Isaiah 36:3 - Exposition

Eliakim: Hilkiah's son (see above, Isaiah 22:20 ). Eliakim had now taken the place of the Shebna who was "over the house" when Isaiah prophesied his downfall ( Isaiah 22:19 ) and Eliakim's advancement ( Isaiah 22:21-23 ). Shebna the scribe . It is not quite certain that this is the same "Shebna" as the former prefect of the palace, but the uncommonness of the name is a strong argument for the identity. The post of "scribe" or "secretary "(marginal rendering) was one of some importance (see 1 Kings 4:3 ), though inferior to that of palace prefect. Joah … the recorder . We learn from Kings that Sennacherib sent in reality three envoys ( 2 Kings 18:17 ) to Hezekiah—the Tartan, or "commander-in-chief;" the Rabsaris, or "chief eunuch;" and the Rabshakeh, or "rab-sak," the "chief captain," the second in command after the tartan. Hezekiah thought it right to appoint an equal number of officials to meet and confer with them.