Isaiah 36:17 kjv
Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Isaiah 36:17 nkjv
until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Isaiah 36:17 niv
until I come and take you to a land like your own?a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Isaiah 36:17 esv
until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
Isaiah 36:17 nlt
Then I will arrange to take you to another land like this one ? a land of grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.
Isaiah 36 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 8:7-9 | For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks…a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey. | God's description of the promised land, full of bounty. |
| Exod 3:8 | so I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey. | God promises to bring Israel to a rich, new land. |
| Deut 11:10-12 | For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt…But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys… | Comparison of the promised land's superiority to Egypt. |
| Lev 26:3-5 | If you walk in my statutes…then I will give you your rains in their season…The threshing shall reach to the vintage, and the vintage shall reach to the sowing. | Blessings of agricultural abundance for obedience. |
| Deut 28:1-12 | All these blessings shall come upon you…Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground… | Covenant blessings explicitly include land and agricultural prosperity. |
| Isa 10:5-7 | Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger…But he does not so intend…but to destroy… | God uses Assyria, but Assyria has its own cruel intentions. |
| 2 Kgs 17:6 | In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria… | Assyrian policy of deportation (northern kingdom's fate). |
| Amos 6:7 | Therefore, now they shall go into exile at the head of those who go into exile… | Prophetic warning of exile, contradicting Rabshakeh's pleasant imagery. |
| 2 Kgs 18:31-32 | Make your peace with me…until I come and take you away to a land like your own land… | Direct parallel of Rabshakeh's speech, including this verse. |
| Jer 29:5 | Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. | Jeremiah's instruction for those already in Babylonian exile to thrive. |
| Psa 78:19 | Can God spread a table in the wilderness? | The people questioning God's ability to provide, mirroring potential doubt in Judah. |
| Psa 101:7 | No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house… | Contrast between God's truth and the Rabshakeh's deceit. |
| Prov 11:18 | The wicked earns deceptive wages… | Illustrates the ultimate futility of ill-gotten/deceptive gains. |
| Matt 7:15 | Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. | Warning against those who promise good but intend harm. |
| Acts 7:43 | You took up the tent of Moloch…therefore I will remove you beyond Babylon. | God's ultimate removal of rebellious people beyond their land. |
| Heb 11:16 | But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. | The ultimate "better land" is heavenly, not an earthly deception. |
| 1 Pet 5:8 | Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. | The enemy's cunning, disguised intentions. |
| Deut 32:13-14 | He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he sucked honey…fat of lambs… | Another description of Israel's abundant blessing in their own land. |
| Neh 9:25 | And they captured fortified cities…filled with all good things, houses full of all good things, cisterns already dug, vineyards… | Reminder of the specific bounties in the Promised Land. |
| Jer 2:7 | And I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. | God's provision of a rich land for Israel. |
| Isa 37:29-30 | Because you have raged against me…this shall be the sign for you: you shall eat this year what grows of itself, and in the second year what springs from that… | God's promise to Hezekiah of a return to normal agricultural life, despite siege. |
Isaiah 36 verses
Isaiah 36 17 Meaning
Isaiah 36:17 presents a deceptive offer from the Rabshakeh, the Assyrian field commander, to the people of Jerusalem. He promises to deport them to a land that mirrors their own, one rich in agricultural bounty – grain, wine, bread, and vineyards. This proposition aims to psychologically disarm the besieged inhabitants, appealing to their desire for continued prosperity and peace under Assyrian rule, thereby urging them to surrender and abandon their trust in King Hezekiah and Yahweh. It is a strategically framed promise of a "better" future that conceals the true nature of Assyrian subjugation and deportation.
Isaiah 36 17 Context
Isaiah chapter 36 details the Assyrian invasion of Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah, specifically the siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE by King Sennacherib. Rabshakeh, the Assyrian field commander, stands before the walls of Jerusalem, delivering a message intended to demoralize the Jewish people. His speech, given in Hebrew, aims to persuade them to surrender, undermining their faith in God's protection and their allegiance to Hezekiah. Verse 17 is part of this psychological warfare, where Rabshakeh presents a false sense of security and a tantalizing future under Assyrian authority, promising relocation to an equally, if not more, prosperous land, in stark contrast to the famine and hardship expected during a prolonged siege. The historical setting is one of intense geopolitical pressure and a crisis of faith for Judah.
Isaiah 36 17 Word analysis
- until I come (עַד בֹּאִי֙ - ʿad boʾi): This phrase sets a timeline, implying the inevitable and ultimate arrival of Sennacherib's main army or the Rabshakeh's full authority. It subtly shifts the immediate threat (siege) to a future, supposedly benign, "coming."
