Bible Strands
2 Kings 18:26
Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, along with Shebnah and Joah, said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak with us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah address the Rabshakeh during the Assyrian siege, requesting a shift from Hebrew to Aramaic before his threats reach the soldiers on the wall.
The words — The text names אֶלְיָקִים ('el.ya.Kim) as the speaking official and רַב־ (rav-) as the Assyrian title, literally denoting the chief or high officer [H7262].
The thread — This identical plea for Aramaic appears in the parallel narrative of Isaiah 36:11 and aligns with the court language shift recorded in Daniel 2:4 where officials address the king in Aramaic.
Why it lands — The verse demands a reader observe how language choice serves as a tactical boundary, separating private negotiation from public psychological warfare.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rab–shakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews’ language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
Cross-references
- Ezra 4:7 And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. It was written in Aramaic and then translated.
- Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
- Isaiah 36:11 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”
- 2 Kings 18:18 Then they called for the king. And Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to them.