Isaiah 37
1When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the LORD’s house.
2He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz.
3They said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the birth, and there is no strength to give birth.
4It may be the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’”
5So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘The LORD says, “Don’t be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7Behold, I will put a spirit in him and he will hear news, and will return to his own land. I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”’”
8So Rabshakeh returned, and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah, for he heard that he had departed from Lachish.
9He heard news concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, “He has come out to fight against you.” When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10“Thus you shall speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, “Jerusalem won’t be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.”
11Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?
12Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?
13Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’”
14Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it. Then Hezekiah went up to the LORD’s house, and spread it before the LORD.
15Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying,
16“LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, who is enthroned among the cherubim, you are the God, even you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
17Turn your ear, LORD, and hear. Open your eyes, LORD, and behold. Hear all of the words of Sennacherib, who has sent to defy the living God.
18Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the countries and their land,
19and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them.
20Now therefore, LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the LORD, even you only.”
21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “The LORD, the God of Israel says, ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
22this is the word which the LORD has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and ridiculed you. The daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you.
23Whom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.
24By your servants, you have defied the Lord, and have said, “With the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon. I will cut down its tall cedars and its choice cypress trees. I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field.
25I have dug and drunk water, and with the sole of my feet I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt.”
26“‘Have you not heard how I have done it long ago, and formed it in ancient times? Now I have brought it to pass, that it should be yours to destroy fortified cities, turning them into ruinous heaps.
27Therefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field, and like the green herb, like the grass on the housetops, and like a field before its crop has grown.
28But I know your sitting down, your going out, your coming in, and your raging against me.
29Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
30“‘This shall be the sign to you: You will eat this year that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which springs from it; and in the third year sow and reap and plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
31The remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
32For out of Jerusalem a remnant will go out, and survivors will escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Armies will perform this.’
33“Therefore the LORD says concerning the king of Assyria, ‘He will not come to this city, nor shoot an arrow there, neither will he come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.
34He will return the way that he came, and he won’t come to this city,’ says the LORD.
35‘For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.’”
36Then the LORD’s angel went out and struck one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the camp of the Assyrians. When men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.
37So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, went away, returned to Nineveh, and stayed there.
38As he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Esar Haddon his son reigned in his place.
King Hezekiah faces a dire military crisis as the Assyrian king Sennacherib threatens Jerusalem with destruction, sending blasphemous messages claiming that God cannot deliver the city. In response, Hezekiah tears his clothes in mourning, seeks counsel from the prophet Isaiah, and spreads Sennacherib's threatening letter before the Lord in prayer. God responds through Isaiah with a promise of deliverance, declaring that the Assyrian king will return to his own land and meet his death there, demonstrating that the Lord alone is sovereign over all kingdoms.
Context
This chapter continues the historical narrative from chapter 36, showing God's faithfulness to His promises of protection for Jerusalem during the reign of the righteous king Hezekiah.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-7Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's CounselThe king responds to Assyrian threats with mourning and prayer, sending officials to Isaiah who promises God's deliverance.
- 8-13Sennacherib's Renewed ThreatsThe Assyrian king sends another intimidating message to Hezekiah, boasting of his conquests and mocking trust in God.
- 14-20Hezekiah's Prayer for DeliveranceThe king spreads the threatening letter before the Lord and prays for salvation to demonstrate God's sovereignty to all nations.
- 21-38God's Response Through IsaiahThe Lord delivers a lengthy oracle promising Jerusalem's protection and Sennacherib's downfall, which is immediately fulfilled when an angel destroys the Assyrian army.
Hezekiah and the Assyrian Crisis
36:1–37:38King Hezekiah faces the Assyrian threat under Sennacherib, with diplomatic confrontation and appeals to trust in God rather than foreign alliances.
person_contrast
Hezekiah's transformation from a king typically associated with judgment and authority into a figure seeking divine protection reveals Isaiah's theological shift toward trusting God's sovereignty over political power.
