Isaiah 37:1

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.²He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz ³to tell him, "This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. ⁴Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rab-shakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives." ⁵So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah, ⁶who replied, "Tell your master that this is what the LORD says: 'Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. ⁷Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where I will cause him to fall by the sword.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

it came: 2 Kings 19:1-19

he rent: Isaiah 36:22, 2 Kings 22:11, Jeremiah 36:24, Jonah 3:5, Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21

and went: Ezra 9:5, Job 1:20, Job 1:21

Reciprocal: Genesis 37:34 - General 1 Kings 20:31 - put sackcloth 2 Kings 22:12 - the king 2 Chronicles 32:20 - Hezekiah Esther 4:3 - great mourning Psalms 68:30 - Rebuke Isaiah 33:17 - eyes Isaiah 37:14 - and Hezekiah went Jeremiah 26:19 - did he Jeremiah 48:37 - upon the loins Mark 14:63 - his

Cross-References

Genesis 17:8
And to you and your descendants I will give the land of your sojourn-all the land of Canaan-as an eternal possession; and I will be their God."

Genesis 23:4
"I am a stranger and an outsider among you. Give me a burial site among you so that I can bury my dead."

Genesis 28:4
And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham."

Genesis 36:7
For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together; the land where they stayed could not support them because of their livestock.

Genesis 37:9
Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. "Look," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

Genesis 37:16
"I am looking for my brothers," Joseph replied. "Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it,.... The report that his ministers made to him of the blasphemies and threatenings of Rabshakeh, the general of the Assyrian army:

that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth; the one because of the blasphemies he heard; the other cause of the destruction he and his people were threatened with:

and went into the house of the Lord; the temple, to pray to him there: he could have prayed in his own house, but he chose rather to go to the house of God, not so much on account of the holiness of the place, but because there the Lord promised, and was used to hear the prayers of his people, 1Ki 8:29,30 as also because it was more public, and would be known to the people, and set them an example to follow him in. Trouble should not keep persons from, but bring them to, the house of God; here the Lord is to be inquired of, here he is to be found; and from hence he sends deliverance and salvation to his people. Nothing is more proper than prayer in times of affliction; it is no ways unbecoming nor lessening the greatest king on earth to lay aside his royal robes, to humble himself before God, in a time of distress, and pray unto him. Hezekiah does not sit down to consider Rabshakeh's speech, to take it in pieces, and give an answer to it, but he applies unto God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When king Hezekiah heard it - Heard the account of the words of Rabshakeh Isaiah 36:22.

That he rent his clothes - (See the note at Isaiah 36:22).

He covered himself with sackcloth - (See the note at Isaiah 3:24).

And went into the house of the Lord - Went up to the temple to spread out the case before Yahweh Isaiah 37:14. This was in accordance with the usual habit of Hezekiah; and it teaches us that when we are environed with difficulties or danger and when the name of our God is blasphemed, we should go and spread out our feelings before God, and seek his aid.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XXXVII

Hezekiah is greatly distressed, and sends to Isaiah the prophet

to pray for him, 1-4.

Isaiah returns a comfortable answer, and predicts the

destruction of the king of Assyria and his army, 5-7.

Sennacherib, hearing that his kingdom was invaded by the

Ethiopians, sends a terrible letter to Hezekiah, to induce him

to surrender, 9-13.

Hezekiah goes to the temple, spreads the letter before the

Lord, and makes a most affecting prayer, 14-20.

Isaiah is sent to him to assure him that his prayer is heard;

that Jerusalem shall be delivered; and that the Assyrians shall

be destroyed, 21-35.

That very night a messenger of God slays one hundred and

eighty-five thousand Assyrians, 36.

Sennacherib returns to Nineveh, and is slain by his own sons,

37, 38.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXXVII