Chapter XXXVI
Ver. 1-22. Sennacherib's Invasion; Rabshakeh's Blasphemous Solicitations; Hezekiah is toi.d of THEM. This and chaps. 37., 38., 39., form the historical appendix closing the first division of Isaiah's prophecies, and were added to mnke the parts of these referring to Assyria more intelligible. So ch. 52., in Jeremiah; ef. 2 Kings 25. The section occurs almost word for word (2 Kings 18. 13, 17-20, 97); 2 Kings 18. 14-16, however, is additional matter. Hezekiah's "writing" also is in Isaiah, not in Kings (ch. 38. 9-20). We know from 2 Chronicles 32. 32 that Isaiah wrote the acts of Hezekiah. It is, there-
fore, probable, that his record here (ch. 36.-39.) was incorporated into tlie book of Kings l)y its compiler. Sennacherib lived, according to Assyrian inscriptions, more than twenty years after his invasion; but, as Isaiah survived Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 82. 32), who lived upwards of fifteen years after the invasion (ch. ^.5), the record of Sennacherib's death (ch. 37. 38) is no objection to this section having come from Isaiah ; 2 Chronicles 32. is probably an abstract drawn from Isaiah's account, as the chronicler liimself implies («. .32). Pul was probably the
1). 9. captain—a governor under a satrap; even Ae commands more horsemen than this. 10. A boastful Inference from the past successes of Assyria, designed to luflu« ence the Jews to surrender: their own principles bound them to yield to Jehovah's will. He may have, heard, from partisans In Judah what Isaiali had foretold (ch. 10,
last of the old dynasty, and Sargon, a powerful satrap, who contrived to possess himself of supreme power, and found a new dynasty (see note, ch. 20. 1). No attempt was made by Jiulah to throw off the Assyrian yoke during nls vigorous reign. The accession of his son Sennache468
5, 6). 11. Syrian—rather, Aranwan: the language spoUea north and east of Palestine, and understood by LUa Aa-
ISAIAH XXXVII.
Hezekiah Sends to the Prophet.
Sennacherib'' i Blai^phenLOU), Letter.
Syrians as belonging to the same family of languages as their own : nearly akin to Hebrew also, though not intel-
Is difterent from that for "servants" in v. 5. blasphemed me—fCh. 30. 20.) 7. blast—ratlier, " I will put a spirit (ch.
lifjible to tlie multitude (cf. 2 Kings 5. 5-7). Aram means a hic/h ^/)i</,an<l includes parts of Assyria as well as Syria. Jews' language—The men of Judali since the disruption of Israel, claimed the Hebrew as their own peculiarly, as
28. 6; i Kings 22. 23) into him," i. e., so influence his judgment that when he hears the report {v. 9, concerning Tirhakali), he shall return [Gesenius]; the "report" also of tlie destruction of his army at Jerusalem, reaching Sennacherib, whilst he was in the south-west of Palestine on the borders of Egypt, led him to retreat, by the sword {v. 38.) 8. returned— to the camp of iiis master. Libnah—meaning whiteness, the Blanche-garde of the Crusaders. [Stanley.] Eusebius and Jebojik place it more south, in the district of Eleutlieropolis, ten miles north-west of Lachish, which Sennacherib had captured {Note, ch. 30. 2). Libnah was in Judea and given to the priests (1 Chronicles 6. 54, 57). 9. Tlrhaltah—(see Notes, ch. 17. 12; 18.6). Egypt was in part governed by three successive Ethiopian monarchs, for forty^ or fifty years: Sabacho, Sevechus, and Tirhakah. Sevephus retired from Lower Egypt owing to the resistance of the priests, whereupon Sethos, a prince-priest, obtained supreme power with Tanis (Zoan In Scripture), or Memphis, as his cajji-
If they were now the only true representatives of the whole Hebrew twelve tribes, ears of . . . people on . . . wall—the interview was within hearing distance of the
city. The people crowded on the wall, curious to hear the Assyrian message. The Jewish rulers fear that it will terrify the people, and therefore beg Rabshakeh to speak Aramean. Vi. Is it to thy master and thee that I am sent? Nay, it is to the men on the xvall, to let tliem know (so far am I from wishing them not to hear, as you. would wish),
tliat unless they surrender, they shall be reduced to the direst extremities of famine in tlie siege C2 Chronicles 32.
