2 Kings 18

1 In the third [specific, appointed] year of the reign [rule, kingdom] of Hoshea [a leader of Israel] son of Elah [a king’s name, meaning an oak valley] over Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], Hezekiah [a king of Judah, having God’s strength] son of Ahaz [a king of Judah, son of Jotham] became [began to reign, took the throne] king [a royal person, ruler] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, a region]. word study 2 He was twenty-five [a son of twenty and five years] years old when he became king [began to reign], and he reigned [ruled as king] in Jerusalem twenty-nine [nine and twenty] years. His mother’s [female parent] name was Abi [my father], the daughter [female child] of Zechariah [Jehovah remembers]. word study 3 And he did [what was righteous, upright] what was right [just, morally upright] in the eyes [sight, gaze] of the LORD [Yehovah], just as his father [ancestor, forefather] David [the king of Israel] had done [accomplished, fulfilled]. word study 4 He removed [turned aside, departed from] the high places [cultic platforms, mountain shrines], shattered [broke, smashed] the sacred pillars [stone monuments, memorials], and cut down [destroyed, severed] the Asherah poles [a wooden pole or grove of the goddess Asherah]. He also demolished [broke in pieces, crushed] the bronze [copper, made of copper] snake [serpent] called Nehushtan [a piece of brass, copper serpent] that Moses had made [created, fashioned], for up to that time [until those days, as far as] the Israelites had burned incense to it [offered sacrifices, made perfume to]. word study 5 Hezekiah [fully relying on, having faith in] trusted in the LORD [Yehovah], the God [Elohim, the supreme Creator and Ruler] of Israel. No king of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] was like him, either [at any time, in any way] before him or [in the years that followed, until now] after him. word study 6 He remained faithful [loyal, steadfast] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] and did not turn [depart, stray] from following Him [pursuing His ways]; he kept [obeyed, guarded] the commandments [laws, divine instructions] that the LORD [the Lord of Israel] had given [commanded, appointed] Moses [the Israelite leader, lawgiver]. word study 7 And the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] was with Hezekiah, and he prospered [succeeded, did well] wherever he went [came out, undertook]. He rebelled [resisted, defied] against the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, the ancestor of the Assyrians] and refused [did not, would not] to serve [be a slave, obey] him. word study 8 He [smote, struck] defeated the Philistines [a person from the region of Philistia] as far as [until, to the point of] Gaza [Azzah, the strong city] and its borders [boundaries, limits], from [the tower of] watchtower [a tall structure] to [the fortified city, a place of] fortified city [a strong, fenced place]. word study 9 In the fourth [initial, beginning] year of Hezekiah’s [faithful king of Judah] reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea [salvation] son of Elah [oak valley] over Israel [God’s chosen people], Shalmaneser [Assyrian king, destroyer] king of Assyria [powerful, dominant nation] marched [came up, ascended] against Samaria [watch mountain, capital city] and besieged [confined, surrounded] it. word study 10 And at the end [conclusion, termination] of three [a period of testing, a complete set] years, the Assyrians [a powerful and dominant nation] captured [to seize, take control] it. So Samaria [watch mountain, a region in northern Palestine] was captured [taken, seized] in the sixth year of Hezekiah [a king of Judah, a faithful servant of God], which was the ninth year of Hoshea [a common name, a leader] king of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, God’s chosen people]. word study 11 The king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful nation] exiled [carried away, deported] the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] to Assyria [a region in the ancient Near East] and settled [put, placed] them in Halah [a region of painful exile], in Gozan [a province of cutting off] by the Habor [a river] River, and in the cities [towns, settlements] of the Medes [a people group, descendants of Japheth]. word study 12 This happened because they did not [refused to, would not] listen to the voice [sound, spoken word] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] their God [Elohim, the supreme Creator], but [instead] violated [transgressed, broke] His covenant [agreement, promise]—all [everything, every command] that Moses [the Israelite leader, servant of God] the servant [one who serves, attends] of the LORD had commanded [given orders, instructed]—and would neither [not at all] listen [hear, obey] nor [not] obey [follow, do]. word study 13 In the fourteenth [in the year fourteen] year of Hezekiah’s [King of Judah, son of Ahaz] reign, Sennacherib [King of Assyria, son of Sargon] king of Assyria [a powerful and dominant nation] attacked [came up against, to ascend] and captured [to seize, took them] all the [strong, fortified, walled] fortified cities [towns, places of refuge] of Judah [the tribe, the region]. word study 14 So Hezekiah [the faithful king of Judah] king of Judah