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Isaiah 37:9

in Isaiah 37

Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come out to fight against thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

KJV

And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

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This verse in Isaiah 37

Commentary

8 notes on this verse
And he heard say - The report or rumour referred to in Isa 37:7. In what way he heard this is not intimated. It is probable that the preparations which Tirhakah had made, were well known to the surrounding regions, and that he was already on his march against Sennacherib. Tirhakah - This king, who, by Eusebius and by most ancient writers, is called Ταρακὸς Tarakos, was a celebrated conqueror, and had subdued Egypt to himself. He reigned over Egypt eighteen years. When Sennacherib marched into Egypt, Sevechus or Sethon was on the throne.

This site's exposition

warring against Libnah

on Isaiah 37:8-9

Rabshakeh's return finds his master already pulled off Lachish and fighting at Libnah, the campaign moving without having taken the city its own general had threatened. Word of Tirhakah of Ethiopia coming to make war forces Sennacherib's hand, and he answers the rumour Isaiah had promised with a second round of threats rather than a retreat. Barnes places Tirhakah among the datable figures of the chapter, useful for fixing the campaign against the wider Assyrian record.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Isaiah · Written before 420.

proposed

(Verse 8 and following) But when Rabshakeh returned, he found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish. And he heard that Tirhakah, the king of Ethiopia, had come out to fight against him. When he heard this, he sent messengers to Hezekiah saying: 'Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah, king of Judah, saying: Do not let your God deceive you, in whom you trust, saying: Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.'

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on Isaiah · Written before 1274.

proposed

Here he recounts how he offended Israel by threatening them through letters; and concerning this, he does three things. First, he sets out his proud threat: and he heard say about Tharaca, who came to the aid of the Egyptians; and when he heard it, …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

We have enough to take hold of, in our wrestling with God by prayer, if we can but plead that his glory is interested in our case, that his name will be profaned if we are run down and glorified if we are relieved. Thence therefore will our most prevailing pleas be drawn: "Do it for thy glory's sake." Sennacherib Threatened;

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Tirhakah--(See on Isa 17:12; Egypt was in part governed by three successive Ethiopian monarchs, for forty or fifty years: Sabacho, Sevechus, and Tirhakah.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

He heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia - When he heard that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia had come out against him, then he sent that blasphemous manifesto which is contained in Isa 37:10-13, to terrify Hezekiah into submission. How much was this like, in words and spirit, to the manifesto sent to the Parisians by the late Duke of Brunswick, from the plains of Champaigne, in 1792, which was the forerunner of the mighty torrents of human blood which was shed in the French revolution! And what a blast of God fell upon him and his army - nearly like that which fell on the army of Sennacherib! He sent messengers “He sent messengers again” - The word וישמע vaiyishma, “and he heard, “which occurs the second time in this verse, is repeated by mistake from the beginning of the verse. It is omitted in an ancient MS. It is a mere tautology, and embarrasses the sense. The true reading instead of it is, וישב veyesheb, “and he returned, “which the Septuagint read in this place, απεστρεψε, and which is preserved in the other copy, 2Ki 19:9: “He returned and sent, “that is, according to the Hebrew idiom, “he sent again.”

The words behind it

15 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיִּשְׁמַ֗עand he heard

    vaiyishma'H8085 →1159 times

  • עַל־on

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • תִּרְהָ֤קָהTirhakah

    tirhakahH8640 →

  • מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of

    melekh-H4428 →2525 times

  • כּוּשׁ֙Cush

    kushH3568 →29 times

  • לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying

    lemorH559 →5305 times

  • יָצָ֖אhe has come out

    yatza'H3318 →1067 times

  • לְהִלָּחֵ֣םto do battle

    lehilachemH3898 →177 times

  • אִתָּ֑ךְwith you

    ʾitakhH854 →929 times

  • וַיִּשְׁמַע֙and he heard

    vaiyishma'H8085 →1159 times

  • וַיִּשְׁלַ֣חand he sent

    vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times

  • מַלְאָכִ֔יםmessengers

    malakhimH4397 →213 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • חִזְקִיָּ֖הוּHezekiah

    chizkiyahuH2396 →127 times

  • לֵאמֹֽר׃<to> saying

    lemorH559 →5305 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

8 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Isaiah 37:7Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’”3 works1 Samuel 23:27–28Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!”2 worksIsaiah 18:1Woe to the land of whirring wings, along the rivers of Cush,2 worksIsaiah 20:5Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.2 works2 Kings 19:9Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,2 worksEsther 1:1This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.2 works
The other 2 cross-references, with their words ▾
Isaiah 14:32What answer will be given to the envoys of that nation? “The LORD has founded Zion, where His afflicted people will find refuge.”2 worksIsaiah 20:3Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 18:1

    Woe to the land of whirring wings, along the rivers of Cush,

    it leads to

    • Zephaniah 3:10

      From beyond the rivers of Cush My worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.

    • 2 Kings 19:9

      Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

    • Ezekiel 30:4–5

      A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are torn down.

    • Zephaniah 2:12

      “You too, O Cushites, will be slain by My sword.”

    • Psalms 63:7

      For You are my help; I will sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.

  • Through

    Isaiah 20:5

    Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 30:5

      everyone will be put to shame because of a people useless to them. They cannot be of help; they are good for nothing but shame and reproach.”

    • Isaiah 30:3

      But Pharaoh’s protection will become your shame, and the refuge of Egypt’s shade your disgrace.

  • Through

    Isaiah 37:7

    Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’”

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 32:21

      and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every mighty man of valor and every leader and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew to his own land in…

About Isaiah

The Prophet Isaiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Prophet Isaiah, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Isaiah: the study guide →Read Isaiah 37 →
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; 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); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.

Read on in Isaiah 37 →