Isaia 36:16

16 Non date retta ad Ezechia, perché così dice il re d’Assiria: Fate la pace con me, arrendetevi, e ciascun di voi mangerà della sua vite e del suo fico, e berrà dell’acqua della sua cisterna,

Isaia 36:16 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 36:16

Hearken not to Hezekiah
To his exhortations and persuasions to trust in the Lord; nor would he have them obey him in things civil, any more than hearken to him in things sacred, though their liege lord and sovereign; for his view and endeavour were to stir them up to mutiny and rebellion; and so the Targum,

``do not obey Hezekiah:''

or receive any orders from him, or pay any regard to them: for thus saith the king of Assyria, make an agreement with me by a
present;
or, "make a blessing with me" ^F9; either send a large and liberal gift to secure his favour, and their happiness; a most insolent and unrighteous demand this, when he had already received three hundred talents of silver, and thirty talents of gold, to withdraw his army; or make a blessed peace with me; suggesting that it would turn more to their account to give up themselves to him, than to be in the condition they were; so the Targum, ``make peace with me:'' this sense Ben Melech gives; and the Septuagint version is, "if ye would be blessed" ^F11, or happy, come out to me;
forsake your king, throw off your allegiance to him, surrender yourselves and city to me: and eat ye everyone of his vine, and everyone of his fig tree: and
drink ye everyone the waters of his own cistern;
promising liberty and property, but does not tell them how long they should enjoy them; he signifies that they should enjoy everything that was necessary, convenient, and delightful; vines and fig trees are mentioned, because common in Judea, and all had cisterns near them for their use; unless this last clause is to be understood of everyone having their own wives; see ( Proverbs 5:15 ) as the other clauses may design the enjoyment of their estates and possessions, without any molestation or infringement of them; see ( Micah 4:4 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (hkrb yta wve) "facit mecum benedictionem", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus.
F11 (ei boulesye euloghyhnai) , Sept.

Isaia 36:16 In-Context

14 Così parla il re: Ezechia non v’inganni, perch’egli non vi potrà liberare;

15 né vi faccia Ezechia riporre la vostra fiducia nell’Eterno, dicendo: L’Eterno ci libererà di certo; questa città non sarà data nelle mani del re d’Assiria.

16 Non date retta ad Ezechia, perché così dice il re d’Assiria: Fate la pace con me, arrendetevi, e ciascun di voi mangerà della sua vite e del suo fico, e berrà dell’acqua della sua cisterna,

17 finch’io venga a menarvi in un paese simile al vostro: paese di grano e di vino, paese di pane e di vigne.

18 Guardate ch’Ezechia non vi seduca, dicendo: L’Eterno ci libererà. Ha qualcuno degli dèi delle nazioni potuto liberare il suo paese dalle mani del re d’Assiria?