Isaiah 36:8

Isaiah 36:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
• New International Version (NIV)“ ‘Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!
• English Standard Version (ESV)Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to 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!

Context of Isaiah 36:8

6Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 7Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 9Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen. 10Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’”

Isaiah 36:8 word by word

וְעַתָּה֙ הִתְעָ֣רֶב נָ֔א אֶת־אֲדֹנִ֖י הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֑וּר וְאֶתְּנָ֤ה לְךָ֙ אַלְפַּ֣יִם סוּסִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֕ל לָ֥תֶת לְךָ֖ רֹכְבִ֥ים עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Now therefore give pledgesעָרַב‛ârab · to pledgeH6148
• I pray thee, to my masterאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Assyriaאַשּׁוּר'ashshûr 'ashshûr · AssyriaH804
• and I will giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• thee two thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• horsesסוּסsûs sûs · horseH5483
• if thou be ableיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
• on thy part to setנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
• ridersרָכַבrâkab · to rideH7392

Cross-references for Isaiah 36:8

• 2 Kings 14:14He took away all the gold and silver, all the items found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace, and some hostages. Then he went back to Samaria. (
• Isaiah 10:13For he says: “By my strong hand I have accomplished this, by my strategy that I devised. I invaded the territory of nations, and looted their storehouses. Like a mighty conqueror, I brought down rulers.
• 1 Samuel 17:40He took his staff in his hand, picked out five smooth stones from the stream, placed them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, took his sling in hand, and approached the Philistine.
• 1 Kings 20:10Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.”
• 2 Kings 18:23Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, provided you can find enough riders for them.
• Nehemiah 4:2and in the presence of his colleagues and the army of Samaria he said, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they be left to themselves? Will they again offer sacrifice? Will they finish this in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones to life again from piles of dust?”
• Psalms 20:7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we depend on the Lord our God.
• Psalms 123:3Show us favor, O Lord, show us favor! For we have had our fill of humiliation, and then some.

Commentaries on Isaiah 36:8

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Now, therefore, give pledges - Margin, Hostages.‘ The Hebrew verb (ערב ‛ârab ) means properly to mix or mingle; then, to exchange commodities by barter or traffic; then, to become surety for anyone, to exchange with him, to stand in his place; then, to pledge, to pledge one‘s life, or to give security of any kind. Here it is used in a spirit of taunting or derision, and is equivalent to what would be said among us, I will bet you, or I will lay a wager…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8At 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.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. give pledges--a taunting challenge. Only give the guarantee that you can supply as many as two thousand riders, and I will give thee two thousand horses. But seeing that you have not even this small number (see on Is 2:7), how can you stand against the hosts of Assyrian cavalry? The Jews tried to supply their weakness in this "arm" from Egypt (Is 31:1).Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Assyria
• Assyria, Assyrian, Assyrian Empire
• Destroy
• Hezekiah
• Isaiah
• Sennacherib
• Bible, the
• Chronicles, Books of
• Chronology of the Old Testament
• Hezekiah (2)

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