“And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?”
The Rabshakeh's demand for them to tell Hezekiah that the great king of Assyria says to put trust in confidence establishes the Assyrian king's attempt to use psychological pressure and the demonstration of power to convince Jerusalem to surrender. This verse presents the opening gambit of Assyrian diplomacy, which will be to challenge Hezekiah's confidence and suggest the futility of resistance. The reference to the great king emphasizes the power and status of the Assyrian monarch. The verse indicates that the Assyrian strategy involves attempting to shake the confidence of the Judean leadership through demonstration of strength and offer of terms.
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