---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Isaiah 36"
description: "CHAPTER 36   :-. SENNACHERIB"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/isaiah/36"
---

CHAPTER 36

. SENNACHERIB'S
INVASION; BLASPHEMOUS
SOLICITATIONS; HEZEKIAH
IS TOLD
OF THEM.
This and the thirty-seventh
through thirty-ninth chapters form the historical appendix closing
the first division of Isaiah's prophecies, and were added to make the
parts of these referring to Assyria more intelligible. So ; compare . The section occurs almost word for word ([2 Kings 18:13](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/13);
[2 Kings 18:17-20](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/17-20); [2 Kings 18:14-16](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/14-16);
[2 Kings 19:1-37](../../../kjv/2-kings/19/1-37)); [2 Kings 19:1-12](../../../kjv/2-kings/19/1-12), however, is additional matter. Hezekiah's "writing"
also is in Isaiah, not in Kings ([2 Kings 19:1-12](../../../kjv/2-kings/19/1-12)). We know from [2 Kings 19:1-12](../../../kjv/2-kings/19/1-12) that Isaiah wrote the acts of Hezekiah. It is, therefore,
probable, that his record here ([2 Kings 19:1-12](../../../kjv/2-kings/19/1-12)) was incorporated into the Book of Kings by its
compiler. Sennacherib lived, according to Assyrian inscriptions, more
than twenty years after his invasion; but as Isaiah survived Hezekiah
([2 Chronicles 32:32](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/32/32)), who lived upwards
of fifteen years after the invasion ([2 Chronicles 32:32](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/32/32)), the record of Sennacherib's death ([2 Chronicles 32:32](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/32/32)) is no objection to this section having come from Isaiah;
[2 Chronicles 32:1-33](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/32/1-33) is
probably an abstract drawn from Isaiah's account, as the chronicler
himself implies ([2 Chronicles 32:32](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/32/32)).
Pul was probably the last of the old dynasty, and Sargon, a powerful
satrap, who contrived to possess himself of supreme power and found a
new dynasty (see on [Isaiah 36:2](../../../kjv/isaiah/36/2)).
No attempt was made by Judah to throw off the Assyrian yoke during
his vigorous reign. The accession of his son Sennacherib was thought
by Hezekiah the opportune time to refuse the long-paid tribute; Egypt
and Ethiopia, to secure an ally against Assyria on their Asiatic
frontier, promised help; Isaiah, while opposed to submission to
Assyria, advised reliance on Jehovah, and not on Egypt, but his
advice was disregarded, and so Sennacherib invaded Judea, 712 B.C.
He was the builder of the largest of the excavated palaces, that of
Koyunjik. HINCKS has
deciphered his name in the inscriptions. In the third year of his
reign, these state that he overran Syria, took Sidon and other
Phoelignician cities, and then passed to southwest Palestine, where
he defeated the Egyptians and Ethiopians (compare [2 Kings 18:21](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/21);
[2 Kings 19:9](../../../kjv/2-kings/19/9)). His subsequent
retreat, after his host was destroyed by God, is of course suppressed
in the inscriptions. But other particulars inscribed agree strikingly
with the Bible; the capture of the "defensed cities of Judah,"
the devastation of the country and deportation of its inhabitants;
the increased tribute imposed on Hezekiah—thirty talents of
gold—this *exact number being given in both;* the silver is
set down in the inscriptions at eight hundred talents, in the Bible
three hundred; the latter may have been the actual amount carried
off, the larger sum may include the silver from the temple doors,
pillars, &c. ([2 Kings 18:16](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/16)).

**1. fourteenth**—the third of
Sennacherib's reign. His ultimate object was Egypt, Hezekiah's ally.
Hence he, with the great body of his army (), advanced towards the Egyptian frontier, in southwest
Palestine, and did not approach Jerusalem.

**2. Rab-shakeh**—In , Tartan and Rab-saris are joined with him. Rab-shakeh was
probably the chief leader; *Rab* is a title of authority,
"chief-cup-bearer."
**Lachish**—a frontier town
southwest of Jerusalem, in Judah; represented as a great fortified
city in a hilly and fruitful country in the Koyunjik bas-reliefs, now
in the British Museum; also, its name is found on a slab over a
figure of Sennacherib on his throne.
**upper pool**—the side on
which the Assyrians would approach Jerusalem coming from the
southwest (see on [Isaiah 7:3](../../../kjv/isaiah/7/3)).

**3. Eliakim**—successor to
Shebna, who had been "over the household," that is, chief
minister of the king; in , this was foretold.
**scribe**—secretary,
recorder—literally, "one who reminds"; a remembrancer to
keep the king informed on important facts, and to act as
historiographer. In [2 Kings 18:18](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/18),
the additional fact is given that the Assyrian envoys "called to
the king," in consequence of which Eliakim, &c., "came
out to them."

**4. great king**—the usual title
of the Persian and Assyrian kings, as they had many subordinate
princes or kings under them over provinces ().

**5. counsel**—Egypt was famed for
its wisdom.

**6.** It was a similar alliance
with So (that is, Sabacho, or else Sevechus), the Ethiopian king of
Egypt, which provoked the Assyrian to invade and destroy Israel, the
northern kingdom, under Hoshea.

