Bible Strands
2 Kings 18:37
Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Hilkiah’s son Eliakim, Shebna, and Asaph’s son Joah approach King Hezekiah after the Rabshakeh’s threats, reporting his words while wearing torn garments. This occurs immediately after Hezekiah orders the people to remain silent and refuse to answer the Assyrian official.
The words — The text highlights אֲשֶׁר־עַל־הַבַּיִת (asher-al-ha-bayit), literally “who [was] over the house,” identifying Eliakim’s official role as palace administrator. It also records וַיָּבֹא (va-yavo), “and he went,” marking the messengers’ physical arrival to deliver the report.
The thread — Torn clothing in this narrative parallels Reuben’s distress over Joseph’s disappearance and Jacob’s mourning in Genesis 37:29 and 37:34, as well as the king of Israel’s reaction to Elisha’s letter in 2 Kings 5:7. These references establish torn garments as a standard biblical marker of profound alarm or grief.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize that official terror does not replace the commanded silence of the people. It demands attention to the contrast between the messengers’ visible distress and Hezekiah’s restrained leadership.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rab–shakeh.
Cross-references
- Genesis 37:29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
- Genesis 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
- 2 Kings 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
- 2 Kings 6:30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. And as he passed by on the wall, the people saw the sackcloth under his clothes next to his skin.
- 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.”
- 2 Kings 22:11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes
- 2 Kings 22:19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.
- Job 1:20 Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
- Isaiah 33:7 Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
- Isaiah 36:21 But the people remained silent and did not answer a word, for Hezekiah had commanded, “Do not answer him.”