Isaiah 36:9
ESV
How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master 's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
NIV
How then can you repulse one officer of the least of my master’s officials, even though you are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen ?
NASB
How then can you drive back even one official of the least of my master’s servants and rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
CSB
How then can you drive back a single officer among the least of my master’s servants? How can you rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
NLT
With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master’s troops, even with the help of Egypt’s chariots and charioteers?
KJV
How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
NKJV
How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?
What does Isaiah 36:9 mean?
Judah was a tiny nation on the verge of imminent defeat. Of their fortified cities, only Jerusalem remained. In addition, the foolish alliance with Egypt has been thwarted. Whatever forces Egypt sent were badly defeated by the invading Assyrians. Nothing remains except for the Assyrians to crush Jerusalem and move on. The Assyrian king's representative (Isaiah 36:1) is leaving no doubt that this is exactly what he plans to do.In the prior verse, the commander mockingly offered 2,000 war horses to Judah if they could amass enough men to ride them. The full Assyrian army, not far from Jerusalem, was nearly a hundred times that size. If Judah depends on Egypt for military power, and Egypt is defeated, Jerusalem has no chance. The Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36:4) says that just one of his captains could take the city.
This spokesman has one final verbal blow meant to undermine any confidence Hezekiah and his people may have left: claiming that their own God is on the enemy's side (Isaiah 36:10).
