2 Kings 18 Commentary

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Chart from recommended resource Jensen's Survey of the OT - used by permission
1 Kings Chart from Charles Swindoll

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

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(NOTE: Many consider Amaziah and Hezekiah as "good" kings)

SEE ALSO:
ESV chart - kings of Israel - more information
ESV chart - kings of Judah - more information
Another Chart with Variable Dates for Reigns of King

2 Kings 18:1 Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

• in the third: 2Ki 18:9 15:30 17:1 
• Hezekiah: 2Ki 16:20 1Ch 3:13 2Ch 28:27 29:1 Mt 1:9,10, Ezekias

Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king.

BSB - Hezekiah (729-686 B.C.) was one of Judah's finest kings in the sight of God. He was given the high acclaim of having followed in David's conduct and character, and also of being the most faithful of all Judah's kings in trusting God (v. 5). He became coregent with his father Ahaz in 729 B.C. (v. 1) at the age of 11. He became sole ruler at his father's death in 715 B.C., when he (Hezekiah) was 25, and he ruled until 686 B.C.

2 Kings 18:2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

• Twenty and five years old: As Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and died when he had reigned 16 years, his whole age only amounted to 36 years; and as Hezekiah was, at least, entering on his 25th year when he began to reign, then Ahaz must have been under 12 years of age when his son was born!  This is not at all impossible:  and there are well-attested facts of men having children at as early a period, especially in eastern countries., A.M. 3278-3306, B.C. 726-698
• Abi: 2Ch 29:1, Abijah

Parallel Passage: 

2 Chronicles 29:1 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.

He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah

2 Kings 18:3 He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

• right in the sight: 2Ki 20:3 Ex 15:26 De 6:18 2Ch 31:20,21 Job 33:27 Ps 119:128 Ro 7:12 Eph 6:1 
• according: 2Ki 22:2 1Ki 3:14 11:4,38 15:5,11 2Ch 29:2 

Parallel Passage: 

2 Chronicles 29:2 He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. 

He did right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

2 Kings 18:4 He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.

• removed: 2Ki 12:3 14:4 15:4,35 Lev 26:30 1Ki 3:2,3 15:14 22:43 Ps 78:58 Eze 20:28,29 
• brake: 2Ki 23:4 De 7:5 12:2,3 Jud 6:25,28 1Ki 15:12,13 2Ch 19:3 31:1 2Ch 33:3 
• images: Heb. statues
• the brazen serpent: Nu 21:8-9 Joh 3:14,15 
• unto those days: 2Ki 16:15 
• Nehushtan: That is, a piece of brass.

Related Passages: 

Numbers 21:8-9  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. 

ADDITONAL INFORMATION NOT IN KINGS - 2 Ch 29:3–31:21

He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan.

Henry Morris - The brasen serpent (Numbers 21:8,9) was originally a symbol of sin judged and salvation given. Once it had served its purpose, however, it should have been abandoned. Instead it eventually became an idol. This is the danger involved in too much emphasis on symbols rather than the realities they are intended to represent. Nehushtan.  The meaning of "Nehushtan" is "a piece of brass."

BSB - Almost immediately after Ahaz's death, Hezekiah destroyed all the high places where pagan religious ceremonies had been held, and disposed of all cultic objects which might have heathen significance. This included even destroying the bronze serpent which Moses had made in the wilderness centuries before (Num. 21:5-9). The people of Hezekiah's day had been using the bronze serpent as an object of superstition and had been burning incense to it (cf. 2 Chr. 29:3-31:21).
 

2 Kings 18:5 He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.

• trusted: 2Ki 19:10 2Ch 32:7,8 Job 13:15 Ps 13:5 27:1,2 46:1,2 84:12 Ps 146:5,6 Jer 17:7,8 Mt 27:43 Eph 1:12 
• after him: 2Ki 19:15-19 23:25 2Ch 14:11 16:7-9 20:20,35 

He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.

Henry Morris - He trusted in the LORD God of Israel.  Hezekiah was arguably the most godly of all the kings of Judah, yet his father Ahaz was probably the most ungodly. Perhaps the testimony of his grandfather, Jotham, or his great grandfather, Uzziah, influenced him toward Jehovah. More likely, he was pointed to the Lord by the prophet Isaiah, who was a frequent spokesman for God at the king's court.
 

