Bible Strands
Isaiah 36:20
Who among all the gods of these lands has delivered his land from my hand? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Sennacherib’s Assyrian envoy stands before the Judean leadership and citizens outside Jerusalem, demanding to know which foreign deities successfully rescued their territories from his army. He uses this question to challenge the people’s confidence in Hezekiah’s reliance on the LORD.
The words — The Hebrew verb הִצִּ֥ילוּ (hi.Tzi.lu) literally means “they have delivered” or “rescued,” highlighting the envoy’s focus on past military outcomes. This term grounds his argument in tangible historical results rather than abstract theology.
The thread — This rhetorical pattern matches 2 Chronicles 32:19, where Assyrian officials equate Jerusalem’s God with conquered national deities. It also mirrors the defiant stance in Exodus 5:2, where a ruler refuses to acknowledge the authority of the God of Israel.
Why it lands — The text compels a direct comparison between historical military success and the actual power of claimed deities. It requires the reader to assess trust on the basis of demonstrated action rather than rhetorical pressure.
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
Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?
Cross-references
- 2 Chronicles 32:19 They spoke against the God of Jerusalem as they had spoken against the gods of the peoples of the earth—the work of human hands.
- Psalms 50:21 You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.
- Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
- 1 Kings 20:23 Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail.
- 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 32:15 So now, do not let Hezekiah deceive you, and do not let him mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How much less will your God deliver you from my hand!”
- Job 15:25 For he has stretched out his hand against God and has vaunted himself against the Almighty,
- Psalms 73:9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.
- Isaiah 37:18 Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all these countries and their lands.
- Isaiah 37:23 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!