2 Kings 18:19

Rab-shakeh said--The insolent tone he assumed appears surprising. But this boasting [Kg2 18:19-25], both as to matter and manner, his highly colored picture of his master's powers and resources, and the impossibility of Hezekiah making any effective resistance, heightened by all the arguments and figures which an Oriental imagination could suggest, has been paralleled in all, except the blasphemy, by other messages of defiance sent on similar occasions in the history of the East.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

2Ki 18:19 And Rabshakeh said unto them, Speak ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence [is] this wherein thou trustest?

Ver. 19. Thus saith the great king.] An expression that savoureth of intolerable pride, and, as some think, uttered in way of deriding the prophets of Israel, who usually prefaced, Thus saith the Lord God. Hezekiah might well have replied, as afterward Agesilaus, king of Sparta, did upon a like occasion, Nemo me maior nisi qui iustior: or, as Seneca, Anime magno nihil magnum. But empty spirits affect swelling titles: the Grand Signor, for instance, and great John O’Neal.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 18:19-20. Thus saith the great king, What confidence is this, &c. — What is it thou canst trust in to defend thee from my great power? Thou sayest — Either to thy people, to encourage them, or rather, within thy own heart. But, (or, surely,) they are vain words — Unprofitable, idle talk, without any effect: or they come not from thy heart; thou speakest this against thy knowledge. I have counsel and strength for the war — Counsel to contrive, strength, or courage, to execute; which two things are of greatest necessity and use in war. But the original words may be rendered, Thou speakest surely words of the lips; that is, thou encouragest thyself and thy people with words, but counsel and strength are for war — Are necessary for thy defence; neither of which thou hast within thyself, but must seek them from others, and where wilt thou find them? On whom, as it follows, dost thou trust?

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18:19-22 In earlier days, the term great king was reserved for the kings of the leading military powers, but it had become a standard epithet for Assyrian kings. • What are you trusting in? The Assyrian officer asserted that the citizens of Jerusalem, faced with Assyria’s overwhelming military superiority, would be foolish to trust in Hezekiah’s words. Similarly, soliciting help from Egypt would be foolish. Finally, the chief of staff argued that trust in the Lord would also be misplaced. Perhaps the officer hoped to gain the loyalty of citizens who had worshiped at the shrines and altars that Hezekiah had destroyed.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 19. What confidence is this] מה הבטחן הזה ma habbittachon hazzeh. The words are excessively insulting: What little, foolish, or unavailing cause of confidence is it, to which thou trustest? I translate thus, because I consider the word בטחון bittachon as a diminutive, intended to express the utmost contempt for Hezekiah's God.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(19) And Rab-shakeh said.—Tiglath Pileser records that he sent a rab-sak as his envoy to Tyre. Thenius supposes the present rab-sak may have been a better master of Hebrew than his companions. Schrader says it would have been beneath the tartan’s dignity to speak, and that such vigorous language as follows would have had a very strange effect in the mouth of a eunuch (the rabsaris).

The great king, the king of Assyria.—Comp. the usual grandiloquent style of the Assyrian sovereigns: “I, Esarhaddon, the great king, the mighty king, the king of multitudes, the king of the country of Asshur;” and the title, “king of princes,” which Hosea applies to the king of Assyria (Hos_8:10).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. Speak ye now to Hezekiah] Their message was first addressed to the king, but afterwards they turn (verse 29) to the people who had gathered to hear the parley. The briefer record of the Chronicler combines both parts of the conference and says the messengers were sent ‘unto Hezekiah … and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem’.

the great king] Hezekiah would know that his own father Ahaz had been one of Assyria’s tributaries, and that many other petty kings around were in the same condition. Hence the term is calculated to warn him against resistance.

What confidence is this wherein thou trustest] The question in Chronicles, being represented as at once addressed both to king and people, is put in the plural number ‘Whereon do ye trust’?

