Isaiah 37:8Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He ordered some of his attendants to swiftly relay his words to Hezekiah, which were indeed heretical against the Almighty, as he asserted that since the deities of other nations had been vanquished along with their worshippers, the God of the Hebrews would likewise be powerless to save them from the Assyrians. He then proceeded to list the cities he had ravaged, likely many of which had endured severe devastation. Through such actions, he instilled trepidation in those who had placed their faith in the Lord, suggesting that they too might face destruction.

But Rabshak returned and discovered that the Assyrian king was waging war against Lovnah, having learned of his departure from Lachish. He overheard discussions regarding Tarah, the Ethiopian king, who had gone out to confront him. Upon hearing this, he dispatched messengers to Hezekiah with the following message: “Thus says the king of Assyria to Hezekiah, the king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, mislead you by saying, “Jerusalem shall not fall into the hands of the king of Assyria.”’ You have heard about all that the kings of Assyria have accomplished in their conquests—can you truly escape? Have the gods of the nations rescued them from my forebears? Where are the gods of Gozan, Haran, Retzeph, and the children of Eden in Phalassar? Where are the kings of Emath, Arkad, or the city of Safarvait Ani or Ava?”

Similarly, it is recorded in the chronicles that, by divine decree, Rabshak abandoned the siege of Jerusalem and went to his lord upon receiving news that he was moving against Lovnah, either having left or captured Lachish. Sennacherib, having learned that Tarah, the king of Ethiopia, was preparing for battle against him, went out to confront him. Nevertheless, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, along with letters, aiming to instill fear through words rather than force. Just as he told the people, “Do not let Hezekiah deceive you” (4 Kings 18), he employs the same blasphemous rhetoric against the king by stating, “Do not let your God deceive you.” He cites the fates of other nations, arguing that since their gods could not save them, Jerusalem too will not be spared. In enumerating the various nations, he highlights Ana and Ava, which were joined together as Anavegava, where the conjunction appearing in Hebrew may mislead the uninformed to see them as a single entity.

While we briefly touch upon these clear points, we focus on the more complex aspects. It is worth noting that Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, engaged in battle with the Egyptians and besieged Pelusium. In turn, Tarah, the Ethiopian king, came to assist in the siege. It is recorded that in a single night, eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers perished from disease, a fact detailed by Herodotus and elaborated upon by Beroz, who penned the Chaldean history, but further verification of their accounts is still needed.