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Contemporary English Version

Isaiah 38:10

I thought I would die during my best years and stay as a prisoner forever in the world of the dead.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Death;   Gates;   Hezekiah;   Murmuring;   Psalms;   Thompson Chain Reference - Death;   Gates of Death;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Gates;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Descent into Hell (Hades);   Hope;   Life;   Sheol;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Poetry;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hell;   Poetry;   Prayer;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hell;   Hezekiah;   Isaiah;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Life;   Sheol;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Death;   Isaiah, Book of;   Psalms;   Text, Versions, and Languages of Ot;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Caesarea Philippi;   Gate (2);   Hymn;   Proverbs ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Hezekiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ararat;   Hell;   Hezekiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bar (2);   Cut;   Eschatology of the Old Testament (with Apocryphal and Apocalyptic Writings);   Hezekiah (2);   Isaiah;   Life;   Psalms, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Death, Views and Customs Concerning;   Hezekiah;   Poetry;   Sheol;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I said: In the prime of my lifeI must go to the gates of Sheol;I am deprived of the rest of my years.
Hebrew Names Version
I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of She'ol: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
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.
New American Standard Bible
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."
New Century Version
I said, "I am in the middle of my life. Do I have to go through the gates of death? Will I have the rest of my life taken away from me?"
Amplified Bible
I said, "In mid-life I am to go through the gates of Sheol (the place of the dead), I am to be summoned, deprived of the remainder of my years."
World English Bible
I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I saide in the cutting off of my dayes, I shall goe to the gates of the graue: I am depriued of the residue of my yeeres.
Legacy Standard Bible
I said, "In the middle of my lifeI am to enter the gates of Sheol;I am to be deprived of the rest of my years."
Berean Standard Bible
"I said that in the prime of my life I must go to the gates of Sheol; I will be deprived of the remainder of my years.
Complete Jewish Bible
"I once said: ‘In the prime of life I am going off to the gates of Sh'ol. I am being deprived of living out the full span of my life.'
Darby Translation
I said, In the meridian of my days I shall go to the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the rest of my years.
Easy-to-Read Version
I thought I would live a full life. But now, in the middle of my life, the time has come for me to die.
George Lamsa Translation
I said, In the midst of my days I shall die, at the gates of Sheol I am deprived of the rest of my years.
Good News Translation
I thought that in the prime of life I was going to the world of the dead, Never to live out my life.
Lexham English Bible
I was the one who said, "I must go in the quiet of my days; I am summoned through the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years."
Literal Translation
I said in the cessation of my days, I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am called to account for the rest of my years.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I thought I shulde haue gone to the gates of hell in my best age, and haue wanted the residue of my yeares.
American Standard Version
I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
Bible in Basic English
I said, In the quiet of my days I am going down into the underworld: the rest of my years are being taken away from me.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I said: In the noontide of my days I shall go, even to the gates of the nether-world; I am deprived of the residue of my years.
King James Version (1611)
I saide in the cutting off of my dayes; I shall goe to the gates of the graue: I am depriued of the residue of my yeeres.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I thought I shoulde haue gone to the gates of hell when myne age was shortened, and haue wanted the residue of my yeres.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I said in the end of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I shall part with the remainder of my years.
English Revised Version
I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
I seide, in the myddil of my daies Y schal go to the yatis of helle.
Update Bible Version
I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
New English Translation
"I thought, ‘In the middle of my life I must walk through the gates of Sheol, I am deprived of the rest of my years.'
New King James Version
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."
New Living Translation
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?"
New Life Bible
I said, "Half-way through my life I am to go through the gates of the place of the dead. The rest of my years have been kept from me."
New Revised Standard
I said: In the noontide of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I, said - In the noontide of my days, I must enter the gates of hades, - I am deprived of the residue of ray years!
Douay-Rheims Bible
I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell: I sought for the residue of my years.
Revised Standard Version
I said, In the noontide of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
Young's Literal Translation
`I -- I said in the cutting off of my days, I go in to the gates of Sheol, I have numbered the remnant of mine years.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I said, "In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I am to be deprived of the rest of my years."

Contextual Overview

9 This is what Hezekiah wrote after he got well: 10 I thought I would die during my best years and stay as a prisoner forever in the world of the dead. 11 I thought I would never again see you, my Lord , or any of the people who live on this earth. 12 My life was taken from me like the tent that a shepherd pulls up and moves. You cut me off like thread from a weaver's loom; you make a wreck of me day and night. 13 Until morning came, I thought you would crush my bones just like a hungry lion; both night and day you make a wreck of me. 14 I cry like a swallow; I mourn like a dove. My eyes are red from looking to you, Lord . I am terribly abused. Please come and help me. 15 There's nothing I can say in answer to you, since you are the one who has done this to me. My life has turned sour; I will limp until I die. 16 Your words and your deeds bring life to everyone, including me. Please make me healthy and strong again. 17 It was for my own good that I had such hard times. But your love protected me from doom in the deep pit, and you turned your eyes away from my sins. 18 No one in the world of the dead can thank you or praise you; none of those in the deep pit can hope for you to show them how faithful you are.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Isaiah 38:1, Job 6:11, Job 7:7, Job 17:11-16, 2 Corinthians 1:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:36 - all these things are against me Genesis 42:38 - bring Job 33:22 - his soul Psalms 9:13 - thou Psalms 49:14 - they Psalms 55:4 - terrors Psalms 88:5 - Free Psalms 102:24 - I said Psalms 107:18 - and they Lamentations 3:54 - I said Jonah 2:4 - I said Matthew 16:18 - and the

