Chapter Thirty-Eight
1–3. Hezekiah’s illness, 4–8. and his recovery. 9–20. Song of thanksgiving of Hezekiah. 21–22. Conclusion in addition to the preceding account.
For explanation see Interpretive Bible vol. 2, p. 548–552
Isa 38:9-20. In his song of thanksgiving, Hezekiah first describes his grave condition during his illness, and then gives himself up to meditation on the greatness of the miracle of God accomplished in him and makes a promise to sing praises to the Lord all the days of his life.
Isaiah 38:9. A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness: “Prayer” – in Hebrew michtab – properly: “a writing, written.”
Isaiah 38:10. I said, In the middle of my days I must depart to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the rest of my years. “In the middle of my days.” The illness overtook Hezekiah in his 39th year of life (cf. 2 Sam 18 and 2 Sam 20:1). Others translate: “in the days of rest” or “in the midpoint of life.” “The gates of Sheol.” The Sheol or underworld, the dwelling place of the dead, is depicted here as if it were some stronghold with firm gates.
Isaiah 38:11. I said, I shall not see the Lord, the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look on mankind no more among the dwellers of the world; “I shall not see the Lord.” To see the Lord in the Bible often means to know experimentally the goodness of God, to enjoy the mercies of the Almighty and to know his revelations, which were proclaimed by the high priest in the temple of the Lord (cf. verse 22). “Among the dwellers of the world,” that is, I shall no longer participate in the general human joys and sorrows.
Isaiah 38:12. My dwelling is pulled up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent; I have rolled up my life like a weaver; he cuts me off from the loom; from day and night you made an end of me. “My dwelling,” that is, my body. “I have rolled up.” More accurately: “I wound up my life into a ball, like a weaver (who winds up the remaining threads of yarn into a ball), as he cut me off from the loom.” Hezekiah wants to say that he considered his life already finished.
Isaiah 38:13. I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he broke all my bones; from day and night you made an end of me. “I calmed myself.” More accurately: “I soothed myself until morning,” that is, I hoped for relief from the illness by morning, but instead of relief, the illness broke me as a lion breaks.
Isaiah 38:14. Like a swallow, like a crane I cry out; I moan like a dove; my eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my security. “Like a swallow, like a crane.” The groans of the sick Hezekiah resembled the melancholy sounds emitted by a crane, or the chirp of a swallow; sometimes he groaned softly like a dove. “My eyes are weary with looking upward” – more accurately: “and my eyes have become weary from constant gazing upward,” from which Hezekiah expected help. “Be my security!” – more accurately: “be a surety for me!” (cf. Job 17:3).
Isaiah 38:15. What shall I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. Isaiah 38:16. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit; O restore me to health and let me live. Isaiah 38:17. Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but you have held back my life from the pit of destruction; you have cast all my sins behind your back. Hezekiah, in gratitude to God for the healing he had received, promises to spend the remainder of his life quietly. “By these things men live,” that is, by such actions of the Almighty, and Hezekiah will place all his hopes upon this miraculous help of the Lord. “For my welfare.” The illness served to raise the moral state of Hezekiah. “You have held back.” That is, in the fact that you held back my life from death, I see proof that you at the same time forgave me my sins. Premature death here is presented as a punishment for sins. “Behind your back,” that is, so far away that they were not seen and gone.
Isaiah 38:18. For Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness. Isaiah 38:19. The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness. Isaiah 38:20. The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our life at the house of the Lord. Here the general thought held by Old Testament writers is presented: the condition of the dead is a state of complete indifference to all that is great and, in particular, to the deeds of God accomplished on earth (cf. Ps 6:6; Ps 87:11-13; Ps 113:25-26). On the contrary, a living man can always praise God by his godly life and instruct his own children on the path of virtue. Hezekiah promises to extol God in songs in the temple, which he indeed accomplished, having organized orchestras from the Levites (cf. 2 Chr 29:30).
Isaiah 38:21. And Isaiah said, Let them bring a cake of figs and apply it to the boil; and he shall recover. Isaiah 38:22. And Hezekiah said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord? Verse 21 should be placed after verse 8 and verse 22 after verse 6. The prayer of Hezekiah is divided into stanzas as follows. 1st stanza – Verses 10–14 – (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) 2nd stanza – Verses 15–19 – (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) 3rd stanza – Verse 20 (conclusion). * * * In the Slavonic translation – “your eyes have become dim, so that they looked upward to the height of heaven to the Lord.” Editor’s note.