Keraia
Isaiah 37

Isaiah 37:4

Isaiah’s Message of Deliverance · Isaiah 37:1–7
Read Isaiah 37

Translations

Modern
Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”
Traditional
It may be the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left.
Literal
Perhaps YHWH your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke the words that YHWH your God has heard. And lift up a prayer on behalf of the remnant that is found.”
Latin
Si quomodo audiat Dominus Deus tuus verba Rabsacis, quem misit rex Assyriorum dominus suus ad blasphemandum Deum viventem et exprobrandum sermonibus quos audivit Dominus Deus tuus: leva ergo orationem pro reliquiis quæ repertæ sunt.

Original

Hebrew
English
Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”

Notes

Isaiah 37:4

Perhaps … God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh … defy the living God: Hezekiah's hope was not based on Judah's or his own goodness, nor on the presence of the temple in Jerusalem. Instead, it was based on God responding to Assyria's disrespect.

Isaiah 36:1–39:8

Jerusalem’s rescue from King Sennacherib of Assyria is a main event in Isaiah 1–39. The Lord promised to save his people. He would remain present with Jerusalem (see 7:14). He would also keep a remnant, a small group who would survive (see study note on Isaiah 10:20).

Much of the land became empty and the population greatly reduced. This happened because Judah made a foolish alliance with Assyria (chapters 7–8). Even so, the Lord did not allow total defeat. He preserved his people through Hezekiah, a faithful king.

Hezekiah faced the same kind of test that King Ahaz had faced. It was a test of trust in the Lord. In chapter 36, the Assyrian officer repeats the word trust as he challenges the people. But Hezekiah had learned from the earlier warnings in chapters 13–35. At least at first, he trusted God and passed the test.

This story also appears in 2 Kings 18:13–20:19.

Events

Parallels

2 Kings 19:1–7

People

Rabshakeh: A Babylonian official who taunted Hezekiah and Jerusalem's people

Places

Assyria: A powerful ancient empire, often in conflict with Israel

Glossary

Assyria, Assyrians Hezekiah History of Israel Inscriptions Isaiah, Book of Kings, Books of First and Second Micah (Person) Prayer Rabshakeh Shebna