Isaiah 36:8
Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This seemingly simple offer of horses is actually a deeply cutting insult. Rabshakeh is not just offering a gift; he's mocking Judah's military weakness by implying they wouldn't even have enough skilled horsemen to ride two thousand horses, highlighting their vulnerability and reliance on ineffective allies like Egypt.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, is aggressively confronting the representatives of King Hezekiah outside the walls of Jerusalem. He's delivering a harsh ultimatum from his king, Sennacherib, demanding surrender and belittling any resistance Hezekiah might offer. Rabshakeh mocks Judah's perceived weakness, suggesting they wouldn't even be able to provide riders for the horses his king would supposedly give them, implying they lack skilled horsemen and military strength to face Assyria.
Rabshakeh's offer of horses isn't a generous gift, but a calculated insult. What does this offer reveal about Assyria's strategy?
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian envoy, doesn't just deliver a threat; he throws down a gauntlet of mockery. His words, 'Come now, make a wager... I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them,' are designed to humiliate and demoralize.
A Strategic Insult
The word for 'pledges' here carries a double meaning that intensches the Assyrian taunt. What is being pledged, and to whom?
The phrase 'give pledges' (or 'make a wager') is more than just a casual bet. The original Hebrew word carries a sense of 'becoming surety' or 'exchanging.' Rabshakeh uses this to twist the situation.
A Mockery of Security
Understand the original words
sus · Hebrew Noun
A military-grade beast of burden used for war. In the Old Testament, the accumulation of horses was often prohibited for Israelite kings to prevent them from relying on military might instead of God.
Rabshakeh's taunt about horses and riders highlights Judah's military vulnerability, especially their lack of cavalry, a strategic weakness that the Assyrians exploited, contrasting it with their own powerful horsemen.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invades Judah, conquering many fortified cities and besieging Jerusalem. The Assyrian army, led by Rabshakeh, is stationed at Lachish.
c. 701 BC
Rabshakeh's Taunts
Rabshakeh, an Assyrian official, delivers a humiliating message to Jerusalem, taunting King Hezekiah and the people about their reliance on Egypt and their supposed weakness.
c. 701 BC
Hezekiah's Reform of Worship
In the years preceding the invasion, King Hezekiah had undertaken significant religious reforms, removing idols and high places dedicated to other gods and centralizing worship in Jerusalem.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Military Might
The Assyrian empire was known for its formidable military, particularly its advanced cavalry and siege tactics, which instilled fear in neighboring nations.
This passage directly contrasts trusting in Egypt's horses and chariots with trusting in the Lord, highlighting the weakness of military might apart from God, which Rabshakeh sarcastically mocks here.
2 Kings 18:23-24Rabshakeh's taunt about horses directly follows his challenge to Hezekiah to face the Assyrian army, showing the Assyrians' confidence in their cavalry and their contempt for Judah's perceived lack of military strength.
Psalm 20:7This psalm speaks of trusting in chariots and horses versus the name of the Lord, providing a theological counterpoint to Rabshakeh's materialist taunt and a reminder of where true strength lies.
Isaiah 2:7This earlier prophecy in Isaiah details how the nation would 'multiply horses' and rely on chariots, directly linking it to their departure from God, which the scholars note likely made Hezekiah's kingdom weak in cavalry and susceptible to such taunts.
barnesIsaiah 36:8: "Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them."
Now, therefore, give pledges - Margin, 'Hostages.' The Hebrew verb (ערב ‛ârab) means properly to mix or mingle; then, to exchange commodities by barter or traffic; then, to become surety for anyone, to exchange with him, to stand in his place; then, to pledge, to pledge one's life, or to give security of any ki…
pulpitIsaiah 36:8: "Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them."
Verse 8. - Now therefore give pledges; i.e. "bind yourselves under s-me penalty." Rabshakeh here interrupts his message' to introduce an offer of his own. Intent on ridiculing the absurdity of Hezekiah's resistance of Assyria, he promises to make him a present of two thousand horses, if he (Hezekiah) can find two…
This seemingly simple offer of horses is actually a deeply cutting insult. Rabshakeh is not just offering a gift; he's mocking Judah's military weakness by implying they wouldn't even have enough skilled horsemen to ride two thousand horses, highlighting their vulnerability and reliance on ineffective allies like Egypt.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, is aggressively confronting the representatives of King Hezekiah outside the walls of Jerusalem. He's delivering a harsh ultimatum from his king, Sennacherib, demanding surrender and belittling any resistance Hezekiah might offer. Rabshakeh mocks Judah's perceived weakness, suggesting they wouldn't even be able to provide riders for the horses his king would supposedly give them, implying they lack skilled horsemen and military strength to face Assyria.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, is aggressively confronting the representatives of King Hezekiah outside the walls of Jerusalem. He's delivering a harsh ultimatum from his king, Sennacherib, demanding surrender and belittling any resistance Hezekiah might offer. Rabshakeh mocks Judah's perceived weakness, suggesting they wouldn't even be able to provide riders for the horses his king would supposedly give them, implying they lack skilled horsemen and military strength to face Assyria.
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c. 701 BC
Israel's Lack of Cavalry
The Law of Moses had discouraged the multiplication of horses and chariots for military use. While some kings had amassed them, Hezekiah had worked to restore adherence to the Law, likely leaving Judah with a significant weakness in cavalry.
"Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them." — This seemingly simple offer of horses is actually a deeply cutting insult. Rabshakeh is not just offering a gift; he's mocking Judah's military weakness by implying they wouldn't even have enough ski…
