Rabshakeh isn't just offering a bribe; he's issuing a taunt. The offer of horses is a way to mock Judah's presumed weakness, implying they don't even have enough trained riders to use such a gift, highlighting their lack of a cavalry force. This highlights the Assyrians' reliance on military might and their contempt for those who lacked it.
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. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian envoy, continues his taunting speech to the officials of King Hezekiah, questioning Judah's ability to resist. He dismisses their reliance on Egypt and their trust in God, sarcastically offering Hezekiah two thousand horses if he can even find enough men skilled to ride them. This challenge highlights Assyria's military might, particularly their cavalry, and mocks Judah's perceived weakness in that area, a vulnerability also evident in later verses.
Rabshakeh’s offer of 2,000 horses isn't a genuine deal; it's a calculated insult designed to humiliate Hezekiah and his people.
The Assyrian commander Rabshakeh uses a provocative offer to mock Judah’s military weakness. He doesn't just threaten; he belittles.
The Wager
Rabshakeh proposes a wager: he’ll give King Hezekiah 2,000 horses if Hezekiah can find 2,000 men capable of riding them. This isn’t a deal meant to be accepted. It’s a sneering question disguised as an offer.
The Underlying Insult
The taunt hits at a critical vulnerability. Unlike the Assyrians, who were renowned for their cavalry, the kingdom of Judah had largely neglected horses and horsemanship. This was partly due to specific commands in the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 17:16; Isaiah 2:7) which warned against multiplying horses, seen as a reliance on human strength rather than God. While some kings had disregarded this, Hezekiah had tried to restore obedience to the Law. Thus, Judah likely lacked a trained cavalry force. Rabshakeh exploits this, implying Judah is so militarily feeble they couldn't even supply riders for a gift of horses.
Rabshakeh’s taunts are meant to shatter Judah’s hope, but they ultimately serve to highlight God's power and His people's trust in Him.
Rabshakeh’s aggressive and mocking speech isn't just an attack on Hezekiah and his army; it’s a direct assault on the God of Israel.
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The Divine Connection
Rabshakeh deliberately connects Hezekiah’s reforms (removing high places and altars) to his perceived weakness. He implies that Hezekiah's devotion to the Lord has left him vulnerable, suggesting that the gods of other nations couldn't save their people, so why would the Lord save Jerusalem? This is a classic tactic: to discredit faith by equating the fate of nations with the power of their gods.
God's Unseen Hand
While Rabshakeh boasts of Assyrian power and mocks Judah's reliance on God, the narrative subtly underscores God's ultimate control. The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, believes he acts independently or with his own might, even claiming, 'The LORD said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it' (Isaiah 36:10), twisting God's permissive will into a directive for his own conquest. This reveals that even the enemy’s actions, however defiant and blasphemous, are ultimately subject to God’s sovereign plan. The taunt, intended to cause despair, instead sets the stage for a demonstration of God's power that transcends human military might.
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.
rekeb · Hebrew Noun
A military vehicle used in ancient warfare to provide speed and tactical advantage. They symbolize human military strength and are frequently contrasted with the strength of the LORD.
This taunt from Rabshakeh, the Assyrian commander, highlights Judah's military weakness, particularly its lack of cavalry, in stark contrast to the Assyrian war machine. It underscores Hezekiah's difficult position, caught between the might of Assyria and a divine reliance that his enemies mocked.
c. 705-701 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Campaign
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, launches a major campaign into the Levant, conquering numerous cities in Judah. His army eventually besieges Jerusalem.
c. 8th Century BC
Decline of Israelite Cavalry
Following the reforms of Hezekiah, and in line with Mosaic law, Judah had largely abandoned the use of cavalry, relying more on infantry and alliances. This made them vulnerable to Assyrian military might.
c. 701 BC
Siege of Lachish
The Assyrian army captures the heavily fortified city of Lachish, a major strategic point in Judah, before turning its full attention to Jerusalem.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
The Assyrian forces arrive and surround Jerusalem, demanding Hezekiah's surrender. Rabshakeh, an Assyrian official, taunts the defenders and attempts to demoralize them.
This passage directly criticizes the reliance on horses and chariots from Egypt for military strength, highlighting the same weakness in Judah that Rabshakeh mocks.
2 Kings 18:14-16This passage shows Hezekiah's initial attempt to appease Assyria with silver and gold, demonstrating Judah's vulnerability and the Assyrian king's insatiable demands before this taunt.
Jeremiah 17:5-6This verse pronounces a curse on those who trust in human strength and flesh, which directly contrasts with Rabshakeh's boasting of Assyrian cavalry and implies the futility of such earthly power.
Psalm 20:7This psalm declares that some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God, offering a spiritual counterpoint to Rabshakeh's material and military taunt.
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…
Rabshakeh isn't just offering a bribe; he's issuing a taunt. The offer of horses is a way to mock Judah's presumed weakness, implying they don't even have enough trained riders to use such a gift, highlighting their lack of a cavalry force. This highlights the Assyrians' reliance on military might and their contempt for those who lacked it.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian envoy, continues his taunting speech to the officials of King Hezekiah, questioning Judah's ability to resist. He dismisses their reliance on Egypt and their trust in God, sarcastically offering Hezekiah two thousand horses if he can even find enough men skilled to ride them. This challenge highlights Assyria's military might, particularly their cavalry, and mocks Judah's perceived weakness in that area, a vulnerability also evident in later verses.
Rabshakeh, the Assyrian envoy, continues his taunting speech to the officials of King Hezekiah, questioning Judah's ability to resist. He dismisses their reliance on Egypt and their trust in God, sarcastically offering Hezekiah two thousand horses if he can even find enough men skilled to ride them. This challenge highlights Assyria's military might, particularly their cavalry, and mocks Judah's perceived weakness in that area, a vulnerability also evident in later verses.
"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. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you…" — Rabshakeh isn't just offering a bribe; he's issuing a taunt. The offer of horses is a way to mock Judah's presumed weakness, implying they don't even have enough trained riders to use such a gift, hi…
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Last reviewed October 2026
