God Delivers Jerusalem and Sennacherib's Defeat
Isaiah 37:21-38
Isa.37.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ישעיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמוץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- התפללת: VERB,hitp,perf,2,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אל: NEG
- סנחריב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:20 (quotation): Direct parallel/duplicate of Isaiah 37:21 in the Deuteronomistic history—the same introductory formula about Isaiah son of Amoz sending a word to Hezekiah concerning his prayer against Sennacherib.
- 2 Chronicles 32:20-21 (quotation): Chronicles recounts the same episode: Isaiah's prophetic word and the LORD's intervention against the Assyrian army, retelling the message to Hezekiah and its outcome.
- Isaiah 37:14-20 (thematic): Immediate context: Hezekiah's prayer and plea recorded earlier in the chapter, which directly prompts the prophetic reply introduced in v.21.
- Isaiah 37:36 (structural): The chapter's resolution—an angel of the LORD strikes the Assyrian camp—fulfills the divine response to Hezekiah's prayer announced in v.21.
Alternative generated candidates
- Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the one about whom you prayed to me—Sennacherib king of Assyria:'
- And Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning whom you prayed to me, Sennacherib king of Assyria."
Isa.37.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- בזה: PREP+DEM
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- לעגה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- בתולת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- אחריך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הניעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ירושלם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:22 (quotation): Parallel/variant account of the same oracle; 2 Kings repeats Isaiah’s declaration that Jerusalem (‘the daughter of Zion/Jerusalem’) will be made a derision and object of scorn.
- Lamentations 2:15 (verbal): Speaks of passersby hissing and wagging their heads at ‘daughter Jerusalem,’ echoing the imagery of public mockery and derision in Isaiah 37:22.
- Psalm 44:13-14 (verbal): Complains that God has made Israel a byword and laughingstock among the nations—language and theme closely parallel to being an object of scorn in Isaiah 37:22.
- Deuteronomy 28:37 (structural): Part of the covenant curses: Israel becomes a proverb and byword among nations; shares the judgment-motif of becoming an object of ridicule found in Isaiah 37:22.
- Ezekiel 5:12 (thematic): God declares he will make Jerusalem a reproach and a taunt among the nations—the same divine pronouncement that underlies the taunting of ‘daughter Jerusalem/Zion’ in Isaiah 37:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: 'The virgin, daughter of Zion, has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you.'
- This is the word that the LORD has spoken about him: "She has despised you and scorned you—the virgin daughter, daughter of Zion; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head at you."
Isa.37.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- את: PRT,acc
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- חרפת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- וגדפת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- הרימותה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותשא: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מרום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- אל: NEG
- קדוש: ADJ,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:22 (quotation): Direct parallel/oracle: the same rebuke to the Assyrian king—'Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against the Holy One of Israel.' (Isaiah and 2 Kings preserve the identical taunt.)
- Ezekiel 36:20-23 (thematic): Similar theme of nations profaning God's name and God's concern for his holiness: God declares he will vindicate the sanctity of his name among the nations.
- Psalm 74:10 (thematic): The psalmist laments enemies who revile and scoff at God's name—echoes the complaint against those who blaspheme the 'Holy One of Israel.'
- Isaiah 10:12-15 (thematic): Isaiah's earlier denunciation of Assyrian arrogance and boastfulness (claiming to strike nations by his own power) parallels the idea of lifting oneself up against the Holy One of Israel and being reproved.
Alternative generated candidates
- Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you lifted up your voice and raised your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.
- Against whom have you reproached and reviled, and lifted up your voice and raised your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.
Isa.37.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ביד: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עבדיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- חרפת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ברב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רכבי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+prsuff:1s
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- עליתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- מרום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרים: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ירכתי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- לבנון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואכרת: VERB,qal,imprf,1,_,sg
- קומת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ארזיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+prsuff:3s
- מבחר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברשיו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+prsuff:3s
- ואבוא: VERB,qal,imprf,1,_,sg
- מרום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קצו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+prsuff:3s
- יער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כרמלו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+prsuff:3s
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:23 (quotation): Almost word-for-word parallel—the Assyrian boast against Jerusalem about coming up the mountains, Lebanon and cutting down its cedars is repeated in the Kings account.
- Isaiah 10:34 (thematic): Uses the same imagery of destroying Lebanon’s tall trees (cedars) to portray Assyrian devastation—similar motif of felling mighty trees.
- Ezekiel 31:3-9 (thematic): Portrays a proud foreign power as a great cedar of Lebanon that is cut down—parallel theme of imperial pride and the felling of cedars.
