Isaiah 38:21

A ‘boil’ would not itself cause death. But in those days a ‘boil’ would suggest the terrible disease called leprosy. And that would be a very serious matter (see Leviticus chapter 13).

• Jesus healed those who had leprosy (see Luke 7:22). His action was evidence that he was the *Messiah.

Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah.
prophet ~ a person who speaks on behalf of God.
Lord ~ God’s name in the Bible. In the original language, God’s name ‘Lord’ means ‘head over all’ and ‘God always’.
ancestor ~ original father of later families.
seize ~ to take a person’s possessions away from that person, either by law, or in a war. Or, to overcome a city or nation in order to rule it. Or, to take a person as a prisoner or a slave.
BC ~ years before Jesus Christ was born.
Sheol ~ the place where many Jews thought that dead people went.
Jews ~ people who belong to the countries called Judah and Israel; people who belong to the 12 tribes (large families) of Israel.
Temple ~ special building in Jerusalem where Jews praised God and offered him prayers and gifts.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah.
Jews ~ people who belong to the countries called Judah and Israel; people who belong to the 12 tribes (large families) of Israel.
upset ~ sad and confused because of bad news.
figs ~ healthy sweet fruit which comes from a tree, also called the fig. Figs (the fruit) are a valuable food to eat fresh or dried.
Messiah ~ Old Testament title for Christ.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible. It contains 39 books, all from the time before Jesus was born.

Isaiah: New *Heavens and a New Earth

King Hezekiah

Isaiah Chapter s 34 to 40

Gordon Churchyard

The words in brackets, […], are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They make the book easier to understand in English. Isaiah wrote his book in the *Hebrew language.

Chapter 38

v1 At that time, Hezekiah was very ill. He nearly died. And Isaiah the *prophet, [who was] the son of Amoz, went to [Hezekiah]. And [Isaiah] said to [Hezekiah], ‘This is what the *LORD says. “Put your affairs in order because you are going to die. You will not recover.” ’

v2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and he prayed to the *LORD.

v3 And he said, ‘Please remember, *LORD, that I have served you [well]. [I have been] loyal to you and [I have been] completely sincere. I have done what you consider to be good’. And Hezekiah wept bitter tears.

v4 Then the *LORD told Isaiah [again what] to say.

v5 ‘Go and say this to Hezekiah. “This is what the *LORD says. [The *LORD] is the God of your *ancestor David. I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears. So, I will add 15 years to your life.

v6 I will save you from the power of the King of Assyria and I will defend this city, this city [of Jerusalem”.’

v7 And [Isaiah said], ‘The *LORD will do what he has promised [to do]. And so the *LORD [will give] you this sign.

v8 You can see the shadow of the sun as it sets on the staircase. [This is the staircase] that [King] Ahaz built. I will make the shadow go back ten steps [on this staircase].’ And the shadow did go back ten steps!

v9 [This is] a poem that Hezekiah, the king of Judah, wrote. He wrote it after he had recovered from his illness.

v10 I said:

‘Must I really go through the gates of *Sheol during the best days of my life?

Will [death] rob me of the rest of my years?’

v11 I said:

‘I will not see the *LORD [again].

[I will not] live on this earth and [see] the *LORD.

I will never [again] see the people.

I will never be with the people that are [still] living in this world.

v12 [The *LORD] has pulled down my house and he has taken it from me.

[He did it] as [easily as someone packs away] a *shepherd’s tent.

I have rolled up my life as a *weaver rolls up [a carpet].

[God] has cut me off from the *loom (machine to make carpets).

[In a] day and [in a] night [God] brings me to my end.

v13 With patience I waited until the dawn.

But, like a lion [does], [God] broke all my bones.

[In a] day and [in a] night [God] brings me to my end.

v14 I cried like a small bird, [perhaps] a thrush (a kind of bird).

I made the sort of sad noise that a dove (another kind of bird) makes.

My eyes grew weak [as I looked] to heaven.

*Lord, rescue me from my trouble!

v15 What can I say? Because [the *LORD] has spoken to me

and [the *LORD] has done [all this to me].

I will live quietly, because I felt so bitter [inside me].

v16 *Lord, by these things, [people] have life.

By all these things, my spirit has life.

You gave me back my health and you have let me live.

v17 Really, it was good for me to have such trouble.

Your love did not allow the very deep hole to destroy me,

because you threw all my *sins behind your back.

v18 [People that are in] *Sheol cannot thank you.

Dead [people] cannot sing and praise you.

People that go down to the very deep hole cannot enjoy your loyal [kindness].

v19 People that are alive and not dead can thank you.

I am doing it today.

A father tells his children about your loyal [kindness].

v20 The *LORD will save me [from death].

Then we will sing in the *temple of the *LORD every day of our lives.

[We will sing with music. The music will come from] instruments with strings.’

v21 Now Isaiah said [this earlier]. ‘Make a hot cake from figs (sweet fruits) and put it on [Hezekiah’s] boil (hard place under the skin). He will then recover [from his illness].’

v22 So Hezekiah asked, ‘What sign will I have that I will [be able to] go up to the *temple of the *LORD?’

