Isaiah 36:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Jews, proud of their adherence to the law of Moses, were regarded as the wisest among nations, believing themselves blessed and favored by the Lord, as attested by Baruch (4:4). Rapsacus dismissed this perceived wisdom, arguing that it would provide no advantage to those who had instigated the conflict, suggesting that mere knowledge of the law would not suffice, only wisdom gained from experience. His judgment was further influenced by the fact that some of Judah’s leaders had sought assistance from Egypt in a manner that was unlawful. The Assyrian thus concluded that Hezekiah had placed his trust not in God but in foreign powers, primarily Egypt. He characterized Egypt as a frail reed, asserting that trust in it was consistently misguided and harmful, similar to relying on a reed that, if one leaned upon it, would undoubtedly break and cause injury to the very person who depended on it.

You rely on a fragile reed, Egypt, which will pierce the hand if one leans on it—such is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all who trust in him. If you say to me, 'We trust in the Lord our God,' is He not the same whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, instructing Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at this altar? Now submit to me, the king of Assyria, and I will provide you with two thousand horses, though you would not find enough riders for them. How then could you stand before even the lowest of my lord's servants? If you rely on Egypt, with its chariots and horsemen, did I come to this land without the Lord's command to destroy it? The Lord sent me to plunder this land."

The narrative is clear and corroborated by the historical accounts. In the third year of Uzziah, son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, became king of Judah. He was twenty-five years old at his ascension and ruled for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. He pleased the Lord, following all the ways of his ancestor David. In due time, he placed his trust in the God of Israel, and there was no king like him in Judah, either before or after. He remained faithful to the Lord, adhering to His commandments as instructed to Moses. The Lord was with him, and he undertook great feats against the Assyrian king (2 Kings 18:1-7).

In the sixth year of his reign, Salmanassar, the Assyrian king, captured Samaria along with the ten tribes commonly referred to as Israelites and exiled them to Assyria, settling them in Hal and Havor by the rivers of Gozan and in the cities of the Medes (Ibid., vv. 9-11). After seven years, specifically in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib mounted an offensive against Judah, besieging its fortified cities. When Lachish was under siege, Hezekiah sent messengers to Sennacherib saying, "You have sinned; turn back from me: if any charges are placed upon me, I will accept them" (Ibid., v. 14). After remitting three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold, as directed by the king, breaking down the doors of the Lord’s temple and removing its gold, Sennacherib dispatched Tartan and Rabsak from Lachish to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. Upon their arrival, they positioned themselves at the conduit of the upper pond on the path to the whitewashing field and called for the king. Eliakim, son of Helkiak, the household ruler, along with Sobnah the scribe and Joach, son of Asaph the scribe, met with them, and Rabsak declared, "Tell Hezekiah, thus says the great king, the king of Assyria," and related various other matters.

It is important to note Rabsak's arrogance; he mimicked the prophets by prefacing his words with authority, akin to "Thus says the Lord." Eliakim, son of Helkiak, was the same Eliakim mentioned in the prophecy concerning the valley of Zion, wherein it was declared that he would be clothed in righteousness and entrusted with authority (Isaiah 22:20-21). However, based on Jewish tradition, Eliakim capitulated before the threats of Rabsak, surrendering his forces to the Assyrians and ceding much of Jerusalem, save for the fortress of Zion and the temple.

Thus, identifying Sobnah, who accompanied Eliakim and Joach, as the same mentioned earlier is incorrect. The earlier Sobnah was the captain of the temple taken captive by the Assyrians, while the Sobnah present at this meeting was a scribe. The Rabsak, who spoke Hebrew, is thought by some to be the son of the prophet Isaiah and believed to have betrayed his people, with another son named Jasub, meaning forsaken. Others believe he may have been a Samaritan who knew Hebrew and audaciously blasphemed the Lord.

We should closely consider Rabsak's word, specifically his claim that "You trust in Egypt, this broken reed," which is a false assertion, as no record suggests Hezekiah sought assistance from Egypt. He then stated, "If you claim to trust in the Lord God of heaven," but incorrectly accused Hezekiah of dismantling His high places and altars. Hezekiah acted not against God but in accordance with God's will, as he sought to eradicate idolatry and designate a proper place of worship in Jerusalem, the site of God's temple. Although the people, established in ill practices, offered sacrifices on high places, this was against God's commandments.

Rabsak’s insinuation offering two thousand horses, for which Hezekiah would struggle to find riders, reflected not the weakness of Judah's people but obedience to God's directive to Israel's king, which prohibited excessive accumulation of horses and wives (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). Rabsak questioned Hezekiah's ability to oppose him, yet Hezekiah's response regarding trusting in the Lord showed discernment and wisdom, as he acknowledged following the Lord's command. The notion that his arrival was by divine will, supported by his success in taking cities with only Jerusalem remaining, affirmed his claim.

Some interpretations erroneously ascribe to Sennacherib the capture of Samaria, but sacred history delineates that it was Ful, king of Assyria, during Menaim's reign over Israel, who initially devastated the ten tribes. Subsequent leaders, including Pheglasphelasar, Salmanassar, and others, addressed Samaria at different times thereafter (2 Kings 15, 17). The eventual siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib, after conquering Lachish and other cities of Judah, marked the final act of his campaign (2 Kings 18). Such historical accounts illustrate the unfolding of divine providence amidst the turmoil felt by God’s people.