- Taylor Prism (Sennacherib annals) (allusion): Extrabiblical Assyrian inscription recording Sennacherib’s boasts against Judah and Hezekiah; parallels the same imperial boasting and threats found in Isaiah 37:24.
Alternative generated candidates
- By the multitude of my chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains; the rear of my horses has reached to the skirts of Lebanon; I have cut down its tall cedars, its choicest firs I have cut down to its top; I have entered its remotest parts, the forest of its Carmel.
- In the hand of my servants you have reproached your Lord, and you said, 'With the abundance of my chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, the ridges of Lebanon; I have cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest trees, and I have entered the high places of its forest.'
Isa.37.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- קרתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ושתיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואחרב: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- בכף: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,construct
- פעמי: NOUN,f,pl,cs
- כל: DET
- יארי: NOUN,m,pl,const
- מצור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:25 (quotation): Parallel account of Sennacherib's boast; 2 Kings reproduces the same claim about digging and drinking water and drying up the rivers (direct narration of the same words).
- 2 Chronicles 32:13-14 (verbal): Chronicles retells the Assyrian taunt against Judah and echoes the language of past Assyrian triumphs, including the image of digging, drinking and drying up the rivers of Egypt.
- Isaiah 36:4-20 (allusion): Earlier chapter records Rabshakeh's mocking speeches to Jerusalem; 37:25 echoes and answers these taunts about Assyrian power and past conquests.
- Exodus 14:21-22 (thematic): Contrasting theological motif: where the Assyrian king boasts of controlling waters, Exodus shows Yahweh's sovereign control over waters (the parting of the sea), highlighting the motif of divine mastery versus human boast.
Alternative generated candidates
- I dug and drank water; with the soles of my feet I dried up all the streams of Egypt.
- I drew water and drank it; with the sole of my feet I have dried up every stream of besieged places.
Isa.37.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוא: PART
- שמעת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- למרחוק: PREP
- אותה: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ויצרתיה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg,obj=3,f,sg
- עתה: ADV
- הבאתיה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg,obj=3,f,sg
- ותהי: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- להשאות: PREP+INF,qal,infc
- גלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נצים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ערים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בצרות: ADJ,ptc,pass,f,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 46:10 (verbal): God declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done—language closely parallels 'from ancient times I planned it' and divine foreordination.
- Isaiah 14:24 (thematic): Affirms that the LORD’s counsel and purposes, once determined, will be accomplished—echoes the theme of ancient divine planning coming to pass.
- Psalm 33:11 (verbal): The counsel of the LORD stands forever and the plans of his heart endure—parallel emphasis on God’s eternal, effective plans brought to fulfillment.
- Micah 3:12 (verbal): Speaks of Zion being plowed and Jerusalem becoming heaps of ruins—uses imagery of laid‑waste fortified cities similar to Isaiah 37:26.
- Nahum 1:8 (thematic): Describes God making a complete end of a city with overflowing judgment—parallels the motif of God executing anciently determined destruction of fortified places.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have you not heard? Long ago I did this; from ancient times I planned it. Now I bring it to pass that you should be for plunder, that you should be spoils.
- Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; from ancient days I formed and fashioned it. Now I have brought it to pass so that it shall be a spoil, a byword, a mockery among the nations.
Isa.37.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישביהן: NOUN,m,pl,cstr
- קצרי: ADJ,m,pl,cstr
- יד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ובשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עשב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שדה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וירק: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דשא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חציר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גגות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ושדמה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לפני: PREP
- קמה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 40:6-8 (verbal): Uses the same grass/flower imagery—'all flesh is grass'—and the motif of withering before the mower to stress human transience, echoing Isaiah 37's image of people brought low like field grass.
- 1 Peter 1:24-25 (quotation): Directly quotes/echoes Isaiah 40:6–8 ('all flesh is as grass'), applying the Isaiah trope of fading grass to the mortality and impermanence of human life.
- Psalm 37:2 (thematic): Speaks of the wicked being 'cut down like the grass' and withering as the green herb—closely parallels Isaiah 37's picture of people humbled and like field grass.
- Psalm 103:15-16 (thematic): Compares human days to the grass and its glory to the flower of the field, highlighting the same fleeting, fragile quality reflected in Isaiah 37:27.
- James 1:10 (thematic): Describes the rich man's glory as like the grass of the field—uses the same metaphor of sudden transience and loss of honor found in Isaiah 37:27.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their whole growth is shorn and diminished; they are cut down like the grass of the field, like the tender green herb, like the hay on the housetops, and like standing grain before the reaper.
- Her inhabitants will be shamed and confounded—like the grass of the field, like the new growth of the herb, like hay on the roofs and standing grain before it is grown.