Notes

Hezekiah died in 687 *B.C. (*B.C. means ‘years Before Christ was born’.) This means that the date of chapter 38 was about 703 *B.C. We know this because of the *LORD’s words in verse 5. There, the *LORD said that Hezekiah would live for another 15 years. Also, Sennacherib defeated Merodach-Baladan in 703 *B.C., so the date of chapter 39 was also 703 *B.C. This is because Merodach-Baladan sent gifts to Hezekiah in Isaiah 39:1. This means that the events in Isaiah Chapter s 36 and 37 may have happened after those in Chapter s 38 and 39.

Isaiah Chapter s 38 and 39 have a special pattern. This is part of Isaiah’s technique. Here is the pattern:

A1 Hezekiah thinks about his death, 38:1a.

B1 Isaiah and the words from the *LORD. Isaiah went and he said this:

‘This is what the *LORD says’, 38:1b.

C1 Hezekiah promises to serve the *LORD, 38:8-22.

C2 Hezekiah is not loyal to the *LORD, 39:1-2.

B2 Isaiah and the words from the *LORD. Isaiah went and he said this:

‘Hear what the *LORD says’, 39:3-7.

A2 Hezekiah thinks about the rest of his life, 39:8.

This pattern is called a ‘*chiasmus’. A1 contrasts with A2. B1 contrasts with B2. And C1 contrasts with C2. Isaiah often used a *chiasmus. Sometimes he did it in Chapter s, as here. Sometimes he did it in groups of verses, as in Isaiah 38:10-20. Read the notes on Hezekiah’s poem, Isaiah 38:10. Sometimes he did it in single verses, as in Isaiah 34:1. Read the note on Isaiah 34:1.

Some English translations put Isaiah 38:21-22 between verses 6 and 7. Our translation leaves those verses in the traditional place.

Verse 1 Isaiah does not say here what Hezekiah’s illness was. In verse 21, he says that it was a boil. A boil is a disease on a small part of the skin. Bad stuff from the body gathers under it and pushes the skin up. Soon, the boil bursts and the bad matter comes out. Boils do not usually kill people, so perhaps Hezekiah had something else wrong with him. People try to put their affairs ‘in order’ before they die. It means this. They arrange it so that there will no problems after their death. Then other people will know what to do with the dead person’s things. Actually, the *Hebrew Bible has ‘order your house’, for ‘put your affairs in order’. It probably means, ‘Tell people who will become king after your death’.

Verse 3 Hezekiah asks God to remember what he, Hezekiah, has done. 2 Chronicles Chapter s 29 to 31 tell us of the great work that Hezekiah did. He put the *Jewish religion right again after many years of errors. He probably hoped that the *LORD would help him because of this work.

Verse 4 God quickly answered Hezekiah’s prayer. 2 Kings 20:4 tells us when God spoke to Isaiah again. Isaiah had only just begun to go home!

Verse 5 But God did not cure Hezekiah because of the good things that Hezekiah had done. God did it because of what God had promised to David. God did it to keep his own honour. An *ancestor is a member of a family who lived many years before.

Verse 6 The word in the *Hebrew Bible for ‘power’ is actually ‘hand’. This was a special *Hebrew way to say the word ‘power’. Notice that the *LORD says ‘this city’ twice. This shows us how much he cares about Jerusalem.

Verses 7-8 Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz, built the staircase. Isaiah told Ahaz to ask God for a sign ‘as high as the heaven’. Ahaz refused to ask. (Isaiah 7:11-12) Hezekiah did ask for a sign, 2 Kings 20:8. God used a shadow on Hezekiah’s father’s staircase for a sign. God made the shadow go back 10 steps!

Verse 9 The *Hebrew word for ‘poem’ here is ‘miktav’. Some of the psalms are called by a similar word, ‘miktam’. Examples include Psalms 56:60. Bible students are not sure what the words mean.

Verse 10 Notice the pattern in verses 10-20:

A1 The gates of *Sheol: Hezekiah is sad because he has not many days to live, verse 10.

B1 The country where people are dead instead of the country where people are alive (verse 11).

C1 God as an enemy of Hezekiah: Hezekiah is full of despair, verses 12-14.

C2 God as a friend of Hezekiah: Hezekiah promises to serve God, verses 15-17.

B2 The country where people are alive instead of the country where people are dead (verses 18-19).

A2 The house of God: Hezekiah is happy because he has many days to live, verse 20.

For the *Jews,*Sheol was a word picture for death. They described *Sheol as a dark place that was under the ground. The grave was the way into *Sheol, so Hezekiah called the grave ‘the gates of *Sheol’. Some Bible students think that ‘best days’ should be ‘the end of’. However, Hezekiah was still a young man, so ‘best days’ is probably right. The *Hebrew word for ‘best days’ actually means ‘noon’. 2 Kings 18:2 seems to show that Hezekiah was 39 years old in 703 *B.C. (That is, he was about 54 when he died. And this illness happened 15 years before that.) Hezekiah felt as if death was cheating him! Notice how Hezekiah used questions. The answer to both questions was definitely ‘yes’!

We could translate this verse:

I really MUST go through the gates of *Sheol during the best years of my life.

