Isaiah 38

my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by ike way by which thou earnest. I have thee as much in my power as the fisherman can manage the fish, when he hath put a hook into his jaws: (see Job xli. 2,) and as the rider can curb the horse, and turn him which way he pleases, when the bit is in his mouth. And now I will turn thee back unsuccessful, arid thou’shalt be glad to get home again with* all speed. (See ver. 34.) This chapter contains an account of Hezekiah’s sickness, which happened at the time of Sennacherib’s invasion, of his miraculous recovery, and the song of thanksgiving w T hich he wrote upon that occasion.

Isaiah 38:1

JlN those days teas Hezekiah sick unto death. See the note on the sixth verse. Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die.] Settle thy worldly concerns; for this disease, by the course of nature, will prove mortal.

Isaiah 38:3

A nd Hezekiah wept sore. One reason of his great concern is supposed to be, because he should leave his kingdom in great distraction, under the terrors of a foreign invasion, and without any heir to take the government upon him, for Mancssch was not born till three years after this. (Compare 2 Kingsxx.G.xxi. 1.)

Isaiah 38:6

And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. From hence it appears, that Hezekiah’s sickness was before the destruction of Sennacherib’s army/ though it be not mentioned till afterward, because the sacred writer would not interrupt the thread of’ that story. (See the note on xxxii. 10.)

Isaiah 38:8

So the sun rehirned ten degrees. It is the common opinion that the sun itself went back, but the heavenly bodies were restored again to their regular position, as much being deducted from the next night as was added \o this day. Butsome think this a particular miracle wrought by the shadow’s going back upon the sun-dial of Ahaz, and ^ not taken notice of in other countries, which occasioned an embassage from Babylon to inquire about the trnth of it, (2 Chron, xxxii. 31.) By which degrees it ivas gone down.] These ten degrees are supposed to be marks of so many hours by which’ the shadow went down, as the text expresses it both here and’ 2 Kings xx. 11. But there is no need we should understand it of the declining part of the day, or the afternoon, for the word may be understood in general of a progressive motion; and Bishop Patrick tells us from Dr. Alix, this miracle was wrought about ten o’clock in the morning; nor can we be certain what portion of time is meant by these degrees, for the division of the day into hours seems not to have been so ancient an’ invention: that is commonly ascribed to Anaximander or Anaximenes, who flourished about two hundred years after, and probably learned it from the Chaldeans. To this purpose we may observe, that Daniel is the only writer of the Old Testament that mentions an hour as a division of time, and there is no * Hebrew word that signifies such a portion of time.'.

Isaiah 38:11

I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living. The good men under the law had but imperfect notions of a future state, and thought it a great unhappiness to be deprived by death of the communion of saints here upon earth. Hezekiah might also be con-’, cerned to think, that the public worship of God might be v less frequented, after it had lost so zealous a patron as himself…„

Isaiah 38:12

Mine age [or life. is removed from me, like a shepherd’s tent.] Shepherds do not pitch their tents long in one place, but remove for the convenience of pasture. (See the note on xiii. 20.) I have cut off like a weaver my life.] My sins are the cause that the thread of my life is cut ofF, like that of" a weaver., -. “. From day even to night wilt thou make an end ofmc] I concluded I should die before night. (Compare Job iv. 20.)

Isaiah 38:13

I reckoned till morning, that as a lion so woidd he break all my bbnes. When night came, I reckoned I should die before the next morning, my pains were so great as if the whole frame of my body were just ready to be’ dissolved. From day even to night zuilt thou make an end of me.] The second day of my illness I had the same expectations of death, which 1 had the day before: upon the third day he recovered. (See 2 Kings xx. 8.)

Isaiah 38:14

Like a crane, or a swalloxv, so did I chatter; I did mourn as a dove. My pains sometimes made me* cry; out aloud; at other times my’ strength was so low,* I could only inwardly groan and bemoan myself. Mine eyes fail with looking’ upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.] I had scarce strength to lilt up mine eyes to heaven, 1. even despaired of any help from thence, but yet I could not forbear crying out, O Lord, thou 3Z

And this shall be a sign unto thee 9 Ye shall eat this year such as groivetk qf itself, &c. God directs these words to king Hezekiah, and tells him that this shall be a sign of God’s favour and protection to him and his people,* that although this year the enemy had destroyed all the crop that w f as sown; and the next year being the sabbatical year, the law forbade them either to sow or reap; yet they should want no provision for these two years: and in’ the third year they should sow in peace, and reap the fruits of their labour. Concerning the seventh year, which was the sabbatical year, or year of rest, see Lev. xxv. 4, &c.

And the remnant, that is escaped out of the house of Judith. See note on x. 22.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do this. See note on ix. 7.

He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, &c. See note on xxix. 3.. Ver. 3G. Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand.’] Smote them with a pestilential disease, as. Josephus and most expositors understand the words. (See note on xxxi. 8.)

And Esar-haddon his son reigned in his stead. . Called Sarchedon, in Tobit, (i. 21.) and Asordan, in the Septuagint, a word near akin to Assaradinus, by which name he is called in Ptolemy’s canon. Under his government, the Assyrian and Babylonian kingdoms were joined into one monarchy: he reigned thirteen years over the latter, as appears by the forementioned canon; though he reigned in all above forty years from his father’s death.