Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Isaiah 38

Introduction

1  Hezekiah, having received a message of death, by prayer has his life lengthened.
8  The sun goes ten degrees backward, for a sign of that promise.
9  His song of thanksgiving.
Verse 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.
A. M. 3291. B.C. 718. was Hezekiah
2 Kings 20:1-11, 2 Chronicles 32:24, John 11:1-5, Acts 9:37, Philippians 2:27-30
And Isaiah
37:21, 39:3,4
Set thine house in order
Heb. Give charge concerning thy house.
2 Samuel 17:23, Ecclesiastes 9:10
for thou
Jeremiah 18:7-10, Jonah 3:4,10
Verse 2

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
turned
Hezekiah's couch was probably placed in a corner, which is the place of honour in the East; in which, turning on either side, he must turn his face to the wall; by which he would withdraw himself from those attending him in his apartment.
1 Kings 8:30, Psalms 50:15, 91:15, Matthew 6:6
Verse 3

And 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.
Remember
Nehemiah 5:19, 13:14,22,31, Psalms 18:20-27, 20:1-3, Hebrews 6:10
I have
Genesis 5:22,23, 6:9, 17:1, 1 Kings 2:4, 2 Chronicles 31:20,21, Job 23:11,12, Psalms 16:8, Psalms 32:2, John 1:47, 2 Corinthians 1:12, 1 John 3:21,22
a perfect
1 Kings 15:14, 1 Chronicles 29:9,19, 2 Chronicles 16:9, 25:2, Psalms 101:2, 119:80
wept
2 Samuel 12:21,22, Ezra 10:1, Nehemiah 1:4, Psalms 6:8, 102:9, Hosea 12:4, Hebrews 5:7
sore
Heb. with great weeping.
Verse 5

Go, 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.
and say
2 Samuel 7:3-5, 1 Chronicles 17:2-4
God
7:13,14, 1 Kings 8:25, 9:4,5, 11:12,13, 15:4, 2 Chronicles 34:3, Psalms 89:3,4, Matthew 22:32
I have heard
2 Kings 19:20, Psalms 34:5,6, Luke 1:13, 1 John 5:14,15
I have seen
Psalms 39:12, 56:8, 147:3, 2 Corinthians 7:6, Revelation 7:17
I will
Job 14:5, Psalms 116:15, Acts 27:24
Verse 6

And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
12:6, 31:4, 37:35, 2 Chronicles 32:22, 2 Timothy 4:17
Verse 7

And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;
22, 7:11-14, 37:30, Genesis 9:13, Judges 6:17-22,37-39, 2 Kings 20:8-21
Verse 8

Behold, 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.
I will bring
Joshua 10:12-14, 2 Kings 20:11, 2 Chronicles 32:24,31, Matthew 16:1
the sun dial
Heb. the degrees by, or, with the sun. Or, as the Hebrew might be rendered, "the steps of Ahaz." The researches of curious travellers in Hindostan, observes Bp. Stock, have lately discovered in that country, three observatories of similar form, the most remarkable of which is to be seen within four miles of Delhi, the ancient capital of the Mogul empire. A rectangled triangle, whose hypotenuse is a staircase, (apparently parallel to the axis of the earth,) bisects a zone, or coping of a wall, which wall connects the two terminating towers at right and left. The coping itself is of a circular form, and accurately graduated, to mark, by the gnomon above, the sun's progress before and after noon.
Verse 9

The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:
writing
12:1-6, Exodus 15:1-21, Judges 5:1-31, 1 Samuel 2:1-10, Psalms 18:1; *title; Psalms 30:11,12, 107:17-22, 116:1-4, 118:18,19, Jonah 2:1-9
he had
Deuteronomy 32:39, 1 Samuel 2:6, Job 5:18, Hosea 6:1,2, We have here Hezekiah's thanksgiving song, which he penned by Divine direction, after his recovery. He might have used some of the Psalms of David his father, as he had appointed the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, 2, 29:30,, 2 Chronicles 29:30
Verse 10

I 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.
1, Job 6:11, 7:7, 17:11-16, 2 Corinthians 1:9
Verse 11

I 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.
Job 35:14,15, Psalms 6:4,5, 27:13, 31:22, 116:8,9, Ecclesiastes 9:5,6
Verse 12

Mine 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.
is removed
Job 7:7, Psalms 89:45-47, 102:11,23,24
as a
1:8, 13:20
have cut
Job 7:6, 9:25,26, 14:2, James 4:14
he will cut
Job 7:3-5, 17:1, Psalms 31:22, 119:23
with pining sickness
or, from the thrum.
Verse 13

I 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.
as a lion
1 Kings 13:24-26, 20:36, Job 10:16,17, 16:12-14, Psalms 39:10, 50:22, 51:8, Daniel 6:24, Hosea 5:14, 1 Corinthians 11:30-32
Verse 14

Like 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.
a crane
Job 30:29, Psalms 102:4-7
I did mourn
59:11, Ezekiel 7:16, Nahum 2:7
mine eyes
Psalms 69:3, 119:82,123, 123:1-4, Lamentations 4:17
I am
Psalms 119:122, 143:7
undertake for me
or, ease me.
Verse 15

What 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.
What
Joshua 7:8, Ezra 9:10, Psalms 39:9,10, John 12:27
I shall
1 Kings 21:27
in the
1 Samuel 1:10, 2 Kings 4:27, Job 7:11, 10:1, 21:25
Verse 16

O 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.
64:5, Deuteronomy 8:3, Job 33:19-28, Psalms 71:20, Matthew 4:4, 1 Corinthians 11:32, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Hebrews 12:10,11
Verse 17

Behold, 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.
for peace I had great bitterness
or, on my peace came great bitterness.
Job 3:25,26, 29:18, Psalms 30:6,7
in love to my soul delivered it from the pit
Heb. loved my soul from the pit.
Psalms 30:3, 40:2, 86:13, 88:4-6, Jonah 2:6
thou hast cast
43:25, Psalms 10:2, 85:2, Jeremiah 31:34, Micah 7:18,19
Verse 18

For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
the grave
Psalms 6:5, 30:9, 88:11, 115:17,18, Ecclesiastes 9:10
they that
Numbers 16:33, Proverbs 14:32, Matthew 8:12, 25:46, Luke 16:26-31
Verse 19

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.
the living
Psalms 146:2, Ecclesiastes 9:10, John 9:4
the father
Genesis 18:19, Exodus 12:26,27, 13:14,15, Deuteronomy 4:9, 6:7, Joshua 4:21,22, Psalms 78:3-6, 145:4, Joel 1:3
Verse 20

The 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.
therefore
Psalms 9:13,14, 27:5,6, 30:11,12, 51:15, 66:13-15, 145:2
to the stringed
Psalms 150:4, Habakkuk 3:19
Verse 21

For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
For Isaiah
2 Kings 20:7, Mark 7:33, John 9:6
Verse 22

Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?
What
2 Kings 20:8, Psalms 42:1,2, 84:1,2,10-12, 118:18,19, 122:1, John 5:14

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