Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
Parallel translations
- WEB Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose, and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.’
- BSB Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
- NKJV Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to My ears, Therefore I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back By the way which you came.
- NASB ‘Because of your raging against Me, And because your complacency has come up to My ears, I will put My hook in your nose, And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
- NLT And because of your raging against me and your arrogance, which I have heard for myself, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road on which you came.”
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
Because of his arrogance, God will put a hook in Sennacherib's nose and a bridle in his lips and turn him back the way he came. God will humble and reverse the proud king's advance.
Overview
Using imagery the Assyrians themselves used on captives, God promises to lead Sennacherib back like a beast under control. His arrogance reaching God's ears seals his humiliation. The promise to 'turn you back' announces the failure of his campaign against Jerusalem. It vividly portrays God's sovereign mastery over even the mightiest rebel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Ezek 29:4But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.
- Ezek 38:4And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
- 2 Kgs 19:33By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
- Amos 4:2The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks.
- Job 41:2Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
- Isa 30:28And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
- Ps 32:9Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
- Ps 65:7Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
- Ps 7:6Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
- Ps 83:2For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
- Ps 46:6The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
- Ps 93:3–4The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
- Ps 74:23Forget not the voice of thine enemies: the tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.
- Ps 10:13–14Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
- Ps 74:4Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs.
- John 15:18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
- John 15:23–24He that hateth me hateth my Father also.
- 2 Kgs 19:36–37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.
- Ezek 19:9And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
- Luke 6:11And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
- Acts 7:51Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
- Ps 2:1–5Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
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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 19:28 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
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