But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Rabshakeh isn't just being crude; he's deliberately targeting the common people, not just the leaders, with his vile threat. He implies that by resisting, everyone on the walls will suffer starvation so extreme they'll resort to eating and drinking their own waste.
But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, continues his taunting speech outside Jerusalem, questioning if he was truly sent only to speak to Hezekiah and his officials. He implies his true audience is the desperate people on the walls, whom he believes will soon be reduced to eating and drinking the most degrading substances due to famine if they resist. This follows Hezekiah's delegation of officials to negotiate, and precedes Rabshakeh's direct address to the people, escalating his psychological warfare.
Why would Rabshakeh resort to such vile and degrading language? It wasn't just to shock; it was a calculated strategy.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, uses incredibly coarse and dehumanizing language to break the spirit of Jerusalem's defenders. His goal is to instill terror and despair, making surrender seem like the only rational option.
The Strategy of Degradation
Rabshakeh claims God himself sent him. How does this arrogant declaration stack up against the reality of God's power?
Ask a follow-up
Rabshakeh's speech is packed with blasphemy disguised as divine authority. He boldly asserts that the Assyrian king's campaign is sanctioned by the Lord, attempting to co-opt God for his own destructive purposes.
The Enemy's False Claims
c. 705 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Campaign in Judah
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invades Judah, capturing many fortified cities but failing to take Jerusalem. This event sets the stage for the confrontation described.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
The Assyrian army, led by Rabshakeh, surrounds Jerusalem and demands surrender, employing psychological warfare and taunts.
c. 701 BC
Hezekiah's Reforms
Prior to the siege, King Hezekiah had undertaken significant religious reforms, re-establishing true worship and centralizing it in Jerusalem. This is a point of contention for Rabshakeh.
c. 701 BC
Divine Intervention and Assyrian Withdrawal
An unspecified divine event, described as the destruction of the Assyrian army by an angel, causes Sennacherib to withdraw his forces from Jerusalem.
This verse shows Rabshakeh speaking to the people on the wall in their own language, directly mirroring the threat and the vulgarity used in Isaiah 36:12 to instill terror and despair.
Jeremiah 52:16This passage describes a similar scenario of impending doom and famine during the siege of Jerusalem, highlighting the horrific consequences of defiance that Rabshakeh was trying to convey with his crude language.
Ezekiel 4:12Here, Ezekiel is commanded by God to eat food baked with human excrement as a symbol of the siege and distress of Jerusalem, illustrating how extreme and degrading the conditions of famine could become, as alluded to by Rabshakeh.
Deuteronomy 28:56-57This passage from the blessings and curses of the covenant explicitly warns of the extreme famine and desperation that would befall Israel if they disobeyed God, including the horrifying prospect of eating bodily waste, which Rabshakeh leverages to intimidate.
barnesIsaiah 36:12: "But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?"
Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee? - To Hezekiah, and to you alone. A part of my purpose is to address the people, to induce them to leave Hezekiah, and to offer no resistance to the Assyrian. To the men that sit on the wall ... - The meaning of this is…
cambridgeIsaiah 36:12: "But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?"
12 . that they may eat …] Note the contrast in Isaiah 36:16 . The clause, therefore, expresses not the desire or purpose of the king of Assyria, but the effect of submitting to Hezekiah’s insane policy.
Rabshakeh isn't just being crude; he's deliberately targeting the common people, not just the leaders, with his vile threat. He implies that by resisting, everyone on the walls will suffer starvation so extreme they'll resort to eating and drinking their own waste.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, continues his taunting speech outside Jerusalem, questioning if he was truly sent only to speak to Hezekiah and his officials. He implies his true audience is the desperate people on the walls, whom he believes will soon be reduced to eating and drinking the most degrading substances due to famine if they resist. This follows Hezekiah's delegation of officials to negotiate, and precedes Rabshakeh's direct address to the people, escalating his psychological warfare.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, continues his taunting speech outside Jerusalem, questioning if he was truly sent only to speak to Hezekiah and his officials. He implies his true audience is the desperate people on the walls, whom he believes will soon be reduced to eating and drinking the most degrading substances due to famine if they resist. This follows Hezekiah's delegation of officials to negotiate, and precedes Rabshakeh's direct address to the people, escalating his psychological warfare.
"But the Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”" — Rabshakeh isn't just being crude; he's deliberately targeting the common people, not just the leaders, with his vile threat. He implies that by resisting, everyone on the walls will suffer starvation…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026