Isaiah 36 20

Isaiah 36:20 kjv

Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

Isaiah 36:20 nkjv

Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their countries from my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem from my hand?' "

Isaiah 36:20 niv

Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?"

Isaiah 36:20 esv

Who among all the gods of these lands have delivered their lands out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'"

Isaiah 36:20 nlt

What god of any nation has ever been able to save its people from my power? So what makes you think that the LORD can rescue Jerusalem from me?"

Isaiah 36 verses

Isaiah 36 20 Meaning

Isaiah 36:20 records the blasphemous challenge of the Assyrian Rabshakeh to the people of Jerusalem and their God. It questions the Lord's unique power and ability to deliver His people, equating Him with the powerless gods of other conquered nations. The Rabshakeh, filled with hubris and Assyrian imperial theology, rhetorically asserts that since no other god could save their lands from Assyria's might, the God of Israel (Yahweh) would likewise be unable to rescue Jerusalem. This statement serves as a direct taunt, attempting to undermine the Israelites' faith in their covenant God.

Isaiah 36 20 Context

Isaiah 36:20 is situated within the narrative of the Assyrian invasion of Judah during the reign of King Hezekiah, approximately 701 BC. Chapters 36 and 37 vividly recount the historical event paralleled in 2 Kings 18-19. After conquering many other nations and fortified cities of Judah, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, sends his high-ranking officials, including the Rabshakeh, to Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh's mission is to demoralize the Jewish people and convince them to surrender without a fight. This specific verse is the climax of his extended, cunning speech delivered in Hebrew, ensuring the common people understood his message. He attempts to equate Yahweh with the limited, local deities conquered by Assyria, thus suggesting that Jerusalem's God is no stronger than the "gods of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah" (Is 36:19). This calculated rhetorical strategy aims to shatter the confidence of the Judeans in divine protection.

Isaiah 36 20 Word analysis

• "Who" (Hebrew: מִי - mī): An interrogative pronoun, not merely asking a question but acting as a rhetorical device demanding a negative answer. It implies that no one has, nor can, deliver. This intensifies the challenge.
• "among all" (מִכָּל־ - mi-kol): A preposition min (from, among) with kol (all, every). This emphasizes the absolute totality of the pagan deities supposedly overcome by Assyria, leaving no room for exception.
• "the gods" (אֱלֹהֵי - ʼĕlōhê): The plural form of ʼĕlōhîm. While ʼĕlōhîm is often used for the one true God (Yahweh) in a majestic plural, here it unambiguously refers to the numerous pagan deities worshipped by the conquered nations. The Rabshakeh intentionally lumps Yahweh into this category, minimizing His unique status.
• "of these lands" (הָאֲרָצוֹת - hāʼarātsōt): Refers to the nations and regions conquered by Assyria. This highlights the breadth and success of Assyrian military might, bolstering their argument that no deity of any region could withstand them.
• "has delivered" (הִצִּיל - hitsil): From the root נצל (natzal), meaning "to snatch away, rescue, deliver, save." The term denotes active intervention and protection. The Rabshakeh states that no deity had the capacity to provide such deliverance.
• "their land" (אֶת־אַרְצָם - ʼet-ʼartsām): Signifies the physical territory and population under the protection of these false gods. The failure of these gods meant the loss of their lands to Assyrian conquest.
• "out of my hand" (מִיָּדִי - miyyādî): "My hand" here represents the Assyrian military and the King of Assyria (Sennacherib) through his envoy, the Rabshakeh. It denotes complete control, power, and decisive victory. The phrase is a claim of insurmountable power.
• "that the LORD" (כִּי־יַצִּיל יְהוָה - kî-yatsîl YHVH):
  • "that" (kî): introduces the purpose or consequence. Here, it leads to the audacious comparison.
  • "deliver" (yatsîl): From the same root נצל (natzal) as above, creating a direct verbal parallel. It's a sarcastic challenge.
  • "the LORD" (YHVH - The Tetragrammaton, pronounced Adonai or Yahweh): This is the personal, covenantal name of Israel's God, distinct from the generic ʼĕlōhîm. The Rabshakeh uses this name specifically to taunt the Judeans by questioning the power of their particular, covenantal deity.
• "should deliver Jerusalem" (אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם - ʼet-Yərûšālayim): The direct object of deliverance, specifically naming the city under siege. It focuses the challenge on God's ability to protect His holy city, where His temple and presence reside.
• "out of my hand" (מִיָּדִי - miyyādî): Repetition of the same phrase from the first part of the verse, sealing the comparison and emphasizing the Assyrian claim of invincibility. It underlines the Rabshakeh's belief that Jerusalem's fate will be no different from other conquered cities.