2 Kings 18:6 For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

• he clave: None of the kings of Judah, from the time of the division of the kingdom, equalled Hezekiah in the stedfastness and simplicity of his dependence upon the Lord; in which he aspired to an equality with his progenitor David, who had reigned over the whole land.  Even Asa, through weakness of faith, sought the assistance of a heathen prince; and Jehoshaphat formed an alliance with idolatrous Ahab; but Hezekiah clave to the Lord, in entire confidence and unreserved obedience, to the end of his life. De 10:20 Jos 23:8 Ac 11:23 
• from following him: Heb. from after him
• kept: 2Ki 17:13,16,19 Jer 11:4 Joh 14:15,21 15:10,14 1Jn 5:3 

For he clung to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses.

2 Kings 18:7 And the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

• And the Lord: Ge 21:22 39:2,3 1Sa 18:14 2Ch 15:2 Ps 46:11 60:12 Mt 1:23 Mt 28:20 Ac 7:9,10 
• he prospered: Ge 39:2 1Sa 18:5,14 *marg: 2Sa 8:6,14 2Ch 31:21 32:30 Ps 1:3 60:12 Ro 8:31 
• rebelled: 2Ki 18:20 16:7 

And the LORD was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

Bsb - Hezekiah also ceased paying tribute to Assyria, a practice started under his father Ahaz (16:7-9). For reasons unknown, Sargon II, the king of Assyria, waited until 712 B.C. to take steps to punish Hezekiah. This campaign is recorded in Isa. 20:1. Assyria left Judah alone, however, during the rest of Sargon's reign (722-705 B.C.).
 

2 Kings 18:8 He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.  

• the Philistines: 1Ch 4:41 2Ch 28:18 Isa 14:29 
• Gaza: Heb. Azzah
• from the tower: 2Ki 17:9 2Ch 26:10 Isa 5:2 

He defeated the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory, from watchtower to fortified city.  

2 Kings 18:9 Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.

• the fourth year: 2Ki 18:1 17:4-6 
• Shalmaneser: 2Ki 17:3-23 Ho 10:14, Shalman

Now in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it.

2 Kings 18:10 At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured.

• they took it: Ho 13:16 Am 3:11-15 4:1-3 6:7 9:1-4 Mic 1:6-9 6:16 7:13 

At the end of three years they captured it; in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was captured.

2 Kings 18:11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

• the king: 2Ki 17:6 19:11 1Ch 5:26 Isa 7:8 8:4 9:9-21 10:5,11 37:12 Ho 8:8,9 Ho 9:3 Am 5:1-3,6,25-27 Ac 7:43 
• Halah: It is thought, with much probability, that Halah, or Chalach, is Ptolemy's Calachene, the northern part of Assyria; that Habor, or Chabor, is the mountain or mountainous country, between Media and Assyria, called by Ptolemy, [Chaboras,] Chaboras; and that Gozan is Gauzanitis of Ptolemy, situated between that mountain and the Caspian sea, and between the two channels of the river Cyrus.

Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and put them in Halah and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,

2 Kings 18:12 because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

• they obeyed not: 2Ki 17:7-23 De 8:20 11:28 29:24-28 31:17 Ne 9:17,26,27 Ps 107:17 Isa 1:19 Jer 3:8 7:23 Da 9:6-11 Mic 3:4 2Th 1:8 1Pe 2:8 4:17 
• Moses: Nu 12:7 De 34:5 Jos 1:1 2Ti 2:24 Heb 3:5,6 

because they did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed His covenant, even all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded; they would neither listen nor do it.

 

2 Kings 18:13 Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.

• the fourteenth: 2Ch 32:1-23 Isa 36:1-22 
• Sennacherib: Heb. Sanherib
• come up: Isa 7:17-25 8:7,8 10:5 Ho 12:1,2 

Parallel Passage: 

Isaiah 36:1 Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.

