“Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 36:6 Mean?
The Assyrian Rabshakeh taunts Hezekiah with a devastating analogy: Egypt, the ally Judah is depending on, is a "broken reed." If you lean on it, it won't just fail to support you — it will pierce your hand. The ally doesn't merely disappoint; it injures.
The broken reed metaphor is precise about the mechanism of harm: the reed looks like it could support weight (it's still standing, still reed-shaped), but it's structurally compromised. When pressure is applied, it snaps and the sharp end goes through your palm. The damage comes from trusting something that appeared trustworthy but wasn't.
The Rabshakeh is the enemy, and his taunt is designed to demoralize. But the theology behind it is sound — Isaiah himself warned against trusting Egypt (Isaiah 30:1-7, 31:1-3). Sometimes the enemy tells you the truth your prophets have been saying: the ally you're counting on will hurt you worse than the enemy you're afraid of.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'broken reed' in your life looks supportive but might pierce you when you lean on it?
- 2.Why is it significant that both the prophet and the enemy agree about Egypt's unreliability?
- 3.How do you test whether a support structure is genuine before you need it?
- 4.What does it mean that the enemy sometimes tells you the truth your own people have been saying?
Devotional
Egypt is a broken reed. Lean on it and it won't just collapse — it'll go through your hand. The support you're counting on will actively injure you when you need it most.
The painful irony is that this truth comes from the enemy. The Rabshakeh — an Assyrian military commander — is telling Judah what Isaiah had been telling them for years: Egypt can't save you. The prophet and the enemy agree. The ally you're trusting is a trap.
The broken reed is the most dangerous kind of support because it looks functional. It's still standing. It still has the shape of a reed. You wouldn't know it's broken until you lean your weight on it. And by then, your palm is pierced. The deception isn't in the reed's appearance — it's in your assumption that what looks solid is solid.
What broken reeds are you leaning on? What support structures look functional from the outside but are structurally compromised? The relationship that seems supportive until you actually need it. The financial plan that looks solid until the crisis hits. The institution that promises safety until the pressure arrives. The reed doesn't announce its brokenness. You discover it by bleeding.
Isaiah's warning and the Rabshakeh's taunt converge on the same truth: lean on God, not on Egypt. The one who never breaks is the only safe support.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt,.... His ally and auxiliary; and which is rightly called…
Lo, thou trustest - It is possible that Sennacherib might have been apprised of the attempt which had been made by the…
We shall here only observe some practical lessons. 1. A people may be in the way of their duty and yet meet with trouble…
the staff of this broken reed For the idea, cf. ch. Isa 30:1-5; for the figure, Eze 29:6-7.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture