Isaiah 38:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the Lord.

NIV: The Lord will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the Lord.

NASB: The Lord is certain to save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the Lord.'

CSB: The Lord is ready to save me; we will play stringed instruments all the days of our lives at the house of the Lord.

NLT: Think of it — the Lord is ready to heal me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the Lord.

KJV: The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

NKJV: “The Lord was ready to save me; Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.”

Hezekiah ends his psalm (Isaiah 38:9) with confidence that the Lord will save him. The king was informed that an illness would be fatal (Isaiah 38:1). When he prayed for God's consideration (Isaiah 38:2–3), the Lord responded with fifteen more years of life (Isaiah 38:4). As part of this, the Lord offered a miraculous sign (Isaiah 38:7–8). Unlike his father, Ahaz (Isaiah 7:10–12), Hezekiah looked forward to seeing this supernatural affirmation (Isaiah 38:22). Armed with that reassurance, Hezekiah can announce his upcoming healing.

One of the tragedies of dying young (Isaiah 38:10) would have been lost opportunities to worship God and fellowship with His people (Isaiah 38:11). Now that Hezekiah knows he will live, he intends to fill his time with praise for God. This would mainly happen in the temple: "the house of the Lord." Scripture often links worship to music, even as life continues into eternity (Revelation 5:9).

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 6/2/2026 10:48:21 AM