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Rab-shakeh, the third in rank of the three Assyrian ambassadors, probably took the prominent part in the conference because he could speak Hebrew 2Ki 18:26, whereas the Tartan and the Rabsaris could not do so.

The great king - This title of the monarchs of Assyria is found in use as early as 1120 B.C. Like the title, “king of kings,” the distinctive epithet “great” served to mark emphatically the vast difference between the numerous vassal monarchs and the suzerain of whom they held their crowns.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. Rab-shakeh said — He seems to have been the chief speaker — the herald and principal ambassador of the king, while Tartan had higher authority and command in the matter of the movements of the army.

The great king — Thus the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian kings delighted to be called and to call themselves, for their “princes were altogether kings.” Isa_10:8; compare Ezr_7:12; Eze_26:7; Dan_2:37. Hence the frequent occurrence on the monuments of such titles as “great king,” “mighty king,” “king of hosts,” “king of kings,” “the glorious king,” “the mighty ruler.”

What confidence is this — Better, what is this trust which thou trustest? What does it amount to? He refers to Hezekiah’s supposed trust in the king of Egypt. Compare 2Ki_18:21.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Rabshakeh said unto them. Although the third in order of dignity, Rabshakeh took the word, probably because he was familiar with the Hebrew language, and could speak it fluently (see ver. 26). His being spokesman made him appear to be the chief ambassador, and made Isaiah, in the parallel passage (36.), pass over in silence the other two. Speak ye now to Hezekiah. It was a rude, almost an insulting commencement, to give Hezekiah no title neither "the king," nor "King of Judah," nor even "your master," but to call him merely "Hezekiah." The same rudeness is persisted in throughout (vers. 22, 29, 30, 31, 32), and it is emphasized by the employment of some title or other, generally a lofty title, when Sennacherib is spoken of. Sennacherib himself is less rude in his inscriptions (see the "Eponym Canon," pp. 133, line 45; 134, line 6; 136, lines 21, 15). Thus saith the great king, the King of Assyria. The "great kingsarru rabu was the ordinary title assumed by Assyrian monarchs. It passed from them to the Babylonians and the Persians. Sennacherib calls himself, on Bellino"s cylinder," the great king, the powerful king, the King of Assyria, the king unrivalled, the pious monarch, the worshipper of the great gods, the protector of the just,.the lover of the righteous, the noble warrior, the valiant hero, the first of all kings, the great punisher of unbelievers" (see "Records of the Past," vol. 1.p.25). What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? We may assume that Hezekiah had, at the beginning of the year, withheld his tribute. He had certainly not gone out to meet the "great king" as he approached his territories, to do homage, and place the forces of Judah at his disposal. On the contrary, he had taken up an attitude of hostility. He had fortified his capital; (2Ch_32:2-5) he had collected arms and soldiers, and had shut himself up in Jerusalem, having made every preparation for a siege. Sennacherib inquires why he has dared to do all this on what strength does he rely? What is the ground of his confidence?

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thus saith, &c. - But what are the greatest men when they come to compare with God, or when God comes to contend with them?

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

General Information:

Rabshakeh continues telling the message from the king of Assyria to King Hezekiah's men.

What is the source of your confidence? ... In whom are you trusting, that you should rebel against me?

The King of Assyria (through his messenger Rabshakeh) does not ask these questions looking for an answer, but wants to make King Hezekiah doubt himself and Egypt's support. AT: "Do not trust in anybody. You were foolish to rebel against me." (See: Rhetorical Question)

walking stick of this bruised reed of Egypt

The King of Assyria compares Egypt to a weak walking stick; you expect that it will support you when you lean on it, but instead it breaks and cuts you. AT: "the weak support from Egypt" (See: Metaphor)

but if a man leans ... and pierce it

The speaker is extending the metaphor by describing what happens when a reed is used as a support. AT: "but if someone uses this for support, he will be injured" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

confidence

strength

trust

courage

rebel

Pharaoh

Egypt

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.