(Death) WILL rob me of the rest of my years.

Verse 11 Hezekiah does not say that he will never see the *LORD or people again. He says that he will not see them ‘in this world’. Actually, he never really saw God. He meant that he would not praise God in the *temple in Jerusalem. The ‘*temple’ was the house of God. It was on the hill called *Zion in Jerusalem. Some Bible students think that ‘world’ should be ‘the place where everything stops’. The last line of the verse would then be:

I will never see people (in this world. I will be in) in the place where everything stops.

‘The place where everything stops’ describes *Sheol.

Verses 12-14 In these verses there are 4 word-pictures. They tell us about Hezekiah’s despair.

A ‘*shepherd’ is someone that looks after sheep. In Judah, *shepherds moved from place to place. The *shepherd slept in a tent. Tents were easy to pack away and move to another place. Hezekiah thought his life was like such a home. God could easily pack it away and move it to *Sheol. This picture tells us that our lives are delicate. We can easily lose them.

A ‘weaver’ is someone that makes cloth or carpets. He does it on a machine called a ‘*loom’. When he has finished his work to make the cloth, the *weaver cuts it from the *loom. This word-picture tells us that our lives can end suddenly and completely. There may be nothing to warn us. It may happen ‘in a day and in a night’. That is a special *Hebrew way to say ‘before the day and night finish’. It means ‘suddenly’.

In verse 13, the word-picture is that God is like a lion. A lion is not friendly! It is one of the most fierce animals. Hezekiah waited quietly for God. He hoped that God would be kind to him. But God was like an enemy. He was more like a lion. This word-picture tells us that God is our judge. We cannot escape punishment.

Hezekiah’s prayers seemed to him like the weak noises that birds made. Bible students think that the *Hebrew words mean small birds like thrushes. But they are not certain. A thrush is a bird that is about 20 centimetres long. A dove is another kind of bird. It makes a noise that sounds like ‘cooo…’. But heaven (which means God) did not seem to hear Hezekiah’s prayers. This word-picture tells us that often there seems to be no answer to our prayers. But there is a sudden change in verses 15-17!

Verse 15 Now everything changes suddenly! Hezekiah’s prayers may have seemed like bird’s songs to him, but God did answer! We could translate ‘what can I say?’ as ‘I do not know what to say!’ God has cured him. He decides to live a quiet life from now on. But then, in verses 16-20, he changes what he thinks. New life (verse 16) leads to *praise in the *temple (verse 20).

Verse 16 But then Hezekiah realises that God has done all ‘these things’. What are ‘these things?’

• God cured Hezekiah.

• God gave Hezekiah a new life.
• God put a new spirit into Hezekiah.
• Hezekiah had hope for the future.

Notice that ‘these things’ are also what other people could see. They could see that he was better. And they could see that he had hope for the future. The word ‘*Lord’ is a name for God. It means ‘master, someone with authority’. It is not the same *Hebrew word as the one that we translate *LORD.

Verse 17 The *Hebrew word for ‘good’ here is ‘shalom’. This really means ‘peace and safety’. ‘Peace’ means to be calm and content. The Pit (very deep hole) was a part of *Sheol. It was a hole in the ground there. Anyone who went into the Pit would never come out. Only the worst people went into that deep hole when they died. That was what people believed about the Pit. The *Hebrew Bible for the second line of this verse says,

‘You loved my life back from the very deep hole.’

‘*Sin’ is our thoughts, words and actions when we do not obey God’s laws. Here Hezekiah seems to think that his *sin caused his illness. Jesus taught us that this is not always so, John 9:1-5.

Verse 18 This is what Hezekiah thought would happen. Several *Old Testament writers thought the same as Hezekiah. Read Psalms 6:5; Psalms 30:9; Psalms 88:12; Ecclesiastes 9:4-5 and Ecclesiastes 9:10. But the *New Testament teaches us something new. Read Revelation 7:9-17. This is what happens when God does forgive our *sin.

Verse 19 The *Hebrew word for ‘loyal (kindness)’ means that God will keep his promises. In other words, what he promised will really happen. It is true! Therefore, some translations have ‘truth’ instead of ‘loyal (kindness)’. Hezekiah is probably one father who will tell his children about God’s truth.

Verse 20 The ‘*temple’ was God’s house in Jerusalem. Psalms 118:19-20 shows that the gates into the *temple are ‘the gates of *praise’. This contrasts with the gates of *Sheol, where there is no *praise, verse 10. People use instruments with strings to make music. Examples of such instruments are the ones called the harp and the lyre.

Verse 21 Many translations put verses 21-22 after verse 7. ‘Figs’ are fruits that grow in hot countries. We do not know why a hot cake of figs would cure boils (things like hard lumps under the skin). The note on verse 1 explains what boils are.

Verse 22 The *temple of the *LORD was the house of God. It was on a hill. That was why Hezekiah had to go up to it.

Something to do

1. Read another account of the same story in 2 Kings chapter 20.

2. Add some more examples of Isaiah’s technique to your list in something to do after chapter 35.

3. When God does not seem to answer your prayers, continue to pray. Make a list of what God has done for you (the ‘these things’ of verse 16). Wait for more answers to your prayers. Learn to say verse 16 by heart (in other words, ‘from your memory’). Each time you say it, put what God has done for you instead of ‘these things’.

