2 Kings 18:13-27
The Rabshakeh's Speech
13In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.
14So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from me.” And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
15Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the royal palace.
16At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold with which he had plated the doors and doorposts of the temple of the LORD, and he gave it to the king of Assyria.
17Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh, along with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They advanced up to Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.
18Then they called for the king. And Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to them.
19The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?
20You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. In whom are you now trusting, that you have rebelled against me?
21Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
22But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem: ‘You must worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?
23Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!
24For how can you repel a single officer among the least of my master’s servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
25So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, ‘Go up against this land and destroy it.’”
26Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
27But the Rabshakeh replied, “Has my master sent me to speak these words only to you and your master, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are destined with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
Berean Standard Bible
In Hezekiah's fourteenth year, Sennacherib king of Assyria comes against the fortified cities of Judah and captures them. Hezekiah sends a message admitting that he has done wrong and offers tribute. He gives the king of Assyria all the silver in the temple and palace treasuries, even stripping gold from the doors of the temple.
The king of Assyria sends the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem with a large army. They stand by the aqueduct of the upper pool, where Isaiah once spoke to Ahaz. The setting recalls an earlier crisis, but the threat is now more direct.
The Rabshakeh asks what Hezekiah is trusting. He mocks Egypt as a broken reed, points out Judah's lack of horses, and says the LORD told Assyria to destroy the land. He also claims that no god of the nations has saved its land from Assyria.
Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah ask him to speak in Aramaic because the people on the wall can understand Hebrew. The Rabshakeh refuses because he wants the soldiers and people to hear. His speech is not merely information; it is an attempt to break courage before the battle is decided.
How We Know
The Assyrian crisis in 2 Kings 18:13-27 has a concrete external point of comparison. The Sennacherib, or Taylor, Prism in the British Museum records tribute from Hezekiah, king of Judah, in 701 BC. That inscription corroborates the campaign and historical king; it does not independently confirm every detail or the biblical explanation of Jerusalem's deliverance.
- Sennacherib Prism (Taylor Prism), British Museum, museum number 1855,1003.1.
Questions
1 What does Sennacherib capture?
AnswerSennacherib captures all the fortified cities throughout Judah during Hezekiah's fourteenth year of reign and begins the siege.
2 What tribute does Hezekiah pay?
AnswerHezekiah gives the silver from the temple and palace treasuries and strips gold from the temple doors.
3 What does the Rabshakeh question?
AnswerHe questions what Hezekiah is trusting and mocks Egypt, Judah's military weakness, and the possibility of the LORD's rescue.
4 Why does the Rabshakeh speak in Hebrew?
AnswerHe speaks in Hebrew so the people on Jerusalem's wall will hear the threat and lose courage.
What This Means for Us
The Rabshakeh mixes accurate observations with claims designed to control the hearers. He knows Judah is vulnerable, but he uses that truth to argue that surrender is the only rational response.
When someone speaks confidently during a crisis, separate facts from conclusions and pressure tactics. Fearful people need honest information and wise leadership, not a voice that turns vulnerability into surrender.
Prayer
Lord, give us discernment when fear speaks with confidence. Help us distinguish facts from manipulation, protect those who are vulnerable to intimidation, and give our leaders courage to answer threats without spreading panic. Amen.