מלכים ב, פרק י״ח, פסוק ל״ו

Rabshakeh delivered a harsh and aggravating speech, deliberately using the Hebrew language to speak directly to the masses. Despite his efforts to provoke them, the crowd maintained absolute restraint and stayed completely silent [מצודת ציון].

This lack of response was intentional, following a strict order from the king. The king commanded the people not to answer back out of fear that a verbal exchange could quickly turn into a brawl or an uncontrollable riot. Additionally, the order was likely given to deny Rabshakeh the opportunity to continue speaking and present the crowd with more practical terms of surrender [ביאור שטיינזלץ].