Isaiah 37

Hezekiah mourneth and sendeth to the prophet Isaiah, to request his prayer unto God for them, vers.1, etc. Isaiah comforteth and strengtheneth King Hezekiah with the word of God, 6. Sennacherib, hearing that the King of the Ethiopians come to fight against him, sendeth messengers again to Hezekiah with blasphemous letters, 9, etc. Whereupon Hezekiah maketh a most earnest and fervent prayer in the house of the LORD, 14. And receiveth a very comfortable answer from God by the prophet Isaiah, 21. The angel of God smiteth the Assyrians, 36. Sennacherib is slain at Nineve by his own sins, 37,38. Compare 2 Kings chap.19.

1. And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard (it) [To wit, the words which Rabshaketh had spoken that he rent his clothes. [See above chap.36.22. and 2 Kings 19:1.] and covered himself with a sack, and went into the house of the Lord, [to wit, to offer up there his prayer unto the Lord.]

2. After that he sent Eliakim the steward, and Sebna the Scribe, and the eldest of the priests, covered with sacks, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

3. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, this day is a day of distress, and of rebuke, and of blasphemes: [That is, this is the time wherein I and my people are come into great distress, fearing the besieging and wasting of this city (This is a day of distress, and of rebuke,) to wit, wherein the Assyrians do greatly revile us, and do most abominably reproach and revile us, (and of blasphemies:) wherein the Assyrians do most heinously revile and blaspheme the Lord] for the children are come to the birth, [Heb. Unto the breach. See the like phrase, Hos.13.13.] and there is no strength to bring forth. [That is, we are in extreme danger, out of which we are not able to deliver our selves.]

4. It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshake [That is, take notice of them, take them into consideration: and therefore it is to be hoped, that he will plague and punish the Assyrians for their blasphemous words] whom his Lord the King of Assyria hath sent to defy the living God, and to reproach (him) with words which the Lord thy God hath heard: lift up then a prayer for the remnant that is found. [For the remnant; to wit, of this people of God., The ten tribes were already carried away to Assyria: there were also some strong Cities in Juda already taken by the Assyrians, yet some few were left.]

5. And the servants of Hezekiah came unto Isaiah.

6. And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your Lord, thus saith the LORD: be not afraid of the words, [Heb. Of the face of the words] that thou hast heard, wherewith the Ministers [Heb. Lads, youths, that is, the servants, the ministers. Thus Joshua is called Moses lad or boy, though he was come to age long before. See Exod.33.11. and Eccles.21.5.]

7. Behold I will give a spirit into him, that he shall hear a rumour, and return into his (own) land: and I will fell him by the sword [to wit, by the sword of his sons. See below vers.38. in his (own) land.

8. So Rabshaketh returned, and he found the King of Assyria fighting Against Libna: [See of this City the Annotat. 2 Kings 8.on vers.22.] for he had heard that he was departed from Lachish. [Where Rabshaketh left the King, and from whence he had sent him to Jerusalem. See above chap.36.vers.2. And see further of Lachish, 2 Kings 14:19.]

9. Now when he [To wit, the King of Assyria] heard say concerning Tirhakah the King of Cush, he is come forth to fight against thee. [See above vers.7.] when he heard it, he sent (again) messengers to Hezekiah, saying: [And giving them withal letters along with them of the same substance. See vers.14.]

10. Thus shall ye speak to Hezekian King of Juda, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trusteth deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the King of Assyria.

11. Behold thou hast heard what the Kings of Assyria have done to all lands, burning them, [That is, utterly destroying them. See Deut.2.on vers.34. and shouldest thou be delivered?

12. Have the gods of the nations which my fathers, [That is, ancestors, or predecessors] destroyed, delivered them; as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?

13. Where is the King of Hamath? [See of Hamath Numb.13.21.] and the King of Arphad? And the King of the city of Sphepharvaim, Henah and Ivah? [of Ivah see the Annotat.2 Kings 17:24.]

14. Now when Hezekiah had received the letters from the hand of the messengers, [To wit, the letter which the messengers of the King of Assyria brought unto him, wherein the very same matter or substance was written which his own Ambassadors had already told him by word of mouth] and had read them, he went up into the house of the LORD, and Hezekiah spread them before the face of the LORD.

15. And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying:

16. O LORD of hosts, thou God of Israel, that dwellest between the Cherubims: [See Exod.25.22. Numb.7.89. 2 Sam.6. 2 Kings 19:15. Psal.80.2. and the Annotat. There] thou thy self, thou alone art the God of all the Kingdoms of the Earth, thou hast made the Heavens and the Earth.

17. O LORD incline thine ear, and hear: LORD open thine eyes and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who sent to defy the living God. [To wit, both by Rabshakeh, and by his letters.]

18. Of a truth, LORD, the Kings of Assyria have laid waste all lands, together with their Country: [2 Kings 19:17. its said, have laid waste the Heathen and their land.]

