The Meaning of Isaiah 36:4 Explained

Isaiah 36:4

KJV: And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

YLT: And Rabshakeh saith unto them, 'Say ye, I pray you, unto Hezekiah, 'Thus said the great king, the king of Asshur, What is this confidence in which thou hast confided?

Darby: And Rab-shakeh said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: What confidence is this in which thou trustest?

ASV: And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Rabshakeh  said  unto them, Say  ye now to Hezekiah,  Thus saith  the great  king,  the king  of Assyria,  What confidence  [is] this wherein thou trustest? 

What does Isaiah 36:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Rabshakeh told the Judean officials to give Hezekiah-he did not call him a king-a message from "the great king," a title the Assyrian monarchs arrogantly claimed for themselves (cf. Isaiah 10:8; Isaiah 30:33). He questioned Hezekiah"s confidence that led him to rebel against Sennacherib. Clearly Sennacherib wanted the Judahites to know that he regarded Hezekiah as a minor chieftain incapable of resisting the massive power of the Assyrian Empire.

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 36:4 mean?

And said to them - the Rabshakeh Say now to Hezekiah thus says the king great the king of Assyria what confidence [is] this in which you trust
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם֙ רַב־ שָׁקֵ֔ה אִמְרוּ־ נָ֖א אֶל־ חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ כֹּֽה־ אָמַ֞ר הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר מָ֧ה הַבִּטָּח֛וֹן הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר ؟ בָּטָֽחְתָּ

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲלֵיהֶם֙  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
רַב־  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
שָׁקֵ֔ה  the  Rabshakeh 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רַב־שָׁקֵה  
Sense: chief cupbearer, chief of the officers?.
אִמְרוּ־  Say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נָ֖א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ  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.
כֹּֽה־  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
אָמַ֞ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הַגָּדוֹל֙  great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
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.
הַבִּטָּח֛וֹן  confidence 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בִּטָּחֹון  
Sense: trust, confidence, hope.
הַזֶּ֖ה  [is]  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  in  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
؟ בָּטָֽחְתָּ  you  trust 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.