Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, to thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and talk not with us in the Jews’ language in the ears of the people that are on the wall.
Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna, and Joah said to the Rabshakeh, 'Please speak to us in the Aramaic language, because we understand it. Don't speak to us in Hebrew where the people on the wall can hear you.'
The Jewish officials are asking the Assyrian commander to switch from Hebrew to Aramaic so the common people listening on the city wall won't understand the threatening conversation.
📚 Historical Context
In the historical context of 2 Kings 18, King Hezekiah of Judah was facing a military invasion from the Assyrian empire under King Sennacherib, who sought to conquer Jerusalem. Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah were key officials in Hezekiah's court, negotiating with Rabshakeh, an Assyrian envoy who was publicly taunting the defenders. They requested to speak in Aramaic to keep the sensitive and threatening conversation private from the common people on the city walls, fearing it would spread panic and undermine morale.
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