Isaiah 36:10

"How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?"

Key Reflection

In Isaiah 36:10, the Assyrian envoys mock Judah's confidence in seeking help from Egypt rather than acknowledging their vulnerability to Assyria. This verse highlights a significant cultural and political dynamic of the time, where turning away the face or dismissing an envoy was seen as a sign of disrespect and weakness. The Assyrians were emphasizing that Judah’s leaders should recognize their position as subjects and not seek allies against their overlords, thus challenging Judah's pride and forcing them to confront the reality of their situation.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

And am I now come up without the Lord -Am I come up without his permission or command? Rabshakeh here speaks in the name of his master; and he means to say that he had the express command of Yahweh to inflict punishment on the Jews. It is possible that there had been conveyed to Sennacherib a rumour of what Isaiah had said (seeIsaiah 10:5-6) that God would bring the Assyrians upon the Jewish people to punish them for their sins, and that Rabshakeh now pleads that as his authority, in order to show them that resistance would be vain.

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