Isaiah 37:13
“Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Sennacherib's message ends with a final rhetorical question: where are the kings who once ruled these lands and trusted in their gods?
Context
These are more conquered regions. The question expects only one answer: they are gone, destroyed, their gods silent. The implication is that Hezekiah's king will join them.
What Does Isaiah 37:13 Mean?
The rhetorical question is the last weapon of Sennacherib's messenger. The kings are dead or in exile. Their gods are silent. The question hangs in the air, inviting despair. Where are they? Nowhere. Nowhere at all. And so where will your king be, Hezekiah, a few months hence?
But rhetorical questions can be answered in more than one way. 'Where is the king of Hamath?' He is in the hand of the Assyrian empire. And where is Hezekiah? He is in the hand of God. One answer brings only fear. The other transforms the question entirely.
Application
When we feel trapped by the logic of our circumstances, we need to remember that there is always another answer than the one the world offers. God writes the final word on history.