Words-group Analysis

• "Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered their land out of my hand,": This phrase encapsulates the Rabshakeh's flawed theological premise. It's a universal assertion of Assyrian dominance over all known deities of the known world. He judges divine power by military outcome and temporal conquest, not by inherent nature or covenant faithfulness. This forms the basis for his direct challenge.
• "that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?": This directly applies the premise to Yahweh. The "that" (כִּי) suggests a natural, expected outcome from the Assyrian perspective. The Rabshakeh essentially concludes that if lesser gods failed, the God of Israel must also fail. This challenges the very core of Israel's covenant relationship with Yahweh, presuming Him to be no different from pagan idols. The use of Yahweh's personal name emphasizes the direct attack on Israel's unique relationship with their God.

Isaiah 36 20 Bonus section

• The Assyrian ideology seen in the Rabshakeh's speech claimed their god Ashur was superior to all other deities, legitimizing their conquest as a divine mandate. The inability of other nations' gods to protect them was interpreted as proof of Ashur's supremacy.
• The Rabshakeh's challenge goes beyond merely questioning Yahweh's strength; it implicitly challenges the very uniqueness and distinctiveness of Israel's God, trying to reduce Him to a mere territorial idol among many. This direct theological attack required an unequivocal divine response to vindicate God's name and preserve His people's faith.
• The fact that the Rabshakeh delivered this speech in Hebrew, known by the common people, underscores the psychological warfare aspect. It was designed to sow doubt and fear, appealing directly to the populace over their king and spiritual leaders.
• The phrase "out of my hand" used twice emphasizes the Rabshakeh's assertion of Assyria's overwhelming control and destiny, yet it will be by "the hand of the Lord" (2 Ki 19:35, Is 37:36) that deliverance ultimately comes. This contrast highlights divine sovereignty over human pride.
• This challenge by Sennacherib's envoy perfectly sets up Hezekiah's earnest prayer (Is 37:15-20) and God's powerful, vindicating response through Isaiah. It transforms from a military siege into a divine contest, where the honor of Yahweh is at stake.

Isaiah 36 20 Commentary

Isaiah 36:20 presents the pinnacle of the Assyrian Rabshakeh's audacious taunt. His strategy is simple: lump Yahweh in with all other powerless, territorial gods vanquished by Assyria, thus denying Him any unique, transcendent power. He frames the issue as a competition of might between deities, judged by their capacity to protect their adherents' land from Assyrian military superiority. This perspective entirely misunderstands the nature of Yahweh, who is not a localized, limited deity dependent on physical territory but the Creator and Sovereign God of all nations, whose power transcends all earthly kingdoms and even other supposed divine beings.

The Rabshakeh's rhetorical question, "Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?" exposes his ignorance and pride. He operates from an imperial theology where the success of Assyria and its god Ashur dictates the impotence of all other gods. He does not grasp Yahweh's covenant faithfulness, His omnipotence, or His distinctive identity as the one true God who acts in history according to His divine purpose, not human might. The very comparison is an insult to God, equating Him with lifeless idols. This setup, however, creates the perfect stage for Yahweh Himself to demonstrate His unique power and deliver Jerusalem miraculously, not by the strength of its walls or armies, but by divine intervention, directly countering the Rabshakeh's challenge. This episode vividly illustrates the futility of human boastfulness against divine sovereignty.