Isa.37.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושבתך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וצאתך: CONJ+VERB,qal,ptcp,masc,sg
- ובואך: CONJ+VERB,qal,ptcp,masc,sg
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- התרגזך: VERB,hitp,impf,1,_,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 139:2-3 (verbal): Speaks of God’s intimate knowledge of a person’s movements—‘you know when I sit down and when I rise; you discern my going out and my lying down’—closely echoing ‘your going out and your coming in I know.’
- Psalm 121:8 (verbal): Uses the same stock phrase about movement—‘The LORD will watch over your coming and going’—paralleling Isaiah’s claim that God knows one’s comings and goings.
- Job 34:21 (thematic): Affirms that God’s eyes observe human ways—‘for his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings’—paralleling the theme of divine surveillance of movements and actions.
- Jeremiah 16:17 (thematic): Declares that nothing is hidden from God—‘my eyes are upon all their ways; they are not hid from me’—echoing Isaiah’s assertion that God knows people’s comings, goings, and hostile feelings toward him.
Alternative generated candidates
- And your going out and your coming in I know, and your raging against me.
- And your going out and your coming in I know, and your rage against me.
Isa.37.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יען: CONJ
- התרגזך: VERB,hithp,perf,2,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ושאננך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- ושמתי: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- חחי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- באפך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2ms
- ומתגי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- בשפתיך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- והשיבתיך: VERB,hiph,impf,1,_,sg
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- באת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:29 (quotation): Direct parallel quotation of the same oracle against the Assyrian king: the imagery of a hook in the nose and a bridle in the lips and the promise to turn him back is repeated almost verbatim.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (thematic): Retells the same Hezekiah/Sennacherib episode and God's intervention that causes the Assyrian threat to fail and the army to withdraw—same historical event and divine reversal.
- Isaiah 37:36 (structural): Immediate narrative fulfillment of the threat in v.29: the angel of the LORD strikes the Assyrian camp, producing the sudden rout and turning back prophesied in v.29.
- Isaiah 10:12 (thematic): Part of Isaiah's broader treatment of Assyria: God first uses Assyria as an instrument but then punishes and turns the arrogant invader back—same motif of divine judgment on imperial hubris.
- Nahum 3:7 (thematic): Another prophetic oracle against Assyria/Nineveh that portrays the humiliation and downfall of the once powerful aggressor—parallel theme of God humbling and reversing an oppressive empire.
Alternative generated candidates
- Because you have raged against me and your insolence has come up into my ears, I will put a hook in your nose and a bridle in your jaws, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
- Because you raged against me and your arrogance has reached my ears, I will put a hook in your nose and a bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back by the way you came.
Isa.37.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וזה: CONJ+PRON,dem,m,sg,abs
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- האות: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אכול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השנה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ספיח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובשנה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- השנית: ADJ,ord,f,sg,def
- שחיס: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ובשנה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- השלישית: ADJ,f,sg,def
- זרעו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- וקצרו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ונטעו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- כרמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואכלו: VERB,qal,imp,2,mp
- פרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:29-30 (verbal): Nearly identical parallel in the Deuteronomistic history: the same sign about eating the first, second, and third years (eat what grows, the second year what springs, in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit).
- Joel 2:25-26 (thematic): Promise of agricultural restoration—'I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten'—and abundance so people eat and are satisfied, thematically echoing renewal after devastation.
- Amos 9:13-14 (verbal): Future restoration imagery: 'the plowman shall overtake the reaper... they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit'—language and motifs closely parallel to Isaiah's sowing, reaping and vineyard imagery.
- Hosea 2:21-23 (thematic): God's restoration and cultivation imagery—'I will sow her for myself in the land'—conveys the same promise of renewed planting, fruitfulness and covenantal restoration.
Alternative generated candidates
- And this shall be the sign for you: this year you shall eat what grows of itself; and in the second year what springs from that; and in the third year you shall sow and reap and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
- And this shall be the sign to you: eat this year what grows of itself; and in the second year what springs from that; and in the third year sow and reap, and plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
Isa.37.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויספה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- פליטת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- הנשארה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- שרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למטה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועשה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- למעלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 11:1 (verbal): Uses the same Davidic shoot/branch imagery (a shoot from the stump/root of Jesse) — both verses portray renewal from a royal root producing life and fruit.
- Isaiah 10:21 (thematic): Speaks of 'the remnant of Israel' returning and relying on the LORD — parallels the theme of a surviving remnant in Judah that endures and is renewed.
