Isaiah 36:7 kjv
But if thou say to me, We trust in the LORD our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
Isaiah 36:7 nkjv
"But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God,' is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'?" '
Isaiah 36:7 niv
But if you say to me, "We are depending on the LORD our God"?isn't he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, "You must worship before this altar"?
Isaiah 36:7 esv
But if you say to me, "We trust in the LORD our God," is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar"?
Isaiah 36:7 nlt
"But perhaps you will say to me, 'We are trusting in the LORD our God!' But isn't he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn't Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem?
Isaiah 36 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 18:4 | He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah pole. | Hezekiah's reforms explicitly mentioned and praised. |
| 2 Chr 31:1 | ...they broke the sacred pillars in pieces and cut down the Asherah poles and pulled down the high places and the altars. | Hezekiah's reforms praised. |
| Deut 12:4-6 | You shall not worship the LORD your God in the way these nations worship their gods. But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose... | Command for centralized worship. |
| Deut 12:13-14 | Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in every place you see... but at the place which the LORD chooses. | Explicit command against multiple altars/high places. |
| 1 Kgs 14:23 | For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree. | Condemnation of high places by previous kings. |
| Jer 2:20 | For long ago I broke your yoke and tore off your bonds; but you said, 'I will not transgress!' Yet on every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down like a prostitute. | Israel's historical unfaithfulness with high places. |
| Hos 10:8 | The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed... | High places associated with Israel's sin. |
| Isa 37:6 | And Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid...’ | God's response to Rabshakeh's blasphemy. |
| 2 Kgs 19:4 | ‘Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to taunt the living God...’ | Hezekiah recognizes the blasphemy. |
| Psa 20:7 | Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. | Theme of trusting in God over human might. |
| Psa 33:16-17 | The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for deliverance... | God's power contrasted with human power. |
| Isa 7:9 | ...If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.” | Call to trust in the LORD during crisis. |
| Isa 30:15 | For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” | Command to trust in the LORD for salvation. |
| Isa 31:1 | Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help... | Rebuke for trusting in alliances/flesh over God. |
| Prov 3:5-6 | Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. | Exhortation to complete trust in the LORD. |
| Psa 46:1 | God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. | Assurance of God's protection. |
| Mal 3:6 | “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” | God's unchangeable character. |
| Heb 13:8 | Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. | God's constancy (New Testament). |
| Rev 12:10 | ...the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. | Satan as an accuser, parallel to Rabshakeh's role here. |
| Num 33:52 | then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. | Command to destroy pagan high places in the Promised Land. |
| Ezek 6:3-6 | 'Hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys, “Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places... | God's judgment against idolatrous high places. |
| 2 Chr 17:6 | His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took away the high places and the Asherim from Judah. | Jehoshaphat also removed high places, an act of faithfulness. |
| 1 Sam 7:5-6 | Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.” ...They poured out water before the LORD and fasted that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” | Context before a single tabernacle/temple for acceptable worship (exceptions like this exist, but Dt. mandates one central place). |
| Amos 5:5 | but do not seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, nor cross over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nothing. | Condemnation of illegitimate worship centers. |
Isaiah 36 verses
Isaiah 36 7 Meaning
This verse captures Rabshakeh, the Assyrian field commander, employing psychological warfare against the besieged people of Jerusalem. He anticipates their appeal to trust in their God, YHWH, but then subtly twists King Hezekiah's righteous religious reforms – the removal of local "high places" and altars and the centralization of worship to the single altar in the Jerusalem Temple – as an act that would displease their God. His aim is to sow doubt, implying that Hezekiah's actions have alienated the LORD, making Him unable or unwilling to protect Judah from the mighty Assyrians. The Assyrian's logic attempts to undermine Judah's faith and the validity of their leadership and worship.
Isaiah 36 7 Context
Isaiah chapter 36 details a critical moment in Judah's history: the siege of Jerusalem by the mighty Assyrian army under King Sennacherib in 701 BC. King Hezekiah had rebelled against Assyria, prompting this devastating invasion that saw all fortified cities of Judah fall, except Jerusalem. Rabshakeh, the Assyrian field commander, delivers a provocative speech to the people gathered on the city wall, designed to break their will and compel surrender. His address in verses 4-21 is a masterclass in psychological warfare. He systematically dismantles their sources of hope: their alliance with Egypt, the competence of their king, and their trust in God. Verse 7 specifically attacks their theological foundation, twisting Hezekiah’s well-documented religious reforms – which involved removing local high places and centralizing worship at the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Kgs 18:4, 2 Chr 31:1) – into an offense against YHWH Himself. The historical and cultural backdrop is one where powerful empires typically had many gods, often associated with specific places. Rabshakeh implies that by consolidating worship, Hezekiah has somehow limited or offended the LORD, rendering Him powerless to save Judah. This challenges the very core of Israel's understanding of their unique, covenantal God, YHWH.