4. Read this chapter 38 again, but change the order of the verses. Put verses 21-22 between verses 7 and 8. You can leave out the word ‘earlier’ in verse 21 when you do this.

Chapter s 39 and 40

Chapter 39v1 When this happened, Merodach-Baladan was the king of Babylon. He was the son of Baladan. [Merodach-Baladan] sent Hezekiah letters and a gift. He had heard about [Hezekiah’s] illness. But [now he heard] that Hezekiah had recovered.

v2 Hezekiah gladly received the officials that [the King of Babylon] had sent. [Hezekiah] showed them the places where he stored [his valuable things]. He showed them what was there. [He showed them] silver and gold, *spices and fine oil, all his *weapons and everything else that was valuable. There was nothing in his palace or in his whole country that Hezekiah did not show them.

v3 Then Isaiah the *prophet went to King Hezekiah and [Isaiah] said this to him. ‘What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?’ Then Hezekiah said, ‘They came to me from the distant country called Babylon’.

v4 And [Isaiah] asked, ‘What did they see in your palace?’ So Hezekiah said, ‘They saw everything [that is] in my palace. There is nothing among my valuable possessions that I did not show to them’.

v5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear what the *LORD of Everything says to you.

v6 “This is what will certainly happen. [Soldiers from Babylon] will take everything [that is] in your palace to Babylon. They will take everything that your *ancestors have stored here until now. They will leave nothing [here]”, says the *LORD.

v7 “And some of your own sons, your grandsons [and their sons, too], will go [to Babylon]. [Soldiers from Babylon] will force them to go there. And they will become *eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ’

v8 And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The words that you said from the *LORD are good.’ But what he really thought was this. ‘There will be peace and security while I am alive.’

Chapter 40v1 ‘ “Comfort my people, comfort [them]”, says your God.

v2 “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem. And tell this to the people [that belong there].

• ‘[Your] military service is over.

• [God has] forgiven [you for your] *sins.

• And [you] have received from the *LORD’s hand double [punishment] for all [your] *sins.” ’

v3 A voice is calling, ‘Prepare a road for the *LORD in the desert. Make a straight highway (high road) for our God in the Arabah (dry valley of the Jordan river).

v4 [God’s servants will] raise up [the lower parts of] every valley and [they will] make every mountain and hill lower. [They will] make the rough ground smooth and [they will make] the places that are not level flat.

v5 Then, [people will] see the *glory of the *LORD. Everybody that lives on the earth will see it together. [This will happen] because the *LORD himself has spoken these words.’

v6 A voice is saying, ‘Call [something] out aloud!’ But I say, ‘What shall I call out?’ [The voice answered], ‘All people are like grass and all their *glory is like a flower in the field.

v7 Grass will die and a flower will fall [to the ground]. [This will happen] because the breath of the *LORD will blow on them. Certainly, all people [are like] grass.

v8 Grass will die and a flower will fall [to the ground]. But a word that our God [speaks] will last for all time.’

v9 ‘You, [the servant that is] bringing good news to *Zion, go up onto a high mountain. You, [the servant that is] bringing good news to Jerusalem, shout loudly with your voice. [Shout] aloud, do not be afraid. Say to the towns in Judah, “Here is your God!

v10 Look! Your master, the *LORD, is coming with power. And his arm will rule [the people] for him. Look [again]! He [is bringing] his reward with him. And his payments will come with him.

v11 He will take care of his flock (group of sheep) like a *shepherd [does]. He will gather the young sheep in his arm. And he will carry them close to his heart. Gently he will lead [the sheep] that have young [sheep].” ’

v12 [He is the God] who has [done these things].

• [He] measured the waters in [one of] his hand[s].

• [He] marked out the *heavens with a width of his hand.

• [He] put the dust of the earth into a barrel.

• [He] weighed the mountains on the scales (machine to weigh things).

• [He weighed] the hills in a balance (another machine to weigh things).

v13-14 [There is nobody] who has [done these things].

• [Nobody] understood the mind of the *LORD.

• [Nobody] told him what to do as his adviser.

• [Nobody] told [God] what to do when the *LORD asked him. [v14]

• [Nobody] taught him the proper way to do things.

• [Nobody] taught him knowledge.

• [Nobody] showed him the way to understand things.

v15 Certainly, the nations are like a tiny amount [of water] in a bucket. They are like small bits of dust on the scales (machine to weigh things). [The *LORD] weighs the islands as if they were tiny pieces of dust.

v16 The trees in Lebanon are not sufficient to make an *altar fire. Neither are its animals enough to burn on the *altars [to satisfy God].

v17 All the nations are like nothing in front of [the *LORD]. He considers them to be without any value. [They seem] less than nothing.

v18 Is it true?

• You cannot compare God with anybody else.

• You cannot compare him with any image.

v19 A skilful man makes an image. A skilled gold worker covers it with gold. He also makes silver chains for it.

v20 Some people are too poor to give such a gift. They choose a wood that will not fall apart. They look for a skilful man that will make an image. [But that image] cannot move.

v21 Is it true?

