Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 36:16

"Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make your peace with me, and come out to me; and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;" — Isaiah 36:16 (ASV)

Hearken not to Hezekiah - Do not listen to his pleas to trust in him and in Yahweh; do not unite with him in attempting to make any resistance or opposition to us.

Make an agreement with me by a present - The Septuagint reads this: Εἰ βούλεσθε εὐλογηθῆναι Ei boulesthe eulogēthēnai—‘If you wish to be blessed, or happy, come out to me.’ The Hebrew is literally, ‘Make with me a blessing’ (ברכה b^erâkâh). The idea of it being done ‘by a present’ is not in the Hebrew text.

The word ‘blessing’ here probably means the same as peace: ‘Make peace with me,’ perhaps because peace was regarded as a blessing. However, it is not used in this sense elsewhere in the Bible. The Chaldee renders it, ‘Make peace (שׁלמא shālâmâ’) with me.’

Alternatively, the word may be used with reference to one of the meanings of ברך bārak—which is to kneel down. This word may then refer to their kneeling down, that is, to their offering allegiance to the king of Assyria.

The former sense, however, that the word means peace, is more probable, because peace was an evident blessing or would be the source of rich blessings to them.

And come out to me - Surrender yourselves to me. It is evident, however, that he did not mean that he would then remove them from their city and country, but he demanded a surrender, intending to come and remove them at a later period (Isaiah 36:17).

And eat ye every one of his own vine - This is an emblem of safety, when every man might be permitted to partake of the fruit of his own labor. All that he now claimed to desire was that they should surrender the city and give up their means of defense. He would then leave them in security and quietness until his master decided to come and remove them to a land as fertile as their own.

And drink ye every one - This is another emblem of security and happiness. This promise was made to persuade them to surrender. On the one hand, he threatened them with the dreadful evils of famine if they refused and allowed their city to be besieged (Isaiah 36:12). On the other hand, he promised them, at least for a time, a quiet and secure residence in their own city, and then a removal to a land not inferior to their own.