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 Assyrian king’s chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident? 5Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me? 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! 7“But perhaps you will say to me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God!’ But isn’t he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn’t Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem? 8“I’ll tell you what! Strike a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find that many men to ride 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 the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt!
• Isaiah 30:1“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the Lord. “You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins.
• Isaiah 31:3For these Egyptians are mere humans, not God! Their horses are puny flesh, not mighty spirits! When the Lord raises his fist against them, those who help will stumble, and those being helped will fall. They will all fall down and die together.
• 2 Kings 17:4But Hoshea stopped paying the annual tribute and conspired against the king of Assyria by asking King So of Egypt to help him shake free of Assyria’s power. When the king of Assyria discovered this treachery, he seized Hoshea and put him in prison.
• 2 Kings 18:21On 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!
• Jeremiah 37:5At this time the army of Pharaoh Hophra of Egypt appeared at the southern border of Judah. When the Babylonian army heard about it, they withdrew from their siege of Jerusalem.
• Ezekiel 29:6All the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, for to Israel you were just a staff made of reeds.

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