But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

ISAIAH 36:12KJV
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Isaiah 36:12 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 36:12 mean?

Isaiah 36:12 records Rabshakeh, the Assyrian king’s spokesman, saying that his message is not just for King Hezekiah and his officials, but also for the ordinary people on the city wall, warning them that if Jerusalem resists, they will be forced to endure such severe hardship that they will have to eat their own waste and drink their own urine. This is a threat meant to intimidate and demoralize everyone listening, not just the leaders.

Rabshakeh is speaking directly to the leaders of Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege, but he deliberately raises his voice so that the people on the city wall can hear. The situation is tense: the Assyrians are trying to break the city’s will to resist by painting a vivid and horrifying picture of starvation and humiliation if they do not surrender. The verse uses shocking language to show the seriousness of the threat and the psychological tactics of ancient warfare.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 36:12

  • The word for "men" is אֲנָשִׁים (anashim), which emphasizes that Rabshakeh’s message is intended for all the people, not just the officials. This highlights the public nature of the threat.
  • The word for "wall" is חוֹמָה (chomah), making clear that Rabshakeh is addressing those defending the city, likely the soldiers and citizens gathered for protection.
  • The phrase "eat their own dung" uses the word חֲרֵי (charei) for "dung," a term for human waste, which intensifies the graphic nature of the warning and underlines the desperation of siege conditions.
  • The phrase "drink their own piss" uses the word מֵי (mei) for "water" and רַגְלֵיהֶם (ragleihem) for "their feet," a Hebrew euphemism for urine, showing the use of indirect language even in a blunt threat.

Why Isaiah 36:12 matters

  • This verse shows how psychological warfare was used in the ancient world, with threats aimed at breaking the spirit of an entire city, not just its leaders.
  • The direct address to the common people reveals the Assyrians’ strategy: to create panic and undermine confidence in Hezekiah’s leadership by making the consequences of resistance seem unbearable.
  • Understanding the original Hebrew terms and the context helps modern readers grasp the intensity of siege warfare and the real fear experienced by those inside Jerusalem’s walls.

Where else these words appear

“piss” Hebrew H7890 · used in 2 verses

  • 2 Kings 18:27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

“dung” Hebrew H6675 · used in 5 verses

  • 2 Kings 18:27 But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?
  • Proverbs 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
  • Isaiah 4:4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

“Rabshakeh” Hebrew H7262 · used in 16 verses

  • 2 Kings 18:17 And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field.
  • 2 Kings 18:37 Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
  • Isaiah 36:11 Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

“wall” Hebrew H2346 · used in 123 verses

  • Exodus 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
  • Nehemiah 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
  • Isaiah 30:13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.