E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Rab’sheka,
in the satire of Absalom and Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is meant for Sir Thomas Player. Rabshakeh was the officer sent by Sennacherib to summon the Jews to surrender, and he told them insolently that resistance was in vain. (2 Kings xviii.)
