Till. Sennacherib will remove you to another country, but it will be as good as this. He requires you to surrender at discretion. (Calmet) --- Deliver us. This will not be in his power, no more than it was in that of the other tutelary gods. (Menochius) --- Infidels and heretics are very foolish thus to compare their delusions with God, and his holy religion. (Worthington) read more
17-37 Rabshakeh tries to convince the Jews, that it was to no purpose for them to stand it out. What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? It were well if sinners would submit to the force of this argument, in seeking peace with God. It is, therefore, our wisdom to yield to him, because it is in vain to contend with him: what confidence is that which those trust in who stand out against him? A great deal of art there is in this speech of Rabshakeh; but a great deal of pride, malice,... read more
The Assyrian Expedition Against Jerusalem v. 17. And the king of Assyria, intending to take Jerusalem in spite of the heavy ransom-money which he had received, sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh, three of his highest civil and military officers, from Lachish, where his advance was still checked, to King Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem, they appeared before the city with their army. And when they were come up, they came and stood by... read more
THIRD PERIOD(727–588 b.c.)THE MONARCHY IN JUDAH AFTER THE FALL OF THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL(2 Kings 18-25)FIRST SECTIONthe monarchy under hezekiah(2 Kings 18-20)A.—The Reign of Hezekiah; the Invasion by Sennacherib, and Deliverance from it2 Kings 18:19 (Isaiah 36, 37)1Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign [became king]. 2Twenty and five years old was he when he began to reign [became king]; and he... read more
Threatened by Worldly Might 2 Kings 18:13-25 It is an interesting fact that this siege of Lachish is mentioned on the Assyrian monuments, and Sennacherib is depicted as giving orders for its destruction. Also the names and Jewish physiognomy of these ambassadors are clearly recognizable. It was a mistake to bribe the foe; the bribes only excited his cupidity. You may as well come to blows with Apollyon as soon as he straddles across your path; sooner or later the conflict will have to come... read more
Silent before the Boaster 2 Kings 18:26-37 The Jews met the taunts of Rabshakeh with silence. It was wise policy. It is infinitely better to hand over our cause to God, and leave Him to answer for us and avenge our wrongs. He will undertake our case, if we will but leave it unreservedly in His hands. The only exception is when some simple explanation will relieve the cause we love from any evil imputation. Rabshakeh could not have been made to understand the attitude of king and people. See... read more
We now begin the third section of this Book, which includes the story of the reigns of Hezekiah and Josiah, with a period of reaction and sin between the two. It is remarkable that such a man as Hezekiah could be the son of Ahaz. Yet we must remember that all his life he was under the influence of Isaiah. Coming to the throne, he personally did right in the sight of the Lord, and immediately instituted reforms more widespread and drastic than had been attempted by any of his predecessors. One... read more
The Reign of Hezekiah King of Judah c. 716-687 BC (2 Kings 18:1 to 2 Kings 20:21 ). Co-regency from c 729 BC. There now begins the reign of one of the two great kings after David of whom it could be said ‘after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.’ The other will be Josiah (compare 2 Kings 23:25). In both cases the words are hyperbole and not intended to be applied literally (otherwise David would have been seen as excelled). But they... read more
The Messengers Of The King of Assyria Call On The People Of Jerusalem To Surrender And In So Doing Seek To Demean Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:18 to 2 Kings 19:1 ). We may wonder why this incident was described in such detail and the answer would be that it was in order to underline the greatness of the king who would be pitting himself against YHWH, prior, of course, to his being brought down. The prophetic author wants us to recognise to the full the greatness of YHWH’s opponent. It would then... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 18:31
Advantage. Hebrew, "make a blessing," or present. (Calmet) --- Chaldean and Syriac, "peace." read more