2 KINGS 18:31 — KING JAMES VERSION 0 0
“Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every man of his own vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his cistern:”
Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat from your own vine and your own fig tree, and drink water from your own cistern, — the Rab-shakeh offers surrender terms: peace with Assyria in exchange for individual prosperity. The imagery—eating from one's own vine and fig tree, drinking from one's own cistern—represents individual security and autonomy. This offer of peace and prosperity stands as the carrot to the stick of siege horrors mentioned earlier. The rhetorical strategy: offer peaceful prosperity if the populace pressures Hezekiah to surrender.
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