• You do not know [this].

• You have not heard [this].

• [Somebody] has not told you [this] from the beginning.

• You have not understood [this] since [God] made the earth.

v22 [God] sits on a throne (king’s seat) above the earth’s horizon. And the people [on the earth look] like grasshoppers (insects that jump) [to him]. He stretches out the skies like a curtain. And he spreads them out like a tent [that he can] live in.

v23 He is the [God] that makes princes into nothing. He takes away [the power] from world leaders, so that they have none.

v24 As soon as [somebody] plants them, [God] will blow on them. And as soon as [somebody] sows them, they will die. As soon as they put roots into the ground, a strong wind will blow them away like *chaff.

v25 Is it true that *Holy [God] says [these things]?

• ‘[There is nobody] to whom you can compare me.

• [There is nobody] who is as good as [or better than] me.’

v26 Turn your eyes upwards and look at the skies. [He is the God] who created them. [God] made the huge number [of stars] and he gave each one of them a name. Every one among them is there, because of great power and great strength.

v27 Why do you people from Jacob’s [families] say, ’The *LORD has forgotten what I am doing’? And why do you *Israelites complain, ’My God is not fair to me’?

v28 Is this true?

• You do not know [this].

• You have not heard [this].

The *LORD is the God that will always be alive. He created [even] the furthest parts of the earth. He will never become tired or wear himself out. Nobody will ever understand his mind.

v29 He gives strength to tired people and he increases the power of weak people.

v30 Even youths get tired and they wear themselves out. And young men will trip over [something] and they will fall [to the ground].

v31 But people whose hope is in the *LORD will regain [their] strength. They will fly high on wings like [birds called] eagles. They will run and they will not become tired. They will walk and they will not fall over.

Notes on chapter 39

Verse 1 ‘This’ refers back to chapter 38. Babylon was to the east of Assyria. Babylon was often a nuisance to Assyria, because Babylon frequently fought against Assyria. In 612 *B.C., Babylon defeated Assyria. But in about 703 *B.C., when the events in Chapter s 38 and 39 happened, Assyria ruled over Babylon. (*B.C. means ‘years Before Christ came to the earth’.) Merodach-Baladan was king in the years 722 to 711 *B.C., and again from 705 to 703 *B.C. Perhaps Merodach-Baladan thought that Hezekiah would join him to fight against Assyria.

Verse 2 ‘*Spices’ have pleasant smells or tastes. People use them to make things smell nice, or to add flavour to food. ‘*Weapons’ are the tools that soldiers use to fight. When Hezekiah was king, they included bows and arrows and swords. Hezekiah showed the *weapons to the people that brought Merodach-Baladan’s message. The reason why he showed them was probably this. Merodach-Baladan wanted Hezekiah to join him to fight Sennacherib, the king of Assyria. Hezekiah showed the *weapons to them to prove that he could give help. Hezekiah was now going to depend on Merodach-Baladan to save him from Sennacherib, not God! Read Isaiah 38:6 and Isaiah 38:15-20 again.

Verse 3 A ‘*prophet’ told people what God was saying about the present time and about the future. Isaiah suspected that Merodach-Baladan was trying to get Hezekiah to join his fight against Assyria. Isaiah knew that God did not approve of this. God had promised to help Hezekiah himself, without Merodach-Baladan’s help. But now Isaiah suspected (and God knew!) that Hezekiah might trust Babylon and not God.

Verses 4-7 So God, by Isaiah, said that Judah’s people would go into *exile in Babylon. Notice this: it was not because Hezekiah showed his *weapons to the *Babylonians. It was because he had decided to accept their help rather than God’s promise of help in Isaiah 38:6. ‘*Exile’ means ‘to live away from your own country as a prisoner’. It did not happen for 100 years, but it did happen! Nebuchadnezzar took many of the *Jews into *exile in Babylon in 598 and again in 587 *B.C. Some of Hezekiah’s grandchildren’s grandchildren went into Babylon then. The word for them is ‘*descendants’. ‘Sons’ and words like it also mean the *descendants of the people that lived in Jerusalem. They, too, would go into *exile. 100 years later they did! But long before they did, Hezekiah’s own son, Manasseh, was in *exile there (2 Chronicles 33:11).

‘*Ancestors’ are members of your family that died before your birth. For example, your grandparents, and their parents and grandparents, for hundreds of years before you. A *eunuch is a man who cannot have sex, because somebody has cut off that part of his body. *Eunuchs were the officials that guarded the wives of the kings of Assyria and Babylon. Also, *eunuchs could not have children, so there would be no more princes to become kings in Jerusalem!

Verse 8 What happened to his *descendants did not worry Hezekiah. He only wanted to have peace and security while he was alive.

Notes on chapter 40

Many Bible students imagine that Isaiah 40:1-11 is a picture of a court in heaven. Heaven is the home of God. In this court, God is the judge. After the *Jews had *sinned, God had punished them. Their *sins included those in Isaiah 39:1-2 and 39:8. The punishment was *exile. ‘*Exile’ means ‘when someone is in a foreign country as a prisoner’. Some *Jews went to Egypt, but most of them went to Babylon. But now God, the judge, talks about the time when the punishment would be over. And when it was over, God’s *glory would return to Jerusalem. God’s *glory is what makes him greater than anyone else. Isaiah 40:12-31 describes how God is greater than anybody else. There is nothing in Isaiah 40:1-11 about the events when the *Jews returned to Jerusalem. The passage is about how the *LORD would return there.

