New International Version
Isaiah 36:6
6Look, 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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable!
Context of Isaiah 36:6
4The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: “ ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? 5You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? 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. 7But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”? 8“ ‘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!
Read all of Isaiah 36Isaiah 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 20:5Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame.
- Isaiah 30:1“Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the Lord, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;
- Isaiah 31:3But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.
- 2 Kings 17:4But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was a traitor, for he had sent envoys to So king of Egypt, and he no longer paid tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore Shalmaneser seized him and put him in prison.
- 2 Kings 18:21Look, 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.
- Jeremiah 37:5Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 29:6Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord. “ ‘You have been a staff of reed for the people 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
In the dictionaries
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
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