Isaiah 37:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’"

NIV: Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’ "

NASB: Behold, I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear news and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'?’?'

CSB: I am about to put a spirit in him and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.’"

NLT: Listen! I myself will move against him, and the king will receive a message that he is needed at home. So he will return to his land, where I will have him killed with a sword.’'

KJV: Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.

NKJV: Surely I will send a spirit upon him, and he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”

Speaking through Isaiah (Isaiah 37:1–5), the Lord is reassuring Hezekiah. He should not be dismayed by the words of Sennacherib's messenger (Isaiah 36:11–12, 18–20). In essence, those words amounted to saying that the Lord was just the same as all the other gods of all the other nations the Assyrians had conquered. Just like those gods, the Lord seemed powerless to stop Sennacherib.

The Lord's response shows that Sennacherib's words mean nothing to Him. No matter how imposing or how devastating the Assyrian army has been, the Lord can dispatch both Sennacherib and his army in a moment. God's message to Israel is the same as it has always been to His people: "fear the Lord, not your enemies."

Graciously, God reveals to how He will deal with Sennacherib. The Lord will make him believe in a rumor and return to his own land. There, surprisingly, he will be killed. Both Isaiah and Assyrian sources record that Sennacherib died back home in Nineveh, assassinated by his sons while worshiping in the temple of one of his gods (Isaiah 37:37–38).

The use of the word "spirit" seems to mean that the Lord will make Sennacherib's receptive to whatever rumor will send him home. It's unclear how the Lord's use of this rumor fits with what follows about the Lord's defense of Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:36). The greater point is that the Lord fully controls human leaders. He can change their course and end their lives with a thought. Proverbs 21:1 puts it this way, "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will."

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).