Introduction to Part Six of the Book of Isaiah

Part Six of the book of Isaiah (chapters 36–39) describes the culmination of the Assyrian crisis. That crisis lasted for an entire generation. It provides the background for the oracles collected in Parts One and Four of the book. These chapters relate how it ended. They consist mostly of historical narratives, with some poetic oracles interspersed. That is the opposite of the materials in the other parts of the book.

Chapters 36 and 37, which describe how a huge Assyrian army invaded Judah and threatened Jerusalem, are virtually identical with 2 Kings 18:13–20:19. If you have already translated that material, this should help you translate these chapters. However, be alert to the subtle differences in the language at various places throughout the material.

Chapters 38 and 39 describe events that occurred a couple of years before the events of chapters 36 and 37. Chapter 38 describes how Hezekiah got a deadly illness, but Yahweh enabled him to recover. Chapter 39 describes how envoys then came from Babylon to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery and, implicitly, to recruit him as an ally for a coalition against Assyria. Second Kings 18:14–26 records that when the Assyrian king invaded Judah, Hezekiah sent him a huge tribute to try to keep him from attacking Jerusalem. But in chapter 39, Hezekiah’s storehouses are still full, since he shows their treasures to the Babylonian envoys. So chapters 38 and 39 are out of historical order. The book places their accounts after the account of the Assyrian invasion because the visit from the Babylonian messengers foreshadows the Babylonian captivity, which will be the setting for the oracles in Part Seven, chapters 40–55.

Introduction to Isaiah 36

Structure and Formatting

This chapter relates events that took place around 701 BC. Hezekiah has succeeded his father Ahaz as king of Judah. For many years, he has appeased the Assyrians by sending tribute, as his father did. But since he is a genuine believer in Yahweh, he does not want to worship the gods of the Assyrians, as his father did and as they expect him to do. So he has joined a rebellious coalition led by Egypt. The Assyrian emperor Sennacherib has responded to this coalition by leading a huge army to the region and defeating the Egyptians. He is now overrunning the kingdom of Judah, conquering its fortified cities one by one. While he is besieging the city of Lachish, he sends his commander, the Rabshakeh, to Jerusalem to demand that Hezekiah surrender.

1. The Rabshakeh comes to Jerusalem and Hezekiah’s officials meet him (1–3)
2. The Rabshakeh addresses Hezekiah’s officials (4–10)
3. The Rabshakeh addresses the people of Jerusalem (11–21)
4. Hezekiah’s officials report to him (22)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Why did the Assyrians stop where they did?

The story says in 36:2 that the large Assyrian army that advanced against Jerusalem stopped at “the conduit of the Upper Pool on the highway of the Field of the Fuller.” One reason for stopping and apparently setting up camp there was probably the need for water for a large army. According to an account in 2 Chronicles of these same events, Hezekiah had blocked up all the water sources around the city in order to keep the Assyrians from having a water supply. But the location where their army stopped was right next to an aqueduct that brought water down to Jerusalem from springs above the city. That provided a ready source of water. This was also a prominent location right outside the city walls. This allowed the Assyrian officials to demand a conference with King Hezekiah’s representatives that would take place within the hearing of Judeans who gathered on the city walls. The Assyrians exploited this and said things publicly to try to terrify and demoralize the Judeans.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Levels of quotation

There are multiple levels of quotation in the long quotations in verses 4–10 and 13–20. In the first section, it is complicated to follow who is speaking and on whose behalf. But here is one probable explanation. This is the interpretation that the ULT follows.

• Verse 4 introduces three levels of quotation. The author begins quoting what the Rabshakeh said (level 1). The Rabshakeh begins to tell Hezekiah’s officials what he wants them to say to Hezekiah (level 2). This includes the beginning of a quotation from Sennacherib, the king of Assyria (level 3).
• The third-level quotation continues through verses 5 and 6. A fourth-level quotation begins in verse 5, as Sennacherib quotes something that Hezekiah is supposedly saying. The pronoun “you” is singular because Sennacherib is addressing Hezekiah. The second-level and third-level quotations that began in verse 4 conclude at the end of verse 6.
• In verse 7, there are two levels of quotation. The “you” in “if you say” is plural, so the Rabshakeh is now addressing Hezekiah’s officials directly. He speaks of Hezekiah in the third person. But he quotes what the officials might say and what Hezekiah has said.
• The first-level quotation from the Rabshakeh continues in v. 8, but now the Rabshakeh is addressing Hezekiah directly. (He is implicitly expecting the Judean officials to pass along his words). The implied “you” in the imperative “wager” and the pronoun “yourself” are singular, but the king of Assyria is spoken of in the third person (“my master”), so the Rabshakeh is not quoting the king as he did in vv. 4–6.
• This seems to be the case in v. 9, as well, where the Rabshakeh continues to speak of Sennacherib as “my master.”
• But the speaker in v. 10 seems to be Sennacherib again, speaking of himself in the first person. (The Rabshakeh would not say of himself, “Now have I come up against this place.”) This is an implicit return to the third-level quotation, although the author does not signal it directly in the text.

Notes describe different possible ways of indicating the speakers throughout this long quotation.

The long quotation in verses 13–205 contains three levels of quotation, but the identity of the speakers seems clear throughout. Notes also describe ways of indicating the speakers throughout this quotation.

The Rabshakeh’s strong language

In verse 12, to try to terrify the Judeans into surrendering, the Rabshakeh speaks graphically of the effects of a prolonged siege. He tells them that they will “eat their dung and drink their urine.” His language might be considered offensive in some cultures. If it would not be appropriate for your readers if you reproduced his exact words, you could use an equivalent expression that would still reflect his ominous threat. You might have him say, for example, that the Judeans will “consume their own waste.”