Isaiah 37:1
2 Kings 19:1lexicalWhen King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the LORD’s house.
Esther 4:1lexicalNow when Mordecai found out all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out i…
1 Kings 21:27lexicalWhen Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about de…
2 Kings 6:30lexicalWhen the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. Now he was passing by on the wall, and the people looke…
2 Samuel 3:31lexicalDavid said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, and clothe yourselves with sackcloth, an…
Isaiah 37:2
2 Kings 19:2lexicalHe sent Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, t…
2 Kings 18:18lexicalWhen they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Jo…
Isaiah 36:3lexicalThen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recor…
Isaiah 36:22lexicalThen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recor…
2 Kings 18:37lexicalThen Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came with Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the r…
Isaiah 37:4
2 Kings 19:4lexicalIt may be the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy t…
2 Kings 19:8lexicalSo Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from L…
Isaiah 37:8
2 Kings 19:8lexicalSo Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria warring against Libnah; for he had heard that he had departed from L…
2 Kings 18:17lexicalThe king of Assyria sent Tartan, Rabsaris, and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a great army to Jerusalem. T…
Isaiah 36:2lexicalThe king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. He stood by the aqueduc…
Joshua 10:31lexicalJoshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.
2 Kings 19:4lexicalIt may be the LORD your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master has sent to defy t…
Isaiah 37:10
2 Kings 19:10lexical“Tell Hezekiah king of Judah this: ‘Don’t let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, Jerusalem will not be give…
Isaiah 36:4lexicalRabshakeh said to them, “Now tell Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in whic…
2 Kings 18:19lexicalRabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says, “What confidence is this in wh…
2 Kings 18:30lexicalDon’t let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be give…
Isaiah 36:15lexicalDon’t let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, “The LORD will surely deliver us. This city won’t be given into t…
Isaiah 37:12
2 Kings 19:12lexicalHave the gods of the nations delivered them, which my fathers have destroyed—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of E…
Ezekiel 27:23lexical“‘“Haran, Canneh, Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were your traders.
Isaiah 37:13
2 Kings 18:34lexicalWhere are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Sam…
2 Kings 19:13lexicalWhere is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivvah?’”
Isaiah 36:19lexicalWhere are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand?
2 Kings 17:24lexicalThe king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them…
Isaiah 10:9lexicalIsn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?”
Isaiah 37:18
2 Kings 19:17lexicalTruly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
Isaiah 37:21
2 Kings 19:20lexicalThen Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “The LORD, the God of Israel, says ‘You have prayed to me against…
2 Chronicles 32:20lexicalHezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.
2 Chronicles 32:32lexicalNow the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, t…
Isaiah 1:1lexicalThe vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz,…
Isaiah 38:1lexicalIn those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “The…
Isaiah 37:23
2 Kings 19:22lexicalWhom have you defied and blasphemed? Against whom have you exalted your voice and lifted up your eyes on high? Against t…
Isaiah 57:15lexicalFor the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with hi…
Isaiah 37:24
2 Kings 19:23lexicalBy your messengers, you have defied the Lord, and have said, “With the multitude of my chariots, I have come up to the h…
1 Kings 7:2lexicalFor he built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its heig…
Isaiah 14:8lexicalYes, the cypress trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, “Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has c…
Isaiah 32:15lexicaluntil the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is co…
Isaiah 29:17lexicalIsn’t it yet a very little while, and Lebanon will be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will be regar…
Isaiah 37:25
2 Kings 19:24lexicalI have dug and drunk strange waters, and I will dry up all the rivers of Egypt with the sole of my feet.”
Isaiah 19:6lexicalThe rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away.
Isaiah 37:27
2 Kings 19:26lexicalTherefore their inhabitants had little power. They were dismayed and confounded. They were like the grass of the field a…
Proverbs 27:25lexicalThe hay is removed, and the new growth appears, the grasses of the hills are gathered in.
Isaiah 37:30
2 Kings 19:29lexical“This will be the sign to you: This year, you will eat that which grows of itself, and in the second year that which spr…
Psalms 107:37lexicalsow fields, plant vineyards, and reap the fruits of increase.
Leviticus 25:11lexicalThat fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you. In it you shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself, nor gath…
Jeremiah 35:7lexicalYou shall not build a house, sow seed, plant a vineyard, or have any; but all your days you shall dwell in tents, that y…
Isaiah 65:21lexicalThey will build houses and inhabit them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Isaiah 37:31
2 Kings 19:30lexicalThe remnant that has escaped of the house of Judah will again take root downward, and bear fruit upward.
Amos 2:9lexicalYet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks;…
Isaiah 37:36
2 Kings 19:35lexicalThat night, the LORD’s angel went out and struck one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When men…
Numbers 2:9lexical“All who were counted of the camp of Judah were one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred, according to their divisio…
Numbers 4:48lexicaleven those who were counted of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty.
2 Chronicles 32:21lexicalThe LORD sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, the leaders, and captains in the camp of the king of As…
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