2 Kings 18:17

17 Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent his commander in chief, his field commander, and his chief of staff from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.

2 Kings 18:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 18:17

And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris, and
Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a great host against
Jerusalem
Notwithstanding he took the above large sum of money of him, so false and deceitful was he: these were three generals of his army, whom he sent to besiege Jerusalem, while he continued the siege of Lachish; only Rabshakeh is mentioned in ( Isaiah 36:2 ) he being perhaps chief general, and the principal speaker; whose speech, to the end of this chapter, intended to intimidate Hezekiah, and dishearten his people, with some circumstances which attended it, are recorded word for word in ( Isaiah 36:1 ) throughout; (See Gill on Isaiah 36:1) and notes on that chapter.

2 Kings 18:17 In-Context

15 To gather this amount, King Hezekiah used all the silver stored in the Temple of the LORD and in the palace treasury.

16 Hezekiah even stripped the gold from the doors of the LORD ’s Temple and from the doorposts he had overlaid with gold, and he gave it all to the Assyrian king.

17 Nevertheless, the king of Assyria sent his commander in chief, his field commander, and his chief of staff from Lachish with a huge army to confront King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. The Assyrians took up a position beside the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed.

18 They summoned King Hezekiah, but the king sent these officials to meet with them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator; Shebna the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, the royal historian.

19 Then the Assyrian king’s chief of staff told them to give this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the great king of Assyria says: What are you trusting in that makes you so confident?

Footnotes

• [a]. Or the rabshakeh; also in 18:19, 26, 27, 28, 37 .
• [b]. Or bleached.