Isaiah 36 7 Word analysis
- But if you say to me: Rabshakeh here presents himself as someone anticipating objections, demonstrating rhetorical shrewdness. He preempts the Judeans' probable defense, creating an immediate sense of superiority and control over the argument.
- ‘We trust in the LORD our God’: This phrase, likely spoken in Hebrew (as Rabshakeh delivered his speech in the language of Judah, Isa 36:11), refers to Yahweh (יְהוָה, YHWH), the covenant God of Israel. "Our God" (אֱלֹהֵינוּ, 'Eloheinu) emphasizes the deep, personal relationship between the people of Judah and their God. Rabshakeh, from an Assyrian perspective of numerous, localized gods, understood this devotion as a crucial point to attack.
- is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed: This is the core of Rabshakeh's twisted argument. "High places" (בָּמוֹת, bamot) were cultic sites, often on hills, for sacrifices and worship. While some earlier legitimate worship occurred at such places before the central Temple (e.g., 1 Sam 9:11-14), they became increasingly associated with forbidden syncretistic practices and idolatry, hence their repeated condemnation in the Law (Deut 12) and by prophets. "Altars" (מִזְבְּחֹת, mizbechot) are places for offering sacrifices. Rabshakeh deliberately misrepresents Hezekiah's actions.
- Hezekiah has removed: This accurately states Hezekiah’s actions (2 Kgs 18:4), which were righteous in God’s eyes and aimed at religious purity. Rabshakeh’s skill lies in taking a truth and reinterpreting its spiritual meaning from an outsider's flawed theological perspective.
- saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?: This refers to the single altar within the Temple in Jerusalem. Hezekiah's command was consistent with Deuteronomic law, which mandated one central place of worship for all Israel. Rabshakeh casts this as a restrictive, disrespectful act towards God, implying that God would be displeased by having His worship confined or by having His numerous local cult sites (high places) destroyed. The polemic here is against a proper, centralized, exclusive worship of YHWH, framed as an insult.
- "trust in the LORD our God" and "Hezekiah has removed": These two phrases highlight the tension and Rabshakeh's cynical attack. The Assyrian implies that Judah's stated trust in YHWH is invalid because Hezekiah has supposedly offended that very God through his reforms. The trust in YHWH, which should be their strength, is painted as a source of weakness due to Hezekiah's actions.
- "high places and altars" and "before this altar": This contrast reveals the theological clash. From Judah's purified understanding, one legitimate altar represented faithful adherence to the singular worship of YHWH. From Rabshakeh's polytheistic perspective, consolidating these places could be seen as reducing God's influence or, worse, disrespecting Him by tearing down His supposed shrines. This points to a fundamental difference in understanding the divine.
Isaiah 36 7 Bonus section
Rabshakeh's specific charge here serves as an example of spiritual attack often employed by adversaries. It isn't a direct denial of God's existence but a subtle undermining of His character and faithfulness by twisting a righteous act into a perceived sin. This method attempts to discredit the spiritual leadership (Hezekiah) and confuse the followers (people of Jerusalem), making them question their obedience and relationship with God. The Assyrians were masters of this kind of propaganda, often spreading tales of their gods' superiority and the impotence of their enemies' deities as they approached cities. This rhetorical technique echoes the strategies seen in other biblical accounts where truth is perverted to serve evil intentions, for instance, the serpent's temptation in Gen 3:1-5, subtly twisting God's command. For Judah, the ability to discern Rabshakeh's deception depended on a robust understanding of their covenant with YHWH and the divine instructions for worship, which Hezekiah's reforms actually upheld.
Isaiah 36 7 Commentary
Isaiah 36:7 showcases the chilling efficacy of ancient psychological warfare. Rabshakeh, an Assyrian orator, precisely targets the Judahites' most vulnerable point: their faith in YHWH. He skillfully distorts Hezekiah's praiseworthy religious reforms – the dismantling of illicit "high places" and altars in favor of centralized worship at the Jerusalem Temple, in obedience to Deuteronomic law – into an act of offense against God. From an Assyrian worldview, where deities were localized and power increased with more cult sites, this "purification" could genuinely seem like a disrespectful act, perhaps even an attempt to limit God's power. Rabshakeh’s rhetoric creates a deep theological dilemma for the Judahites, asking if their righteous king has inadvertently angered their only hope. This strategy is designed to create internal division and lead to despair, prompting surrender without further Assyrian military effort. The verse sets the stage for God's powerful intervention, demonstrating that true faith in Him, despite such attacks, remains unwavering and vindicated.