Isaiah 22:15

English Standard Version

Thus says the Lord God of hosts, "Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him:

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord God All-Powerful told me to go to Shebna, the palace manager,

New Living Translation
This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, said to me: "Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message:

Update Bible Version
Thus says the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, Go, get yourself to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the house, [and say],

New Century Version
This is what the Lord God All-Powerful says: "Go to this servant Shebna, the manager of the palace.

New English Translation
This is what the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, says: "Go visit this administrator, Shebna, who supervises the palace, and tell him:

Webster's Bible Translation
Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, repair to this treasurer, [even] to Shebna, who [is] over the house, [and say],

World English Bible
Thus says the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts, Go, get yourself to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the house, [and say],

Amplified Bible
For the Lord GOD of hosts says this, "Go to this [contemptible] steward, To Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household [but is building himself a tomb worthy of a king, and say to him],

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The Lord God of oostis seith these thingis, Go thou, and entre to hym that dwellith in the tabernacle, to Sobna, the souereyn of the temple; and thou schalt seie to hym,

English Revised Version
Thus saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

Berean Standard Bible
Thus says the Lord GOD of Hosts: "Go, say to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace:

Contemporary English Version
The Lord All-Powerful is sending you with this message for Shebna, the prime minister:

American Standard Version
Thus saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, who is over the house, and say,

Bible in Basic English
The Lord, the Lord of armies, says, Go to this person in authority, this Shebna, who is over the house; who has made himself a resting-place on high, cutting out a place for himself in the rock, and say,

Complete Jewish Bible
Thus says Adonai Elohim -Tzva'ot: "Go and find that steward, Shevna, administrator of the palace, and ask him:

Darby Translation
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah of hosts: Go, get thee in unto this steward, unto Shebna, who is over the house, [and say,]

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thus saith the Lord, the GOD of hosts: Go, get thee unto this steward, even unto Shebna, who is over the house:

King James Version (1611)
Thus sayth the Lord God of hostes, Goe, get thee vnto this treasurer, euen vnto Shebna, which is ouer the house, and say;

New Life Bible
The Lord God of All says, "Come, go to this person in Shebna who is taking care of the king's house. Say to him,

New Revised Standard
Thus says the Lord God of hosts: Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is master of the household, and say to him:

Geneva Bible (1587)
Thus sayeth the Lord God of hostes, Goe, get thee to that treasurer, to Shebna, the steward of the house, and say,

George Lamsa Translation
Thus says the LORD God of hosts: Go, get to this treasurer, even to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thus, said My Lord Yahweh, of hosts, Come go in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who is over the house:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord God of hosts: Go, get thee in to him that dwelleth in the tabernacle, to Sobna who is over the temple: and thou shalt say to him:

Revised Standard Version
Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thus saith the Lord God of hoastes: Get ye vnto yonder treasurer, euen vnto Sebna, which is the ruler of the house.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Go into the chamber, to Somnas the treasurer, and say to him, Why art thou here?

Good News Translation
The Sovereign Lord Almighty told me to go to Shebna, the manager of the royal household, and say to him,

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord God of Armies said: “Go to Shebna, that steward who is in charge of the palace, and say to him:

Hebrew Names Version
Thus says the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, Go, get yourself to this treasurer, even to Shevna, who is over the house, [and say],

King James Version
Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

Lexham English Bible
The Lord, Yahweh of hosts, says this: "Go! Go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the house:

Literal Translation
So says the Lord Jehovah of Hosts, Go! Go to this treasurer, to Shebna who is over the house.

