Isaiah 36:3

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹In the fourteenth year of the reign of Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah. ²And the king of Assyria sent the Rab-shakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer's Field. ³Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.⁴The Rab-shakeh said to them, "Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: 'What is the basis of this confidence of yours? ⁵You claim to have a strategy and strength for war, but these are empty words. On whom are you now relying, that you have rebelled against me? ⁶Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. ⁷But if you say to me, "We trust in the LORD our God," is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar"? ⁸Now therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses-if you can put riders on them! ⁹For how can you repel a single officer among the weakest of my master's servants when you depend on Egypt for chariots and horsemen? ¹⁰So now, was it apart from the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD Himself said to me, 'Go up against this land and destroy it.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Eliakim: Isaiah 22:15-20

Shebna: 2 Samuel 8:16, 2 Samuel 8:17, 2 Samuel 20:24, 2 Samuel 20:25

scribe: or, secretary

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 18:18 - Eliakim Isaiah 22:20 - Eliakim Isaiah 33:7 - the ambassadors Isaiah 36:22 - Eliakim Isaiah 37:2 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 25:13
These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

Genesis 28:9
Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham's son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then came forth unto him,.... Being sent by Hezekiah; for otherwise Rabshakeh had the impudence to call to him, in order to parley, and treat with him about the surrender of the city; but as this was not thought either safe or honourable for the king to go in person, his following ministers went; see 2 Kings 18:18:

Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, which was over the house; not over the house of the Lord, the temple, as some, but the king's house, being high steward of if, or "major domo". This is the same person as is mentioned in

Isaiah 22:20:

and Shebna the scribe; not of the book of the law, a copier, or interpreter of that, but secretary of state; he had been treasurer, but now removed, Isaiah 22:15:

and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder; the master of requests, or the "remembrancer" e; who, as the Targum, was appointed over things memorable; whose business it was to take notice of things worthy of memory, write them down, and digest them in order; perhaps the king's historiographer.

e המזכיר "recordator, commonfactor", Vatablus; "commenefaciens", Montanus: "a nemoria", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then came forth unto him - Isaiah has here omitted what is recorded in 2 Kings 18:18, namely, that Rabshakeh and his companions ‘called to the king,’ and as the result of that probably Hezekiah sent out Eliakim.

Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house - Respecting Eliakim, and his character, see the notes at Isaiah 22:20-25.

And Shebna the scribe - This may have been some other man than the one mentioned in Isaiah 22:15. He is there said to have been ‘over the house,’ and it is stated that he should be degraded from that office, and succeeded by Eliakim. It is possible, however, that Hezekiah retained him as scribe, or as secretary (see the analysis of Isaiah 22:15-25).

And Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder - The “chronicler;” the officer to whom was entrusted the keeping of the records of state. The Hebrew word means ‘the remembrancer;’ him by whose means former events might be recalled and remembered, perhaps an officer such as would be called historiographer.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 36:3. Then came forth unto him — Before these words the other copy, 2 Kings 18:18, adds, ויקראו אל המלך vaiyikreu el hammelech, "And they demanded audience of the king."