2 KINGS 18:26 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“Then said Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah, unto Rab–shakeh, 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 Rab-shakeh, 'Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the language of Judah in the hearing of the people on the wall' — the Judean officials request that the Rab-shakeh speak in Aramaic, the diplomatic lingua franca of the Assyrian Empire, rather than in Hebrew. This request seeks to prevent the Rab-shakeh's psychological warfare from reaching the populace on the walls. The officials understand that the Rab-shakeh's rhetoric, articulated in the people's native language, threatens morale. This distinction between diplomatic language (Aramaic) and popular language (Hebrew) indicates awareness of the Rab-shakeh's rhetorical skill.
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