You rely on this fragile reed, Egypt, which, if a man leans upon it, will pierce his hand; such is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to all who depend on him. Should you assert, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is He not the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah abolished, proclaiming to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”? Now, surrender to the authority of the king of Assyria, and I will provide you with two thousand horses, though you will find no riders for them. How can you stand against the commander of even a single district, one of my lord's least servants? If you place your hope in Egypt and its horses, did I invade this land without the Lord’s consent? The Lord commanded me, saying, “Go up against this land and destroy it.” The narrative is clear; the Books of the Days and Kings detail that during the third year of Uzziah, son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, became king of Judah at the age of twenty-five, ruling Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord, following the example of his father David. In time, he placed his trust in the God of Israel, and there was none like him among the kings of Judah, either before or after. He remained faithful to the Lord, adhering strictly to His commandments as given to Moses. The Lord was with him, and He observed all his actions. He stood firm against the king of Assyria without being defeated (2 Kings 18:1-7).
In the sixth year of his reign, Salmanassar, king of Assyria, captured Samaria and took the ten tribes known as Israelites into Assyria, settling them in Hal and Havor along the rivers Gozan and in the cities of the Medes (Ibid., vv. 9-11). Seven years later, in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah, besieging its fortified cities. As he laid siege to Lachish, Hezekiah sent messengers to him, confessing their sins and requesting a return, stating, “If you place any demands upon me, I will accept them” (Ibid., v. 14). After paying three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold as was required, also dismantling the doors of the Lord's temple and removing its gold, the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsak from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. They reached Jerusalem and stationed themselves by the upper pool's conduit, calling for the king. Eliakim, son of Helkiah, the royal steward, Sobnah the scribe, Joach son of Asaph, and Joach son of Rebekah, came forth to them as Rabsak conveyed the king's message.
It is important to note Rabsak's arrogance; he mimicked the style of the prophets, asserting authority like those who introduced messages with “Thus saith the Lord,” as he now proclaimed, “Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria.” Eliakim, son of Helkiah, is the same individual mentioned earlier concerning the vision of the valley of Zion where it was prophesied that God would elevate him to a position of authority over Jerusalem and Judah (Isaiah 22:20-21). According to tradition, when threatened by Rabsak, Eliakim yielded to the Assyrians, surrendering the lower section of Jerusalem to them, with only the fortress of Zion and the temple remaining untouched. Therefore, it is mistaken to identify the Sobnah who came out with Eliakim and Joach as the same Sobnah referenced earlier. In that context, he was the captain of the temple destined for captivity, whereas this Sobnah is a scribe, known as a “sofer” in Hebrew.
Rabsak, speaking Hebrew, is believed by some Jewish commentators to have been the traitorous son of the prophet Isaiah. The other son of Isaiah, who remained steadfast, was named Jasub, meaning “forsaken.” Others speculate that Rabsak was a Samaritan, which would explain his proficiency in Hebrew, despite his bold and blasphemous rebellion against the Lord.
Let us reflect on Rabsak's words. His assertion that Hezekiah relied on Egypt, a broken reed, is incorrect; there is no historical account of Hezekiah seeking assistance from Pharaoh. While he countered, “If you respond that we trust in the Lord God of heaven,” he then intertwined a truth with falsehood by claiming that Hezekiah had destroyed the high places and altars. However, Hezekiah’s actions were not against God, but rather in service of Him; he sought to eradicate idolatry, directing worship solely towards the Lord in Jerusalem where His temple was located. It is noted, however, that due to a persistent bad habit, the people had erected altars on the hills to offer sacrifices to God. When Rabsak presupposed smallness among the besieged by offering two thousand horses, asserting that Hezekiah could find no riders, it wasn’t due to the inability of the people of Judah, but rather in adherence to God’s commandments, which directed against multiplying horses or wives (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). His implication was that if they could not resist his minimal forces, how would they withstand the might of the king? Yet, when he suggested, “But if you say, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’” Hezekiah’s clever retort indicated that he came not by his own volition but upon divine command. The Lord had sent him, declaring that he was to invade and devastate the land, a narrative supported by the evidence of the cities he had already seized, leaving only part of Jerusalem unscathed, which affirmed the Lord’s will in his endeavors. Some interpret that Sennacherib captured Samaria, but this claim is incorrect. Sacred history recounts that the initial destruction of the ten tribes was under Ful, the king of Assyria, during Menaim's reign in Israel. The subsequent sieges were conducted by Pheglasphelasar under Phakeh of Israel, Salmanassar under Uzziah, Sargon who conquered Azotus, and Asaraddon, who resettled the Israelites and placed Samaritans as guardians into Judah. The final siege by Sennacherib occurred as he captured Lachish and other cities of Judah, leading to the siege of Jerusalem. Some believe that he may have been known by various names.
THEOSIS