Isaiah 38

King James Version

Full text for Isaiah Chapter 38

1¶ In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,

3And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done [that which is] good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

4Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying,

5Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.

7And this [shall be] a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;

8Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

9¶ The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:

10I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

11I said, I shall not see the LORD, [even] the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

12Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me.

13I reckoned till morning, [that], as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me.

14Like a crane [or] a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail [with looking] upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

15What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done [it]: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.

16O Lord, by these [things men] live, and in all these [things is] the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.

17Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul [delivered it] from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can [not] celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I [do] this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.

20The LORD [was ready] to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.

21For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay [it] for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.

22Hezekiah also had said, What [is] the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

King Hezekiah fell mortally ill, and the prophet Isaiah delivered a divine message that he would die. Hezekiah prayed earnestly to the LORD, reminding Him of his faithful walk, and God heard his plea. The LORD then promised to add fifteen years to Hezekiah's life and deliver Jerusalem from the Assyrians, confirming this with a miraculous sign of the sun's shadow receding ten degrees on a sundial. Following his recovery, Hezekiah composed a song of thanksgiving, praising God for his deliverance from death and the forgiveness of his sins.

Medium Summary

King Hezekiah was afflicted with a terminal illness, and the prophet Isaiah delivered a message from the LORD, instructing him to set his affairs in order as his death was imminent. Hezekiah, in great distress, turned to the LORD in prayer, pleading for remembrance of his faithful and upright walk before God. The LORD heard Hezekiah's fervent prayer and saw his tears, sending Isaiah back with a new message: Hezekiah would be granted an additional fifteen years of life. Furthermore, God promised to deliver Hezekiah and Jerusalem from the hand of the Assyrian king. As a sign of this divine promise, the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz miraculously retreated ten degrees. Following his recovery, Hezekiah penned a poignant psalm, reflecting on his despair at the brink of death and his profound gratitude for God's mercy, healing, and the forgiveness of his sins, vowing to praise the LORD in the land of the living.

Long Summary

The chapter opens with King Hezekiah of Judah gravely ill, facing certain death. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, brought him a divine message: "Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live." In response, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed fervently to the LORD, appealing to God's remembrance of his truthful and perfect heart and his good deeds in the divine sight, weeping bitterly. Immediately, the word of the LORD came again to Isaiah, instructing him to return to Hezekiah. God declared that He had heard Hezekiah's prayer and seen his tears, promising to add fifteen years to his life. Additionally, the LORD pledged to deliver Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem from the power of the king of Assyria, defending the city. As a concrete sign of this promise, God stated that the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz would miraculously go backward ten degrees, a phenomenon that indeed occurred. Following his recovery, Hezekiah composed a written testament, a psalm of thanksgiving, recounting his experience. In this writing, Hezekiah expressed his profound despair at the prospect of death, lamenting the "cutting off of my days" and the loss of seeing the LORD and mankind in the land of the living. He described his illness as a swift, consuming force, likening his life to a shepherd's tent removed and cut off like a weaver's thread. He cried out to the LORD, feeling oppressed and pleading for divine intervention. Upon his recovery, Hezekiah acknowledged God's direct action, stating, "he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it." He recognized that God had delivered his soul from the "pit of corruption" and cast all his sins behind His back, transforming his great bitterness into peace. He emphasized that only the living can praise God, vowing to sing songs of praise in the house of the LORD for all his remaining days. The chapter concludes by mentioning Isaiah's instruction to apply a lump of figs as a plaster for Hezekiah's boil and Hezekiah's earlier question about the sign for his going up to the house of the LORD.

Core Concepts

  • Divine Intervention in IllnessGod directly intervenes in Hezekiah's terminal illness, first declaring his impending death, then reversing the decree and granting an extension of life in response to his prayer.
  • Power of PrayerHezekiah's earnest and tearful prayer, appealing to his righteous walk before God, moves the LORD to hear his plea and grant him additional years of life.
  • Miraculous SignA unique and visible sign is provided—the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz receding ten degrees—to confirm God's promise of healing and extended life to Hezekiah.
  • Thanksgiving and PraiseAfter his recovery, Hezekiah composes a psalm expressing deep gratitude, reflecting on his despair in sickness and his renewed commitment to praise God in the land of the living.
  • Deliverance from Death and SinHezekiah's recovery is presented not only as physical healing but also as a deliverance from the "pit of corruption" and the casting of his sins behind God's back.
  • Life as Opportunity for PraiseThe chapter underscores the theological concept that the living are those who can praise God and make known His truth, in contrast to those who have descended into the grave.
  • God's Sovereignty and MercyGod demonstrates His absolute sovereignty over life and death, and His profound mercy in responding to a humble and faithful plea, altering a divine decree.