Young's Literal Translation
Thus said the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts: `Go, enter in unto this steward, Unto Shebna, who [is] over the house:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thus sayeth the LORDE God of hoostes: Go in to the treasury vnto Sobna the gouernoure, and saye vnto him:

THE MESSAGE
The Master, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, spoke: "Come. Go to this steward, Shebna, who is in charge of all the king's affairs, and tell him: What's going on here? You're an outsider here and yet you act like you own the place, make a big, fancy tomb for yourself where everyone can see it, making sure everyone will think you're important. God is about to sack you, to throw you to the dogs. He'll grab you by the hair, swing you round and round dizzyingly, and then let you go, sailing through the air like a ball, until you're out of sight. Where you'll land, nobody knows. And there you'll die, and all the stuff you've collected heaped on your grave. You've disgraced your master's house! You're fired—and good riddance!

New American Standard Bible
This is what the Lord GOD of armies says: "Come, go to this steward, To Shebna who is in charge of the royal household,

New King James Version
Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: "Go, proceed to this steward, To Shebna, who is over the house, and say:

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, "Come, go to this steward, To Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household,

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus says Lord Yahweh of hosts,"Come, go to this steward,To Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household,

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ Thus says the Lord God of hosts, "Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: ¹⁶ What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock? ¹⁷ Behold, the Lord will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you ¹⁸ and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master's house. ¹⁹ I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. ²⁰ In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, ²¹ and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. ²² And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. ²³ And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house. ²⁴ And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

treasurer: 1 Chronicles 27:25, Acts 8:27

Shebna: Isaiah 36:3, Isaiah 37:2, 2 Kings 18:18, 2 Kings 18:37, 2 Kings 19:2

which: 1 Kings 4:6, 2 Kings 10:5

Reciprocal: Isaiah 22:25 - the nail

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Go,.... These words are spoken to the prophet, bidding him go to Shebna's house; so the Arabic version, "go to the house"; or however, by some means or other, let him know that he should be displaced, and turned out of his office, and another put in his room:

get thee unto this treasurer; or governor, as the Targum; treasurer in the house of King Hezekiah, as Kimchi: the word has the signification of profit; and Jarchi, from the Talmud s, calls him master of the profits; that is, of the profits and revenues belonging to the king; though, perhaps, he sought more his own profit and advantage than the king's: it has also the signification of danger, and so may be rendered, "this dangerous" man to the king and state. The Jews say t he entered into conspiracy with some others in Jerusalem, to deliver up the city and king into the hands of Sennacherib. It is also used for a cherisher or nourisher, 1 Kings 1:2 and may be understood of him, as a cherisher and encourager of the scoffers before mentioned, and a fomenter of secret conspiracies against the king and the city. Some render it, "this Sochenite", so called from the place of his birth, or from whence he came; and the Jews u say he came from Sochen, a place in Egypt; and he seems by what follows to have been a foreigner, and not an inhabitant of Jerusalem; nor is it likely that he should be twice described by his office:

[even] unto Shebna, which [is] over the house; that is, over the king's house, so Kimchi; the steward, that had the ordering of all the affairs civil and domestic in it, which was a very high post; he had the keys of the money, stores, and provisions in it; see

Isaiah 22:22. The Vulgate Latin version calls him the governor of the temple; so Jarchi understands it, that he was over the house of the sanctuary, the temple; some Jewish writers say he was a high priest; and others that he was an "amarcal" w, which was a name of office in the temple, a governor there, that had the keys of the stores in it:

[and say]; this is not in the text, but is supplied; the message to him follows.

s T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 26. 2. t Jarchi & Kimchi in loc. & Sanhedrin, ib. col. 1. u Vajikra Rabba, sect. 5. fol. 150. 2. w Ibid.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Analysis of Isaiah 22:15-25. - Vision 20.