Related Passages: 

Isaiah 20:1  In the year that the commander came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it,

Isaiah 21:16 For thus the Lord said to me, “In a year, as a hired man would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will terminate;

Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them

2 Kings 18:14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

•  offended: 2Ki 18:7 1Ki 20:4 Pr 29:25 Lu 14:32 

Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear.” So the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

bsb - One of the cities which Sennacherib besieged was Lachish. Inscriptions of this siege have been found in the king's palace at Nineveh. Hezekiah agreed to pay tribute to Sennacherib. In his inscription, Sennacherib claims that the tribute also included precious stones, inlaid couches and chairs, elephant hides, and even Hezekiah's own daughters, women of the palace, and musicians.

Ryrie - The tribute amounted to about 360,000 oz (11 tons, or 10 metric tons) of silver and 36,000 oz (one ton, or one metric ton) of gold. 

2 Kings 18:15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house.

• 2Ki 12:18 16:8 1Ki 15:15,18,19 2Ch 16:2 

Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king’s house.

2 Kings 18:16 At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.  

• gold: 1Ki 6:31-35 2Ch 29:3 

At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

2 Kings 18:17 Then the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the fuller’s field.

• the king: 2Ch 32:9 Isa 20:1 36:2 
• Tartan: Calmet remarks, that these are not the names of persons, but of offices:  {Tartan} signifies "he who presides over gifts or tribute;" {Rabsaris,} "the chief of the eunuchs;" and {Rabshakeh,} "the chief cup-bearer."
• great: Heb. heavy
• the conduit of the upper pool: If the Fuller's field were near En-Rogel, or the Fuller's fountain, east of Jerusalem, as is generally supposed, then the conduit of the upper pool may been an aqueduct that brought the water from the upper or eastern reservoir of that fountain, which had been seized in order to distress the city. 2Ki 20:20 Isa 7:3 22:9-11 36:2 

Parallel Passages: 

2 Chr 32:9 After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem, saying,

Related Passages: 

Isaiah 36:2-3 And the king of Assyria sent (HIS SERVANTS - 2Ch 32:9) Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller’s field. 3 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. 

Then the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the fuller’s field

Henry Morris - Rabshakeh.  These names are actually titles. Tartan, Rabsaris and Rabshakeh mean, respectively, "Tribute Officer," "Chief Eunuch" and "Chief Butler." conduit of the upper pool.  Ironically (or providentially), this was the same location where Ahaz had received and then ignored, the testimony of the prophet Isaiah some thirty years before, even including the great promise of the coming virgin birth of the Messiah, Immanuel (Isaiah 7:3,10-14).

2 Kings 18:18 When they called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.  

• Eliakim: 2Ki 19:2 Isa 22:20-24 36:3,22 37:2 
• Shebna: Isa 22:15-19 
• the scribe: or, secretary, 2Sa 8:17 *marg:
• the recorder: 2Sa 8:16 20:24 1Ki 4:3 2Ch 34:8 

When they called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them

BSB - Shebna, the scribe, was one of Hezekiah's negotiators (cf. v. 37). Later he would turn from the ways of God and be denounced by Isaiah as a man utterly worthless in character, one doomed to be driven away by God's judgment like a ball tossed with the foot (Isa. 22:15-18).

2 Kings 18:19 Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you have?

• Rabshakeh: He was the chief speaker, being a very eloquent man, and, according to the Hebrews, whom Procopius follows, an apostate Jew; which is not improbable, as he spoke Hebrew so fluently; and when he blasphemed the Divine Majesty, the king and nobles rent their clothes, which was usual unless the blasphemer were an Israelite.
• Thus saith: 2Ch 32:10 Isa 10:8-14 36:4 37:13 Da 4:30 
• What confidence: 2Ki 18:22,29,30 19:10 2Ch 32:7,8,10,11,14-16 Ps 4:2 Isa 36:4,7 37:10 

Parallel Passages: 

2 Chronicles 32:10 “Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria, ‘On what are you trusting that you are remaining in Jerusalem under siege?