- Jeremiah 23:5 (verbal): Promises a 'righteous Branch' raised for David — connects messianic branch/root language and the idea of a renewed, fruitful Davidic line.
- Zechariah 6:12 (verbal): Calls the coming figure 'the Branch' and depicts him as growing/branching out — echoes the rooted/branching motif of renewal and fruitfulness.
- Romans 11:5 (allusion): Speaks of a present 'remnant chosen by grace' in Israel — New Testament application of the OT remnant motif reflected in Isaiah's image of a surviving, fruitful remnant.
Alternative generated candidates
- The remnant of the house of Judah that remains shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
- And the remnant that remains of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
Isa.37.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms
- שארית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ופליטה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מהר: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- ציון: NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- קנאת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תעשה: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 9:7 (verbal): Contains the same wording about 'the zeal of the LORD of hosts' as the active agent who will accomplish the promise—direct verbal parallel to Isaiah 37:32.
- Isaiah 10:20-22 (thematic): Speaks of a surviving 'remnant' of Israel who return—shares the key theme of a preserved remnant/escape emerging from judgment, echoing 37:32's promise.
- Isaiah 4:2-3 (thematic): Describes those who 'remain in Zion' and are counted holy—parallels the image of survivors/escape from Mount Zion central to 37:32.
- Jeremiah 23:3 (thematic): God promises to 'gather the remnant' of his flock from dispersion—a covenantal promise of preservation and restoration akin to the remnant/escape in Isaiah 37:32.
Alternative generated candidates
- For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion survivors; the zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
- For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and from Mount Zion survivors; the zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Isa.37.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- יורה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שם: ADV
- חץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יקדמנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מגן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- ישפך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עליה: PREP,3,f,sg
- סללה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:32-33 (quotation): Parallel recounting of the same oracle against the king of Assyria; verses are nearly verbatim—God declares the Assyrian will not enter Jerusalem or besiege it.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (thematic): Retells the Assyrian threat and God's deliverance of Jerusalem (the angel striking the camp), corresponding to the promise that the enemy would not come into the city.
- Isaiah 37:35 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same oracle: God promises to defend and save the city, reinforcing the declaration that Assyria will not succeed in entering or besieging Jerusalem.
- Isaiah 31:5 (thematic): Earlier Isaiah passage portraying the LORD's protective intervention over Jerusalem (like hovering birds) and the futility of trusting foreign powers—the same theme of divine protection against military assault.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the LORD to the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast up a mound against it.'
- Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor advance a shield against it, nor cast up a siege ramp.
Isa.37.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- ישוב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:32-36 (quotation): Direct parallel account of the same promise and its fulfillment: God declares the Assyrian will return by the way he came and not enter Jerusalem, and an angel smites the Assyrian camp.
- 2 Chronicles 32:20-22 (quotation): Parallel narrative in Chronicles recounting that the LORD thwarted Sennacherib, striking his camp so he returned to his land and was put to shame—same event as Isaiah 37:34.
- Isaiah 37:36 (structural): Immediate fulfillment passage in Isaiah: the angel of the LORD strikes the Assyrian camp, explaining how the enemy returned by the way he came and did not enter the city.
- Exodus 14:27-28 (thematic): Thematic parallel of divine deliverance in which God defeats an invading army and causes it to perish/retreat (Egyptian forces drowned), echoing the motif of God preventing the enemy from entering and turning him back.
Alternative generated candidates
- By the way that he came he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD.
- In the way that he came he shall return; he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD.
Isa.37.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וגנותי: VERB,qal,perf,1,NA,sg
- על: PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- להושיעה: VERB,hiph,infc,3,f,sg
- למעני: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,suff1
- ולמען: CONJ+PREP
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:34 (verbal): Near-identical wording in the parallel narrative: God declares he will defend and save Jerusalem “for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant,” describing the divine purpose for deliverance.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (structural): Chronicles' retelling of Sennacherib’s defeat corresponds to Isaiah 37 and 2 Kings 19, depicting divine intervention that preserves the city—serving the same narrative function of God protecting Jerusalem.
- 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (thematic): The Davidic covenant promises God will establish and preserve David’s house and throne; this theological background explains why God acts ‘for the sake of David my servant.’
- Psalm 89:3-4, 28-37 (thematic): Psalmic reflections on God’s covenant with David emphasize God’s steadfast commitment to David’s line and throne, echoing the motive given in Isaiah 37:35 for God’s protection of the city.
Alternative generated candidates
- For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.
- For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.