19. And have cast their gods into the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of mens hands, wood and stone, therefore they have destroyed them.

20. Now then LORD our God deliver us out of his hand, then all the Kingdoms of the earth shall know that thou only art the LORD,

21. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, to say, thus saith the LORD the God of Israel, that which thou hast prayed against Sennacherib King of Assyria (have I heard). [This is here inserted from 2 Kings 19:20.]

22. This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him: the virgin, the daughter of Zion [That is, the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem, whom the strangers had not yet defiled. See 2 Kings 13.on verse 21.] hath despised thee, she laugheth thee to scorn, the daughter of Jerusalem shaketh (her) head at thee. [In token of contempt. See Psal.22.8.]

23. Whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? And against whom hast thou exalted (Thy) voice? And lifted up thine eyes on high? Against the holy One of Israel.

24. By means of thy servants [2 Kings 19:23. It is said, of the messengers] hast thou defied the Lord, and said, by the multitude of my charets I am ascended up to the top of the mountains, to the sides of Libanon: and I will hew down high cedar trees, and his choice fir trees, and will come to his uttermost height, into the forest of his fair field.

25. I have digged [To wit, wells] and drunk the waters: [It is said 2 Kings 19:24. strong waters. See the Annotat. There.] and with the soles of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.

26. Hast thou not heard, that I have done it long ago? [To wit, the oppression of the nations, which thou now ascribes unto thy self] and have formed it of ancient days? [That is, have of old time decreed to do it. Compare 2 Tim.1.9,10.] now I have made it come to pass, that thou shouldest be to destroy fenced cities into desolate heaps. [That is, I have brought it so to pass, that I should use thee for to destroy, &c.]

27. Therefore their inhabitants were handless. [Heb. Short-handed: that is, they had no power to resist thee, being as if their hands had been cut off] they were dismayed and confounded: they were (as) the grass of the field, and the green grass-plants, (as) the hay of the house-tops] and (as) corn blasted, before it stand upright. [That is, as corn which is parched and burnt, before it shooteth in the ear, or before it be grown up. Heb. Burning.]

28. But I know thy sitting, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me. [That is, O Sennacherib, I know all thy designs and enterprises.]

29. Because of thy raging against me, and that thy stirring is come up before mine ears: therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bit in thy lips, and I will because thee to return back by the same way by which thou camest. [I will put my hook, etc. A speech borrowed from fishers, intimating, that God can bridle, rule and restrain the most wicked and most dissolute enemies of his Church, that they shall not be able to execute their wicked design or purpose.]

30. And let that be a token unto thee, [To wit, of that which I said even now] that they shall eat (in) this year that which grew of it self, [Because they were not able to manure and till their land by reason of the encamping’s and marching’s of the Assyrians in and through the land of Juda] and in the second year, that which again sprouteth out of the same: [That is, the fruits that shall grow this year again of themselves. Hence some do gather that this was a Sabbatical or resting year, wherein the Israelites did not till their ground. See Levit.25.5,20.] but in the third year sow, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruits thereof.

31. For the escaped that is left of the house of Juda shall again take root downward, and it shall bear fruit upward.

32. For out Jerusalem shall the remnant go forth, [The remnant of the Jews shall go forth to their own land, and to other places, which they had not done before, for fear of the Assyrians] and the escaped out of mount Zion: The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. [See 2 Kings 19:31. above chap.9.6.]

33. Therefore thus saith the LORD of the King of Assyria: he shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow into it, neither shall he come before it with shield, nor cast a wall against it. [Hence may be gathered, that Sennacherib came not before Jerusalem, to besiege that city.]

34. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return: but he shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.

35. For I will defend this city, to deliver it, for mine (own) sake, and for my servant David’s sake. [That is, because of the promise which I made unto David. See 1 kings 11.on vers.12,13. Compare 2 kings 20.6.]

36. Then the Angel of the LORD went forth, [To wit, out of heaven] and smote in the camp of Assyria an hundred and fourscore and five thousand: [See 2 Kings 19:35. with the Annotat.] and when they gat them up early in the morning, behold they were all deed bodies. [Heb. Dead bodies: for the Hebrew word pegez alone signifieth a dead body, and there is yet the adjective dead added to it: it is as we should say, a dead carcase.]

37. So Sennacherib King of Assyria departed, and went his way and returned, and he abode at Nenive. [This was in those times the chief city, or place of residence for the Kings of Assyria, where they dwelt and kept their Court.]

38. Now it came to pass, when he bowed himself down in the house of Nisroch his God, that Adramelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword, [To wit, before 55. Days were expired after that his camp was smitten. By the Angel, as some do gather from Tob.1.24.] but they escaped into the land of Ararat: [That is, into great Armenia. See Genes.8.4.] and Ezar-haddon is otherwise called Asnapper, Ezra 4:10. He is also otherwise called Sardanapalus, as some conceive; but this opinion is uncertain.]