How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants…?: There are two ways to understand this verse in relation to the previous verse. According to the traditional view, this is a another rhetorical question taunting Hezekiah. If Hezekiah cannot find enough horsemen for two thousand horses (verse 8), how can he expect to defeat even the lowest ranking Assyrian officer with the help of Egypt as an untrustworthy ally (verse 9). Versions that express this sense are RSV/NRSV, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible (see also the first example below). According to the other view, the Assyrian ambassador is trying to lure Hezekiah from the rebellion by promising him two thousand horses if he will make a deal (verse 8). Through the use of a rhetorical question he calls himself a mere minor official and encourages Hezekiah not to reject his offer and depend on unreliable Egypt (verse 9). Versions that express this sense are Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and the NET Bible Bible (see also the second and third examples below). For this verse the NET Bible Bible ( NET Bible) has “Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen.” Translators may follow either view, but they should add a footnote saying the Hebrew is difficult to understand.
These two interpretations of verse 9 mostly depend on the meaning of the Hebrew phrase rendered repulse, which is literally “turn aside the face of.” According to the traditional view, this phrase means “repulse/defeat someone” (so RSV/NRSV, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible), but for the other view it means “reject someone” (so Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, NET Bible).
The Hebrew word for captain is a loanword from Akkadian. It can refer to a military officer (so Revised Standard Version with the traditional view) or to an administrative official (so NET Bible with the other view). Some versions, such as Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, omit this word as a scribal error, but there is little manuscript evidence for omitting, so we agree with Hebrew Old Testament Text Project and de~Waard that translators should keep it. According to the traditional view of this verse, a single captain among the least of my master’s servants refers to the lowest ranking officer in the Assyrian army. According to the other view, it refers to the Assyrian ambassador himself. He is making a humble self-reference, which is intended to mock Hezekiah.
When you rely on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen: When renders the common Hebrew conjunction, which is literally “and.” Like Revised Standard Version, some of the versions following the traditional understanding of this verse use “when” to introduce this clause as a condition (New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version). New International Version is similar with “even though.” Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible say “and/And yet” since the connector here seems to begin an independent contrastive clause. Many of the versions that follow the other view simply use “and” (Revised English Bible, NET Bible). The keyword rely occurs here again (see Isa 36.4). The form of the Hebrew verb rendered rely indicates that Hezekiah continually relies on Egypt. For chariots and horsemen, see the comments on 31.1.
For this verse consider the following translation possibilities, which render the rhetorical question as one or more statements:
• How can you repulse even the lowest ranking officer among my master’s servants, even though you are relying on Egypt for horses and horsemen!
• How could you refuse one of the lowliest officials among my master’s servants! And how can you trust Egypt for chariots and horsemen!
• How can you reject [the offer made by] one of the lowliest officials among my master’s servants! Instead you have entrusted yourself to Egypt for chariots and horsemen!
Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .