Isaiah 38:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

NIV: "Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.

NASB: Go and say to Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

CSB: "Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add fifteen years to your life.

NLT: Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life,

KJV: Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

NKJV: “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.

The Lord seems to reverse His earlier message (Isaiah 38:1). Isaiah was sent to tell Hezekiah that his serious illness was fatal. The king was told to set his affairs in order and prepare to die. Hezekiah responded with humble and desperate prayer (Isaha 38:2–3). The Lord immediately sent Isaiah back with a new set of instructions (Isaiah 38:4). However, this is not a failed prophecy or a change in God's plans. Lacking divine intervention, Hezekiah's disease would take his life. Isaiah's first message was an accurate diagnosis. Had Hezekiah done nothing, or sought help from other gods and healers, it would have taken his life. This new message responds to Hezekiah's godly reaction to such news.

Scripture often records the Lord responding to sincere prayers from His people (James 5:16). Of course, not all desperate requests are granted. In an earlier story, David prayed for his dying child and his request was denied (2 Samuel 12:22–23). Believers trust God's decisions because He has shown His love through Christ (Romans 5:6–10).

Hezekiah began his rule at the age of twenty-five (2 Kings 18:2). He will die after ruling twenty-nine years, so this prayer came when he was thirty-nine years of age. Historical records indicate that this illness happened prior to the Assyrian invasion (Isaish 36—37). Isaiah has organized his accounts to make a clearer transition to discussions about the Messiah, starting in chapter 40.

Isaiah 38:4–8 records the Lord's reaction to Hezekiah's faithful humility. The prophet Isaiah passed along Gods message that King Hezekiah should expect to die from his severe illness. When the king appeals to the Lord, God promises to give him another fifteen years to live. God also vows to preserve Israel from invading Assyrians. To prove that this will happen, God offers a miraculous sign: moving the shadow of a sundial so that the sun appears to be moving backwards.

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).