Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 36:17
Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.
17. But only for a time! The Rabshakeh does not conceal from them that their ultimate fate will be deportation; although he tries to present it in an attractive light. The parallel verse in 2 Kings (2Ki 18:31) contains these additional words “a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die; and hearken not unto Hezekiah.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Until I come – These are the words of the king of Assyria delivered by Rabshakeh. It was proposed that they should remain safely in Jerusalem until Sennacherib should himself come and remove them to his own land. He was now engaged in the siege of Lachish Isa 36:2, and it is probable that he purposed to take some other of the unsubdued towns in that part of Palestine.
And take you away – It was common for conquerors in ancient times to remove a vanquished people from their own country. They did this either by sending them forth in colonies to people some unsettled region, or by removing the body of them to the land of the conqueror. This was done for various purposes. It was sometimes to make slaves of them; sometimes for the purposes of triumph; but more commonly to secure them from revolt. In this manner the ten tribes were removed from the kingdom of Samaria; and thus also the Jews were carried to Babylon. Suetonius says (chapter xxi.) of Augustus. that he removed the Suevi and the Sicambri into Gaul, and stationed them on the Rhine. The same thing was also practiced in Egypt, for the purpose of securing the people from revolt Gen 47:21.
A land like your own land – A fertile land, abounding in the same productions as your own.
And wine – Palestine was celebrated for the vine. The idea is, that in the land to which he would remove them, they should not want.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. And vineyards] The other copy, 2Kg 18:32, adds here: “A land of oil-olive, and of honey; that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah when he seduceth you.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land,….. Some have thought, as Jerom observes, that the land of Media was meant, which bore some likeness to the land of Judea in situation and fruitfulness. Maimonides thinks that Africa is intended l. Rabshakeh names no land, nor could he name any like, or equal to, the land of Canaan; he could not conceal his intention to remove them from their own land to another; this having been always done by the king of Assyria to people conquered by him, and as was usual for conquerors to do, that so the conquered might have no expectation or opportunity of recovering their own land:
a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards; corn for bread, and vineyards for wine, and both for food and drink; such a land was the land of Judea. The description agrees with De 8:8. Rabshakeh was well acquainted with the land of Judea; and this seems to confirm the conjecture of the Jews, that he was one of their people, since he could speak their language, and describe their land so well; all this he said to sooth and persuade them to a voluntary surrender.
l See T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 94. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
17. Till I come and take you away. He now adds another condition far harder than the former; for he declares that peace cannot be made with Sennacherib in any other way than by the people going into banishment. This was nothing else than to abandon the worship of God and degenerate into superstition, and voluntarily to quit the inheritance which God had given them. But because he addresses a people whose distressed condition and extreme danger had struck them with terror, he insolently commands them to save their lives.
Into a land of corn and wine. Here we see more clearly that Rabshakeh’s speech is nothing else than an image of the temptations by which Satan daily attacks our faith; for there is nothing which Satan more constantly attempts (42) than to withdraw us from confidence in God by the allurements and pleasures of this world; that we ought to enjoy peace and quietness, and to purchase them at any price; and that happiness consists in plentiful abundance of good things. But most of all, he makes a wicked use of adversity to press upon us, and more eagerly urge us to shake off the yoke of God. Gently indeed, and by secret and unseen methods, he insinuates himself; but, after having once inveigled and caught us in his net, so as to lead us to value present advantages more highly than those which are future, he adds this condition, that he shall hold us entirely bound and devoted to him; which we certainly cannot avoid, when he holds us entangled by his plausible hopes, and by the relish of present objects.
Into a land like your own land. Because the word banishment was harsh and disagreeable, and it was not easy to part with the delightfulness of their native country, in order to shew that they sustain no loss by leaving it, he says, that the country into which they are about to be conveyed is equally fertile and productive. (43) Thus he draws a veil over their eyes, that they might not think that they were losing anything. Yet he cunningly passes by what ought above all other things to be valued by them, the worship of God, the temple, the kingdom, the order of holy government, and everything else that belonged to the heavenly inheritance. Without these what happiness can there be? Let every one therefore learn diligently to apply his mind to spiritual blessings; “for to dwell in the house of God,” is justly pronounced to be a far more valuable blessing than all the luxuries and prosperity of the world. (Psa 84:4.) Thus shall we guard against being led away by the hope of present objects and deprived of true happiness; for this is a dreadful punishment by which the Lord takes vengeance on the unbelief of men, and which all godly persons ought to dread, that they may not faint or give way under any distresses and calamities.
(42) “ Car tonte son etude est.” “For his whole study is.’”
(43) “It has been disputed what particular land is here meant, some saying Mesopotamia, to which others object that it was not a winegrowing country. But, as Knobel observes, there its no need of supposing that the Assyrian’s description was exactly true he may indeed have intended merely to promise them in general country as abundant as their own.” — Alexander.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
“Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.”
But he is offering a treaty and therefore recognises that he must lay out the terms fairly. If he did not do so it would rebound on the honour of his master, for treaties were treated very strictly. So he now acknowledges that his offer was not strictly true. Many of those listening must rather expect deportation, but he makes it sound as appetising as possible. They need not fear. Even if they are deported they will be taken to a land of plenty (he omits the details of how unpleasant the deporting will be).
As all knew, deportation of important people in the case of rebellious states was Assyrian policy. Its purpose was in order to weaken the leadership (by removing many of them) and to divide the nation, thus making them more amenable. (2 Kings expands on the offer, and includes the offer of ‘life’ instead of death).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 36:17. And of corn and wine, &c. It is added in 2Ki 18:32 a land of oil-olive and of honey. It is still usual among the Arabs to dip their bread in oil of olives. Maillet tells us, that the poor people of Egypt use, out of necessity, a sort of oil drawn from a plant called cirica, and that the Jews, through sparingness, make use of it in the preparation of many of their meats; which must make, he observes, a detestable cookery. Rabshakeh seems to refer to these kinds of oil. See Observations, p. 138.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
take you away. As he did Israel (2Ki 18:11).
wine = new wine. Hebrew. tirosh. App-27.
bread. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), for all kinds of food.
Hath, &c. ? = [Reflect]: Hath, &c?
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I come: 2Ki 17:6-23, 2Ki 18:9-12, 2Ki 24:11, Pro 12:10
a land of corn: Exo 3:8, Deu 8:7-9, Deu 11:12, Job 20:17, The other copy in 2Ki 18:32, adds here, “a land of oil olive, and of honey; that ye may live, and not die, and hearken not unto Hezekiah when he seduceth you.