Then Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria, “What is this confidence that you have

2 Kings 18:20 “You say (but they are only empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me?

• vain words: Heb. word of the lips, I have counsel and strength for the war.  or, but counsel and strength are for the war. Pr 21:30,31 
• rebellest: 2Ki 18:14 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:5 “I say, ‘Your counsel and strength for the war are only empty words.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me?

You say (but they are only empty words), ‘I have counsel and strength for the war.’ Now on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me

2 Kings 18:21 “Now behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.

• trustest: Heb. trustest thee
• the staff: Isa 36:6 Eze 29:6,7 
• upon Egypt: Isa 30:2,7 31:1-3 
• so is Pharaoh: 2Ki 17:4 Jer 46:17 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:6 “Behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him.

Now behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him

2 Kings 18:22 “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?

• We trust: 2Ki 18:5 Da 3:15 Mt 27:43 
• whose high places: 2Ki 18:4 2Ch 31:1 32:12 Isa 36:7 1Co 2:15 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:7 “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?

Related Passages: 

2 Chronicles 32:11-12 ‘Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst, saying, “The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria”? 12‘Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense”?

But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem

2 Kings 18:23 “Now therefore, come, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.  

• pledges: Heb. hostages
• I will deliver: 1Sa 17:42,44 1Ki 20:10,18 Ne 4:2-5 Ps 123:3,4 Isa 10:13,14 Isa 36:8,9 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:8  “Now therefore, come make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. 

Now therefore, come, make a bargain with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them

make a bargain. This means that Hezekiah doesn't even have 2,000 horsemen. 

2 Kings 18:24 “How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants, and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

• How then: Isa 10:8 Da 2:37,38 4:22,37 
• thy trust: 2Ki 18:21 De 17:16 Isa 31:1,3 36:6,9 Jer 37:7 42:14-18 Eze 17:15,17 
• chariots: Ps 20:7,8 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:9 “How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? 

How then can you repulse one official of the least of my master’s servants, and rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen

2 Kings 18:25 “Have I now come up without the LORD’S approval against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’”

• Am I now: 2Ki 19:6,22-37 1Ki 13:18 2Ch 35:21 Isa 10:5,6 Am 3:6 Joh 19:10,11 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:10 “Have I now come up without the LORD’S approval against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”’

Have I now come up without the LORD’S approval against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.

Vs. 18:25  The commander further claimed that he had come against Judah by command of the Lord. 

2 Kings 18:26 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah 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.”

• Speak: Perceiving that the object of this blasphemous caitiff was to stir up the people to sedition, they mildly and reasonably required him to make his proposals in the Syrian language.
• in the Syrian language: Ezr 4:7 Isa 36:11,12 Da 2:4 

Parallel Passage: 

Isaiah 36:11 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.”

Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah 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.”

The Hebrew officials asked the Assyrians to speak in Aramaic, the commercial and diplomatic language of the day, so that bystanders would not understand what was being said. Evidently the Rabshakeh (commander) himself was speaking in Hebrew or through an interpreter. 

bsb - By 600 B.C. Aramaic had become the language of international diplomacy in the Near East. Thus, both the Assyrian and Judean officials (though not the common people) would understand it.
 

2 Kings 18:27 But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”  

• eat: 2Ki 6:25 De 28:53-57 Ps 73:8 La 4:5 Eze 4:13,15 
• their own piss: Heb. the water of their feet

Parallel Passage:

Isaiah 36:12  But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?” 

But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, doomed to eat their own dung and drink their own urine with you?”  

2 Kings 18:28 Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.

• Rabshakeh: 2Ch 32:18 Isa 36:13-18 
• the king of Assyria: 2Ki 18:19 Ezr 7:12 Ps 47:2 Isa 10:8-13 Eze 29:3 31:3-10 Rev 19:6 

Parallel Passage: 

Isaiah 36:13-18  Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14“Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 15nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, this city will not be given 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 each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, 17until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18‘Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in Judean, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria

2 Kings 18:29 “Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hand;

• saith: Ps 73:8,9 
• Let not: 2Ch 32:11,15 Da 3:15-17 6:16 Joh 19:10,11 2Th 2:4,8 

Parallel Passage: 

Isaiah 36:14 “Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you; 

