The Meaning of 2 Kings 18:17 Explained

2 Kings 18:17

KJV: And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.

YLT: And the king of Asshur sendeth Tartan, and the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the butlers, from Lachish, unto king Hezekiah, with a heavy force, to Jerusalem, and they go up and come in to Jerusalem, and they go up, and come in and stand by the conduit of the upper pool that is in the highway of the fuller's field.

Darby: And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rab-shakeh from Lachish, with a strong force, against king Hezekiah, to Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the aqueduct of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the fuller's field.

ASV: And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great army unto Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the king  of Assyria  sent  Tartan  and Rabsaris  and Rabshakeh  from Lachish  to king  Hezekiah  with a great  host  against Jerusalem.  And they went up  and came  to Jerusalem.  And when they were come up,  they came  and stood  by the conduit  of the upper  pool,  which [is] in the highway  of the fuller's  field. 

What does 2 Kings 18:17 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 18:13-25 - Threatened By Worldly Might
It is an interesting fact that this siege of Lachish is mentioned on the Assyrian monuments, and Sennacherib is depicted as giving orders for its destruction. Also the names and Jewish physiognomy of these ambassadors are clearly recognizable. It was a mistake to bribe the foe; the bribes only excited his cupidity. You may as well come to blows with Apollyon as soon as he straddles across your path; sooner or later the conflict will have to come to a head. Three years afterward, Rabshakeh appeared before the gates of Jerusalem.
It has been suggested that this bold blasphemer was an apostate Jew. He drew a false inference from the recent destructions of altars, etc., which had been reported to him. His taunts were barbed with biting satire. He spoke contemptuously of the little army that was absolutely unable to cope with the disciplined troops of Assyria. It seemed a most unequal conflict which could end only in one way. But he failed to take into account the covenant mercy of God and the heavenly forces which were allied with Hezekiah. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 18

1  Hezekiah's good reign
4  He destroys idolatry, and prospers
9  The inhabitants of Samaria are carried captive for their sins
13  Sennacherib invading Judah, is pacified by a tribute
17  Rabshakeh, by blasphemous persuasions, solicits the people to revolt

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 18:17 mean?

And sent the king of Assyria - the Tartan and - the Rabsaris and [and the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a army great against Jerusalem And they went up and came to Jerusalem And when they had come up and they went and stood by the aqueduct from the pool upper that [was] on the highway to the Field of Fuller
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח מֶֽלֶךְ־ אַשּׁ֡וּר אֶת־ תַּרְתָּ֥ן וְאֶת־ רַב־ סָרִ֣יס ׀ וְאֶת־ שָׁקֵ֨ה מִן־ לָכִ֜ישׁ אֶל־ הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ חִזְקִיָּ֛הוּ בְּחֵ֥יל כָּבֵ֖ד יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙ וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם וַיַּעֲל֣וּ וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ וַיַּֽעַמְדוּ֙ בִּתְעָלַת֙ הַבְּרֵכָ֣ה הָֽעֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֕ר בִּמְסִלַּ֖ת שְׂדֵ֥ה כוֹבֵֽס

וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח  And  sent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
אַשּׁ֡וּר  of  Assyria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשּׁוּר  
Sense: the second son of Shem, eponymous ancestor of the Assyrians.
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.
תַּרְתָּ֥ן  the  Tartan 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: תַּרְתָּן  
Sense: Tartan—field marshal, general, or commander.
רַב־  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
סָרִ֣יס ׀  the  Rabsaris 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רַב־סָרִיס 
Sense: chief eunuch.
וְאֶת־  and  [and 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
שָׁקֵ֨ה  the  Rabshakeh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רַב־שָׁקֵה  
Sense: chief cupbearer, chief of the officers?.
לָכִ֜ישׁ  Lachish 
Parse: 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.
הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ  King 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
חִזְקִיָּ֛הוּ  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.
בְּחֵ֥יל  with  a  army 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֵיל  
Sense: rampart, fortress, wall.
כָּבֵ֖ד  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֵד  
Sense: heavy, great.
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  against  Jerusalem 
Parse: 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.
וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙  And  they  went  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ  and  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם  to  Jerusalem 
Parse: 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.
וַיַּעֲל֣וּ  And  when  they  had  come  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
וַיָּבֹ֗אוּ  and  they  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וַיַּֽעַמְדוּ֙  and  stood 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
בִּתְעָלַת֙  by  the  aqueduct 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תְּעָלָה 
Sense: conduit, water course, trench.
הַבְּרֵכָ֣ה  from  the  pool 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּרֵכָה  
Sense: pool, pond.
הָֽעֶלְיוֹנָ֔ה  upper 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: עֶלְיׄון 
Sense: high, upper.
אֲשֶׁ֕ר  that  [was] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בִּמְסִלַּ֖ת  on  the  highway  to 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מְסִלָּה  
Sense: highway, raised way, public road.
שְׂדֵ֥ה  the  Field 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
כוֹבֵֽס  of  Fuller 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: כָּבַס  
Sense: to wash (by treading), be washed, perform the work of a fuller.