Isaiah 37:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered?

NIV: Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?

NASB: Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved?

CSB: Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries: they completely destroyed them. Will you be rescued?

NLT: You know perfectly well what the kings of Assyria have done wherever they have gone. They have completely destroyed everyone who stood in their way! Why should you be any different?

KJV: Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly; and shalt thou be delivered?

NKJV: Look! You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by utterly destroying them; and shall you be delivered?

This is part of a letter written from one king to another. Sennacherib of Assyria is warning Hezekiah of Judah. This has the tone of a cat playing with a mouse (Isaiah 36:11–15). Both men know the Assyrian army can crush Jerusalem's defenses with ease. The Assyrian forces are massive, battle-hardened, and utterly ruthless. Judah's population is huddled inside the walls of Jerusalem and powerless to defend themselves.

So why the letter? Sennacherib's strategy for world domination included demoralizing every opponent. This was a favored tactic of Assyria. The nation went to great lengths to project an image of ferocious, sadistic warmongers. This intimidation was meant to avoid rebellion in conquered people, and to convince enemies they were beaten before the battle even started.

In that equation, faith in a god or religion was a wildcard. Those who believed a deity might step in to save them would be more inclined to resist. After destroying all resisters to this point, though, the Assyrians felt they had taken this argument out of the conversation. But there was something different about the history of Judah's faith in their God. Sennacherib didn't want to risk a revival of faith in Jerusalem making it harder to defeat the city. Of course, he didn't think the God of Judah was truly able to conquer Assyria without any resistance from the people, at all.

So, Sennacherib asks Hezekiah if he knows about the string of victories which Assyria has amassed. Does Hezekiah really believe his God will deliver tiny Jerusalem, after what the Assyrians have done to all the nations in all the lands? To the so-called gods of those nations?

The phrase "devoting to destruction" is significant. It was often used of the Lord's judgment of lands and peoples. It meant that nothing, not person or animal or possession would be kept by the invaders. This was a scorched-earth policy with no other motives and no negotiation. The invader would unilaterally kill and burn everyone and everything, leaving nothing behind. Sennacherib will remind Hezekiah that not a single foreign god was able to stop him from doing this.

Isaiah 37:1–13 continues the story of Assyria's threats against Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:1–3, 20). Hezekiah sends officials to ask Isaiah to pray for them. The Lord tells Hezekiah not to be afraid; He will repel Sennacherib to return home and be killed there. Distracted by rumors, Sennacherib sends a letter to Hezekiah indicating he will soon make good on his threats. After all, none of the gods of other nations saved them from the Assyrian war machine.

Hezekiah is overcome with grief at news that Sennacherib has mocked the Lord and is coming to destroy Jerusalem. God reassures Hezekiah that the Asyrian king will return home to be killed there. Hezekiah prays in the temple, asking the Lord to defend His name and save Judah. Through Isaiah, the Lord reveals to Hezekiah that Jerusalem will not be touched. Assyria's army won't even have the chance to attack. Responding to their aggression and blasphemy, the "angel of the Lord" virtually wipes out the gigantic Assyrian army overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is later killed by his sons.

Isaiah 37 continues the narrative started in Isaiah 36. Assyrian messengers threaten to bring their enormous, nearby army to take Jerusalem. Hezekiah seeks God in response and is reassured that Jerusalem will not see so much as a single Assyrian arrow. The Lord promises to save the city and make the survivors prosper. The angel of the Lord kills an overwhelming number of Assyrian soldiers overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is eventually killed by his own sons. Hezekiah will then face a serious illness and be granted a brief reprieve by God (Isaiah 38).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).