I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”
Parallel translations
- WEB I have dug and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt.”
- KJV I have digged and drunk strange waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places.
- NKJV I have dug and drunk strange water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense.”
- NASB “I dug wells and drank foreign waters, And with the soles of my feet I dried up All the streams of Egypt.”
- NLT I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Sennacherib boasts of digging wells, drinking foreign waters, and drying up Egypt's rivers with his feet. His claims reach the height of self-glorifying arrogance.
Overview
The quoted boast portrays Sennacherib as one who overcomes every natural obstacle by his own might. To dry up rivers 'with the sole of my feet' expresses delusional self-sufficiency. Such language usurps powers that belong to God alone (cf. Isaiah 37). The boast sets up God's reminder that Assyria's victories were granted, not self-achieved.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Exod 15:9The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
- 1 Kgs 20:10Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
- 2 Sam 17:13If he retreats to a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it down to the valley until not even a pebble can be found.”
- Isa 19:6The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither.
- Dan 4:30the king exclaimed, “Is this not Babylon the Great, which I myself have built by the might of my power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?”
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 19:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.