Isaiah 22:16
in Isaiah 22What are you doing here, and who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here—to chisel your tomb in the height and cut your resting place in the rock?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
What doest thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out here a sepulchre? hewing him out a sepulchre on high, graving a habitation for himself in the rock!
KJV
What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?
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This verse in Isaiah 22
Commentary
11 notes on this verse(Verse 15, 16, etc.) Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts: Go, enter to him who dwells in the tabernacle, to Shebna, the overseer of the temple, and say to him: What are you doing here? or who are you here? for you have carved out a sepulchre here for yourself. You have carved out a lofty memorial for yourself diligently in the rock for your tent. Behold, the Lord will cast you down as one is cast down, like a cockerel; and he will lift you up like a cloak.
This site's exposition
Go, say to Shebna
on Isaiah 22:15-19
Shebna, "the steward in charge of the palace", is asked who authorized him "to carve out a tomb". The LORD will "roll you into a ball, and sling you into a wide land". Barnes and Gill note that 2 Kings 18 shows a Shebna as a scribe under Eliakim.
This site's exposition
cut your resting place in the rock
The two questions challenge the right of Shebna to a tomb in Jerusalem at all. Wesley notes the Jewish tradition that he was a foreigner. Clarke explains that men of high position were buried in large tombs cut into the rock.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 15 onward) Thus says the Lord God of hosts: Go, go into him who dwells in the tabernacle, to Shebna, the overseer of the Temple, and say to him: What are you doing here? Or who are you here, because you have dug for yourself here a tomb? You have dug your memorial on high, diligently in the rock you have made a dwelling for yourself. Behold, the Lord will carry you away: like the lifting of a rooster or like a garment he will lift you up. He will surely overthrow you and throw you into a wide and spacious land: there you shall die, and there shall be the chariots of your glory; the disgrace of your Lord's house. And I will drive you out from your office, and I will remove you from your position. And on that day, I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. And I will clothe him with your robe, and I will strengthen him with your sash, and I will give your authority into his hand. And he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder, and he will open, and no one shall shut; and he will shut, and no one shall open. And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it. We have already mentioned that Shebna was a high priest who betrayed the city to the Assyrians. […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, he denounces a threefold sin: of unworthy dwelling: what dost you here, in my house, unworthy of such a dwelling: what is the meaning that my beloved has wrought much wickedness in my house? (Jer 11:15); of proud presumption concerning himself: or as if …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
What - What right hast thou to this place and office? Whom - What kindred or relations? For the Jews say, he was a stranger by birth; which is the more probable, because his pedigree is not mentioned in any of those places of scripture where he is named.
What hast thou here?....
Those that make stately monuments for their pride forget that, how beautiful soever they appear outwardly, within they are full of dead men's bones. But it is a pity that the grave-stone should forget the grave. A prophecy of his fall and the sullying of his glory.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A sepulcher on high - in a rock - It has been observed before, on Isaiah 14, that persons of high rank in Judea, and in most parts of the east, were generally buried in large sepulchral vaults, hewn out in the rock for the use of themselves and their families. The vanity of Shebna is set forth by his being so studious and careful to have his sepulcher on high - in a lofty vault; and that probably in a high situation, that it might be more conspicuous.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
"What (business) hast thou here, and whom hast thou (of thy family, who is likely to be buried) here, that thou buildest," &c., seeing that thou art soon to be deposed from office and carried into captivity? [MAURER]. on high--Sepulchres were made in the highest rocks (2Ch 32:33, Margin). habitation for himself--compare "his own house" (Isa 14:18).
