2 Kings 18:28-37
Do Not Answer Him
28Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria!
29This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you; he cannot deliver you from my hand.
30Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’
31Do not listen to Hezekiah, for this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern,
32until I come and take you away to a land like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey—so that you may live and not die. But do not listen to Hezekiah, for he misleads you when he says, ‘The LORD will deliver us.’
33Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
34Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
35Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
36But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”
37Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Berean Standard Bible
The Rabshakeh stands and calls out in Hebrew so the people on the wall can hear. He tells them not to let Hezekiah deceive them, not to trust the LORD, and not to believe that Jerusalem will be delivered. He offers a bargain: make peace, come out, and each person will eat from his own vine and fig tree.
The offer sounds gentle beside the threat, but its destination is exile. The Rabshakeh promises to take the people to a land like their own, with grain, bread, vineyards, and olive trees. He is trying to make surrender sound like a reasonable relocation while the Assyrian army stands outside the city.
He names the gods of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah and asks where they are. None saved their lands from the king of Assyria. The speech treats the LORD as one more local deity who will fail in the same way.
The people remain silent because Hezekiah commanded them not to answer. Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah return to Hezekiah with torn clothes and report the Rabshakeh's words. Silence here is not cowardice; it is disciplined refusal to let a public taunt dictate the city's response.
How We Know
The Assyrian crisis in 2 Kings 18:28-37 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 the Rabshakeh tell the people not to do?
AnswerHe tells them not to let Hezekiah deceive them, trust the LORD for deliverance, or believe Jerusalem can withstand Assyria.
2 What does he promise if they surrender?
AnswerHe promises to take them to another land where they can eat, drink, and live among fruitful fields.
3 Which gods does he compare with the LORD?
AnswerHe names the gods of several conquered cities and claims that none saved their lands from Assyria.
4 How do the people respond?
AnswerThey remain silent in obedience because Hezekiah commanded them not to answer the Rabshakeh's public challenge.
What This Means for Us
Manipulation often combines a real danger with a false conclusion. The city is vulnerable, but vulnerability does not prove that the loudest speaker has the right to define reality.
There are moments when refusing to answer a provocation is wise. Let trusted leaders absorb the pressure, protect people from panic, and choose speech that serves truth rather than rewarding intimidation.
Prayer
Lord, guard our families from voices that turn fear into surrender. Give us patience when silence is wise, courage when speech is needed, and leaders who protect people instead of exploiting their anxiety. Amen.