11, explains the word here), viz., to eat their own excrements; or, connecting, "that they may eat," &c., with "sit upon the wall;" who, as they hold the wall, are knowingly exposing themselves to the direst extremities. [MAURp;n.] Isaiali, as a faithful historian, records the filthy and blaspliemous language of the Assyrians, to mark aright the true character of the attack on Jerusalem. 13. Rabshakeh speaks louder and plainer than ever to the men on the wall. 15. The foes of God's people cannot succeed against them, unless they can shake their trust in Him (cf. v. 10). 16. agreement . . . by . . . present —rather, "make peace with me;" lit., blessing, so called from the mutual congratulations attending the ratification of peace. So Chaldeb. Or else, "Do homage to me." [HoKSi^EY.] come ont—surrender to me; then you may remain in quiet possession of your lands till my return from Egypt, when I will lead j'ou away to a land fruitful as your own. Rabshakeh tries to soften, in the eyes of the Jews, the well-known Assyrian policy of weakening the vanquished by deporting them to other lands (Genesis 47. 21; 2 Kings 17. 6). 19. Hamath . . . Arpliad—(iVo^fi, ch. 10. 9.) Scpharvnim lit., the tivo scribes : now Sippliara, on the east of Euphrates, above Babylon. It was a just retribution (Proverbs 1. 31 ; Jeremiah 2. 19). Israel worshipped the gods of Sepharvaim, and so colonists of 8epharvaim were planted in the land of Israel (thenceforth called Samaria) by the Assyrian conqueror (2 Kings 17.24; cf. 2 Kings 18.34). Samaria— Shalmaneser began the siege against Hoshea, because of his conspiring with So of Egypt (2 Kings 17. 4). Sargon finished it; and, in his palace at Khorsabad, has mentioned the number of Israelites carried captive—27,280. [G. V. Smith.] 20. (Cf. ch. 10. 11 ; 2 Chronicles .32. 19.) Here he contradicts his own assertion (v. 10), that he had "come up against the land with the Lord." Liars need good memories. He classes .Tehovah with the idols of the other lands; nay, thinks Him inferior In proportion as Judah, under His tutelage, was less than the lands under the tutelage of the idols. 21. not a word—so as not to enter into a war of words with the blasphemer (Exodus 14. 14; Jude 9). 22. clothes rent—in grief and horror at the blasphemy (Matthew 20. 65).
tal. The Ethiopians retained Upper Egypt under Tirhakah, with Tliebes as the capital. Tirliakali's fame as a conqueror rivalled that of Sesostris ; he, and one at least of the Pharaohs of Lower Egypt, were Hezekiah's allies against Assyria. The tidings of his approach made Sennacherib the more anxious to get possession of Jerusalem be/ore his arrival, sent,—2 Kings 19. 9 more fully expresses Sennaclierib.'s eagerness by adding "again." 10. He tries to influence Hezekiah himse,)\ as P^absliakeh had addressed tlie people. God . . . deceive— (Cf. Numbers'
23. 19). 11. all lands—(Ch. 14. 17.) He does not dare to enumerate Egypt in the list. 12. Gozan— in Mesopo-- tamia, on the Chabour (2 Kings 17. 6; 18.11). Gozan is the name of the district, Chabour of the river. Harnn — more to the west. Abraham removed to it from Ur (Genesis 11. 31), the Carrce of the Romans. Rezeph—farther west, in Syria. Eden—there Is an ancient village, Adna, nortli of Bagdad. Some think Eden to be the name of a region (of Mesopotamia or its vicinity) in wliich was Paradise; Paradise was not Eden itself (Genesis 2.8). "A garden in Eden." Telassar—now Tel-afer, west of Mosul. [Layard.] Tel means a hill in Arabic and Assyrian names. 13. Ilena . . . Ivah—in Babylonia. From Ava colonists had been brought to Samaria (2 Kings 17. 24). 14. spread—unrolled the scroll of writing. God knows our necessities before we ask Him," but He delights in our unfolding them to Him with filial confidence (2 Chronicles
20. 3, 11-13). 10. dwellest^the Shechinah, or fiery symbol of God's presence, dwelling in the temple with His people,
is from Shachan to dwell (Exodus 25. 22; Psalm 80. 1 ; 99. 1^. cherubim—derived by transposition from either a Hebrtiv
root, "Rachab," to ride; or rather, "Barach," to bless. Tliey were formed out of the same mass of pure gold as
tlie mercy-seat itself (Exodus 25. 19, Margin). The phrase, "dwellest between the cherubim," arose from their position at eacli end of the mercy-seat, while the Shechinah, and the awful name, Jehovah, in written letters, ivere in the intervening space. They are so inseparably associated with the manifestation of God's glory, that whether the Lord is at rest or ir. motion, they always are mentioned with Him (Numbers 7. 89 ; Psalm 18.10). (1.) They are first mentioned (Genesis 3. 24) " on the edge of (as " un the east" may be translated) Eden; the Hebrew for "placed" is properly to "place in a tabernacle," whicli implies that this was a local tabernacle in which the. symbols of God's presence were manifested suitably to