- and take you away (וְלָקַחְתִּ֣י אֶתְכֶ֔ם - wəlaqaḥti ʾetḵem): The verb "take away" (לָקַח - laqaḥ) can mean to take, carry, or lead. While seemingly neutral, in the context of Assyrian conquest, it euphemistically refers to forced deportation and resettlement, a standard brutal policy used to break ethnic identity and prevent rebellion.
- to a land (אֶל־אֶ֕רֶץ - ʾel-ʾeretz): Indicates the destination, simply "a country."
- like your own land (כְּאַרְצְכֶ֔ם - kəʾartzəḵem): The pre-positioned comparative prefix (כְּ - kə-) means "like" or "as." This is a crucial element of the Rabshakeh's propaganda. It validates the fertility and value of Judah while promising an equivalent, if not superior, replacement. This directly plays into the Israelites' covenant understanding of their land as a special gift from God.
- a land of grain and wine (אֶ֤רֶץ דָּגָן֙ וְתִיר֔וֹשׁ - ʾeretz dağan wəṯiroš): This description evokes immense agricultural wealth. "Dağan" (grain) is a staple for bread, and "Tiroš" (new wine) represents vital sustenance and a sign of prosperity. These terms are deeply resonant with the descriptions of the Promised Land's bounty found in the Torah (e.g., Deut 8:8, 11:14).
- a land of bread and vineyards (אֶ֣רֶץ לֶ֤חֶם וּכְרָמִים֙ - ʾeretz leḥem wūkəramim): Reinforces and further specifies the promised abundance. "Leḥem" (bread) signifies basic food, while "kəramim" (vineyards) points to the source of wine and another significant agricultural asset. The imagery is of self-sufficiency, comfort, and the good life, designed to appeal to a people facing starvation.
Word-groups by word-groups analysis:
- "until I come and take you away to a land like your own land": This phrase cleverly masks a forced removal with the allure of a familiar and equally good replacement. It's a psychological trick, framing the violence of deportation as a beneficial relocation under the seemingly benevolent guidance of the conquering power. It directly attacks the deep theological connection between the Israelites and the land given to them by Yahweh.
- "a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards": This repetitive and detailed description of agricultural wealth is highly symbolic. It's a direct echo and perversion of God's covenant promises to Israel concerning their own land's fertility. By using such language, Rabshakeh aims to convince the Judeans that Assyria can provide the blessings that only their God Yahweh was understood to grant, thereby attempting to shift their allegiance and trust away from Yahweh and onto Sennacherib.
Isaiah 36 17 Bonus section
The Rabshakeh's offer of "rest" and abundance in a "land like your own" (also stated in 2 Kgs 18:32) is ironic given the nature of Assyrian rule, which was known for its extreme brutality, mass displacement, and exploitation rather than peaceful settlement. The offer implicitly portrays the current land of Judah, despite God's promises, as one potentially subject to siege and suffering if they resist, subtly suggesting that Assyria offers a more stable "peace" than Yahweh's protection. The meticulously detailed description of agricultural wealth (grain, wine, bread, vineyards) is significant because these are precisely the blessings promised to Israel if they remained faithful to their covenant (Deut 28). By mirroring this, Rabshakeh tries to make Assyria's rule appear as an alternative, seemingly benevolent, path to those blessings, entirely independent of God's covenant or the sacredness of the specific land. This serves as a strong polemic against God's power and faithfulness.
Isaiah 36 17 Commentary
Isaiah 36:17 stands as a masterful piece of psychological warfare and propaganda. The Rabshakeh's offer is a meticulously crafted lie, designed to exploit the people's fears while tempting them with the very blessings that God promised for obedience in their own land. By mirroring the covenant language describing Israel's Promised Land—a land of abundant grain, wine, bread, and vineyards—the Assyrian commander subtly undermines their unique relationship with Yahweh and their rightful inheritance. He implies that Assyria can provide equivalent, or even superior, prosperity without the perceived hardships of resisting their power.
This promise of a "land like your own" is doubly deceptive. Firstly, Assyrian policy was to deport conquered peoples to disrupt their identity and break their will, often into harsher environments or as subservient laborers, not to idyllic, equivalent lands. Secondly, it is a direct attack on Judah's identity and covenantal status. The land was not just fertile ground; it was the promised land, inseparable from their identity as God's chosen people. To leave it, even for an "equivalent" place, meant to sever this sacred connection. The Rabshakeh's offer is an appeal to a materialistic understanding of blessing, attempting to detach it from spiritual fidelity and divine promise. It challenges the very notion that their God is uniquely able to provide and protect within His chosen land. Ultimately, it exposes the Rabshakeh's role as a tool of temptation, much like the adversary in the wilderness, offering worldly ease in exchange for allegiance.