2 Kings 18 27

2 Kings 18:27 kjv

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

2 Kings 18:27 nkjv

But the Rabshakeh said to them, "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?"

2 Kings 18:27 niv

But the commander replied, "Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the people sitting on the wall?who, like you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?"

2 Kings 18:27 esv

But the Rabshakeh said to them, "Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?"

2 Kings 18:27 nlt

But Sennacherib's chief of staff replied, "Do you think my master sent this message only to you and your master? He wants all the people to hear it, for when we put this city under siege, they will suffer along with you. They will be so hungry and thirsty that they will eat their own dung and drink their own urine."

2 Kings 18 verses

2 Kings 18 27 Meaning

Second Kings 18:27 records the Rabshakeh, a high-ranking Assyrian official, explicitly stating his intention to communicate not just with King Hezekiah's delegates but directly to the ordinary people of Jerusalem. His goal was to vividly portray the horrifying reality of an extended siege – starvation so severe that they would be reduced to eating their own waste – aiming to terrify and demoralize them into abandoning Hezekiah and surrendering the city. This statement underscores the Assyrian strategy of psychological warfare, seeking to break the spirit of the people and undermine their trust in their king and their God before resorting to direct military assault.

2 Kings 18 27 Context

Chapter 18 of 2 Kings details the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, particularly his confrontation with the powerful Assyrian Empire under King Sennacherib. Following Hezekiah's rebellion against Assyrian tribute (v. 7), Sennacherib invaded Judah and captured fortified cities (v. 13). Hezekiah initially attempts to appease Sennacherib with tribute (v. 14-16), but Sennacherib nevertheless sends a great army and three high-ranking officials—the Tartan, the Rabshakeh, and the Rabsaris—to Jerusalem (v. 17).

Verse 27 specifically takes place during the siege or threat of siege upon Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh, acting as Sennacherib's envoy, begins a public address, mocking Hezekiah and urging surrender (v. 19-25). Hezekiah's officials (Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah), aware of the demoralizing effect of the Rabshakeh's Hebrew speech on the people, request him to speak in Aramaic (v. 26). Verse 27 is the Rabshakeh's direct, defiant response, deliberately making clear that his intended audience is the common people, amplifying his horrifying threat, precisely to terrify them. His aim is to bypass Hezekiah's leadership and induce a city-wide panic that would force surrender.

2 Kings 18 27 Word analysis

• But: (Hebrew: וַיֹּאמֶר - vayyomer) Connects this statement to the preceding one, highlighting it as a direct and defiant rebuttal to the officials' request. It emphasizes the Rabshakeh's deliberate intention to override their diplomatic attempt.
• the Rabshakeh: (Hebrew: רַבְשָׁקֵה - Ravshaqeh) This is a title, not a proper name, meaning "Chief Cupbearer" or "Chief Officer." In the Assyrian court, such a figure held significant authority, often serving as a military commander, diplomat, and intelligence officer. His ability to address the people in their native tongue and his shrewd rhetorical tactics confirm his role as a key player in Assyrian psychological warfare, possessing the king's ear and the authority to speak on his behalf. His position underlines the seriousness of the Assyrian threat.
• said to them: The "them" refers to the three officials of King Hezekiah: Eliakim the palace steward, Shebna the scribe, and Joah the recorder, who had been sent out to meet him (v. 18).
• "Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words?": A rhetorical question implying "No, that's not all." This sets up his defiant declaration of his true, broader mission. "My master" refers to Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, demonstrating the Rabshakeh's full backing and authority. "Your master" refers to King Hezekiah. This rhetorical question highlights the deceptive nature of the Rabshakeh's speech; while appearing to engage in diplomacy with the officials, his actual intent is far more insidious.
• and not to the men who sit on the wall: This phrase directly challenges the officials' attempt to contain the message. "The men who sit on the wall" refers to the ordinary citizens of Jerusalem, positioned on the city walls, acting as spectators and listening to the exchange. They represent the general populace, the true target of the Rabshakeh's psychological manipulation. This emphasizes the public nature of his intimidation tactics, ensuring that his message of dread reached the common people directly.
• who will eat their own dung: (Hebrew: יֹאכְל֤וּ אֶת־צוֹאָתָם֙ - yokhlū ’et-tso’atām) The Hebrew tso'ah (צוֹאָה) explicitly means "excrement" or "dung." This is a stark, shocking image of extreme famine and degradation, meant to evoke maximum disgust and terror. Such conditions are characteristic of a protracted siege where all normal food supplies have been exhausted. It suggests a complete collapse of society and humanity under duress. This grim prophecy directly connects to ancient curses and descriptions of siege horrors found in Scripture (e.g., Deut 28:57, Lam 4:10).
• and drink their own urine with you?: (Hebrew: וְיִשְׁתּ֤וּ אֶת־מֵי רַגְלֵיהֶם֙ - ve-yishte ’et-mei raglayhem) The Hebrew phrase literally translates to "waters of their feet," which is a euphemism for "urine." Again, this depicts a level of thirst and desperation beyond human endurance, underscoring the severity of the threatened siege conditions. The addition "with you" ("עִמָּכֶם" - ’immachem) implies a shared suffering and degradation. The Rabshakeh isn't excluding the officials from this fate but is highlighting the collective misery, further intending to break solidarity. It's an insult, an unrefined threat designed to bypass reason and go straight to primal fear.

