ישעיהו, פרק ל״ו, פסוק ט׳

The relentless psychological warfare directed at the king of Judah seeks to highlight the massive gap between the unstoppable power of the Assyrian empire and the severe military weakness of Judah. The central argument is that Judah is so powerless that the very thought of rebelling against Assyria is completely ridiculous, relying entirely on the false hope of foreign aid. The Assyrian representative expresses utter disbelief at Judah's defiance. He questions how the king of Judah could possibly dare to face him in battle [מצודת דוד], or even find the courage to reject and turn away a governor or representative of the Assyrian king empty-handed [שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

When referencing the identity of one of the king's minor servants, commentators offer different perspectives. The primary approach among commentators focuses on Assyria's overwhelming military might, explaining that even the most junior commander in the Assyrian army leads thousands of soldiers, leaving Judah with absolutely no chance of standing against him [רש״י, מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. Taking a different view, others suggest the reference is not strictly military, but rather points to a minister ruling a small province. According to this idea, even if a minor official without a large army made a request, the king of Judah would never dare refuse out of fear that the great Assyrian king would avenge the insult. Therefore, it is completely illogical to rebel against the great king himself, who has arrived in person to attack Judah [שד״ל]. Another approach proposes that the Assyrian speaker is actually referring to himself. Even though he is a senior and highly important official, he humbles himself as one of the lowliest servants when compared to the immense greatness of his master [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This disbelief reaches its peak when considering Judah's complete lack of military resources. Because Judah has no independent force of chariots and horsemen, it is forced to place all its trust in Egypt, a nation compared to a broken reed. Given this absolute dependence on a weak ally, the Assyrian representative's question cuts deep: how can Judah not be afraid to provoke even the lowliest servant of Assyria, let alone the great king himself [מצודת דוד, שד״ל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].