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Isaiah 36:12
But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words?hath he notsent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

1 Kings 20:10
And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

2 Kings 19:23,24
By thy messengers thou hast reproached the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall cedar trees thereof,and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders,and into the forest of his Carmel…

besieged.

With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.
This hyperbolic statement emphasizes the extent of Assyrian power and the king's perceived invincibility. Egypt, known for its mighty Nile River, was a significant power in the ancient world. The imagery of drying up streams with the soles of one's feet suggests an effortless conquest and domination over even the most formidable natural resources. Historically, the Assyrians were known for their military prowess and their ability to subdue various nations, including Egypt. However, this boastful claim is ultimately a challenge to God's sovereignty, as it implies that human power can overcome divine provision. In the broader biblical narrative, God often uses such boasts to demonstrate His supremacy, as seen in His deliverance of Israel from Egypt during the Exodus. This phrase also foreshadows the eventual downfall of Assyria, as God asserts His authority over all nations and their rulers.

• These words are the Assyrian king’s brag (Isaiah 37:24–25;2 Kings 19:24). He claims he personally provided water for his armies wherever they marched.

• The boast ignores the truth that God alone supplies water in the wilderness (Exodus 17:6;Psalm 78:15–16).

• Behind the claim is a heart of pride: “By the strength of my hand I have done it” (Isaiah 10:13).

• God repeats the king’s own words to expose that pride, preparing to judge it (Proverbs 16:18).

• The Assyrian armies had overrun other nations and consumed their resources—literally drinking water from conquered lands.

• “Foreign waters” symbolize domination: taking what belongs to others at will (Habakkuk 2:5).

• The king assumes endless success, yet God reminds him that every drop he drinks is ultimately provided by the Creator (Psalm 24:1;Acts 17:25).

• This image pictures effortless conquest—simply walking over obstacles (Joshua 1:3).

• It also mocks Egypt’s once-feared power; the king imagines himself treading it down like dust (Isaiah 14:25).

• The claim reveals a heart that magnifies self while belittling God (Daniel 4:30;James 4:16).

• Egypt depended on the Nile. To “dry up” its streams is to boast of crippling an empire’s lifeline (Ezekiel 29:3–4).

• Historically, Sennacherib had not even conquered Egypt; the claim is inflated arrogance.

• God alone holds power over seas and rivers (Exodus 14:21–28;Joshua 3:13–17). By repeating the boast, He sets the stage to show who truly rules the waters—and the nations (Isaiah 37:36–38).

The verse captures the Assyrian king’s overblown self-confidence: he digs wells, drinks foreign waters, tramples lands, and even dries up Egypt’s streams—so he thinks. God quotes these words to reveal the emptiness of human pride and to affirm His own sovereignty. All resources, victories, and even the flow of rivers belong to the Lord. The king’s boast becomes the backdrop for God’s decisive deliverance of Jerusalem, proving once more that “the LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him?” (Isaiah 14:27).

All the rivers of the besieged places.--As the words stand, they suggest the thought that the Assyrian army could cut off the supply of water as well as provide it, and so connect themselves with the Rabshakeh's taunt inIsaiah 36:12. Their true meaning, however, is probably, as inIsaiah 19:6;Micah 7:12, "the rivers orcanalsof Egypt," a form being used for Egypt which also conveys the idea of "besieged fortresses." So taken, the words are a defiant threat against Tirhakah. Not all the branches of the Nile in the Delta should protect his cities. His armies would, as it were, dry them up.