Isaiah 36:6

Isaiah 36:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.
• New International Version (NIV)Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, you are trusting in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

Context of Isaiah 36:6

4Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says, “What is [the reason for] this confidence that you have? 5I say, ‘Your plan and strength for the war are only empty words.’ Now in whom do you trust and on whom do you rely, that you have rebelled against me? Listen carefully, you rely on the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him. 7But if you say to me, ‘We trust in and rely on the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’? 8So now, exchange pledges with my master the king of Assyria and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to put riders on them.

Isaiah 36:6 word by word

הִנֵּ֣ה בָטַ֡חְתָּ עַל־מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ הַקָּנֶ֨ה הָרָצ֤וּץ הַזֶּה֙ עַל־מִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִסָּמֵ֥ךְ אִישׁ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבָ֥א בְכַפּ֖וֹ וּנְקָבָ֑הּ כֵּ֚ן פַּרְעֹ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֔יִם לְכָֽל־הַבֹּטְחִ֖ים עָלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Lo, thou trustestבָּטַחbâţach · to trustH982
• in the staffמִשְׁעֶ֫נֶתmish‛ênâh mish‛eneth · staffH4938
• of this brokenרָצַץrâtsats · to crushH7533
• reedקָנֶהqâneh · branch: stemH7070
• on Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
• whereon if a manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• leanסָמַךְsâmak · to supportH5564
• it will goבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into his handכַּףkaph · palmH3709
• and pierceנָקַבnâqab · to pierceH5344
• Pharaohפַּרְעֹהpar‛ôh · PharaohH6547
• kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428

Cross-references for Isaiah 36:6

• Isaiah 20:5Then they will be dismayed and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their boast.
• Isaiah 30:1“Woe (judgment is coming) to the rebellious children,” declares the Lord, “Who carry out a plan, but not Mine, And make an alliance [by pouring out a libation], but not of My Spirit, In order to add sin to sin;
• Isaiah 31:3Now the Egyptians are men and not God, And their horses are flesh and not spirit; And the Lord will stretch out His hand, And he (Egypt) who helps will stumble, And he (Judah) who is helped will fall, And all of them will perish together.
• 2 Kings 17:4But the king of Assyria discovered a conspiracy in Hoshea, who sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year; therefore the king of Assyria arrested him and bound him in prison.
• 2 Kings 18:21Now pay attention: you are relying on Egypt, on that staff of crushed reed; if a man leans on it, it will only go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust and rely on him.
• Jeremiah 37:5Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard the news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel 29:6And all the inhabitants of Egypt will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord, Because they have been [only] a staff made of [fragile] reeds to the house of Israel.

Commentaries on Isaiah 36:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6The staff of this broken reed - A weakened, faithless ally. On Egypt - The Bodl. MS. adds מלך melech, the king of Egypt; and so perhaps the Chaldee might read. It will go into his hand, and pierce it - Will take subsidy after subsidy, and do nothing for it.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Lo, thou trustest - It is possible that Sennacherib might have been apprised of the attempt which had been made by the Jews to secure the cooperation of Egypt (see the notes at Isaiah 30:1-7; Isaiah 31:1 ff), though he might not have been aware that the negotiation was unsuccessful. In the staff of this broken reed - The same comparison of Egypt with a broken reed, or a reed which broke while they were trusting to it, occurs in Ezekiel 29:6-7. Reeds were…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him: Isaiah argued the same case, pointing to the Lord as the only reliable source of help (Isaiah 31:1–3, 7; 39:7). A kind of reed that breaks easily grows near the Nile (see Ezekiel 29:6–7).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. It was a similar alliance with So (that is, Sabacho, or else Sevechus), the Ethiopian king of Egypt, which provoked the Assyrian to invade and destroy Israel, the northern kingdom, under Hoshea.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 36:6

• Confidence
• Egyptians
• Reed

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Pharaoh
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Pharaoh, king of Egypt
• Cane
• Destroy
• Hezekiah
• Isaiah
• Sennacherib
• Bible, the

Commentaries on Isaiah 36

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings