Isaiah 38:19

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 ...

19._The living, the living, he shall confess thee. _He does not include all men without exception; for many _live, _who yet extinguish the glory of God by their ingratitude, as far as lies in their power, and undoubtedly have nothing farther from their thoughts than that they were born to praise God. But he simply declares that men, so long as God supports them in this life, may justly be regarded as the lawful heralds of his glory, when he invites them, by his kindness, to the discharge of that office. And this contrast shews that the statement which he made a little before, that “in death or in the grave there is no remembrance of God,” is a general declaration, that they who would willingly be employed in praising God are deprived of this favor, when they are driven out of the world. _As I do this day. _He solemnly declares that he will be one of the witnesses of the glory of God, and...

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 38:19. _THY TRUTH_] אל אמתך _el amittecha_. A MS. omits אל _el_; and instead of אל _el_, an ancient MS. and one edition read את _eth_. The same mistake as in Psalms 2:7....

THE LIVING, THE LIVING - An emphatic or intensive form of expression, as in Isaiah 38:11, Isaiah 38:17. Nothing would express his idea but a repetition of the word, as if the heart was full of it. THE FATHER TO THE CHILDREN - One generation of the living to another. The father shall have so deep a sense of the goodness of God that he shall desire to make it known to his children, and to perpetuate the memory of it in the earth....

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

THE LIVING, THE LIVING, HE SHALL PRAISE THEE, AS I DO THIS DAY,.... Every one of the living, or such who are both corporeally and spiritually alive; and therefore the word is repeated; none but such who are alive in a corporeal sense can praise the Lord in this world; and none but such who are spiritually alive can praise him aright, and such do under a true sense of the greatness of his mercies, and of their own unworthiness; and such a one was Hezekiah; for the words may be rendered, "as I am this day x"; that is, alive in both the above senses; and so did he praise God, in such a spiritual manner, even on the day he committed this to writing, and was now in the temple offering up this thanksgiving: THE FATHER TO THE CHILDREN SHALL MAKE KNOWN THY TRUTH: not meaning himself, for at this time he had no children; though, no doubt, when he had any, as he afterwards had, particularly Manas...

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

THE LIVING, THE LIVING. Figure of speech _Epizeuxis_, for emphasis, implying that only such are able to praise. THE FATHER TO THE CHILDREN. Note the reference to the Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 4:9; Deuteronomy 6:7). CHILDREN. sons....