Isaiah 37:11

all lands-- (Isa 14:17). He does not dare to enumerate Egypt in the list.

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

11. by destroying them utterly] Lit. putting them to the ban, see on ch. Isa_34:2.

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.

Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed,.... They have not. But what then? is the God of Israel to be put upon a level with such dunghill gods? so Sennacherib reckoned him, as Rabshakeh before, in his name, Isa 36:18,

as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden, which were in Telassar. Gozan was the same, it may be, with the Gausanitis of Ptolemy (z) which he makes mention of in his description of Mesopotamia; and the rather, since Haran or Chapman was a city of Mesopotamia, Gen 11:31 called by Ptolemy by the name of Carrae (a); and who also, in the same place, makes mention of Rezeph, under the name of Rhescipha; though he likewise speaks of another place in Palmyrene in Syria, called Rhaesapha (b), which some think to be the place here intended. Eden was also in Mesopotamia, in the eastern part of which was the garden of Eden; and this Telassar, inhabited by the children of Eden, was a city in that country, which is by Ptolemy (c) called Thelda; though Hillerus (d) is of opinion that the city Thalatha is meant, which is placed (e) near the river Tigris, a river of paradise. A very learned (f) men is of opinion, that the Eden, Isaiah here speaks of, belongs either to Syria of Damascus, and to the Lebanon and Paneas from whence Jordan arose; or to Syro-Phoenicia, and the Mediterranean sea, which the name Thalassar shows, as if it was the Syrians being used to derive not a few of their words from the Greeks: and certain it is, that there is now a village called Eden on Mount Lebanon, which Thevenot (g) mentions; and another, near Damascus, Mr. Maundrell (h) speaks of; see Amo 1:5 and Tyre in Phoenicia is called Eden, Eze 28:13.

(z) Geograph, l. 5. c. 18. (a) Ibid. (b) Ibid. c. 15. (c) lbid. c. 18. (d) Onomast. Sacr. p. 945. (e) Geograph. l. 5. c. 20. (f) Nichol. Abrami Pharus Vet. Test. l. 2. c. 16. p. 57. (g) Travels, part 1. B. 2. ch. 60. p. 221. (h) Journey from Aleppo, p. 119, 120. Ed. 7th.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And shalt thou be delivered? - How will it be possible for you to stand out against the conquerors of the world?

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

Thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands (compare the Assyrian inscriptions, passim). Tiglath-Pileser I calls himself "the conquering hero, the terror of whose name has overwhelmed all regions " ("Records of the Past," vol. 5. p. 8); Asshur-izir-pal, "the king who subdued all the races of men" (ibid., ch. 7. p. 11); Shalmaneser II, "the marcher over the whole world" (ibid., vol. 5. p. 29); Shamas-Vul, "the trampler on the world" (ibid., vol. 1:12). Sargon says that "the gods had granted him the exercise of his sovereignty over all kings" (ibid., ch. 9. p. 4), and that he reigned from the two beginnings to the two ends of the four celestial points" (ibid., ch. 11. p. 33), i.e. from the furthest north to the furthest south, and from the extreme cast to the extreme west. Sennacherib himself says, Aashur, father of the gods, among all kings firmly has raised me, and over all that dwell in the countries he caused to increase my weapons" (ibid., ch. 11. p. 49). From first to last, in their inscriptions, the monarchs claim a universal dominion.

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

“Behold thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, by utterly destroying them, and thou shalt be delivered!” The interjection behold appeals to these events as something perfectly notorious; as if he had said, ‘see what has happened to others, and then judge whether thou art likely to escape’. The pronoun thou, in the first clause, not being necessary to the sense, is, according to analogy, distinctive and emphatic, and may be explained to mean, thou at least hast heard, if not the common people. In the last clause, the same pronoun stands in opposition to the other kings or kingdoms who had been destroyed. This clause is, in most versions, rendered as an interrogation, but is properly an exclamation of contemptuous incredulity. All the lands may be either an elliptical expression for all the lands subdued by them, or, which is more in keeping with the character of the discourse, a hyperbolical expression of the speaker’s arrogance.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

This continues the king of Assyria's message to Hezekiah.

See, you have heard

The word "see" here is used to add emphasis to what is said next. AT: "You have certainly heard"

So will you be rescued?

The king of Assyria uses this question to ridicule Hezekiah and his army. This may be written as a statement. AT: "So you too will not be saved." or "So of course no one will rescue you either!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

Have the gods of the nations rescued them ... Tel Assar?

The king of Assyria uses this question to ridicule Hezekiah and his army. This may be written as a statement. AT: "The nations' god did not rescue the nations that my fathers destroyed ... Tel Assar!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

that my fathers destroyed

These men destroyed the cities listed by conquering them with their armies. Here the word "fathers" refers to his father and his other ancestors who were kings. AT: "that my fathers destroyed with their armies" (See: Synecdoche)

Gozan ... Haran ... Rezeph ... Eden ... Tel Assar ... Hena ... Ivvah

These are places that the Assyrians had conquered. (See: How to Translate Names)

Where is the king ... Ivvah?

The king of Assyria uses this question to ridicule Hezekiah and his army. This may be written as a statement. AT: "We also conquered the king ... Ivvah!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

Hamath ... Arpad ... Sepharvaim

Translate the names of these cities the same as you did in Isaiah 36:19. (See: How to Translate Names)

translationWords

king

Assyria

false god

nation

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