Isaiah 38:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Like a swallow or a crane I chirp; I moan like a dove. My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; be my pledge of safety!

NIV: I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!"

NASB: Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove; My eyes look wistfully to the heights; Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.

CSB: I chirp like a swallow or a crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; support me.

NLT: Delirious, I chattered like a swallow or a crane, and then I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew tired of looking to heaven for help. I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!'

KJV: Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me.

NKJV: Like a crane or a swallow, so I chattered; I mourned like a dove; My eyes fail from looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed; Undertake for me!

Hezekiah compares his weak prayers to the cries of fragile birds. Such animals were used as part of temple sacrifices (Leviticus 14:4–7) so such sounds would have been commonly understood. He is exhausted and helpless (Isaiah 38:12–13) but continues to plead for rescue. This was his response to learning that his illness was terminal (Isaiah 38:1). He feels "oppressed," which in this context means a sense of being dominated and subjected to cruelty. Prior verses mourned all that an early death would cost the king (Isaiah 38:10–11).

Despite dire news, Hezekiah begs the Lord for rescue. The Hebrew phrase is simply 'orbē ni, a plea to be supported, or rescued, or protected. In these phrases, the king acknowledges that the Lord both allows his suffering and remains his only hope of healing. He does not claim innocence—only asks for mercy. The latter part of Hezekiah's psalm (Isaiah 38:17) explains his new understanding, that the Lord used this sickness to bring Hezekiah closer to Himself.

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).

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