes that the word 'Nisroch' denotes an eagle,
or a great eagle.
The eagle was regarded as a sacred bird in the Persian religion, and was
the symbol of Ormuzd.
This god or idol had been probably introduced into Nineveh from Persia.
Josephus calls the idol Araskes.
The author of the book of Tobit calls it Dagon.
Vitringa supposes that it was the Assyrian Bel, and was worshipped
under the figure of Mars, the god of war.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
From The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible
| (36) Then the angel of the Lord went out, and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. When morning came, there they were, all of them dead bodies. (37) So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp, left, and returned, and remained at Nineveh. (38) As he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword, and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place. |
| LESSON 17 FROM THE AMPLIFIED VERSION |
Isaiah 36:11 - 37:38 - from the Amplified Version
36:11 THEN ELIAKIM and Shebna and Joah
said to the Rabshakeh, We pray you, speak to your servants in the Aramaic or
Syrian language, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in the language of
the Jews in the hearing of the people on the wall.
(12) But the Rabshakeh said, Has my master sent me to speak these words only to
your master and to you? Has he not sent me to the men sitting on the wall, who
are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?
(13) Then the Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the language of the
Jews: Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!
(14) Thus says the king: Let not Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to
deliver you.
(15) Nor let Hezekiah make you trust in and rely on the Lord, saying, The Lord
will surely deliver us; this city will not be delivered into the hand of the
king of Assyria.
(16) Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: Make your peace
with me and come out to me; and eat every one from his own vine and every one
from his own fig tree and drink every one the water of his own cistern,
(17) Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain
and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
(18) Beware lest Hezekiah persuade and mislead you by saying, The Lord will
deliver us. Has any one of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out
of the hand of the king of Assyria?
(19) Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad [in Syria]? Where are the gods of
Sepharvaim [a place from which the Assyrians brought colonists to inhabit
evacuated Samaria]? And have [the gods] delivered Samaria [capital of the ten
northern tribes of Israel] out of my hand?
(20) Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land out of my hand,
that [you should think that] the Lord can deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
(21) But they kept still and answered him not a word, for the king's [Hezekiah's]
command was, Do not answer him.
(22) Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the
secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recording historian came to Hezekiah with
their clothes rent, and told him the words of the Rabshakeh [the Assyrian
military official].
37:1 AND WHEN King Hezekiah heard it, he rent his clothes and covered himself
with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. [2 Kings 19:1-13.]
(2) And he sent Eliakim, who was over the [royal] household, and Shebna the
secretary, and the older priests, clothed with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet,
the son of Amoz.
(3) And they said to him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of trouble and
distress and of rebuke and of disgrace; for children have come to the birth, and
there is no strength to bring them forth.
(4) It may be that the Lord your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom
the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to mock, reproach, insult, and defy
the living God, and will rebuke the words which the Lord your God has heard.
Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant [of His people] that is left.
(5) So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
(6) And Isaiah said to them, You shall say to your master, Thus says the Lord: Do
not be afraid because of the words which you have heard, with which the servants
of the king of Assyria have reviled and blasphemed Me.
(7) Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to
his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
(8) So the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against
Libnah [a fortified city of Judah]; for he had heard that the king had departed
from Lachish.
(9) And [Sennacherib king of Assyria] heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia,
He has come forth to make war with you. And when he heard it, he sent messengers
to Hezekiah, saying,
(10) Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: Let not your God in Whom you
trust deceive you by saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the
king of Assyria.
(11) Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands,
destroying them utterly. And shall you be delivered?
(12) Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my predecessors have
destroyed, as Gozan, Haran [of Mesopotamia], Rezeph, and the children of Eden
who were in Telassar?
(13) Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad [of northern Syria], and
the king of the city of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?
(14) And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it.
And Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. [2
Kings 19:14-19.]
(15) And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord:
(16) O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, Who [in symbol] are enthroned above the
cherubim [of the ark in the temple], You are the God, You alone, of all the
kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
(17) Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear
all the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to mock, reproach, insult, and
defy the living God.
(18) It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations
and their lands
(19) And have cast the gods of those peoples into the fire, for they were not gods
but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they have destroyed them.
(20) Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms
of the earth may know (understand and realize) that You are the Lord, even You
only.
(21) Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus says the Lord, the God
of Israel: Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, [2
Kings 19:20-37; 2 Chronicles 32:20-21.]
(22) This is the word which the Lord has spoken concerning him: The Virgin
Daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the Daughter of
Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you.
(23) Whom have you mocked and reviled [insulted and blasphemed]? And against Whom
have you raised your voice and haughtily lifted your eyes? Against the Holy One
of Israel!
(24) By your servants you have mocked, reproached, insulted, and defied the Lord,
and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up to the height of the
mountains, to the inner recesses of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars and
its choicest cypress trees; I came to its remotest height, its most luxuriant
and dense forest;
(25) I dug wells and drank foreign waters, and with the sole of my feet I have
dried up all the rivers [the Nile streams] of Egypt.
(26) [But, says the God of Israel] have you not heard that I purposed to do it long
ago, that I planned it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that you
[king of Assyria] should [be My instrument to] lay waste fortified cities,
making them ruinous heaps.
(27) Therefore their inhabitants had little power, they were dismayed and
confounded; they were like the grass of the field and like the green herb, like
the grass on the housetops and like a field of grain blasted before it is grown
or is in stalk.
(28) But I [the Lord] know your sitting down and your going out and your coming in
and your raging against Me.
(29) Because your raging against Me and your arrogance and careless ease have come
to My ears, therefore will I put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your
lips, and I will turn you back by the way you came.
(30) And [now, Hezekiah, says the Lord] this shall be the sign [of these things]
to you: you shall eat this year what grows of itself, and in the second year
that which springs from the same. And in the third year sow and reap, and plant
vineyards and eat the fruit of them.
(31) And the remnant that has survived of the house of Judah shall again take root
downward and bear fruit upward.
(32) For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant, and a band that survives out of
Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
(33) Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not
come into this city or shoot an arrow here or come before it with shield or cast
up a siege mound against it.
(34) By the way that he came, by the same way he shall return, and he shall not
come into this city, says the Lord.
(35) For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for the sake of
My servant David.
(36) And the Angel of the Lord went forth, and slew 185,000 in the camp of the
Assyrians; and when [the living] arose early in the morning, behold, all these
were dead bodies. [2 Kings 19:35.]
(37) So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned and dwelt at Nineveh.
(38) And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and
Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword, and they escaped into the land of
Armenia or Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead.
(End of Lesson 17)
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Second Covenant |
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