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Isaiah 36 Bible study: In whom do you trust?
Isaiah names Hezekiah in its first verse and not again until chapter 36, and here he never speaks. The chapter belongs to Rabshakeh, and its word is trust, seven times, every one in his mouth. He calls Egypt a staff of reed that pierces the hand, says the LORD sent him, and asks who can deliver Jerusalem out of his hand. The chapter ends in silence, by the king's command.
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“But they remained silent, and said nothing in reply, for the king’s commandment was, “Don’t answer him.””
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Isaiah 36, Rabshakeh says the LORD told him to go up against the land and destroy it.”
Is that in Isaiah 36, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Hezekiah, named again
Isaiah names Hezekiah in its first verse, among the kings in whose days Isaiah saw his vision: "in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (1:1). Then the book doesn't name him again until this chapter: "Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them" (36:1). From here to chapter 39 he is named in every chapter. 2 Kings, telling the same events, first gives its own verdict on him, "He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel" (2 Kings 18:5), and tells of the silver and gold he sent to the king of Assyria (2 Kings 18:14-16). Isaiah has neither. It goes from the captured cities straight to the army: "The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army" (36:2).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Isaiah 36
That was a taste
The rest of Isaiah 36 is waiting in Favor
- "In whom do you trust?"
- The great king's messenger
- Who can deliver Jerusalem?
- Side by side with 2 Kings 18
- A staff of reed
- The line in 2 Kings 18
- 14 questions as you read
- 12 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Isaiah 36 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
בָּטַחbatachsay ba-TAKH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "trust", and "be confident". Strong's: "figuratively, to trust, be confident or sure". The verb comes seven times in this chapter, in six verses (36:4, 36:5, 36:6 twice, 36:7, 36:9, 36:15), and each time Rabshakeh is the one speaking. Isaiah has it twenty times in all, and no other chapter has it more than three times. 2 Kings tells the same speech with the same seven, and one more before it, in the book's own words of Hezekiah: "He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel" (2 Kings 18:5). Isaiah's telling has no such verse. The book's earlier uses are other voices: "I will trust, and will not be afraid" (12:2), and "Trust in the LORD forever" (26:4).
For your group
Isaiah 36 Bible study questions
- 1"Now in whom do you trust?" (36:5). Rabshakeh meant it as a taunt. If you heard it as an honest question about this past week, what would your answer show?
- 2Rabshakeh threatened (36:18-20), but he also offered each person his own vine, fig tree and cistern, before he spoke of taking them away "to a land like your own land" (36:16-17). Why can an offer of comfort be harder to resist than a threat?
- 3The three officials didn't argue with Rabshakeh. They came to Hezekiah "with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh" (36:22). When words shake your trust in God, what helps you most: answering them, or taking them to someone first?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Isaiah 36 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Isaiah 36 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Isaiah 36 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home