Isaiah 37:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,

NIV: Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria,

NASB: Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria,

CSB: Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah: "The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria,

NLT: Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria,

KJV: Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria:

NKJV: Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Because you have prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,

We're called to ask God, in humility and desperation, to take act on our behalf (Philippians 4:6–7). But a difficult part of laying burdens before the Lord is not hearing an immediate response. Certainly, it's rare to receive an overt reply in the form of words. In almost all cases, He asks us to trust the words already spoken through Scripture. That includes the assurance that He genuinely cares about us (1 Peter 5:7).

Here, however, Hezekiah's humble, desperate prayer receives an immediate answer. Because Hezekiah has prayed (James 5:16), the God of Israel has given him a message about Sennacherib. After the king's prayer, Isaiah received a response from the Lord which he transferred to Hezekiah. Like so many of his other revelations, this one will take the form of poetry (Isaiah 37:22).

Isaiah 37:21–38 contains the Lord's response to Hezekiah's humble prayer (Isaiah 37:14–20). Through Isaiah, the Lord first addresses Sennacherib in a poem. He tells the most powerful man on earth at the time that God will turn him around and send him home. Next the Lord promises Hezekiah that Sennacherib will never even approach Jerusalem, let alone attack it. The remnant of Judah will survive and thrive. As the Assyrians plan to engage in a different battle, the Lord destroys nearly the entire army in a single night. Sennacherib goes home. He is later killed by his sons.

Hezekiah is overcome with grief at news that Sennacherib has mocked the Lord and is coming to destroy Jerusalem. God reassures Hezekiah that the Asyrian king will return home to be killed there. Hezekiah prays in the temple, asking the Lord to defend His name and save Judah. Through Isaiah, the Lord reveals to Hezekiah that Jerusalem will not be touched. Assyria's army won't even have the chance to attack. Responding to their aggression and blasphemy, the "angel of the Lord" virtually wipes out the gigantic Assyrian army overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is later killed by his sons.

Isaiah 37 continues the narrative started in Isaiah 36. Assyrian messengers threaten to bring their enormous, nearby army to take Jerusalem. Hezekiah seeks God in response and is reassured that Jerusalem will not see so much as a single Assyrian arrow. The Lord promises to save the city and make the survivors prosper. The angel of the Lord kills an overwhelming number of Assyrian soldiers overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is eventually killed by his own sons. Hezekiah will then face a serious illness and be granted a brief reprieve by God (Isaiah 38).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).