The structure of verses 1-11 is:

	God tells his servants to comfort Jerusalem. They must tell its people the news that their punishment is over. (verses 1-2)
The First Servant says that God’s *glory will return to Jerusalem from the Arabah (valley of the Jordan river). (verses 3-5)	The Second Servant says that people will die like plants. But what God says will last for all time. (verses 6-8)	The Third Servant says that Jerusalem must tell this to the other cities in Judah. (verses 9-11)

The notes on verses 3 and 5 explain the words ‘Arabah’ and ‘*glory’. These servants are not those in Chapter s 42, 49, 50 and 53. There, the Servant is God’s special leader, *Messiah.

Verse 1 Isaiah 39:6-7 was bad news for the people in Jerusalem and Judah. But immediately, God, by his *prophet Isaiah, gave them good news. After the *exile in Babylon, there would be words of comfort. The actual word ‘comfort’ is in the form that orders someone to do something. So, here God was ordering someone to ‘comfort my people’. The ‘someone’ was God’s servant or servants. In the court picture, the servants were probably *angels. *Angels are God’s servants in heaven. We cannot see them. But other servants were God’s *prophets on the earth. Jeremiah was one, before the *Jews went into *exile. He said that the *exile would only last 70 years, Jeremiah 29:10. Haggai and Zechariah probably came back with their people from *exile. There were probably other *prophets whose names we do not know. Also, God may have meant the people to comfort each other.

The important point to notice is this. Isaiah 39:7 is about departure into *exile in Babylon. Isaiah 40:1 starts a section about return from *exile in Babylon. Just as a coin has a different picture on each side, so we can see events in history in two different ways. Before 538 *B.C., everything made the *Jews sad. After 538 *B.C., when they started to return from *exile in Babylon, the *Jews were glad again.

Verse 2 ‘Jerusalem’ here means the city and the families of people that used to live there. Perhaps some of those families were still alive, Haggai 2:3. The *Jews believed that you thought in your heart. So ‘the heart of Jerusalem’ is a special *Jewish way to say ‘the minds of the people from Jerusalem’. In modern English, ‘the heart’ often means ‘the feelings’. It does not mean feelings here, but minds. However, God’s words also comfort our feelings, John 14:1.

‘Your military service is over’ means that Jeremiah’s 70 years were over. The *Jews could go home again. Now they were not like soldiers on military service. Soldiers have to go wherever their officers send them. So now the *Jews were free to return to Jerusalem. God had forgiven them for their *sins, including the *sins of leaders like Hezekiah. In fact, they had received double punishment for their *sins. God sent Babylon to punish them, but Babylon punished them too much, Zechariah 1:15. ‘*Sins’ are people’s actions when they do not obey God’s laws.

Verse 3 The Arabah was a desert that was east from Jerusalem. It was a dry valley of the Jordan river. It went from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. So, the road in this verse was not for the *Jews to come home on from *exile. That would need roads from Babylon to the north-east and from Egypt to the south-west. Rather, this is God who is returning to Jerusalem. Ezekiel Chapter s 9 to 11 describe the *LORD’s departure from Jerusalem before the *exile. He went to the east. Ezekiel chapter 43 describes his return. He came from the east. He came along a ‘highway (high road) for our God’. A ‘highway’ was exactly that, a ‘high way’. This road was higher than the land round it. Here, it was not a main road! The authors of the Gospels (books about Jesus’ life) repeat this verse in Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3 and Luke 3:4. They refer to another time when God came (as Jesus) to Jerusalem. Again, ‘Jerusalem’ means the people as well as the city. Zechariah 14:4 describes another occasion when the *LORD will come to Jerusalem. Many Bible students think that it is about Jesus’ return to this earth. And that verse may mean that he will come through the Arabah (dry valley).

Verse 4 These are all ways for God’s servants to build a ‘highway’ (high road). The road will go through or over anything in front of it! The servants could be:

• God’s *angels in heaven, who prepared a way for his *glory to return to Jerusalem.

• God’s servants the *prophets, who prepared people for Jesus. They included John the *Baptist. He actually saw Jesus. And he showed people who Jesus was.
• God’s servants in the Church, who are preparing people for Jesus’ return to the earth.

This verse is a good example of how Isaiah’s words sometimes mean more than one thing.

Verse 5 ‘*Glory’ is something that shines very, very much. It makes someone seem important. Here, the verse is about the time when the *LORD returns to Jerusalem. And then God’s glory will show the people that he is there. They will recognise his power. ‘Together’ probably has a double meaning:

• at the same time; and

• in the same place.

The *Hebrew Bible says, ‘The mouth of the *LORD has spoken’, rather than ‘the *LORD himself’. It emphasises that God really did speak these words.