**7.** The Assyrian mistakes
Hezekiah's religious reforms whereby he took away the high places
([2 Kings 18:4](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/4)) as directed *against
Jehovah.* Some of the high places may have been dedicated to
Jehovah, but worshipped under the form of an *image* in
violation of the second commandment: the "brazen serpent,"
also (broken in pieces by Hezekiah, and called *Nehushtan,* "a
piece of brass," because it was worshipped by Israel) was
originally set up by *God's* command. Hence the Assyrian's
allegation has a specious color: you cannot look for help from
Jehovah, for your king has "taken away His altars."
**to Jerusalem**— ([Deuteronomy 12:5](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/12/5);
[Deuteronomy 12:11](../../../kjv/deuteronomy/12/11); [John 4:20](../../../kjv/john/4/20)).

**8. give pledges**—a taunting
challenge. Only give the *guarantee* that you can supply as many
as two thousand riders, and I will give thee two thousand horses. But
seeing that you have not even this small number (see on ), how can you stand against the hosts of Assyrian cavalry?
The Jews tried to supply their weakness in this "arm" from
Egypt ([Isaiah 31:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/31/1)).

**9. captain**—a governor under a
satrap; even *he* commands more horsemen than this.

**10.** A boastful inference from
the past successes of Assyria, designed to influence the Jews to
surrender; their *own* principles bound them to yield to
Jehovah's will. He may have heard from partisans in Judah what Isaiah
had foretold ([Isaiah 10:5](../../../kjv/isaiah/10/5); [Isaiah 10:6](../../../kjv/isaiah/10/6)).

**11. Syrian**—rather, "Aramean":
the language spoken north and east of Palestine, and understood by
the Assyrians as belonging to the same family of languages as their
own: nearly akin to *Hebrew* also, though not intelligible to
the multitude (compare ). "Aram" means a "high land," and
includes parts of Assyria as well as Syria.
**Jews' language**—The men
of Judah since the disruption of Israel, claimed the *Hebrew* as
their own peculiarly, as if they were now the only true
representatives of the whole Hebrew twelve tribes.
**ears of . . . people on . . .
wall**—The interview is within hearing distance of the city. The
people crowd on the wall, curious to hear the Assyrian message. The
Jewish rulers fear that it will terrify the people and therefore beg
Rab-shakeh to speak Aramean.

**12.** Is it to *thy master*
and *thee* that I am sent? Nay, it is to *the men on the wall,*
to let them know (so far am I from wishing them *not* to hear,
as *you* would wish), that unless they surrender, they shall be
reduced to the direst extremities of famine in the siege (, explains the word here), namely, to eat their own
excrements: or, connecting, "that they may eat," c., with
"sit upon the wall" who, as they hold the wall, are
knowingly exposing themselves to the direst extremities [MAURER].
Isaiah, as a faithful historian, records the filthy and blasphemous
language of the Assyrians to mark aright the true character of the
attack on Jerusalem.

**13.** Rab-shakeh speaks louder and
plainer than ever to the men on the wall.

**15.** The foes of God's people
cannot succeed against them, unless they can shake their trust in Him
(compare [Isaiah 36:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/36/10)).

**16. agreement . . . by . . .
present**—rather, "make *peace* with me";
literally, "blessing" so called from the mutual
*congratulations* attending the ratification of peace. So
*Chaldee.* Or else, "*Do homage* to me"
[HORSLEY].
**come out**—surrender to
me; then you may remain in quiet possession of your lands till my
return from Egypt, when I will lead you away to a land fruitful as
your own. Rab-shakeh tries to soften, in the eyes of the Jews, the
well-known Assyrian policy of weakening the vanquished by deporting
them to other lands ([Genesis 47:21](../../../kjv/genesis/47/21);
[2 Kings 17:6](../../../kjv/2-kings/17/6)).

**19. Hamath . . . Arphad**—(See
on [Isaiah 36:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/36/1)).
**Sepharvaim**—literally,
"the two scribes"; now Sipphara, on the east of Euphrates,
above Babylon. It was a just retribution ([Proverbs 1:31](../../../kjv/proverbs/1/31);
[Jeremiah 2:19](../../../kjv/jeremiah/2/19)). Israel worshipped the
gods of Sepharvaim, and so colonists of Sepharvaim were planted in
the land of Israel (thenceforth called Samaria) by the Assyrian
conqueror ([2 Kings 17:24](../../../kjv/2-kings/17/24); compare
[2 Kings 18:34](../../../kjv/2-kings/18/34)).
**Samaria**—Shalmaneser
began the siege against Hoshea, because of his conspiring with So of
Egypt ([2 Kings 17:4](../../../kjv/2-kings/17/4)). Sargon
finished it; and, in his palace at Khorsabad, he has mentioned the
number of Israelites carried captive—27,280 [G. V. SMITH].

**20.** (Compare [Isaiah 10:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/10/11);
[2 Chronicles 32:19](../../../kjv/2-chronicles/32/19)). Here he contradicts
his own assertion ([Isaiah 36:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/36/10)),
that he had "come up against the land *with the Lord.*"
Liars need good memories. He classes Jehovah with the idols of the
other lands; nay, thinks Him inferior in proportion as Judah, under
His tutelage, was less than the lands under the tutelage of the
idols.

**21. not a word**—so as not to
enter into a war of words with the blasphemer ([Exodus 14:14](../../../kjv/exodus/14/14);
[Judges 1:9](../../../kjv/judges/1/9)).

**22. clothes rent**—in grief and
horror at the blasphemy ().

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