Isaiah 37:10
ESV
"Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
NIV
"Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’
NASB
This is what you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.'
CSB
"Say this to King Hezekiah of Judah: ‘Don’t let your God, on whom you rely, deceive you by promising that Jerusalem won’t be handed over to the king of Assyria.
NLT
'This message is for King Hezekiah of Judah. Don’t let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you with promises that Jerusalem will not be captured by the king of Assyria.
KJV
Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.
NKJV
“Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”
What does Isaiah 37:10 mean?
Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, took propaganda very seriously. This was a favorite tactic of Assyria. The nation deliberately promoted their own reputation for cruelty, viciousness, bloodthirst, and warmongering. Sennacherib knew that demoralizing an enemy was a significant step towards defeating them. He worked to remove every shred of hope that might give courage to Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:11–15).But now the attack on Jerusalem has been delayed by the apparent arrival of an army from Egypt (Isaiah 37:8–9). Sennacherib sends Hezekiah a letter repeating the same basic message the Rabshakeh (Isaiah 36:1–3) had delivered. However, there are some important differences.
First, Sennacherib addresses Hezekiah as the king of Judah, something his messenger had refused to do while there in person. This marginal increase in respect for Hezekiah was likely strategic, as well. It may have been intended to imply that he was reasoning with Hezekiah, one king to another, hoping they could come to an agreement about something.
But what Sennacherib wants Hezekiah to agree to is that Israel's God could not be trusted. Rather than attacking the existence of Israel's God, Sennacherib says not to be fooled into thinking Jerusalem will be spared. Some scholars suggest Sennacherib had heard about Isaiah's recent revelation that Sennacherib would be redirected and then killed (Isaiah 37:5–7). If so, he is telling Hezekiah to ignore that prophecy. He is directly assaulting Hezekiah's faith in God.
Similar attacks on faith continue to this day. They may begin with a suggestion of agreement: "Maybe God is real, but not good. Perhaps He's lying to you. Just because you believe in Him doesn't mean you have to take Him at His word. What if God is keeping you from something better?" This is the heart of the lie spoken to Eve by the serpent in the garden (Genesis 3:1–5). The consequences of believing this falsehood are always devastating. To his credit, Hezekiah doesn't take the bait.
