2 Kings 18:29 kjv
Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
2 Kings 18:29 nkjv
Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he shall not be able to deliver you from his hand;
2 Kings 18:29 niv
This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you from my hand.
2 Kings 18:29 esv
Thus says the king: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand.
2 Kings 18:29 nlt
This is what the king says: Don't let Hezekiah deceive you. He will never be able to rescue you from my power.
2 Kings 18 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ki 18:30 | Nor let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD... | Rabshakeh continues his deceptive speech |
| Isa 36:14 | Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. | Parallel account, exact words echoed |
| 2 Ki 19:6 | Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. | Isaiah's comfort against Rabshakeh's threats |
| 2 Ki 19:35 | And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. | God's powerful, literal deliverance |
| 2 Ch 32:7-8 | “Be strong and courageous... for there is one with us more than with him... with him is an arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God..." | Hezekiah's counter-argument, trust in God |
| Ps 118:8 | It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. | Trusting in God over human power |
| Jer 17:5 | Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. | Warning against trusting in human ability |
| Isa 31:1 | Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots... but do not look to the Holy One of Israel. | Condemning reliance on foreign allies |
| Ps 33:16 | The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. | Human strength is insufficient for deliverance |
| Job 5:12 | He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. | God's ability to foil human plans |
| Isa 30:7 | For Egypt’s help is worthless and empty... | False reliance on human/foreign aid |
| Deut 20:4 | For the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. | God fights for His people |
| Exo 14:13 | And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD..." | God's deliverance witnessed at Red Sea |
| 1 Sam 17:47 | ...that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. | God delivers not by human means |
| Hab 2:4 | ...the righteous shall live by his faith. | Counter-message to fear: live by faith |
| Eph 4:14 | ...so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. | Warning against deception generally |
| 2 Th 2:10-11 | ...they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false. | The danger of believing deception |
| John 8:44 | He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. | The origin of deception and lies |
| Heb 10:23 | Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. | God's promises are true and reliable |
| Rom 3:4 | Let God be true though every man a liar... | God's truth stands against human falsehood |
| Luke 12:4-5 | I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. | Fear God not man's power |
| Acts 5:29 | We must obey God rather than men. | Obedience to God above human commands |
| Prov 12:20 | Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. | Deception is a characteristic of evil |
2 Kings 18 verses
2 Kings 18 29 Meaning
This verse conveys the Assyrian Rabshakeh's deceptive warning to the people of Jerusalem. He commands them not to be misled by King Hezekiah's promises of divine deliverance from the mighty Assyrian army. Rabshakeh confidently asserts that Hezekiah is utterly powerless to rescue them from the iron grip of the Assyrian forces. It is a psychological tactic designed to break their will and trust in their king and their God.
2 Kings 18 29 Context
This verse is spoken by the Rabshakeh, a high-ranking Assyrian military commander and diplomat, during Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem in the 14th year of King Hezekiah's reign (circa 701 BC). Earlier in the chapter, Hezekiah had submitted to Sennacherib, paying a heavy tribute, but Assyria nevertheless sent a large army to besiege Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh, stationed outside the city walls, engages in psychological warfare. He addresses the people directly in Hebrew, circumventing Hezekiah's officials, aiming to erode their confidence in Hezekiah, their covenant God, and their ability to resist. His speech is an explicit attempt to cause panic and encourage surrender by painting Hezekiah as a false hope and portraying Assyrian might as insurmountable, contrasting it sharply with any promise of divine intervention.
2 Kings 18 29 Word analysis
- Do not let (אַל־יַשֵּׁ֥א – al-yashshē): A strong imperative warning, akin to "Beware!" or "Do not allow!" It immediately aims to seize control of the listener's perception and prevent a course of action.
- Hezekiah (חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ – Ḥizqiyyāhû): The name means "Yahweh strengthens" or "Yahweh is my strength," which ironically stands in stark contrast to Rabshakeh's claim of his weakness. He is the anointed king and the figure the people are exhorted to abandon trust in.
- deceive (יַשֵּׁא – yashshē from נָשָׁא nāshā’): This verb means "to beguile, mislead, delude, carry away (in mind)." The Rabshakeh accuses Hezekiah of actively attempting to trick or misrepresent the truth to the people, specifically regarding the possibility of deliverance. It's a key word for propaganda – accusing the opponent of doing what you are, in fact, doing.
- you (אֶתְכֶ֛ם – ʼeṯkhem): Directly addresses the common people on the wall, bypassing diplomatic protocol. This creates a direct emotional appeal, intending to sow division between the populace and their king and leaders.
- for he will not be able (כִּ֣י לֹא־י֤וּכַל – kî lōʼ yûḵal): A powerful, absolute negative statement, emphatically asserting Hezekiah's complete impotence. There's no room for doubt or a possibility of success from Hezekiah's side.
- to deliver you (לְהַצִּ֥יל אֶתְכֶ֖ם – ləhaṣṣîl ʼeṯkhem from נָצַל naṣal): Means "to rescue, snatch away, set free." It refers to salvation from a specific, immediate danger – in this case, the Assyrian siege. The Rabshakeh directly negates Hezekiah's capacity for such a rescue.
- from my hand (מִיָּדֹֽו – mîyāḏōw): An idiom representing power, authority, control, and absolute possession. "My hand" refers to the Assyrian power, embodied by Rabshakeh as Sennacherib's representative. This phrase establishes the Assyrian might as an unyielding force from which no human or divine power (in his view) could provide escape. This is a direct challenge to the power of YHWH, Judah's God, and thus a theological polemic asserting Assyrian gods' superiority and power over the God of Israel.
2 Kings 18 29 Bonus section
- The Rabshakeh delivered his speech in Hebrew, indicating Assyria's thorough intelligence gathering and strategic aim to communicate directly with the populace for maximum impact, bypassing King Hezekiah's officials.
- The phrase "from my hand" (or "from the hand of...") often signifies divine protection and deliverance in biblical contexts (e.g., God delivering Israel from the hand of Pharaoh), thus the Rabshakeh's use of it here is a subtle, yet profound, claim of de facto divine authority and irresistible power for Assyria, directly contrasting it with Hezekiah's God.
- The entire discourse by Rabshakeh is a highly skilled propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting Hezekiah and his trust in God. It attempts to replace their hope with despair and compliance through fear.
- Historically, Assyria indeed was overwhelmingly powerful, having destroyed numerous nations and their gods. Rabshakeh leverages this history of conquest to make his claims appear undeniable to the people.
2 Kings 18 29 Commentary
2 Kings 18:29 is a pivotal verse in Rabshakeh's taunting speech, showcasing a masterclass in ancient psychological warfare. The core message is simple: reject Hezekiah because he lacks the power to save you. The Rabshakeh, understanding the human tendency to trust in visible power, asserts the tangible might of Assyria ("my hand") against the invisible promises of Hezekiah's God. His accusation that Hezekiah would "deceive" is deeply ironic, as it is the Rabshakeh who is engaging in a systematic attempt to deceive and dishearten the people through lies and intimidation. This verse frames the conflict not just as military but as theological: whose power is ultimately supreme—Assyria's or YHWH's? It is an attempt to erode faith, promote fear, and isolate the king from his subjects, aiming for a capitulation without further bloodshed. Ultimately, God's intervention would powerfully expose the falsehood of the Rabshakeh's boasts and demonstrate His unparalleled power.