Isaiah 38:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.

NIV: I said, "In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?"

NASB: I said, 'In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I have been deprived of the rest of my years.'

CSB: I said: In the prime of my life I must go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the rest of my years.

NLT: I said, 'In the prime of my life, must I now enter the place of the dead? Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?'

KJV: I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

NKJV: I said, “In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years.”

According to Scripture, King Hezekiah would have been thirty-nine years old when he wrote these words (2 Kings 18:2; Isaiah 38:5). This is often thought of as the prime of life; here, Hezekiah refers to it as the "middle" of his time. The king had recently suffered from a severe illness. God sent a message letting him know that the disease was fatal (Isaiah 38:1). Hezekiah prayed in humility, and the Lord responded by granting him another fifteen years of life (Isaiah 38:2–5).

The first half of this psalm (Isaiah 38:10–15) expresses Hezekiah's misery at the idea of dying young. He dreads the idea of being in sheol: the vague ancient Hebrew concept of the afterlife. Prior to Christ's resurrection, God gave his people a limited understanding of exactly what happened after death. Clarity and assurance came later through the earthly ministry of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15).

Isaiah 38:9–20 is King Hezekiah's triumphant praise for God. The first half depicts Hezekiah's despair at facing a fatal disease. The second half is his joy at learning that his life would be spared. Though Isaiah arranges his book by theme, this healing and psalm appear to come before the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem recorded in the prior chapters.

Hezekiah becomes gravely ill. The only description given mentions a sort of "boil," so this may have been an aggressive tumor. Isaiah tells Hezekiah he will die, so the king prays and weeps. The Lord rewards Hezekiah's faithful dependence with a promise to add fifteen years to his life. God gives a miraculous sign by making the shadow on a staircase-like sundial move backward. After his recovery, Hezekiah writes a psalm describing his grief when he expected death and his joy after the Lord saved him. He commits to worshiping God in the temple for the rest of his life.

The events recorded here most likely happen before the Assyrian invasion described in the previous chapter. Isaiah is arranging his records to smoothly transition into later discussion of the Messiah. The Lord tells King Hezekiah to expect to die from an illness. When the king prays in grief, the Lord grants him fifteen more years and a miraculous sign. Hezekiah responds with a psalm describing both his despair and his renewed praise for the God who saves. Next, Isaiah records a visit from Babylonian messengers and God's prediction that peace will last until after Hezekiah has died.

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 6/4/2026 3:42:58 PM