Verses 6-8 Men and women have a certain kind of ‘*glory’. It includes their beauty, their strength, their honour and many other things. These verses compare people’s *glory with the beauty of a flower. The beauty of a flower will disappear when the flower dies. And people’s glory will disappear when they die. But the promises of God will never die. A word from God will last for all time. This is part of his *glory. In verse 8, the grass and the flower are probably word-pictures for people.

Verse 9 As in verse 2, ‘Jerusalem’ means the people that live there. *Zion was another name for Jerusalem. ‘The towns in Judah’ also mean the people that live in them. The message in verses 1-2 will now reach all the people in the country. This is good news. The *Hebrew word here for ‘good news’ translates into the word for ‘gospel’ in the Greek language. ‘Gospel’ means good news, especially the good news about Jesus Christ in the *New Testament. Perhaps that is why some Christians call the Book of Isaiah by the name ‘the Fifth Gospel’!

Verse 10 The servant speaks as if he can see God’s arrival! Actually, it is all in the future. But the servant is sure that it will happen. So he says that he can see it now! Notice the word ‘arm’. It is a word-picture for the strength of God. It also can be a word-picture for Jesus. It appears more often in Isaiah than in any other book that a *prophet has written. The verses are in something to do number 3.

Verse 11 The special description suddenly changes to a description of a *shepherd. A *shepherd is someone that looks after sheep. He has a flock (group) of sheep. This word-picture of God as a *shepherd makes Bible students think about:

• King David, the *shepherd (1 Samuel 16:1)

• Jesus, the Good *Shepherd (John 10:11).

Verse 12 In the *Hebrew language, there are several questions in verse 12. If you do not read the words in square brackets, […], you will find the questions as in *Hebrew. They ask about the God that created everything. So, in this verse, the 5 questions ask who did these things:

• ‘measured the waters’ means ‘decided how much water to put into the seas, lakes and rivers.

• ‘marked out the *heavens’ means ‘decided how big the skies should be’.
• ‘put the dust into a barrel’ means ‘decided how much solid ground there should be’.
• ‘weighed the mountains and hills’ means ‘decided how big they should be. ‘Scales’ and ‘balances’ are both a kind of machine that people weigh things on.

So, in the sky, or on the earth, nothing exists by an accident. Everything was in God’s plan! If you ask these 5 questions, the answer is GOD!

Verses 13-14 The questions continue. Again, leave out the words that are in square brackets, […], and you will find the questions in the *Hebrew Bible. The questions refer to what the people in Babylon believed. They believed that their god, called Marduk, made everything. But they thought that he had to ask advice. He asked this from another god called Ea, who was very wise. But Isaiah says that nobody had to advise the *LORD. God is the greatest!

Verses 15-18 These verses start from how great God is. Then they go on to show how small the world is. In other words, it is small when we compare it with God. It is God who created the world (verses 12-14). So clearly, he is much greater than the world is! Even all our seas can fit into God’s hand (verse 12)! An *altar is the fire on which people burn dead animals to please God. But even all the trees in the forest of Lebanon would not make a big enough fire! If you burned all its animals on that fire, that gift would not be sufficient to give honour to God!

Verses 18-20 Isaiah says that there is only one God. People make images that cannot even move! Rich people make images out of silver and gold; poor people make images out of wood. The images are like people, they are not like God. There are two questions in verse 18. The words in italics (letters with a slope like this) are in the *Hebrew Bible. But we can leave them out if we only want to give the answer to the question.

Verse 21 Here are 4 more questions. Again, the words in italics (letters with a slope like this) are in the *Hebrew Bible. If we leave them out, we only get the answers. Perhaps the questions mean:

Question: Is it true?	Possible Meaning
1. You do not know [this]?	You know nothing.
2. You have not heard [this]?	You have heard nothing.
3. [Somebody] has not told you [this] from the beginning?	Nobody has told you anything from the beginning.
4. You have not understood [this] since [God] made the earth?	You have understood nothing since God made the earth.

Notice again Isaiah’s use of *inclusio. Questions 1 and 4 are about knowledge and about the things that people can understand. Questions 2 and 3 are about what we hear, or they are about what people tell us. Again, notice Isaiah’s technique:

• He puts 4 things together in a verse.

• Also, notice Isaiah’s special type of humour. He says the opposite of what he really means! Of course they do know. They have heard. Somebody has told them and they have understood.
• Finally, notice that lines 3 and 4 have similar meanings, as do lines 1 and 2. This helps us to know what ‘beginning’ means in line 3. It means ‘when God made the earth’.

Verses 22-24 A ‘throne’ is a special seat that a king sits on. A ‘grasshopper’ is an insect that can jump quite high. It is 2 or 3 centimetres long. ‘Chaff’ means the dead bits of a plant after people have removed the grain. The answers to the questions in verses 12-14 tell us that God is very powerful. In verse 24, princes and world leaders are like plants. God can remove power from them as easily as he can blow a plant away.

Verse 25 ‘*Holy’ here has no ‘the’ in front of it in the *Hebrew Bible. So here, ‘*Holy’ is God’s name! It is a word that really means ‘separate’. Here are some ways in which God is ‘separate’ or ‘*holy’.

• God is more powerful than anybody else, verse 12.

