Then the Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
- KJV So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah: for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish.
- BSB When the Rabshakeh heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish, he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.
- NASB Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left Lachish.
- NLT Meanwhile, the Assyrian chief of staff left Jerusalem and went to consult the king of Assyria, who had left Lachish and was attacking Libnah.
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
Rabshakeh returns to find the Assyrian king fighting Libnah, having left Lachish. The narrative tracks the unfolding of God's predicted withdrawal.
Overview
The field commander rejoins his master, whose campaign has shifted to another city. These movements, recorded as plain history, set in motion the events Isaiah foretold. The mundane reporting underscores that God's purposes work out through ordinary military and political developments.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Josh 10:29Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.
- Josh 10:31–34Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.
- 2 Kgs 8:22So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.
- Num 33:20–21They traveled from Rimmon Perez, and encamped in Libnah.
- 2 Chr 21:10So Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time from under his hand, because he had forsaken Yahweh, the God of his fathers.
- Josh 12:11the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;
- Josh 21:13To the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its suburbs, the city of refuge for the man slayer, Libnah with its suburbs,
- Josh 15:39Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,
- 2 Kgs 19:8–9So Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 37:8 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.