{"id":66806,"date":"2019-12-11T11:44:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T09:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=66806"},"modified":"2023-07-05T07:20:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-05T04:20:34","slug":"assyrian-psychological-warfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/assyrian-psychological-warfare\/","title":{"rendered":"Assyrian Psychological Warfare"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Assyrians used psychological tactics to crush their enemies\u2019 spirits, mocking the weakness of the besieged nation. Rabshakeh\u2019s words were carefully calculated to undermine Jerusalem\u2019s confidence in every respect: politically, religiously, and militarily.<\/span><\/p>\n

(1) Political Scorn<\/b><\/p>\n

“Thus said the Great King, the king of Assyria\u2026’Look, on whom are you relying, that you have rebelled against me? You are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff\u2026'” (Is. 36:4\u20136).\u00a0<\/span>By undermining their greatest political ally, the Assyrian official deflated the hopes of Jerusalem\u2019s soldiers.<\/span><\/p>\n

(2) Religious Scorn for Hezekiah\u2019s Reform<\/b><\/p>\n

“‘And if you tell me that you are relying on the Lord your God \u2013He is the very one whose shrines and altars Hezekiah did away with, telling Judah and Jerusalem, \u2018You must worship only at this altar!\u2019” (Is. 36:7).\u00a0<\/span>The effective Assyrian intelligence network had discovered Judah\u2019s resentment at Hezekiah\u2019s removal of the shrines and altars. The people had worshiped God at these altars for so long, and Hezekiah had insisted upon their destruction. The Rabshakeh taunted the weary guards of Jerusalem\u2019s walls, bringing their long-buried resentments to the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

(3) Military Scorn<\/b><\/p>\n

“‘Come now, I\u2019ll give you two thousand horses, if you can produce riders to mount them\u2026'” (Is. 36:8\u20139).\u00a0<\/span>Playing on Assyria\u2019s infamous reputation, Rabshakeh sought to intimidate Judah\u2019s soldiers before he struck, emphasizing one of Judah\u2019s perceived weaknesses in order to destroy Judahite confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n

(4) Assyria has Risen through the Will of God<\/b><\/p>\n

“‘Now, do you think I have ascended to destroy this place without the Lord? The Lord said to me, Ascend against this land, and destroy it!’\u201d (Is. 36:10).\u00a0<\/span>Half a century earlier, Isaiah had warned that Assyria was the \u201crod of God\u2019s wrath.\u201d Now, Rabshakeh repeated this concept, so familiar to Jerusalemites, in order to crush the people\u2019s spirits.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Judahite delegates were well aware of the dangers of this psychological war, and sought to minimize the damage. They said:<\/span><\/p>\n

‘Please, speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it; do not speak to us in Judean (=Hebrew) in the hearing of the people on the wall.’ But the Rabshakeh said to them, ‘It was precisely to the men who are sitting on the wall \u2013 who will have to eat their dung and drink their urine with you.’ (Is. 36:11\u201312).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0(5) “Immigration” to Assyria<\/b><\/p>\n

“And the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in Judean, ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to save you. For thus said the king of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me\u2026until I come and take you away to a land like your own, a land of bread and wine, of grain and vineyards'” (Is. 36:13\u201317).\u00a0<\/span>Rabshakeh offered the people of Jerusalem a new home in a bountiful land. He presented the Assyrian king as a merciful, benevolent ruler who was concerned about the welfare of his new subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n

(6) Scorn for Those who Rely upon God<\/b><\/p>\n

“‘Beware of letting Hezekiah mislead you by saying, \u2018The Lord will save us.\u2019 Did any of the gods of the other nations save his land from the king of Assyria?’\u201d (Is. 36:18\u201320).\u00a0<\/span>Here, Rabshakeh contradicted himself. He had initially spoken of the God of Judah as the One who had appointed Assyria to destroy the land; now he equated him with the gods of the other conquered nations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Rabshakeh\u2019s speech was met with silence: “And the people were silent and did not answer him with a single word; for the king\u2019s order was, ‘Do not answer him.’\u201d (Is. 36:21).<\/span><\/p>\n

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