Tyndale Open Study NotesIsaiah 36

Jerusalem’s rescue from King Sennacherib of Assyria is a main event in Isaiah 1–39. The Lord promised to save his people. He would remain present with Jerusalem (see 7:14). He would also keep a remnant, a small group who would survive (see study note on Isaiah 10:20).

Much of the land became empty and the population greatly reduced. This happened because Judah made a foolish alliance with Assyria (chapters 7–8). Even so, the Lord did not allow total defeat. He preserved his people through Hezekiah, a faithful king.

Hezekiah faced the same kind of test that King Ahaz had faced. It was a test of trust in the Lord. In chapter 36, the Assyrian officer repeats the word trust as he challenges the people. But Hezekiah had learned from the earlier warnings in chapters 13–35. At least at first, he trusted God and passed the test.

This story also appears in 2 Kings 18:13–20:19.

King Sennacherib of Assyria ruled from 705 to 681 BC. Hezekiah, like many other kings under Assyrian control, declared his independence when Sennacherib became king during a difficult time. By 701 BC, Sennacherib was ready to punish Hezekiah. Sennacherib claimed he conquered 46 fortified cities and many villages, taking 200,146 captives. Hezekiah tried to appease Sennacherib (see 2 Kings 18:14–16), but it was too late.

• Lachish was a city overlooking the hills west of Jerusalem. It needed to be captured before attacking Jerusalem.

• The aqueduct that supplies water to the upper pool was on the north side of Jerusalem, not the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley.

• Isaiah met Ahaz on this road leading to the field where cloth is washed about 33 years earlier (see Isaiah 7:3). At that time, he urged Ahaz to trust God. However, Ahaz trusted Assyria instead, leading to this desperate situation. Now, the challenge to trust God came from mocking foreign voices (see Isaiah 28:11–13).

Eliakim eventually advanced in rank, while Shebna was demoted (see Isaiah 22:15–24).

The Assyrian chief of staff tried to use intimidation to negotiate a peaceful settlement. In his first speech (Isaiah 36:4–10), he correctly argued that Egypt could not rescue them but incorrectly accused Hezekiah of misplaced trust in the Lord.

Interestingly, the Assyrian did not view the contest as between the gods of Assyria and the Lord, but rather between Sennacherib (the great king) and the Lord.

The title great king is similar to the title emperor.

In whom are you now trusting: Judah had asked Egypt to help them (see Isaiah 30:1–5).

• Such 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).

• We trust in the LORD our God: Ironically, the Assyrian chief of staff knew about Isaiah's message and used it to his advantage (Isaiah 26:4; 36:15; 37:10).

• Hezekiah showed his dedication to the Lord by tearing down the pagan shrines and altars (2 Kings 18:4). However, the Assyrians mistakenly thought Hezekiah had angered God by doing this.

At 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.

The LORD Himself said to me: It was common for a king to claim that a god approved of their actions when they destroyed other kingdoms. This matched Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 10:5–6.

Aramaic was the common language of the Assyrian Empire. The elite understood it, but the common people of Judah did not.

In the Assyrian chief of staff’s second speech, he claimed that his nation’s gods were more powerful than the God of Judah (compare Isaiah 10:9–10). The ability of God to rescue his people was in question. In the following events, the Lord surprised the Assyrian with his power (Isaiah 37:36–37).

Do not let Hezekiah deceive you: This public accusation against Hezekiah aimed to weaken the people's trust in him.

Hezekiah showed strong faith in the Lord, unlike Ahaz (Isaiah 7). Hezekiah’s faith led to rescue, while Ahaz’s lack of faith led to trouble (see Isaiah 7:9).

The Assyrian tried to lure the people of Jerusalem with supplies that the Lord promised to give to his obedient followers (see Isaiah 1:19; 37:30–35; Deuteronomy 8:7–9). It was a tempting offer, but it was fake. It hid the truth of the exile that would have come after (Isaiah 36:17).

The people of Hamath and Arpad were moved to Samaria, where they worshipped the gods of Sepharvaim (2 Kings 17:24). This argument made sense to an Assyrian. If the Assyrian gods defeated the gods of other nations and the God of the Israelites in Samaria, would they not also defeat the God of Judah?