The Meaning of Isaiah 36:6 Explained

Isaiah 36:6

KJV: Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

YLT: Lo, thou hast trusted on the staff of this broken reed -- on Egypt -- which a man leaneth on, and it hath gone into his hand, and pierced it -- so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all those trusting on him.

Darby: Behold, thou reliest upon the staff of that broken reed, upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it goes into his hand, and pierces it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that rely upon him.

ASV: Behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Lo, thou trustest  in the staff  of this broken  reed,  on Egypt;  whereon if a man  lean,  it will go  into his hand,  and pierce  it: so [is] Pharaoh  king  of Egypt  to all that trust  in him. 

What does Isaiah 36:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He knew that some of the Judean nobles had put their trust in Egypt and had sent ambassadors there to make a treaty (cf. Isaiah 30:1-7). But he also knew, better than those officials, that Egypt was not only an unreliable ally but a dangerous one, an opinion Isaiah shared (cf. ch20; Isaiah 28:15; Ezekiel 29:6). Sennacherib had already defeated the Egyptians, who for the first and last time had unsuccessfully come to the aid of the Philistines, at Eltekeh northwest of Lachish.

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 36:6 mean?

Look You are trusting in the staff of reed broken this on Egypt on which if leans a man on that and it will go into his hand and pierce it so [is] Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him
הִנֵּ֣ה בָטַ֡חְתָּ עַל־ מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ הַקָּנֶ֨ה הָרָצ֤וּץ הַזֶּה֙ עַל־ מִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִסָּמֵ֥ךְ אִישׁ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבָ֥א בְכַפּ֖וֹ וּנְקָבָ֑הּ כֵּ֚ן פַּרְעֹ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־ מִצְרַ֔יִם לְכָֽל־ הַבֹּטְחִ֖ים עָלָֽיו

הִנֵּ֣ה  Look 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
בָטַ֡חְתָּ  You  are  trusting 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.
מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩  the  staff 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מַשְׁעֵנָה 
Sense: support (of every kind), staff.
הַקָּנֶ֨ה  of  reed 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָנֶה  
Sense: reed, stalk, bone, balances.
הָרָצ֤וּץ  broken 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine singular
Root: רָצַץ  
Sense: to crush, oppress.
הַזֶּה֙  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
מִצְרַ֔יִם  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  on  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
יִסָּמֵ֥ךְ  if  leans 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָמַךְ  
Sense: to lean, lay, rest, support, put, uphold, lean upon.
אִישׁ֙  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
עָלָ֔יו  on  that 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
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.
וּבָ֥א  and  it  will  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בְכַפּ֖וֹ  into  his  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
וּנְקָבָ֑הּ  and  pierce  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: נָקַב 
Sense: to pierce, perforate, bore, appoint.
כֵּ֚ן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
פַּרְעֹ֣ה  [is]  Pharaoh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּרְעֹה  
Sense: the common title of the king of Egypt.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מִצְרַ֔יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
לְכָֽל־  to  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַבֹּטְחִ֖ים  who  trust 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בָּטוּחַ 
Sense: to trust.
עָלָֽיו  in  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
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.