The Meaning of Isaiah 37:8 Explained

Isaiah 37:8

KJV: So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

YLT: And Rabshakeh turneth back and findeth the king of Asshur fighting against Libnah, for he hath heard that he hath journeyed from Lachish.

Darby: And Rab-shakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.

ASV: So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So Rabshakeh  returned,  and found  the king  of Assyria  warring  against Libnah:  for he had heard  that he was departed  from Lachish. 

What does Isaiah 37:8 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 37

1  Hezekiah mourning, sends to Isaiah to pray for them
6  Isaiah comforts them
8  Sennacherib, going to encounter Tirhakah, sends a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah
14  Hezekiah's prayer
21  Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Sennacherib, and the good of Zion
36  An angel slays the Assyrians
37  Sennacherib is slain at Nineveh by his own sons

What do the individual words in Isaiah 37:8 mean?

And returned - the Rabshakeh and found - the king of Assyria warring against Libnah for he heard that he had departed from Lachish
וַיָּ֙שָׁב֙ רַב־ שָׁקֵ֔ה וַיִּמְצָא֙ אֶת־ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר נִלְחָ֖ם עַל־ לִבְנָ֑ה כִּ֣י שָׁמַ֔ע כִּ֥י נָסַ֖ע מִלָּכִֽישׁ

וַיָּ֙שָׁב֙  And  returned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
רַב־  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
שָׁקֵ֔ה  the  Rabshakeh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רַב־שָׁקֵה  
Sense: chief cupbearer, chief of the officers?.
וַיִּמְצָא֙  and  found 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
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.
מֶ֣לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אַשּׁ֔וּר  of  Assyria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשּׁוּר  
Sense: the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians.
נִלְחָ֖ם  warring 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: לָחַם 
Sense: to fight, do battle, make war.
עַל־  against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
לִבְנָ֑ה  Libnah 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לִבְנָה  
Sense: a royal city of the Canaanites in the southwest captured by Joshua; allocated to Judah and made a Levitical city; site unknown.
שָׁמַ֔ע  he  heard 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
כִּ֥י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
נָסַ֖ע  he  had  departed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָסַע  
Sense: to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart.
מִלָּכִֽישׁ  from  Lachish 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: לָכִישׁ  
Sense: a city lying south of Jerusalem on the borders of Simeon and which belonged to the Amorites until conquered by Joshua and allotted to Judah.