Isaiah 37:18

Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, KINGS OF ASSYRIA HAVE LAID WASTE - conceding the truth of the Assyrian's allegation (Isaiah 36:18), that the gods of the pagan kingdoms had not delivered them out of his hand; but adding the reason, "for they were no gods of the pagan kingdoms had not delivered them out of his hand; but adding the reason, "for they were no gods....

18.and 19._Truly, O Jehovah. _Here Hezekiah begins to distinguish between the false gods and the true God, which we also ought to do very carefully. Wicked men, who have no light, indulge in some confused imaginations about God, which quickly pass away, so that they think that there is no God, or care nothing about him. (53) But God does not wish that his people shall be moved by a slight and passing opinion, but that he shall be acknowledged by them as the true God, who drives away all superstitions by the brightness of his power. (54) It is not; enough, therefore, that we believe in something which heathens imagine to be a deity, but we must believe in God in such a manner as to distinguish him from pretended gods, and to separate truth from falsehood; and, indeed, when he has once shone into our hearts, those false religions which former

Verse Isaiah 37:18. _THE NATIONS_] הארצות _haratsoth_, "the lands;" instead of this word, which destroys the sense, _ten_ of _Kennicott's_ and _five_ of _De Rossi's_ MSS. (_one_ ancient) have here גוים _goyim,_ "nations;" which is undoubtedly the true reading, being preserved also in the other copy; 2 Kings 19:17. Another MS. suggests another method of rectifying the sense in this place, by reading מלכם _malcam_, "their king, "instead of ארצם _artsam_, "their land;" but it ought to be מלכיהם _malcheyhem_, "all the countries and their kings....

OF A TRUTH - It is as he has said, that all the nations had been subjected to the arms of the Assyrian. He now intends to add Jerusalem to the number of vanquished cities and kingdoms, and to boast; that he has subdued the nation under the protection of Yahweh, as he had done the nations under the protection of idol-gods. HAVE LAID WASTE ALL, THE NATIONS - Hebrew, as Margin, ‘All the lands.’ But this is evidently an elliptical form of expression, meaning all the inhabitants or people of the lands. In 2 Kings 19:17, it is thus expressed. ‘The kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands.’...

EXPOSITION This chapter is the sequel of the preceding, and is so closely connected with it that the two really constitute but one narrative. Isaiah 37:22 of Isaiah 36:1. is more closely connected with Isaiah 37:1, than with the position of the narrative to which it is attached. ISAIAH 37:1 WHEN KING HEZEKIAH HEARD IT; rather, _heard them_;_ i.e._ the "words of Rabshakeh," which his officials reported to him. HE RENT HIS CLOTHES. He did as they had done (Isaiah 36:22

OF A TRUTH LORD,.... This is a truth and will be readily owned what the king of Assyria has said that his ancestors have destroyed all lands, or at least have endeavoured to do it, and have had it in their hearts to do it: THE KINGS OF ASSYRIA HAVE LAID WASTE ALL THE NATIONS, AND THEIR COUNTRIES: or "all the lands and their land" m; the Targum is, "all provinces and their lands;'' the countries and town and villages in them, or the chief cities and villages round about them. m כל הארצות ואת ארצם "omnes terras, et terram eorum", Pagninus, Montanus; "vel terram inquam eorum", Vatablus....

CHAPTER 37 Hezekiah in the House of the Lord and Sennacherib's Second Attempt 1. _Hezekiah's humiliation and Isaiah sent for (Isaiah 37:1)_ 2. _The message from the prophet (Isaiah 37:6)_ 3. _Rabshakeh's letter (Isaiah 37:8)_ 4. _Hezekiah's prayer (Isaiah 37:14)_ 5. _The prayer answered (Isaiah 37:21)_ 6. _The army of Sennacherib judged (Isaiah 37:36)_ 7. The judgment upon Sennacherib ...

ISAIAH 36-39. This section has been extracted from 2 Kings 18:13 to 2 Kings 20:19, and the Song of Hezekiah has been added. For an exposition see the notes on 2 K.; here we have simply to deal with the Song of Hezekiah. ISAIAH 38:10. THANKSGIVING FOR DELIVERANCE FROM IMMINENT DEATH. This is now generally regarded as a post-exilic psalm. Its absence in the parallel narratine in Kings is significant. Apparently it was inserted here by an editor who thought it suitable to Hezekiah's circumstances. If, as seems likely, it has been influenced by the Book of Job, it must be post-exilic. The title cannot, any more than the Psalm titles, weigh against internal evidence. Hezekiah's writing after his recov

NATIONS, AND THEIR COUNTRIES. Hebrew. _ha-arazoth... 'arzam_: as in Isaiah 37:11. The latter word put _by_ Figure of speech _Metonymy_ (of Adjunct), for the people inhabiting the lands. Note also the Figure of speech _Paronomasia_. Some codices read "nations, and their land"....

Hezekiah's prayer in the Temple. Cheyne refers to a striking parallel in the Egyptian version of Sennacherib's overthrow. "On this the monarch (Sethos), greatly distressed, entered into the inner sanctuary, and before the image of the god (Ptah) bewailed the fate which impended over him. As he wept he fell asleep, and dreamed that the god came and stood by his side, bidding him be of good cheer, and go boldly forth to meet the Arabian (Assyrian) host, which would do him no hurt, as he himself would send those who should help him" (Herod. II. 141, Rawlinson)....