Thus says the king, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hand

2 Kings 18:30 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

• make you: 2Ki 18:22 2Ki 19:10,22 Ps 4:2 11:1 22:7,8 71:9,11 125:1,2 Mt 27:43 Lu 23:35 
• this city: 2Ki 19:32-34 

Parallel Passage: 

Isaiah 36:15 nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.” 

nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”

2 Kings 18:31 ‘Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern,

• Make an agreement with me: or, Seek my favour, Heb. Make with me a blessing, Ge 32:20 33:11 Pr 18:16 
• eat ye: 1Ki 4:20,25 Zec 3:10 

Parallel Passage: 

Isaiah 36:16 ‘Do not listen to Hezekiah,’ for thus says the king of Assyria, ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern, 

Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria, “Make your peace with me and come out to me, and eat each of his vine and each of his fig tree and drink each of the waters of his own cistern,

RYRIE - Vs. 18:31-32  Addressing the populace directly, the commander insisted that they would stay alive only by surrendering and going into what he pictured as a rather pleasant exile. 

2 Kings 18:32 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.”

• I come: 2Ki 18:11 17:6,23 24:14-16 25:11 
• like your own: Ex 3:8 Nu 13:26,27 14:8 De 8:7-9 11:12 32:13,14 
• persuadeth: or, deceiveth, 2Ki 18:29 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:17 until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

Related Passages: 

2 Chronicles 32:13 ‘Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Were the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand?

until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live and not die.” But do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.”

2 Kings 18:33 ‘Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

• Hath any: 2Ki 19:12,13,17,18 2Ch 32:14-17,19 Isa 10:10 36:18-20 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:18 ‘Beware that Hezekiah does not mislead you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

Related Passages: 

2 Chronicles 32:14 Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?

Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?

2 Kings 18:34 ‘Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

• the gods: 2Ki 19:13 Nu 13:21 2Sa 8:9 Jer 49:23 
• Hamath: Hamath, there is little doubt, was the Epiphania of the Greeks, as Josephus, Theodoret, and Jerome, expressly assert. It was a celebrated city of Syria, situated on the Orontes, and the present Hamah doubtless occupies its site; as Abulfeda, who was prince or emir of Hamah about A.D. 1345, expressly states, in his Description of Syria, that Hamah is an ancient city mentioned in the writings of the Israelites. It is still a considerable town, situated on both sides of the Orontes, about three days' journey and a half from Tripoli; and must contain, Burckhardt says, at least 30,000 inhabitants.
• Arpad: Arpad is probably the town of Arphas, mentioned by Josephus as limiting the province of Gamalitis, Gaulanitis, Batanea, and Trachonitis, to the N. E.; and the Raphan, or Raphanea, which Stephanus places near Epiphania.
• the gods: 2Ki 17:24-33, Ava, Isa 36:18,19 37:11,12,18,19 
• have they delivered: 2Ki 17:6,23,24,30,31 19:12,13 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:19 ‘Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And when have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

 

‘Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?

2 Kings 18:35 ‘Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”  

• Who are: 2Ki 19:17 Da 3:15 
• that the Lord: Ex 5:2 2Ch 32:15 Job 15:25,26 Isa 10:15 37:23-29 

Parallel Passages: 

2 Chronicles 32:14  ‘Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand, that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand?

Isaiah 36:20 ‘Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD would deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’” 

Related Passages: 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT IN KINGS - 2 Chronicles 32:15-19 ‘Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this, and do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand?’”  16 His servants spoke further against the LORD God and against His servant Hezekiah. 17 He also wrote letters to insult the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against Him, saying, “As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand, so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.” 18They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city. 19They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth, the work of men’s hands.

Who among all the gods of the lands have delivered their land from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?’”  

2 Kings 18:36 But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

• held their peace: Ps 38:13,14 39:1 Pr 9:7 26:4 Am 5:13 Mt 7:6 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:21 But they were silent and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

2 Kings 18:37 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

• with their clothes rent: 2Ki 5:7 22:11,19 Ge 37:29,34 Job 1:20 Isa 33:7 36:21,22 Jer 36:24 Mt 26:65 

Parallel Passages: 

Isaiah 36:22 Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him the words of Rabshakeh