H7262 H7262
Rab-shakeh; an Assyrian military title meaning 'chief cupbearer' or 'chief officer,' used of Sennacherib's envoy.
Not a personal name but a high-ranking Assyrian title, Rabshakeh (rav-shaqeh) literally means 'chief of the cupbearers' or more broadly 'chief officer.' In the dramatic narrative of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem (2 Kgs 18-19, Isa 36-37), the Rabshakeh serves as the Assyrian king's spokesman, delivering propaganda speeches in Hebrew to demoralize Hezekiah's people. English translations sometimes transliterate the title as a name. German 'Oberkellner' captures the cupbearer etymology, while Spanish and French simply transliterate 'Rabsaces' and 'Rabschake.' The title belongs to a cluster of Assyrian loan-titles including Rabsaris and Tartan.
Senses
1. Rabshakeh (chief cupbearer title) — The Assyrian military-diplomatic title 'chief cupbearer' or 'chief officer,' designating Sennacherib's principal envoy to Jerusalem. In 2 Kings 18:17-37 and Isaiah 36:2-22, this official delivers threatening speeches in Hebrew outside Jerusalem's walls, challenging Hezekiah's trust in Yahweh. The title is a compound of rav ('chief') and shaqeh ('cupbearer'), reflecting the Assyrian court hierarchy borrowed into biblical Hebrew for these specific narrative contexts. 31×
AR["رَبَّ","شَاقِي","شَاقِيَ"]·ben["রব-","শাকী","শাকীকে","শাকীর","শাকে","শাকেকে","শাকের"]·DE["Oberkellner","Shaqeh"]·EN["Lakhish","Ravshakeh","Shaqeh","and-called","and-found","from","is-it-to","say","sent-him","speak","whom"]·FR["Rabschaké","chef-des-gardes","nombreux"]·heb["רב","שקה"]·HI["रब्ब-","शाकेह","शाकेह-की","शाकेह-ने"]·ID["Rabsake","Syake","[nama]"]·IT["Shaqeh","capo-dei-coppieri"]·jav["Rabsakè","Sakè","dhateng-Yerusalem","kang","lan-manggih","lan-nguwuh","matur-priksa","ngandikaa-priksa","ngutus-piyambakipun","punapa","saking-Lakhis"]·KO["럍-","샤케가","샤케를","샤케에게","샤케의","욕데","욕데가","욖데"]·PT["Rav-","Shaqeh"]·RU["Раб-","Шаке","рав","шаке"]·ES["Rab","Saces","de-Rab","saces"]·SW["Rabshake","Rabu-","shake","wanyweshaji","ya-Rabshake","ya-Rabu-"]·TR["Rab-","Sake","Sake'nin","Sake'ye","Sake'yi","saki","sakiye"]·urd["رب","شاقہ","شاقے","شاقے-نے","شاقے-کی"]
2 Kgs 18:17, 2 Kgs 18:17, 2 Kgs 18:19, 2 Kgs 18:19, 2 Kgs 18:26, 2 Kgs 18:26, 2 Kgs 18:27, 2 Kgs 18:27, 2 Kgs 18:28, 2 Kgs 18:28, 2 Kgs 18:37, 2 Kgs 19:4 (+19 more)
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
II. רַב49 n.m. chief (Assyrian-Bab. influence, cf. rab DlHWB 609b; Biblical Aramaic רַב);—cstr. ר׳ Je 39:9 +; pl. cstr. רַבֵּי 39:13; 41:1 (but v. infr.);—especially רַב־ טַבָּחִים chief of guardsmen (v. טַבָּח), only as title of Bab. officer Je 39:9, 10 + 15 times Je, 7 times ‖ 2 K 25 (cf. שַׂר הַטּ׳ in Gn [JE]); also †רַב הַחֹבֵל Jon 1:6 chief of the sailors, i.e. captain; †in gen. כָּל־רַב…