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
What hast thou here? - This verse contains a severe repoof of the pride and ostentation of Shebna, and of his expectation that he would be buried where be had built his own tomb. It also contains an “implied” declaration that he would not be permitted to lie there, but would be removed to a distant land to be buried in some less honorable manner. It is probable that Isaiah met him when he was at the sepulchre which he had made, and addressed this language to him there: ‘What hast thou here? What right to expect that thou wilt be buried here, or why do you erect this splendid sepulchre, as if you were a holy man, and God would allow you to lie here?’ Probably his sepulchre had been erected among the sepulchres of holy people, and perhaps in some part of the royal burying place in Jerusalem. And whom hast thou here? - Who among the dead that are entombed here are connected with you, that you should deem yourself entitled to lie with them? If this was the royal cemetery, these words might be designed to intimate that he had no connection with the royal family; and thus his building a tomb there was an evidence of vain glory, and of an attempt to occupy a place, even in death, to which he had no title. That thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here - Sepulchres were hewn or cut out of rocks (see the note at Isa 14:9). It was usual also for princes and rich people to have their sepulchres or tombs constructed while they were themselves alive (see Mat 27:60). Shebna was doubtless a man of humble birth, none of whose ancestors or family had been honored with a burial in the royal cemetery, and hence, the prophet reproves his pride in expecting to repose with the royal dead. He that heweth him out a sepulchre on high - On some elevated place, that it might be more conspicuous. […]
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| לְּךָ֥ | lekha | [belongs] to you | ||
| פֹה֙ | foh | here | H6311 → | 82 times |
| וּמִ֣י | umi | and who? | H4310 → | 423 times |
| לְךָ֣ | lekha | [belongs] to you | ||
| פֹ֔ה | foh | here | H6311 → | 82 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| חָצַ֧בְתָּ | chatzavta | you have dug out | H2672 → | 25 times |
| לְּךָ֛ | lekha | for yourself | ||
| פֹּ֖ה | poh | here | H6311 → | 82 times |
| קָ֑בֶר | kaver | a tomb | H6913 → | 67 times |
| חֹצְבִ֤י | chotzevi | digging out | H2672 → | 25 times |
| מָרוֹם֙ | marom | high place | H4791 → | 54 times |
| קִבְר֔וֹ | kivro | tomb his | H6913 → | 67 times |
| חֹקְקִ֥י | chokeki | cutting | H2710 → | 19 times |
| בַסֶּ֖לַע | vasela' | in the rock | H5553 → | 58 times |
| מִשְׁכָּ֥ן | mishkan | a dwelling | H4908 → | 139 times |
| לֽוֹ׃ | lo | for <the> himself |
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
לְּךָ֥[belongs] to you
lekha
פֹה֙here
fohH6311 →82 times
וּמִ֣יand who?
umiH4310 →423 times
לְךָ֣[belongs] to you
lekha
פֹ֔הhere
fohH6311 →82 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
חָצַ֧בְתָּyou have dug out
chatzavtaH2672 →25 times
לְּךָ֛for yourself
lekha
פֹּ֖הhere
pohH6311 →82 times
קָ֑בֶרa tomb
kaverH6913 →67 times
חֹצְבִ֤יdigging out
chotzeviH2672 →25 times
מָרוֹם֙high place
maromH4791 →54 times
קִבְר֔וֹtomb his
kivroH6913 →67 times
חֹקְקִ֥יcutting
chokekiH2710 →19 times
בַסֶּ֖לַעin the rock
vasela'H5553 →58 times
מִשְׁכָּ֥ןa dwelling
mishkanH4908 →139 times
לֽוֹ׃for <the> himself
lo
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
Matthew 27:60and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.
it leads to
- Isaiah 53:9
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
- Matthew 27:66
So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
- Matthew 28:2
Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it.
- Isaiah 53:9
Through
2 Chronicles 16:14And he was buried in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier that was full of spices and various blended perfumes;…
it leads to
- Genesis 50:2
And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him,
- 2 Chronicles 21:19
This continued day after day until two full years had passed. Finally, his intestines came out because of his disease, and he died in severe pain. And his people did not make a fire…
- Jeremiah 34:5
you will die in peace. As spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who preceded you, so people will burn spices for you and lament, ‘Alas, O master!’ For I Myself have…
- Genesis 50:2
Through
2 Samuel 18:18During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the…
it leads to
- Genesis 14:17
After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
- Genesis 14:17
Through
Job 3:14with kings and counselors of the earth, who built for themselves cities now in ruins,
it leads to
- Job 15:28
he will dwell in ruined cities, in abandoned houses destined to become rubble.
- Job 15:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; 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; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.