Isaiah 37:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, ‘This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.

NIV: They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.

NASB: And they said to him, 'This is what Hezekiah says: ‘This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and humiliation; for children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.

CSB: They said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says: ‘Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace. It is as if children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them.

NLT: They told him, 'This is what King Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, insults, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver the baby.

KJV: And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

NKJV: And they said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah: ‘This day is a day of trouble and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.

King Hezekiah and the leaders of Jerusalem have finally humbled themselves enough to hear God's words as spoken by His prophet (Isaiah 30:9–12). This has only happened because Jerusalem appears doomed to defeat at the hands of the nearby, massive Assyrian army (Isaiah 36:1–3, 18–20). With no other options, they turn to God for help (Isaiah 37:1–2).

Hezekiah's message to Isaiah is an admission of failure and humiliation. The king takes responsibility, on behalf of himself and Judah, for their circumstances. He has been disgraced by the Assyrian messenger (Isaiah 36:4) in the hearing of his people (Isaiah 36:12–13). He has no power to answer back.

The situation is like a woman struggling in a difficult birth who has run out of strength. In the ancient world, complications of childbirth could lead to death. Some of those troubles could only be helped by an outsider such as a midwife. Jerusalem's situation is like this: drained, without hope, and expecting death to crash down any moment. Without God's intervention (Isaiah 37:4), they will surely be lost.

Neither the people of ancient Jerusalem, nor believers in the modern world, need to wait until all hope seems lost to turn to the Lord. We don't have to wait for a situation to seem hopeless from a human perspective before admitting we need God to provide a solution.

Isaiah 37:1–13 continues the story of Assyria's threats against Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:1–3, 20). Hezekiah sends officials to ask Isaiah to pray for them. The Lord tells Hezekiah not to be afraid; He will repel Sennacherib to return home and be killed there. Distracted by rumors, Sennacherib sends a letter to Hezekiah indicating he will soon make good on his threats. After all, none of the gods of other nations saved them from the Assyrian war machine.

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).