'Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? — the Rab-shakeh lists the gods of nations Assyria has conquered: Hamath, Arpad (Syrian), Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah (Mesopotamian). He cites Samaria's fall as proof that these gods proved impotent. By cataloguing conquered gods, the Rab-shakeh constructs a narrative: Assyria's military machine has systematized the destruction of national deities along with national armies. The implied conclusion: the LORD will prove no more effective than these failed gods.

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