Isa.37.36 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מלאך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויכה: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- במחנה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- מאה: NUM,f,sg,abs
- ושמנים: CONJ+NUM,card,m,pl
- וחמשה: CONJ+NUM,m,pl
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- וישכימו: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,pl
- בבקר: PREP
- והנה: ADV
- כלם: PRON,3,m,pl
- פגרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:35 (verbal): Direct parallel account of the same event: the angel of the LORD strikes 185,000 in the Assyrian camp; language and details closely mirror Isaiah 37:36.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (verbal): Parallel narrative attributing the destruction of the Assyrian army to the angel of the LORD; conveys the same outcome and divine intervention.
- 2 Samuel 24:15-16 (thematic): An angel of the LORD brings a deadly plague causing mass fatalities; parallels the motif of a divine agent executing sudden, large-scale judgment.
- Exodus 12:29-30 (thematic): A decisive, divinely-wrought mass death (the death of the firstborn in Egypt) that results in corpses and marks God’s judgment/deliverance—similar motif of sudden, large-scale divine action.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred eighty-five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead bodies.
- Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold—they were all corpses.
Isa.37.37 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויסע: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- סנחריב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בנינוה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:37 (verbal): Nearly identical wording and account — Sennacherib departs, returns, and dwells at Nineveh; the Kings narrative parallels Isaiah's report.
- 2 Kings 19:36 (thematic): Immediate context in Kings describing the angelic slaughter of the Assyrian host that precipitates Sennacherib's withdrawal and return to Nineveh.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (verbal): Parallel Chronicler's account of the same episode: the LORD defeats the Assyrian forces and Sennacherib's subsequent return (and eventual death) is recorded.
- Nahum 3:7 (thematic): Uses Nineveh as the focal point of Assyrian power and prophetic judgment; thematically connects to Nineveh as the city to which Sennacherib returns and which later faces divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went and returned home, and lived at Nineveh.
- So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed; he went away and returned and dwelt at Nineveh.
Isa.37.38 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- משתחוה: VERB,hithpael,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נסרך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואדרמלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושראצר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בניו: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- הכהו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg+OBJ,3,m,sg
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והמה: PRON,3,m,pl
- נמלטו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אררט: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וימלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אסר: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- חדן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- תחתיו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 19:37 (quotation): Direct narrative parallel — records Sennacherib being slain by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer, their flight to Ararat, and Esarhaddon succeeding him (essentially the same episode).
- 2 Chronicles 32:23 (quotation): Chronicles' account of the same event: the assassination of Sennacherib in the house of his god Nisroch by his sons, their escape to Ararat, and Esarhaddon's accession.
- Isaiah 10:12 (thematic): Earlier Isaiah prophecy announcing God’s punishment of Assyria (the instrument of judgment becoming the judged), thematically anticipating the downfall of the Assyrian king described in Isaiah 37:38.
- Nahum 2:13 (thematic): Prophecy against Nineveh/Assyria foretelling its destruction and undoing of Assyrian power — thematically linked to the overthrow and demise of Assyrian leadership in Isaiah 37:38.
Alternative generated candidates
- As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; and they escaped to the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
- As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him with the sword; they fled to the land of Ararat, and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
Isaiah son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the matter you prayed to me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.”
This is the word that the LORD has spoken concerning him: “The virgin, daughter of Zion, has scorned you; the daughter of Jerusalem has mocked you and shaken her head at you.”
Against whom have you insulted and reviled, and lifted your voice and raised your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel.
By the hand of my servants you have taunted the LORD, saying, ‘With the multitude of my chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains; the far reaches of Lebanon are the seats of cedars—I cut down their tall ones, the choicest cedars; I have gone up to its utmost height, to the forest of Carmel.’”
I have drunk water, and with the sole of my feet I have dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.
Have you not heard? Long ago I planned it; from the days of old I framed it. Now I have brought it to pass that you should be made a spoil and an object of mockery.
They were shamed and confounded by their lack of power; they became like the grass of the field, like the green herb—like hay on the roofs, like grain before it grows.
I know your going out and your coming in, and your raging against me.
Because you have raged against me and your pride has reached my ears, I will put a hook into your nose and a bridle into your lips, and I will turn you back by the way you came. And this shall be a sign to you: eat this year what grows of itself; in the second year use what springs from that; in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. And the remnant of the house of Judah that is left shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
For from Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and from Mount Zion a survivor; the zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, nor shall he shoot an arrow there; he shall not advance with a shield before it, nor cast up a siege mound against it.
By the way that he came he will return, and he shall not enter this city, declares the LORD.
For I will defend this city to save it—for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when they rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and returned; he remained at Nineveh.
As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons struck him down with the sword; they fled to the land of Ararat, and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.