Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
Then Eliakim (Hilkiah's son, who was in charge of the royal household), Shebna the secretary, and Joah (Asaph's son, the royal historian) came to King Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they told him what the Rabshakeh had said.
The writer is showing us that Hezekiah's officials were so distressed by the Assyrian commander's threatening words that they tore their clothes and rushed to tell the king what had happened.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred around 701 BC when the powerful Assyrian empire was threatening Jerusalem under King Hezekiah's rule. The Rabshakeh was a high-ranking Assyrian military official who had just delivered insulting and threatening messages to Jerusalem's leaders, trying to demoralize them into surrender. Tearing one's clothes was a traditional Hebrew expression of grief, distress, or horror at hearing terrible news.
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