Isaiah 36:20 is the taunt of the Assyrian commander Rabshakeh, who asks which god among all the nations has ever rescued its land from the Assyrian king, and then insists that the LORD of Israel will fare no better. The verse is a boast that assumes the God of Jerusalem is simply one more local deity, unable to stand against the empire’s power. Rabshakeh speaks this to the people of Jerusalem standing on the city wall, and he is trying to frighten them into surrendering before Hezekiah can lead them into resistance.
Who are they among all the gods of these countries that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?’”
Isaiah 36:20 (WEB)
What Isaiah 36:20 Means
The verse opens with a question that expects no answer: “Who are they among all the gods of these countries?” Rabshakeh is sweeping the nations’ deities into one heap and asking the crowd to notice that none of them stopped the Assyrian army. The phrase “delivered their country out of my hand” pictures the king of Assyria as the one holding each nation, and in his telling no god has ever pried a captive loose from his grip.
The final clause turns the argument on Jerusalem. If the other gods failed, he says, why should the LORD succeed? The verse is a claim about power and nothing more. It does not describe what God will actually do, and the rest of the chapter and the following chapters show that Rabshakeh’s confidence is badly misplaced. The verse tells us what the enemy believed, not what was true.
The Context of Isaiah 36:20
Isaiah 36 to 39 forms a historical section of the book of Isaiah, set during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, around 701 BC, when the Assyrian king Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem. Isaiah the prophet is traditionally credited with the book, and these chapters largely parallel the account in 2 Kings 18 and 19. The first hearers were the people of Jerusalem, who heard the speech shouted in their own language from outside the walls.
Just before the verse, Rabshakeh warns the people not to let Hezekiah persuade them that “the LORD will deliver us,” and he lists the defeated gods of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim and Samaria. Just after it, the officials are told not to answer him, and they return to Hezekiah with torn clothes. Read in that setting, the verse is not a neutral theological question but a piece of psychological warfare, and its failure to persuade the people is part of the story’s point.
Key Phrases in Isaiah 36:20
Isaiah 37:20
Now therefore, the LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the LORD, even you only.”
(WEB)
This is Hezekiah’s answer to the Assyrian letter, where he asks the LORD to act so that all kingdoms will know that he alone is God. It directly responds to the challenge of Isaiah 36:20 by turning the question back to God’s own glory.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
(WEB)
This psalm speaks to a city and a people facing nations in turmoil, calling them to be still and know that God is exalted among the nations. It offers a calm counterpart to the loud boast of the enemy in Isaiah 36.
A Short Prayer From Isaiah 36:20
Lord, when voices around me say that you are too small for my situation, help me to hear them for what they are. Let me not measure you by the losses I have seen or by the strength of the forces against me. Steady my heart when the taunts feel convincing, and remind me that you are not one god among many but the LORD who has always been faithful to his people. Give me courage to answer fear with trust, and let my confidence rest in who you are. Amen.
