Bible Strands
Isaiah 36:14
This is what the king says: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he cannot deliver you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Rabshakeh stands outside Jerusalem and speaks on behalf of the Assyrian king to the citizens and officials of Judah during the siege. He delivers this message to counter Hezekiah’s influence and prevent the population from surrendering.
The words — The Hebrew phrase כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר הַ/מֶּ֔לֶךְ (koh 'a.Mar ha./Me.lekh) translates literally as "thus says the king." The verb יַשִּׁ֥א (ya.Shi') means "to lift up" but functions here as "to deceive" or "to mislead."
The thread — This warning against trusting a human leader over divine promise runs directly into 2 Kings 19:10, where the same Assyrian message targets Hezekiah’s reliance on God. The broader biblical pattern of arrogant speech opposing divine authority also appears in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 13:5.
Why it lands — The text commands the audience to dismiss Hezekiah’s claim that he can deliver them, asserting that the Assyrian king alone holds the power to save or destroy. A reader must confront the immediate political threat and decide whether to trust human authority or the promised deliverance of God.
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 king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.
Cross-references
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
- Revelation 13:5 The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.
- 2 Kings 19:10 “Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
- 2 Kings 19:22 Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
- 2 Chronicles 32:11 Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says, ‘The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria?’
- 2 Chronicles 32:13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have the gods of these nations ever been able to deliver their land from my hand?
- Isaiah 37:10 “Give this message to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
- Daniel 3:15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the statue I have made, very good. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”
- Daniel 6:20 When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
- Daniel 7:25 He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.