The Meaning of Isaiah 36:7 Explained

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?

YLT: 'And dost thou say unto me, Unto Jehovah our God we have trusted? is it not He, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath turned aside, and saith to Judah and to Jerusalem, Before this altar ye do bow yourselves?

Darby: And if thou say to me, We rely upon Jehovah our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

ASV: But if thou say unto me, We trust in Jehovah our God: is not that he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and hath said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does Isaiah 36:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Rabshakeh knew about Hezekiah"s religious reforms in which he had removed many of the altars from the land (cf. 2 Kings 18:1-7; 2 Chronicles 29-31). Evidently the commander believed that removing altars would antagonize Yahweh, but Hezekiah was really purifying Yahweh worship. However, many of the Judeans probably believed that the removal of those altars was a bad thing, and it was to those people that the Rabshakeh was evidently appealing.

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 36

1  Sennacherib invades Judah
2  Rabshakeh, sent by Sennacherib, solicits the people to revolt
22  His words are told to Hezekiah

What do the individual words in Isaiah 36:7 mean?

But if you say to me in Yahweh our God we trust [is it] not He whose has taken away Hezekiah - whose high places and whose altars and said to Judah and Jerusalem before altar this You shall worship
וְכִי־ תֹאמַ֣ר אֵלַ֔י אֶל־ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ בָּטָ֑חְנוּ הֲלוֹא־ ה֗וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵסִ֤יר חִזְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ אֶת־ בָּמֹתָ֣יו וְאֶת־ מִזְבְּחֹתָ֔יו וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לִֽיהוּדָה֙ וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לִפְנֵ֛י ؟ הַמִּזְבֵּ֥חַ הַזֶּ֖ה תִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ

וְכִי־  But  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
תֹאמַ֣ר  you  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלַ֔י  to  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יְהוָ֥ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
בָּטָ֑חְנוּ  we  trust 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.
הֲלוֹא־  [is  it]  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  whose 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הֵסִ֤יר  has  taken  away 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
חִזְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙  Hezekiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִזְקִיָּה 
Sense: 2th king of Judah, son of Ahaz and Abijah; a good king in that he served Jehovah and did away with idolatrous practices.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
בָּמֹתָ֣יו  whose  high  places 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
מִזְבְּחֹתָ֔יו  whose  altars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לִֽיהוּדָה֙  to  Judah 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם  and  Jerusalem 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
לִפְנֵ֛י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
؟ הַמִּזְבֵּ֥חַ  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
הַזֶּ֖ה  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
תִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ  You  shall  worship 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחָה  
Sense: to bow down.