Isaiah 37:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come to my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came.’

NIV: Because you rage against me and because your insolence has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will make you return by the way you came.

NASB: Because of your raging against Me And because your complacency has come up to My ears, I will put My hook in your nose And My bridle in your lips, And I will turn you back by the way that you came.

CSB: Because your raging against me and your arrogance have reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth; I will make you go back the way you came.

NLT: And because of your raging against me and your arrogance, which I have heard for myself, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth. I will make you return by the same road on which you came.'

KJV: Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

NKJV: Because your rage against Me and your tumult Have come up to 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 which you came.” ’

This poem and prophecy (Isaiah 37:21–22) has been delivered from the Lord through Isaiah. God encourages Hezekiah and the remnant of survivors in Jerusalem. The oracle itself, though, is directed at Sennacherib, the king of the Assyrian Empire who plans to lay siege to Jerusalem and destroy it (Isaiah 36:11–15). So far, the Lord has told Sennacherib one of the most painful things an arrogant man can hear: you have accomplished nothing. Assyria's reign of destruction has all been enabled by God's own (Isaiah 37:26–28). He used Assyria's war machine to judge nations, and He can stop Sennacherib whenever He wants to. Now, He will do exactly that.

The time has come for this judgment because Sennacherib has raged against the Lord. Those insolent words have not gone unnoticed (Matthew 12:36). The Lord was fine with Sennacherib sneering at false gods and idols of the nations he defeated. But when Sennacherib began to insult the God of Judah, his days were numbered.

To prove Sennacherib is truly under His control, the Lord will take him away from Jerusalem like a common animal being led by the nose. God will steer the king like a beast, directing him back the way he had come. He will reduce the glory of Assyria (Isaiah 8:7) to that of livestock doing what it's told. Sennacherib will soon experience drastic defeat (Isaiah 37:36–38) before returning home to Nineveh where he will be killed by his own sons.

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).