Isaiah 37:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I dug wells and drank waters, to dry up with the sole of my foot all the streams of Egypt.

NIV: I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk the water there. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.’

NASB: I dug wells and drank waters, And with the sole of my feet I dried up All the canals of Egypt.’

CSB: I dug wells and drank water in foreign lands. I dried up all the streams of Egypt with the soles of my feet."

NLT: I have dug wells in many foreign lands and refreshed myself with their water. With the sole of my foot, I stopped up all the rivers of Egypt!’

KJV: I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.

NKJV: I have dug and drunk water, And with the soles of my feet I have dried up All the brooks of defense.’

Through Isaiah (Isaiah 37:22–23), the Lord is holding up a mirror to Sennacherib's bragging and arrogance. A common element of some modern-day music styles are exaggerated claims of greatness, invincibility, skill, or power. These are taken as poetic, not literal. But the Assyrian king honestly believes what he says of himself: that he is unstoppable and all-powerful (Isaiah 37:24).

This extends to Sennacherib's sense of control over the natural world. Mountains and trees were no match for him, and neither are rivers or streams. Even the Nile—the famously large and powerful river of Egypt—is dismissed by Sennacherib's sense of power.

God takes great offense at human boasting, especially when it challenges God's ability to challenge one fragile human life (Psalm 10:4; 14:1; 94:7). No thing or person is more powerful than the Lord God of Israel (Revelation 1:8; Jeremiah 32:17). This is a truth Sennacherib will learn soon, and painfully (Isaiah 37:36–38).

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).

Accessed 6/2/2026 2:26:09 AM