• God is wiser than anybody else, verses 13-14.
• God is nobler than anybody else, verses 15-17.
• God is alive, but false gods are dead, verses 19-20.
• God is more like a king than anybody else, verses 22-23.
• God has more authority than anybody else, verse 24.

But most of all, God is perfect. Only God is really *Holy. So the answer to both questions is the same: nobody! We can compare God with nobody else. He is similar to other people in nothing, but different in everything. Nobody is as good as God, and certainly nobody is better.

Again, as in verses 18 and 21, the words in italic letters are in the *Hebrew Bible. If we leave them out, we get the answers to the questions.

Verse 26 In Deuteronomy 4:19, ‘turn your eyes upwards’ are words that describe star-worship. (Star-worship is the religion of people who *worship the stars.) But Isaiah tells us to ask who created the stars. Actually, the word ‘stars’ does not appear in this verse in the *Hebrew Bible. It just says, ‘huge numbers’. The *prophet is telling people not to *worship something that God made. It is better to *worship God himself. It is silly not to *worship him, but instead to *worship something that he has made. ‘*Worship’ means ‘to love and to praise’ somebody. The rest of the verse links with verse 27. There the *Jews say that God has forgotten them. Here, we read that God remembers everything, even the names of each star. Notice that Isaiah only says, ‘great power and great strength’. He does not say whose power and strength. It is another question, but he does not ask it: the answer is God’s power and strength!

Verse 27 It is silly to *worship false gods like the stars. Also, it is silly to think that God can forget you! The people from Jacob’s families and the *Israelites are names here for God’s people, the *Jews. Again, the words in italic letters (letters with a slope like this) are in the *Hebrew Bible. If we leave them out, we get the answers to the questions.

Verse 28 These questions are from verse 21. There, the answers in verses 22-23 tell us that God is greater than any other king. Here, the answers tell us that God will never become tired. Also, he is so great that we will never understand his mind. Again, the words in italic letters (letters with a slope like this) are in the *Hebrew Bible. If we leave them out, we get the answers to the questions.

Verses 29-31 Here are some of the best promises in the Bible. They do not only mean when our bodies are tired. They also mean when our minds and spirits are tired! An ‘eagle’ is a great bird that flies high in the sky. Its wings measure about 6 feet (2 metres) from one end to the other.

Something to do

1. Study these dates. They will help you to understand how:

• Isaiah chapter 39 links with Isaiah chapter 40.

• Isaiah chapter 39 does not come before Isaiah Chapter s 37 and 38.

Dates *B.C.	Events in Judah	Events in Israel	Events in Assyria	Events in Babylonia
	(Capital city of Judah: Jerusalem)	(Capital city of Israel: Samaria)	(Capital city of Assyria: Nineveh)	(Capital city of Babylonia: Babylon)
722	Ahaz is ruling Judah	Assyria destroys Israel. Many people become prisoners (*exiles) in Assyria. End of Israel as a separate country.	Shalmaneser is ruling Assyria	Merodach-Baladan becomes king of Babylon for the first time.
721	Ahaz dies and Hezekiah becomes king.		Shalmaneser dies and Sargon the Second becomes king.
711				Assyria defeats Merodach-Baladan.
705				Merodach-Baladan becomes king again.
704			Sennacherib becomes king of Assyria.
703	Hezekiah is ill, but he recovers.			Merodach-Baladan sends gift to Hezekiah; Assyria defeats Merodach-Baladan again.
701	God defends Jerusalem.		Sennacherib attacks Judah.
694 or 687	Hezekiah dies and Manasseh becomes king.
681			Two of his sons murder Sennacherib.
Period of about 50 years
612	Josiah is ruling Judah.		Babylon defeats Nineveh.
609	Josiah dies and first Jehoahaz and then Jehoiakim become kings.		End of Assyria as a major world power.
604				Nebuchadnezzar becomes king.
598	Johoiachin becomes king but Nebuchadnezzar soon takes him to Babylon. He also takes all the valuable things from the *temple.
597	Nebuchadnezzar makes Zedekiah king.
586	Babylon destroys Judah. Zedekiah and many of his people become prisoners (*exiles) in Babylon.
Period of about 70 years
539				King Cyrus from Persia defeats Nabonidus; it is the end of Babylon as a major world power.
538	Cyrus starts to send *Jews in *exile back to Judea.

These dates come from ‘The Oxford Bible Atlas’, third edition, 1995. Other history books may give slightly different dates.

2. Read some other Chapter s which imagine that God is a judge in a court: Psalms 50 and Zechariah chapter 3.

3. Study the verses in Isaiah which refer to the *LORD’s ‘arm’. They are: Isaiah 30:30; Isaiah 33:2; Isaiah 48:14; Isaiah 51:5; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 53:1; Isaiah 59:16; Isaiah 62:8; Isaiah 63:5; and 63:12. Read them again, and put ‘Jesus’ for ‘the *LORD’s arm’. Do they still make sense?

4. Find all the questions in Isaiah chapter 40. Remember, the Bible wants you to answer them. Can you answer them all? Do you believe the answers? The questions are in verses 12, 13, 14, 18, 21, 25, 27 and 28.