Isa 36:4-22 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Isa 36:4-22: 36:4-22 The Assyrian chief of staff attempted to use intimidation to negotiate a settlement without bloodshed. In his first speech (36:4-10 ), he rightly argued against Egypt’s ability to rescue but wrongly charged Hezekiah with misplaced trust in the Lord. Strikingly, the Assyrian did not see the contest as being between the gods of Assyria and the Lord but rather between Sennacherib— the great king —and the Lord. 36:4 Great king is a title similar to emperor.

Summary for Isa 36:4-22: 36:4-22 ^a The Assyrian chief of staff attempted to use intimidation to negotiate a settlement without bloodshed. In his first speech (36:4-10 ^b), he rightly argued against Egypt’s ability to rescue but wrongly charged Hezekiah with misplaced trust in the Lord. Strikingly, the Assyrian did not see the contest as being between the gods of Assyria and the Lord but rather between Sennacherib—the great king—and the Lord. 36:4 ^c Great king is a title similar to emperor.
36:5 ^d Who are you counting on: Judah had asked Egypt to help them (see 30:1-5 ^e).
36:6 ^f Egypt ... is completely unreliable: Isaiah argued the same case, pointing to the Lord as the only reliable source of help (31:1-3 ^g, 7 ^h; 39:7 ⁱ).

• A kind of reed that breaks easily grows near the Nile (see Ezek 29:6-7 ^j).
36:7 ^k We are trusting in the Lord our God: Ironically, the Assyrian chief of staff knew about and played on Isaiah’s message (26:4 ^l; 36:15 ^m; 37:10 ⁿ).

• Hezekiah showed his zeal for the Lord by tearing down the pagan shrines and altars (2 Kgs 18:4 ^o), but the Assyrians mistakenly thought Hezekiah had angered God in the process.
36:8 ^p At this time, cavalry mounted on horses was the newest military technology. The Assyrian chief of staff was mocking the Judeans because he knew that Judah had no trained men who knew how to ride.
36:10 ^q The Lord himself told us: It was common for a king to claim the approval of a deity in destroying other kingdoms. This claim was consistent with Isaiah’s prophecy in 10:5-6 ^r.
36:11 ^s Aramaic was the lingua franca used throughout the Assyrian Empire, understood by the elite but not by the common people of Judah.
Summary for Isa 36:13-20: 36:13-20 ^t In the Assyrian chief of staff’s second speech, he claimed that his nation’s gods were more powerful than the God of Judah (cp. 10:9-10 ^u). God’s ability to rescue his people was at stake. In the ensuing drama, the Lord shocked the Assyrian with his power (37:36-37 ^v).
36:14 ^w Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you: This public accusation against Hezekiah was intended to undermine the people’s confidence in him.
36:15 ^x Hezekiah demonstrated a strong faith in the Lord, unlike Ahaz (ch 7 ^y). Hezekiah’s faith would bring rescue, whereas Ahaz’s lack of faith brought him trouble (see 7:9 ^z).
Summary for Isa 36:16-17: 36:16-17 ^aa The Assyrian was tempting the people of Jerusalem with provisions that the Lord had promised to provide his obedient people (see 1:19 ^ab; 37:30-35 ^ac; Deut 8:7-9 ^ad). It was a tempting offer, but a counterfeit. And it covered up the reality of exile that would have followed (Isa 36:17 ^ae).
36:19 ^af The populations of Hamath and Arpad had been relocated to Samaria, where the new local deities were the gods of Sepharvaim (2 Kgs 17:24 ^ag). The logic of the argument made sense to an Assyrian. If the Assyrian gods defeated all the gods of the other nations and the God of the Israelite nation of Samaria, would they not also defeat the God of Judah?