ישעיהו, פרק ל״ו, פסוק י״ב

In a tense moment of psychological warfare and propaganda, the Assyrian military commander rejects a plea from the officials of Judah. The Judean leaders had requested that negotiations take place in Aramaic to prevent the common people from understanding the terrifying threats. However, the Assyrian commander makes it clear that his primary goal is to bypass the leadership and strike fear directly into the hearts of the everyday residents and soldiers of Jerusalem. By addressing the crowd directly, he aims to spread despair and incite the people to rebel against King Hezekiah and surrender to Assyria.

He openly questions whether his message is meant only for the king and his officials, who sit in relative safety within the palace, clarifying that he has no diplomatic secrets to share with them [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ, אברבנאל]. Because King Hezekiah has already rebelled against the Assyrian empire, the commander considers the king's fate to be sealed [מלבי״ם]. Therefore, his true audience is the men stationed on the city walls [מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. He wants the masses to hear his threats, panic, and refuse to be misled by their king's assurances [רש״י, אברבנאל].

To maximize the psychological damage and crush the city's morale, the commander deliberately adopts harsh, vulgar military language [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. He warns the people that if they refuse to open the city gates and instead choose to endure a siege [שד״ל, אברבנאל], the resulting starvation and dehydration will be unimaginable. They will be reduced to consuming their own bodily waste, suffering this horrific fate right alongside the king's officials [מצודת דוד].

The recorded history of this event captures the raw brutality of his speech, using explicitly crude terms for human waste [רש״י, מצודת ציון, שד״ל]. Yet, a long-standing tradition dictates that when the Biblical text contains such degrading language, it should be read aloud using cleaner, more dignified terms [רש״י, שד״ל]. Even in this more polite public reading, the underlying mockery remains sharp. The traditional reading substitutes the vulgarity with a phrase referring to the "water" of their feet. Using the word "water"—a term normally reserved for fresh, safe drinking water—serves as a bitter, cynical taunt, emphasizing that their thirst will become so severe they will be forced to drink their own waste as if it were actual drinking water [שד״ל].