sent word [a message, a plea] to the king of Assyria [the powerful ruler of Asshur] at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong [sinned, offended]; withdraw from me [turn back, depart], and I will pay [bear the burden of, give] whatever you demand [put on me, require] from me.” And the king of Assyria exacted [demanded, required] from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred [a large quantity, 300] talents of silver [valuable metal, money] and thirty [a significant amount, 30] talents of gold [precious, highly valued]. word study 15 Hezekiah [the faithful king] gave him all [every single piece of] the silver [precious metal, wealth] that was found [discovered, uncovered] in the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] and in the treasuries [storehouses, repositories] of the royal [king’s, sovereign] palace [royal residence, kingdom]. word study 16 At that [specific, appointed] time Hezekiah [the king of Judah, a servant of Jehovah] stripped [cut off, removed] the gold [precious metal] with which he had plated [overlaid, covered] the doors [entrances, gateways] and doorposts [pillars, supports] of the temple [house of worship, sacred building] of the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God], and he gave [presented, offered] it to the king [ruler, sovereign] of Assyria [Asshur, the land of the Assyrians]. word study 17 Nevertheless, the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful nation] sent [dispatched, commissioned] the Tartan [commander-in-chief, high-ranking officer], the Rabsaris [chief eunuch, high-ranking official], and the Rabshakeh [chief cupbearer, royal advisor], along with a great [large, numerous] army, from Lachish [a city in Palestine, south of Jerusalem] to King Hezekiah [a righteous king, a servant of God] at Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital of Judah]. They advanced [marched, approached] up to Jerusalem and stationed [encamped, positioned] themselves by the aqueduct [conduit, water channel] of the upper [high, elevated] pool, on the road [highway, path] to the Launderer’s [fuller’s, washer’s] Field [open land, cultivated area]. word study 18 Then they called [to summon, to invoke] for the king; and Eliakim [a high-ranking official] son of Hilkiah [a significant Israelite, father of Jeremia] the palace administrator [over the household, steward of the house], Shebnah [a high-ranking official, scribe] the scribe [one who records, secretary], and Joah [Jehovah is brother, a chronicler] son of Asaph [gatherer, a Levite] the recorder [one who remembers, marks something], went out [to come out, to leave a place] to them. word study 19 The Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official, chief cupbearer] said to them, “Tell Hezekiah [the king of Judah, a servant of Jehovah] that this is what the great [powerful, mighty] king, the king of Assyria [Asshur, a descendant of Shem], says: What is the basis [foundation, source] of this confidence [trust, faith] of yours [in which you trust, wherein thou trustest]? word study 20 You claim [say, assert] to have a strategy [counsel, plan] and strength [might, power] for war [battle, conflict], but these are empty [vain, meaningless] words [speech, language]. In whom [who, whose authority] are you now [at this time, currently] trusting [having faith, confidence], that you have rebelled [resisted, defied] against me? word study 21 Look now [at this moment, behold], you are trusting [having confidence, relying] in Egypt, that splintered [broken, bruised] reed of a staff [support, walking stick] that will pierce [go into, wound] the hand of anyone who leans [rests, depends] on it. Such is [thus, in this manner] Pharaoh king of Egypt [the ruler of Egypt] to all who trust [have faith, rely] in him. word study 22 But if you say to me, ‘We [relying on, trusting in] trust in the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] our God [Elohim, the supreme Creator],’ is He not the One [the only true God] whose high places [cultic platforms, elevations] and altars [places of sacrifice] Hezekiah has removed [taken away, torn down], saying to Judah [the tribe descended from Judah] and Jerusalem [the city of peace]: ‘You must worship [bow down, show reverence] before this altar [the place of sacrifice] in Jerusalem’? word study 23 Now, therefore [at this time, in this situation], make a bargain [pledge, give security] with my master [lord, ruler], the king of Assyria [the ruler of the Assyrian empire]. I will give you two thousand [a large number, a multitude] horses [chariot horses, steeds]—if you can put [set, place] riders [horsemen, warriors] on them [upon the horses, as cavalry]! word study 24 For how [in what way, by what means] can you repel [turn away, defeat] a single [one, unique] officer [governor, leader] among the least [smallest, most insignificant] of my master’s servants [attendants, subjects] when you depend [put your trust, rely] on Egypt [a powerful neighboring nation] for chariots [vehicles, cavalry] and horsemen [cavalry soldiers, riders] [trusting in them for protection]? word study 25 So now [at this time, currently], was it apart from [without, except] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] that I have come up [ascended, risen] against this place [location, region] to destroy [ruin, corrupt] it? The