Isaiah 38:17

The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: -The prayer and thanksgiving song of Hezekiah is only given here, not in the parallel passages of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. Verse 9. THE WRITING OF HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH, WHEN HE HAD BEEN SICK, AND WAS RECOVERED OF HIS SICKNESS, is the heading or inscription. Verse 10. CUTTING OFF OF MY DAYS. Rosenmuller translates, 'the meridian;' when the sun stands in the zenith: Verse 10. CUTTING OFF OF MY DAYS. Rosenmuller translates, 'the meridian;' when the sun stands in the zenith: so "the perfect day," Proverbs 4:18. Or, 'in the tranquillity [ bidmiy (H1824), from daamah ...

17._Lo, in peace ray bitterness was bitter. _(91) Again, another circumstance aggravates the severity of the distress; for sudden and unexpected calamities disturb us more than those which come upon us in a gradual manner. The grievousness of the disease was the more insupportable, because it seized him suddenly while he enjoyed ease and quietness; for nothing was farther from his thoughts than that he was about to depart from this life. We know also that the saints sometimes rely too much on prosperity, and promise to themselves unvarying success, which David too acknowledges to have happened to himself, “In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved; but thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.” (Psalms 30:6.) Nothing more distressing, therefore, could happen to Hezekiah than to be taken out of life, especially when the discomfiture an

9-22 We have here Hezekiah's thanksgiving. It is well for us to remember the mercies we receive in sickness. Hezekiah records the condition he was in. He dwells upon this; I shall no more see the Lord. A good man wishes not to live for any other end than that he may serve God, and have communion with him. Our present residence is like that of a shepherd in his hut, a poor, mean, and cold lodging, and with a trust committed to our charge, as the shepherd has. Our days are compared to the weaver's shuttle, Job 7:6, passing and repassing very swiftly, every throw leaving a thread behind it; and when finished, the piece is cut off, taken out of the loom, and showed to our Master to be judged of. A good man, when his life is cut off, his cares and fatigues are cut off with it, and he rests from his labours. But our times are in God's hand; he has appointed what shall be the length of the pie...

Verse Isaiah 38:17. _FOR PEACE I HAD GREAT BITTERNESS_ - "My anguish is changed into ease"] מר לי מר _mar li mar_, "mutata mthi est amaritudo." Paronomasia; a figure which the prophet frequently admits. I do not always note it, because it cannot ever be preserved in the translation, and the sense seldom depends upon it. But here it perfectly clears up the great obscurity of the passage. See Lowth on the place. _THOU HAST RESCUED_] חשכת _chashachta_, with כ _caph_, instead of ק _koph_; so the _Septuagint_ and _Vulgate; Houbigant_. See _Chappelow_ on Job 33:18. _FROM PERDITION_] משחת בלי _mishshachath beli_, ινα μη αποληται, _Sept. ut non periret_, "that it may not perish." _Vulg_. Perhaps inverting th

BEHOLD, FOR PEACE - That is, instead of the health, happiness, and prosperity which I had enjoyed, and which I hope still to enjoy. I HAD GREAT BITTERNESS - Hebrew, ‘Bitterness to me, bitterness;’ an emphatic expression, denoting intense sorrow. BUT THOU HAST IN LOVE TO MY SOUL - Margin, ‘Loved my soul from the pit.’ The word which occurs here (חשׁקת _châshaqtâ_) denotes properly to join or fasten together; then to be attached to anyone; to be united tenderly; to embrace. Here it means that God had loved him, and had thus delivered his soul from death. DELIVERED IT FROM THE PIT OF CORRUPTION - The word rendered “corruption” (בלי _b__e__lı̂y_), denotes consumption, destruction, perdition. It may be applied to the grave, or to th

SECTION II.—HEZEKIAH'S ILLNESS, AND THE EMBASSY OF MERODACH-BALADAN (Isaiah 38:1; Isaiah 39:1.). EXPOSITION The present chapter is parallel with 2 Kings 20:1, but contains some marked differences from that passage, both in what it omits and in what it inserts. The general narrative (2 Kings 20:1, and 2 Kings 20:21, 22) is greatly condensed, and in part disarra

BEHOLD, FOR PEACE I HAD GREAT BITTERNESS,.... Meaning not that instead of peace and prosperity, which he expected would ensue upon the destruction of Sennacherib's army, came a bitter affliction upon him; for he is not now dwelling on that melancholy subject; but rather the sense is, that he now enjoyed great peace and happiness, though he had been in great bitterness; for the words may be rendered, "behold, I am in peace, I had great bitterness"; or thus, "behold my great bitterness is unto peace": or, "he has turned it into peace" u; it has issued in it, and this is my present comfortable situation: "but", or rather, AND THOU HAST IN LOVE TO MY SOUL DELIVERED IT FROM THE PIT OF CORRUPTION: the grave, where bodies rot and corrupt, and are quite abolished, as the word signifies; see Psalms 30:3 or "thou hast embraced my soul from the pit of corruption w"; it seems to be an a

CHAPTER 38 Hezekiah's Sickness and Healing 1. _Isaiah's startling message (Isaiah 38:1)_ 2. _Hezekiah's prayer (Isaiah 38:2)_ 3. _The prayer heard and the sign (Isaiah 38:4)_ 4. _The king's sorrow and joy, a psalm of praise (Isaiah 38:9)_ 5. _The remedy for the recovery (Isaiah 38:21)_ The message of approaching death startled the king because at that time he had no son. If he had died what then would have become of the Messianic hope through the house of David? Beautiful it is to hear the Lord say through Isaiah, “Thus

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

PIT OF CORRUPTION.. pit or corruption. BEHIND THY BACK. Sins unforgiven are said to be "before His face" (Psalms 109:14; Psalms 109:15.Jeremiah 16:17; Hosea 7:2). Compare Micah 7:19. Hence the "happinesses" of Psalms 32:1, Psa 32:16....