Isaiah 38:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.

NIV: I waited patiently till dawn, but like a lion he broke all my bones; day and night you made an end of me.

NASB: I composed my soul until morning. Like a lion—so He breaks all my bones, From day until night You make an end of me.

CSB: I thought until the morning: He will break all my bones like a lion. By nightfall you make an end of me.

NLT: I waited patiently all night, but I was torn apart as though by lions. Suddenly, my life was over.

KJV: I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

NKJV: I have considered until morning— Like a lion, So He breaks all my bones; From day until night You make an end of me.

Ancient Hebrew is not always easy to translate. Compared to other languages, Hebrew has a relatively small inventory of words. Context is crucial to knowing which meaning is in play. Even then, figures of speech can be hard to untangle. When different translations of a verse show large variations, it's a sign that the original language is obscure. This verse is one such example. The comment which began at the end of the prior verse (Isaiah 38:12) continues here in an unclear expression.

Hezekiah is writing about his encounter with a terminal illness (Isaiah 38:1) and divine healing (Isaiah 38:5). His early reaction was to mourn everything he would miss because of dying young (Isaiah 38:10–12). Here, he expresses something about a nighttime experience. This might imply that God is testing or disciplining Hezekiah until the evening. Or, that the king suffers overnight anticipating what is happening. It might also mean that he spends the night soothing himself against fears.

In any of these situations, the is a feeling of defeat. Hezekiah expects to be crushed like bones in the mouth of a powerful lion. The same obscure phrase from the end of verse 12 is repeated to emphasize this feeling. The second half of this psalm (Isaiah 38:17) expresses the new perspective which Hezekiah found.

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).