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The Mourning of Hezekiah and the Arrogance of the Assyrian King
v. 1. And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, filled with horror over the blasphemy uttered by the Assyrian messengers, and covered himself with sackcloth, the garment of penitence, for he saw in the entire Assyrian campaign a punishment of God, and went into the house of the Lord.
v. 2. And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna, the scribe, two of his chief officers, and the elders of the priests, the most notable among them, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah, the prophet, the son of Amoz, who, although advanced in years, was still proclaiming the Word of the Lord.
v. 3. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble and of rebuke and blasphemy, of rejection of the people on the part of God; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth, said of the crisis in the birth of a child when the strength of the mother fails in the midst of the labor pains and the life of both the mother and the baby are in the greatest danger. The situation in Judah was likewise one of extreme peril.
v. 4. It may be the Lord, thy God, will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master, hath sent to reproach the living God, to heap contempt upon Him; and will reprove the words which the Lord, thy God, hath heard; wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left, induce the Lord to revenge the arrogant blasphemy which had been heaped both upon Him and upon His people.
v. 5. So the servants of King Hezekiah, bearing this message, came to Isaiah.
v. 6. And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me; the word rendered "servants" really signifies "immature boys, lackeys," such as are not yet able to use proper judgment.
v. 7. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, an extraordinary impetus driving him on, and he shall hear a rumor, this disquieting report causing the uneasiness of his mind,and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
v. 8. So Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish, having meanwhile probably taken the city.
v. 9. And when he, the Assyrian king, heard say of Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, ruler over Egypt, successor of Shebek II, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee, to anticipate Sennacherib's attack of Egypt, he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, in a last attempt to obtain possession of Jerusalem and of Judah, saying,
v. 10. Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria. The entire message was once more intended to intimidate Hezekiah by a false pretense of power.
v. 11. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly, this being a boastful exaggeration; and shalt thou be delivered?
v. 12. Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelasar? These were provinces north of the Tigris, in Mesopotamia and in the district of Palmyra, in Eastern Syria.
v. 13. Where Is the king of Hamath and the king of Arpad and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah? Cf 2Ki_18:34. Over against all the arrogant blasphemy of the unbelievers the children of God have the promise and comfort of the Word of God, in whose power they are able to withstand all enemies.