The remainder of this chapter Isaiah 22:15-25 is occupied with a prediction respecting Shebna, and the promotion of Eliakim in his place. From the prophecy itself it appears that Shebna was prefect of the palace Isaiah 22:15, or that he was in the highest authority in the time of Hezekiah. That he was an unprincipled ruler is evident from the prophecy, and hence, Isaiah was directed to predict his fall, and the elevation of another in his place. Whether this Shebna is the same that is mentioned in Isaiah 36:3, is not known. The Shebna there mentioned is called a “scribe” Isaiah 22:22, and that was “after” the fall of Shebna mentioned here, for it occurred after Eliakim had been placed over the palace. Eliakim was then in office, and was sent on that embassy to Sennacherib Isaiah 36:2, Isaiah 36:22; Isaiah 37:2. The probability is, therefore, that this was some other man of the same name, unless it may have been that “Shebna,” after being degraded from the rank of prefect of the palace or prime minister, became “a scribe,” or had an inferior office under Eliakim. The prophecy contains the following things:

1. A “command” to Isaiah to go to Shebna, and to reprove him for his self-confidence in his sin Isaiah 22:15-16.

2. A declaration that he should be carried captive to a foreign land Isaiah 22:17-18.

3. A declaration that he should be deposed and succeeded by Eliakim Isaiah 22:20.

4. A description of the character and honors of Eliakim, and his qualifications for the office Isaiah 22:21-24, and

5. A confirmation of the whole prophecy, or a summing up the whole in a single declarationIsaiah 22:25; Isaiah 22:25.

Isaiah 22:15

Thus saith the Lord God of hosts - (see the note at Isaiah 1:9).

Go, get thee - Hebrew, ‘Go, come to.’ This was one of the instances in which the prophets were directed to go personally, and even at the hazard of their life, to those who were high in office, and to denounce on them the divine judgment for their sins.

Unto this treasurer - (הסכן hassokēn). The Vulgate renders this, ‘To him who dwells in the tabernacle.’ The Septuagint renders it, Εἰς τὸ παστοφόrion Eis to pastophorion, denoting properly what is borne into a recess, cell, or chapel, and referring properly to a place where an idol was placed in a temple; and then any recess, or chamber, as a treasury, and referring here to the room which the treasurer of the temple occupied. The Hebrew word שׁכן shâkan means “to dwell with anyone;” then to be an associate or friend, and hence, the participle is applied to one entrusted with the care of anything, a steward, a treasurer. Jerome explains this in his Commentary as meaning, ‘go to him who dwells in the tabernacle, which in Hebrew is called Sochen.’ He understands by this some room, or recess in the temple, where the treasurer or the prefect of the temple dwelt. Our translators have expressed probably the true sense by the word ‘treasurer.’

Which is over the house - That is, either who is over the temple, or over the palace. I understand it of the latter. Shebna was not high priest, and the expression, ‘over the house,’ more properly denotes one who had the rule of the palace, or who was the principal minister of the king. See 1 Kings 18:3 : ‘And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house.’ What was the offence or crime of Shebna, it is impossible to say. The Jewish commentators say that he was intending to betray the city to Sennacherib, but although this is possible it has no direct proof.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 22:15. Go - unto Shebna — The following prophecy concerning Shebna seems to have very little relation to the foregoing, except that it might have been delivered about the same time; and Shebna might be a principal person among those whose luxury and profaneness is severely reprehended by the prophet in the conclusion of that prophecy, Isaiah 22:11-14.

Shebna the scribe, mentioned in the history of Hezekiah, Isaiah 36:11, seems to have been a different person from this Shebna, the treasurer or steward of the household, to whom this prophecy relates. The Eliakim here mentioned was probably the person who, at the time of Sennacherib's invasion, was actually treasurer, the son of Hilkiah. If so, this prophecy was delivered, as the preceding, (which makes the former part of the chapter,) plainly was, some time before the invasion of Sennacherib. As to the rest, history affords us no information.

"And say unto him"] Here are two words lost out of the text, which are supplied by two of Dr. Kennicott's MSS., one ancient, which read ואמרת אליו veamarta elaiv, and thou shalt say unto him; by the Septuagint, και ειπον αυτῳ, and in the same manner by all the ancient versions. It is to be observed that this passage is merely historical, and does not admit of that sort of ellipsis by which in the poetical parts a person is frequently introduced speaking, without the usual notice, that what follows was delivered by him.