Isaiah 37:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord.

NIV: By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city," declares the Lord.

NASB: By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,’ declares the Lord.

CSB: He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city. This is the Lord’s declaration.

NLT: The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city,’ says the Lord.

KJV: By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.

NKJV: By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,’ Says the Lord.

No one in the world of Isaiah's time would have given Hezekiah and Jerusalem a chance of escaping destruction, especially if they refused to surrender (Isaiah 36:1–3). The Assyrians did not lose. When they came for conquest, they took cities decisively and with great cruelty. That aggressive war machine was coming for Jerusalem.

Yet the Lord makes a promise to King Hezekiah: Assyria might approach, but they'll be sent back to where they came from (Isaiah 37:29). Jerusalem will be untouched. Assyria's king Sennacherib will never set foot inside Jerusalem or even have the chance to fire an arrow into the city. There will be no siege shields or fortifications. The Assyrians will literally never lay a finger on Jerusalem, even if they succeed in surrounding the city. This is the declaration of the Lord.

Scripture doesn't give us insight into Hezekiah's thoughts between hearing this promise and the morning when he learns what happened to the invading army (Isaiah 37:36–38). Was he fully confident? Was he full of doubt? Did he go back and forth? He already demonstrated enough faith in the Lord to ask for help. Believing the Lord's answer would also require faith. The Bible doesn't say when the Assyrians were destroyed, so some commentators think Hezekiah stayed in Judah for the year of trouble also mentioned by Isaiah (Isaiah 37:30).

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).