Isaiah 36:2

‘And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the launderer's field'

‘The Rabshakeh.' This was probably the king's most powerful officer. It will be noted that he acted as spokesman. The word may mean ‘chief cupbearer' or ‘head of rulers'. In the former case it does not mean that he was a table servant. Official Cupbearers were highly important, for they would receive the cup on the king's behalf and taste it prior to handing it on, thus demonstrating that it was free from poison. They alone were in a position to slip in poison after they had drunk to test the drink. The chief cupbearer at court (compare Nehemiah's influential position) did the same for the king, taking the cup from a servant, testing it, and then handing it to the king. He was thus very exalted, and was chosen because he was seen as totally trustworthy. The title thus indicated a powerful overall position of which the ‘cupbearing' was but a small part. The title ‘head of rulers' would more accurately describe what he was.

2 Kings 18:17 tells us that he was accompanied by the Rabsaris (possibly rabu sa resi - ‘chief one who is at the head') and the Tartan (turtanu - ‘commander in chief'). Such a powerful messenger as the Rabshakeh would not come alone but would also be attended by the chiefest of his officers. That the Rabshakeh took precedence demonstrates how important he was. His presence, and the presence of the other powerful men, also serves to indicate how important the submission of Hezekiah was seen to be.

‘From Lachish.' That is, from where the siege of Lachish was taking place, or had been recently completed. Lachish was a very large city, and difficult to take. It was surrounded on three sides by the River Lachish, dry in summer but full in winter. But it did eventually succumb and the result of its capture was vividly portrayed in picture form on the walls of Sennacherib's palace in Nineveh in commemoration of the event. That also demonstrates that he had failed to capture Jerusalem, the greatest prize of all, for had he done so it would have been that that was displayed.

The city was surrounded by a double wall with towers at intervals. The siege ramp in the south west corner has been identified in excavations and evidence of the siege, including sling stones, arrowheads and fragments of armour have all been found. The excavations demonstrate the tough opposition that Sennacherib faced. Mass burial caves related to the siege have been found nearby.

‘And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the launderer's field.' Compare Isaiah 7:3. The comparison is deliberate. It was the same place as the one where the son of David, Ahaz, had rejected God's offer of deliverance. The implication is that had he accepted God's offer, no enemy would ever have stood there. But now an enemy did stand there, who was the fruit of Ahaz's choice. And he would once again give the house of David an opportunity to choose whether to follow Yahweh or not. It is a reminder to the reader that this is the result of Ahaz's failure. Failure to trust God will always come back to haunt us by its consequences.