Isaiah 37:21

Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria: WHEREAS THOU HAST PRAYED TO ME - i:e., hast not relied on thy own strength, but on me (cf. , "That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib, etc., I have heard;" ,...

21._Then Isaiah sent to Hezekiah. _This shews the result of the prayer; for, as soon as matters have come to an extremity, God suddenly holds out his hand to assist the pious king by the Prophet Isaiah. (2 Kings 19:20.) Not that he immediately stretches out his arm to drive away the enemies, but he promises deliverance by the mouth of the Prophet, and thus calls even now into exercise the faith of his servant. Isaiah undoubtedly could not of himself render any assistance, and therefore it would have been foolish for him to promise this or that, if Hezekiah had not been convinced that God had sent him. Thus, until God should give a manifestation of his power, he rested satisfied with this consolation. _Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel. _Here we are taught that we ought always to ask at the mouth of God, if we wish to obtain any alleviation in our anxieties and distress

Verse Isaiah 37:21. _THEN ISAIAH - SENT UNTO HEZEKIAH_] The _Syriac_ and _Septuagint_ understand and render the verb passively, _was sent_. _WHEREAS THOU HAST PRAYED TO ME AGAINST SENNACHERIB_ - "Thy prayer unto me concerning Sennacherib - I have heard"] שמעתי _shamati_; this word, necessary to the sense, is lost in this place out of the Hebrew text. _One_ MS. of _Dr. Kennicott's_ and _one_ of _De Rossi's_ have it written above the line in a later hand. The _Septuagint_ and _Syriac_ found it in their copies; and it is preserved in the other copy; 2 Kings 19:20....

WHEREAS THOU HAST PRAYED - Because thou hast come to me instead of relying on thy own resources and strength. In 2 Kings 19:20, it is, ‘That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, I have heard.’...

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

THEN ISAIAH THE SON OF AMOZ SENT UNTO HEZEKIAH, SAYING,.... Isaiah, by a spirit of prophecy, was made acquainted by the Lord both with the prayer of Hezekiah, and the Lord's answer to it; and therefore immediately sent to the king, who was either at the temple praying, or was returned to the palace, to let him know, the mind of the Lord in this matter. The Septuagint and Syriac versions render it, "and Isaiah the son of Amoz was sent to Hezekiah"; but this does not agree with the Hebrew text; Isaiah sent messengers to the king, and by them informed him what the Lord had said in answer to his prayer. Why he went not himself cannot be said: THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL; Hezekiah had been praying to him under that title and character, Isaiah 37:16: WHEREAS THOU HAST PRAYED TO ME AGAINST SENNACHERIB KING OF ASSYRIA: or, "what thou hast prayed", c. n t

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

THOU HAST PRAYED. See note on "lift up" (Isaiah 37:4)....

The construction of the verse is entirely altered in 2 Kings 19:20 by the introduction of the words "I have heard." It then reads "That which thou hast prayed … I have heard." But the addition is unnecessary; and the text in Isaiah is to be preferred....