Cross-References

Numbers 11:1
One day the Israelites started complaining about their troubles. The Lord heard them and became so angry that he destroyed the outer edges of their camp with fire.
Numbers 22:34
Balaam replied, "I was wrong. I didn't know you were trying to stop me. If you don't think I should go, I'll return home right now."
Numbers 26:19
There were 76,500 men from the tribe of Judah; they were from the clans of Shelah, Perez, Zerah, Hezron, and Hamul. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan.
2 Samuel 11:27
Then after the time for mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to the palace. She became David's wife, and they had a son. The Lord was angry at what David had done,
1 Chronicles 21:7
David's order to count the people made God angry, and he punished Israel.
Proverbs 14:32
In times of trouble the wicked are destroyed, but even at death the innocent have faith.
Proverbs 24:18
The Lord will find out and be unhappy. Then he will stop being angry with them.
Jeremiah 44:4
Time after time I sent my servants the prophets to tell the people of Judah how much I hated their disgusting sins. The prophets warned them to stop sinning,
Haggai 1:13
Haggai then told them that the Lord had promised to be with them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I said, in the cutting off of my days,.... When he was told that he should die, and he believed he should; this he calls a "cutting off" in allusion to the weaver's web, Isaiah 38:12 and a cutting off "his days", he being now in the prime of his age, about thirty nine or forty years of age, and not arrived to the common period of life, and to which, according to his constitution, and the course of nature, he might have attained. The Jews call such a death a cutting off, that is, by the hand of God, which is before a man is fifty years of age. The Vulgate Latin version is, "in the midst of my days"; as it was, according to the common term of life, being threescore and ten, and at most eighty, Psalms 90:10:

I shall go to the gates of the grave; and enter there into the house appointed for all living, which he saw were open for him, and ready to receive him:

I am deprived of the residue of my days; the other thirty or forty years which he might expect to have lived, according to the course of nature; of these he was bereaved, according to the sentence of death he now had in him; what if the words were rendered, "I am visited with more of my years f?" and so the sense be, when I was apprehensive that I was just going to be cut off, and to be deprived of the days and years I might have lived, and hoped I should, to the glory of God, and the good of my subjects; just when I saw it was all over with me, I had a gracious visit or message from the Lord, assuring me that fifteen years should be added to my life: and so this is mentioned as a singular instance of divine goodness, in the midst of his distress; and to this sense the Targum agrees,

"because he remembered me for good, an addition was made to my years.''

f פקדתי יתר שנותי "visitatus sum, eum adhuc superessent anni", Tigurine version.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I said - Probably the words ‘I said’ do not imply that he said or spoke this openly or audibly; but this was the language of his heart, or the substance of his reflections.

In the cutting off of my days - There has been considerable diversity of interpretation in regard to this phrase. Vitringa renders it as our translators have done. Rosenmuller renders it, ‘In the meridian of my days.’ The Septuagint, Ἐν τῷ ὕψει τῶν ἡμερῶν μου En tō hupsei tōn hēmerōn mou - ‘In the height of my days,’ where they evidently read ברמי instead of בדמי, by the change of a single letter. Aquila, and the Greek interpreters generally, rendered it, ‘In the silence of my days.’ The word used here in Hebrew (דמי demı̂y) denotes properly stillness, quiet, rest; and Gesenius renders it, ‘in the quiet of my days.’ According to him the idea is, ‘now when I might have rest; when I am delivered from my foes; when I am in the midst of my life, of my reign, and of my plans of usefulness, I must die.’ The sense is, doubtless, that he was about to be cut off in middle life, and when he had every prospect of usefulness, and of happiness in his reign.

I shall go to the gates of the grave - Hebrew, ‘Gates of sheol.’ On the meaning of the word sheol, and the Hebrew idea of the descent to it through gates, see the notes at Isaiah 5:14; Isaiah 14:9. The idea is, that he must go down to the regions of the dead, and dwell with departed shades (see the note at Isaiah 38:11).

The residue of my years - Those which I had hoped to enjoy; of which I had a reasonable prospect in the ordinary course of events. It is evident that Hezekiah had looked forward to a long life, and to a prosperous and peaceful reign. This was the means which God adopted to show him the impropriety of his desire, and to turn him more entirely to his service, and to a preparation for death. Sickness often has this effect on the minds of good people.


 
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