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Rabshakeh

רַבְשָׁקֵה · rav.sha.qeh · H726216 mentions in 2 books, most in 2 Kings (8)

Who he was

Rabshakeh was a high-ranking Assyrian official who served as the spokesman for King Sennacherib during his campaign against Judah (2Kings 18-19; Isaiah 36-37). He was sent, along with Tartan and Rab-saris, to intimidate King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem. Rabshakeh delivered a threatening message, urging them to surrender and not trust in Hezekiah or God to deliver them. He spoke in Hebrew, intending to frighten the people on the city wall. Hezekiah's representatives, Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah, asked Rabshakeh to speak in Aramaic, but he refused and continued to speak in Hebrew to undermine the people's morale. Rabshakeh mocked Hezekiah's faith in God and boasted of Assyria's power. When Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the temple to pray. Isaiah the prophet reassured Hezekiah that God would protect Jerusalem. Rabshakeh returned to Sennacherib, who had left Lachish to fight against Libnah. Despite Rabshakeh's threats and Sennacherib's letter, Hezekiah trusted in God, and the Assyrian army was ultimately defeated by divine intervention.

Article: STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

Every mention

16 references, counted from STEPBible, Tyndale House Cambridge · CC BY 4.0 · verse text: World English Bible (public domain)
2 KingsChapter 18: 6 mentionsChapter 19: 2 mentions8 mentions
2 Kings 18:17The king of Assyria sent Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a great army to Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they had come up, they came…2 Kings 18:19Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust?2 Kings 18:26Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah, and Joah, said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in the Syrian language, for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Jews’…2 Kings 18:27But Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to your master and to you, to speak these words? Hasn’t he sent me to the men who sit on the wall, to eat their own dung, and to drink…2 Kings 18:28Then Rabshakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spoke, saying, “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria.2 Kings 18:37Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came with Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him…2 Kings 19:4It may be Yahweh your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has…2 Kings 19:8So Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.
IsaiahChapter 36: 6 mentionsChapter 37: 2 mentions8 mentions
Isaiah 36:2The king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. He stood by the aqueduct from the upper pool in the fuller’s field highway.Isaiah 36:4Rabshakeh said to them, “Now tell Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in which you trust?Isaiah 36:11Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to Rabshakeh, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it. Don’t speak to us in the Jews’ language in the hearing of the people who…Isaiah 36:12But Rabshakeh said, “Has my master sent me only to your master and to you, to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat their own dung and drink their own…Isaiah 36:13Then Rabshakeh stood, and called out with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, “Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria!Isaiah 36:22Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the…Isaiah 37:4It may be Yahweh your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which Yahweh your God has heard.…Isaiah 37:8So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.

What the dictionary says

Chief of the princes, the name given to the chief cup-bearer or the vizier of the Assyrian court; one of Sennacherib’s messengers to Hezekiah.

Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
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Sources