Isaiah 36:6
in Isaiah 36Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him.
KJV
Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.
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This verse in Isaiah 36
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThe staff of this broken reed - A weakened, faithless ally. On Egypt - The Bodl. MS. adds מלך melech, the king of Egypt; and so perhaps the Chaldee might read. It will go into his hand, and pierce it - Will take subsidy after subsidy, and do nothing for it.
This site's exposition
the great king, the king of Assyria
on Isaiah 36:4-6
Rabshakeh asks: What is the basis of this confidence of yours? He strikes down Egypt first as that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Gill and Clarke record the image as a proverb already current for Egypt's unreliability.
This site's exposition
that splintered reed of a staff
Samaria had leaned on Egypt through King Hoshea's alliance with So, and Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom for it, as 2 Kings 17:4 records. Clarke reads the pierced hand as an ally that takes payment after payment and gives nothing back. Isaiah had given Judah the same warning at 30:1-7.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 36—Verse 1 and following) And it came to pass in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the washer's field. And Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to him. And Rabshakeh said to them, "Say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours?' By what plan and courage do you prepare to rebel? On whom do you have confidence, because you have turned away from me? Look, you trust in this broken reed staff, in Egypt: if a man leans on it, it will enter into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God,' is it not he whose heights and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar'? And now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, and you will not be able to provide riders for them. And how will you withstand the face of one judge from my lord's servants? And if you rely on Egypt: and on chariots, and on horsemen: and now, did I ascend to this land without the Lord, to destroy it? The Lord said to me: Go up on this land and destroy it. The history is clear and does not require interpretation: and this same thing is reported more fully in the volumes of Kings and Chronicles. In the third year of Hosea the son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
And Rabsaces said to them. Here the discussion of the messengers is set out. And concerning this, he sets out two things: first, the preamble of Rabsaces to the Jewish messengers; second, to the others, where it says, then Rabsaces stood (Isa 36:13). Concerning the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The history related here, and in the three following chapters, is, almost in the same words contained 2 Kings 18, 19, 20. It is inserted here, to explain and confirm some of the foregoing predictions.
Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
It was a similar alliance with So (that is, Sabacho, or else Sevechus), the Ethiopian king of Egypt, which provoked the Assyrian to invade and destroy Israel, the northern kingdom, under Hoshea.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Lo, thou trustest - It is possible that Sennacherib might have been apprised of the attempt which had been made by the Jews to secure the cooperation of Egypt (see the notes at Isa 30:1-7; Isa 31:1 ff), though he might not have been aware that the negotiation was unsuccessful. In the staff of this broken reed - The same comparison of Egypt with a broken reed, or a reed which broke while they were trusting to it, occurs in Eze 29:6-7. Reeds were doubtless used often for staves, as they are now. They are light and hollow, with long joints. The idea here is, that as a slender reed would break when a man leaned on it, and would pierce his hand, so it would be with Egypt. Their reliance would give way, and their trusting to Egypt would be attended with injury to themselves (compare Isa 30:5, Isa 30:7; Isa 31:3).
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הִנֵּ֣ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| בָטַ֡חְתָּ | vatachta | you rely | H982 → | 120 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ | mishenet | [the] staff of | H4938 → | |
| הַקָּנֶ֨ה | hakaneh | <the> reed | H7070 → | 62 times |
| הָרָצ֤וּץ | haratzutz | <the> crushed | H7533 → | 19 times |
| הַזֶּה֙ | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מִצְרַ֔יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יִסָּמֵ֥ךְ | yisamekh | he will support himself | H5564 → | 48 times |
| אִישׁ֙ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| עָלָ֔יו | ʾalav | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וּבָ֥א | uva' | and it will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בְכַפּ֖וֹ | vekhapo | in palm his | H3709 → | 192 times |
| וּנְקָבָ֑הּ | unekavah | and it will pierce it | H5344 → | |
| כֵּ֚ן | ken | [is] thus | H3651 → | 771 times |
| פַּרְעֹ֣ה | paroh | Pharaoh | H6547 → | 274 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| מִצְרַ֔יִם | mitzrayim | Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| לְכָֽל־ | lekhol | to all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַבֹּטְחִ֖ים | habotechim | those [who] rely | H982 → | 120 times |
| עָלָֽיו׃ | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
הִנֵּ֣הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
בָטַ֡חְתָּyou rely
vatachtaH982 →120 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩[the] staff of
mishenetH4938 →
הַקָּנֶ֨ה<the> reed
hakanehH7070 →62 times
הָרָצ֤וּץ<the> crushed
haratzutzH7533 →19 times
הַזֶּה֙<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מִצְרַ֔יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יִסָּמֵ֥ךְhe will support himself
yisamekhH5564 →48 times
אִישׁ֙anyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
עָלָ֔יוon it
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
וּבָ֥אand it will go
uva'H935 →2568 times
בְכַפּ֖וֹin palm his
vekhapoH3709 →192 times
וּנְקָבָ֑הּand it will pierce it
unekavahH5344 →
כֵּ֚ן[is] thus
kenH3651 →771 times
פַּרְעֹ֣הPharaoh
parohH6547 →274 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
מִצְרַ֔יִםEgypt
mitzrayimH4714 →641 times
לְכָֽל־to all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
הַבֹּטְחִ֖יםthose [who] rely
habotechimH982 →120 times
עָלָֽיו׃on him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 31:3But the Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, the helper will stumble, and the one he helps will fall; both will perish…
it leads to
- Isaiah 30:7
Egypt’s help is futile and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab Who Sits Still.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 9:17
Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite…
- Ezekiel 20:33–34
As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will rule over you.
- Jeremiah 15:6
You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion.
- Psalms 33:17
A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.
- Isaiah 30:7
Through
2 Kings 18:21Look now, you are trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust…
it leads to
- Isaiah 31:1–3
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 30:2–3
They set out to go down to Egypt without asking My advice, to seek shelter under Pharaoh’s protection and take refuge in Egypt’s shade.
- Ezekiel 29:6–7
Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the LORD. For you were only a staff of reeds to the house of Israel.
- Isaiah 31:1–3
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.