Bible Strands
Isaiah 22:15
This is what the Lord GOD of Hosts says: “Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace:
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord GOD of Hosts speaks through the prophet, commanding him to deliver a message to Shebna, the palace steward. This occurs immediately after a declaration of unatoned sin and directly precedes a confrontation regarding Shebna's self-prepared tomb.
The words — כֹּ֥ה (koh) = thus and אָמַ֛ר ('a.Mar) = he says form the prophetic formula introducing divine speech. לֶךְ (lekh) = go and בֹּא (bo) = go function as a double imperative urging immediate action.
The thread — Shebna appears alongside Eliakim and Joah as a royal official in Isaiah 36:3 and 2 Kings 18:18, 2 Kings 18:37. These passages track his administrative role during the Assyrian crisis without repeating the divine commission found here.
Why it lands — The text demands direct confrontation of corrupt authority without mediation or delay. It requires readers to recognize that divine speech overrides human office and demands immediate obedience.
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
Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,
Cross-references
- Isaiah 36:3 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Joah son of Asaph the recorder, went out to him.
- 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.
- 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.
- 2 Kings 19:2 And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
- Isaiah 37:2 And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz
- 1 Kings 4:6 Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
- 2 Kings 10:5 So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”
- 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.”
- 1 Chronicles 27:25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the fortresses.
- 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.”