“On that day,
I will call my servant Eliakim,
Son of Hilkiah.
I will clothe him with your robe.
I will bind your sash on him.
I will commit your authority
To his hand.
He shall be a father
To the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
To the house of Judah.”
Yahweh, via Isaiah, will call Eliakim son of Hilkiah to take the place of Shebna. Eliakim is mentioned about 10 times between here in Isaiah and 2 Kings, chapter 18-19. He was the leader of the royal palace of King Hezekiah, who conducted the peace negotiations with the Assyrian invaders. On the day that Shebna was removed from his position, Eliakim was installed as the new master of the royal palace, but he seems to get more authority than his predecessor. Eliakim got Shebna’s robe and sash with all the authority that came with it. However, he also was to be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah, a much bigger title.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 