2 Kings 18 27 Bonus section

• The Rabshakeh's crude, vulgar language was highly unconventional for diplomatic exchanges. This choice underscores his intention to shock and bypass the intellectual reasoning, aiming for a gut-level, emotional response from the masses. It was designed to provoke outrage and panic rather than thoughtful deliberation.
• This particular moment exemplifies the "mouth warfare" so prevalent in this Assyrian-Judean conflict, as documented in both 2 Kings and its parallel in Isaiah 36. Sennacherib himself emphasizes words: "With the multitude of my chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains... I opened the watercourses and dried up all the streams of Egypt" (2 Ki 19:23-24), boasting about his destructive power. However, it is precisely this boasting and direct verbal challenge to Yahweh that provokes God's ultimate response (2 Ki 19:28).
• The officials' desire for the Rabshakeh to speak Aramaic (v. 26) indicates their understanding of the power of his words in the common language (Hebrew). Their attempt to shield the people failed precisely because the Rabshakeh knew the strategic value of public demoralization.
• The vivid imagery of consuming human waste also has legal-religious connotations. It implies defilement and utter shame, a reversal of all societal norms, thereby compounding the psychological torment with a spiritual one.
• This verse sets the stage for the narrative's climax: God's ultimate vindication against those who scoff at His people and His power. The depth of the Rabshakeh's contempt and the severity of his threat make God's subsequent intervention (destroying 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, 2 Ki 19:35) even more dramatic and impactful.

2 Kings 18 27 Commentary

2 Kings 18:27 stands as a powerful testament to the psychological warfare employed by ancient Assyria. The Rabshakeh's words are a masterclass in intimidation, carefully designed to bypass diplomatic channels and strike at the core of the people's morale. By explicitly rejecting the officials' request to speak in Aramaic and deliberately targeting the common citizens on the wall, he exposed his true intent: not negotiation, but terror.

The graphic imagery of eating dung and drinking urine was not merely rhetoric; it was a brutal and vivid picture of the suffering inflicted by prolonged siege, something historical records confirm was a horrifying reality in ancient warfare. This imagery aimed to bypass any reliance on King Hezekiah's leadership or faith in God, appealing instead to raw human fear for survival. The Assyrians understood that a broken will could be as effective as, if not more effective than, a broken wall.

The Rabshakeh's declaration also carries a theological challenge. While not explicit here, his broader speech (later in the chapter) consistently implies that Yahweh is no different from the defeated gods of other nations (2 Ki 18:33-35). By threatening utter destitution, he aims to show the people that their God is incapable of delivering them from such physical horror, thereby eroding their trust in God's promises and sovereignty.

This verse therefore serves as a critical point in the narrative: it marks the Rabshakeh's deliberate escalation of his psychological attack, forcing Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem to confront a dire choice between desperate surrender or absolute, unyielding trust in an invisible God against an overwhelming human force. The eventual miraculous deliverance by God (2 Ki 19) is precisely because of, and a divine response to, such human desperation and insolent challenge to His Name.