Isaiah 22:18
He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
Chariots were the ancient world's status symbols, expensive military equipment affordable only by the elite (cf. 1 Kings 10:26-29 on Solomon's chariots). For a non-military official like Shebna to possess chariots of glory indicates ostentatious wealth and possibly military ambitions beyond his station. His downfall would validate Isaiah's consistent message: trust in Yahweh, not in horses and chariots (Isaiah 31:1). The irony compounds: the man with no family tomb in Jerusalem (v.16) possessed prideful chariots that would become symbols of shame. His death in a foreign land meant no proper burial—the very thing his elaborate tomb was meant to prevent.
Questions for Reflection
- How do Shebna's 'chariots of glory' becoming shameful illustrate Jesus's teaching that the first shall be last and the last first?
- What does the phrase 'shame of thy lord's house' teach about how leaders' failures affect those they represent?
- Why does God emphasize that Shebna will die far from his prepared tomb, and what does this teach about human planning without divine approval?
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Analysis & Commentary
He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country—The imagery intensifies: ṣānōp̄ yiṣnop̄kā ṣənēp̄â (צָנוֹף יִצְנָפְךָ צְנֵפָה) uses wordplay meaning 'wrap up, whirl around, toss violently'—like winding up a ball and hurling it far away. The large country (אֶרֶץ רַחֲבַת יָדָיִם, ʾereṣ raḥăḇaṯ yāḏayim, literally 'land broad of hands/borders') suggests either Assyria or Babylon, vast empires where Shebna would die in anonymity.
There shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord's house—Shebna's prized chariots (מַרְכְּבוֹת כְּבוֹדֶךָ, markəḇōṯ kəḇōḏeḵā, 'chariots of your glory'), symbols of his wealth and power, would become his shame (קְלוֹן, qəlōn). His downfall would disgrace not just himself but 'his lord's house' (בֵּית אֲדֹנֶיךָ, bêṯ ʾăḏōneḵā)—King Hezekiah's administration. Bad stewardship brings reproach on the master.