LORD [Yehovah] Himself said to me, ‘Go up [ascend, rise] against this land [territory, country] and destroy [ruin, lay waste] it.’” word study 26 Then Eliakim [son of a high priest, Hilkiah’s descendant] son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah [a royal chronicler], said to the Rabshakeh [a chief cupbearer, high-ranking official], “Please [I pray thee, we beseech thee] speak to your servants [those bound to serve] in Aramaic [the Syrian language, a common tongue], since we understand [are able to hear and comprehend] it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew [the Jews’ language, the language of the covenant] in the hearing [within earshot, in the presence] of the people [the nation, the crowd] on the wall [the city’s defense, a place of protection].” word study 27 But the Rabshakeh [chief cupbearer, high-ranking official] replied, “Has my master [lord, ruler] sent me to speak [to communicate, to declare] these words [messages, declarations] only to you and your master [lord, ruler], and not to the men [people, individuals] sitting [dwelling, residing] on the wall [barrier, fortification], who are destined [appointed, ordained] with you to eat [consume, devour] their own dung [excrement, filth] and drink [imbibe, swallow] their own urine [waste, impurity]?” word study 28 Then the Rabshakeh [a high-ranking official, chief cupbearer] stood [in a strong sense, like a sentinel] and called out [cried with a loud voice] loudly in [the Jewish language] Hebrew: “Hear [listen and obey] the word [message, command] of the great [powerful, majestic] king, the king [ruler, sovereign] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful nation]! word study 29 This is what the king [thus, in this manner] says: Do not let [by no means] Hezekiah [a king of Judah, a servant of Jehovah] deceive [lead astray, mislead] you; he cannot [is not able, lacks the power] deliver [rescue, save] you from my hand [my power, my authority]. word study 30 Do not [by no means] let Hezekiah [the king of Judah] persuade you to trust [have faith, rely] in the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] when he says, ‘The LORD [the supreme God] will surely [certainly, without fail] deliver [rescue, save] us; this city [the capital of Judah] will not [never] be given [handed over, surrendered] into the hand [power, control] of the king [ruler, monarch] of Assyria [the Assyrian empire].’ word study 31 Do not listen [refuse to hear, disobey] to Hezekiah, for this is what the king [ruler, sovereign] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful nation] says: Make peace [a covenant, an agreement] with me and come out [surrender, yield] to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine [a grapevine] and his own fig tree, and drink water [be refreshed, satisfied] from his own cistern [a personal, private source], word study 32 until I come [to your location, arrive at your place] and take you away to a land [region, territory] like your own—a land [country, territory] of grain [wheat, crops] and new wine [freshly squeezed, fermented], a land [country, territory] of bread [food, sustenance] and vineyards [gardens for grape production], a land [country, territory] of olive trees [an olive berry] and honey [a sweet and valuable food]—so that you may live [have life, thrive] and not die [perish, cease to exist]. But do not listen [heed, obey] to Hezekiah [the king of Judah], for he misleads [deceives, leads astray] you when he says, ‘The LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] will deliver [rescue, save] us.’ word study 33 Has the god [divine being, deity] of any nation [Gentile, non-Hebrew people] ever delivered [rescued, saved] his land [territory, country] from the hand [power, control] of the king [ruler, sovereign] of Assyria [Asshur, a powerful empire]? word study 34 Where [in what location, at what place] are the gods [divine beings, deities] of Hamath and Arpad? Where [in what place, at what location] are the gods [supreme rulers, Elohim] of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered [rescued, saved] Samaria [watch mountain, the capital city] from my hand [power, strength, control]? word study 35 Who [which deity, what God] among all the gods [divine beings, deities] of these lands [countries, territories] has delivered [rescued, saved] his land [territory, nation] from my hand [power, control]? How then can the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] deliver [rescue, preserve] Jerusalem [the city of peace, the holy city] from my hand [power, grasp]?” word study 36 But the people [held their peace] remained silent and did not answer [respond, give an answer] a word [thing, matter], for Hezekiah [the king] had commanded [given a command, instructed], “Do not [refrain from] answer [respond, reply] him [the Assyrian official].” word study 37 Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim [over the household] the palace administrator, Shebna [secretary] the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah [chronicler] the recorder came to Hezekiah [the king of Judah] with their clothes [garments, robes] torn [rent, ripped as a sign of grief], and they relayed [told, declared] to him the words [messages, statements] of the Rabshakeh [the chief cupbearer, high-ranking official]. word study