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, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die: and hearken not unto Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, saying, The LORD will deliver us.

2 KINGS 18:32KJV
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2 Kings 18:32 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 18:32 mean?

2 Kings 18:32 records the Assyrian king’s messenger promising the people of Jerusalem that if they surrender, he will take them to another land that is just as good as their own, with plenty of food and resources, so they will live and not die. He warns them not to listen to King Hezekiah, who says the LORD will deliver them.

The speaker here is the Assyrian envoy, addressing the people of Jerusalem during the siege. The envoy tries to persuade them to give up by painting exile as a positive move, describing the new land with words like “corn,” “wine,” “bread,” “vineyards,” “oil olive,” and “honey.” The verse shows the psychological tactics used in ancient warfare, where promises of safety and abundance are set against the faith of the people in their God and their king.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 18:32

  • “Land” (אֶרֶץ, ’erets): This word is repeated several times, emphasizing the promise that the new place will be just as much a “land” as their own, trying to make exile sound less threatening.
  • “Corn” (דָּגָן, dagan) and “wine” (תִּירוֹשׁ, tirosh): These words refer to staple foods and drink, highlighting abundance and prosperity, which would appeal to people facing famine or siege.
  • “Live” (חָיָה, chayah) and “die” (מוּת, muth): The envoy frames the choice starkly—surrender and live, or resist and die—putting pressure on the people to choose survival over loyalty.
  • “Hearken” (שָׁמַע, shama‘): The envoy urges the people not to “hearken” to Hezekiah, stressing the importance of whose voice they trust in this crisis.

Why 2 Kings 18:32 matters

  • This verse shows the Assyrian strategy of psychological warfare, using promises and threats to undermine the people’s trust in their leader and in God.
  • The repeated mention of “land” and the list of agricultural blessings reveal how the Assyrian envoy tries to make exile seem attractive, masking the reality of forced displacement.
  • The verse connects to the larger story of Hezekiah’s faith and the people’s choice between trusting human promises or relying on the LORD’s deliverance, a central theme in this section of Kings.

Where else these words appear

“persuadeth” Hebrew H5496 · used in 18 verses

  • Deuteronomy 13:6 If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
  • 1 Kings 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
  • Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

“oil” Hebrew H3323 · used in 23 verses

  • Numbers 18:12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.
  • 2 Chronicles 31:5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.
  • Jeremiah 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

“olive” Hebrew H2132 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 8:11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.
  • Judges 9:9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
  • Isaiah 17:6 Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.

“wine” Hebrew H8492 · used in 38 verses

  • Genesis 27:28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
  • 2 Chronicles 32:28 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.
  • Jeremiah 31:12 Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the LORD, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.