Hezekiah's Illness, Prayer, and Recovery
Isaiah 38:1-22
Isa.38.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ההם: PRON,dem,m,pl
- חלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- למות: VERB,qal,inf
- ויבוא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ישעיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמוץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הנביא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- לביתך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs+PRON,2,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- מת: ADJ,m,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תחיה: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:1 (quotation): Direct parallel narrative of Hezekiah’s illness; virtually the same prophetic declaration ('Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live') appears in the Kings account.
- 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 (verbal): Parallel retelling of Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery in the Chronicles tradition, recounting the same episode from a different historical perspective.
- Psalm 39:4-5 (thematic): Thematic parallel in meditations on human mortality and the brevity of life ('Lord, make me to know my end... how frail my days'), resonant with Hezekiah’s confrontation with imminent death.
- Exodus 32:11-14 (thematic): Thematic parallel of prophetic intercession affecting a divine decree: Moses pleads and God relents from bringing disaster—comparable to Hezekiah’s prayer leading to a change in his fate.
Alternative generated candidates
- In those days Hezekiah became sick unto death. And Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”
- In those days Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet came to him and said, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die and shall not live.”
Isa.38.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויסב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- פניו: NOUN,m,pl,cons+3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- הקיר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויתפלל: VERB,hitpael,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:2 (verbal): Direct parallel account of Hezekiah’s illness: he 'turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD'—same wording and incident as Isaiah 38:2.
- 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 (structural): Chronicler’s retelling of Hezekiah’s sickness and prayer; parallels the same episode (prayer in private and plea for life) within a different canonical framework.
- Daniel 9:3 (thematic): Daniel’s resolute turning to God in fasting and prayer in a moment of national crisis—echoes the motif of a leader turning inward to intense, private prayer before the LORD.
- 2 Samuel 12:16-18 (thematic): David’s urgent, private supplication on behalf of his dying child (fasting and lying on the ground) parallels the theme of a ruler’s intense personal prayer in the face of imminent death.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD.
- Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD.
Isa.38.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אנה: ADV,interrog
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נא: PART
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- התהלכתי: VERB,hitpael,perf,1,_,sg
- לפניך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- באמת: ADV
- ובלב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלם: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- והטוב: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,def
- בעיניך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,const,2,ms
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ויבך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בכי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:3 (quotation): Near-identical account of Hezekiah's plea to the LORD: he asks God to remember that he has walked before Him in truth and with a whole/clean heart, and he wept bitterly.
- 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 (structural): Parallel narrative of Hezekiah's illness, recovery and subsequent conduct; repeats the same themes of his actions, repentance/humbling and God's response, situating Isaiah 38 within the broader Deuteronomistic retelling.
- Psalm 26:1 (verbal): Uses similar language of personal integrity before God—'I have walked in my integrity'—echoing Isaiah's claim 'I have walked before you in truth,' a self-vindicating appeal to righteousness.
- 1 Kings 2:4 (verbal): David's charge to Solomon to serve the LORD 'with a perfect heart and with a willing mind' (בלב שלם) parallels Isaiah's phrase 'בלב שלם' ('with a whole/perfect heart'), linking the concept of wholehearted devotion.
Alternative generated candidates
- He said, “Remember now, O LORD, I beseech you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
- He said, “O LORD, remember now: please, I have walked before you in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Isa.38.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- ישעיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jer.1.4 (verbal): Same prophetic-call formula — 'The word of the LORD came to me, saying...' (וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר), parallel wording for a divine address to a prophet.
- Hos.1.1 (structural): Book-opening formula 'The word of the LORD that came to Hosea…' parallels the structural formula 'ויהי דבר־יהוה אל־…' introducing a prophetic oracle.
- 2 Kings 20.1 (quotation): Direct narrative parallel: the account of Hezekiah's illness and the prophetic message from Isaiah appears also in 2 Kings 20 (parallel material to Isaiah 38), connecting the same event and prophetic speech.
- 2 Chron.32.24 (thematic): Thematic parallel: Chronicles recounts Hezekiah's sickness, prayer, and recovery, providing a complementary retelling of the episode introduced by the 'word of the LORD' in Isaiah 38.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,
- Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,
Isa.38.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוך: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- ואמרת: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- דוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אביך: NOUN,m,sg,suff+2ms
- שמעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- תפלתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ראיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- דמעתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- יוסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- ימיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2ms
- חמש: NUM,card,f,sg
- עשרה: NUM,card,m,pl
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:5-6 (quotation): Nearly identical report: Isaiah tells Hezekiah that the LORD has heard his prayer, seen his tears, and will add fifteen years to his life (direct parallel/quotation of the same prophecy).
- 2 Chronicles 32:24-25 (structural): Parallel retelling of Hezekiah’s illness and recovery—notes that he prayed to the LORD and was delivered, providing the same narrative outcome and divine response found in Isaiah 38.5.
- Psalm 116:8 (thematic): Speaks of deliverance from death and rescue from tears—echoes Isaiah’s motifs that God hears prayer, sees tears, and delivers or extends life.
- James 5:15 (thematic): Links prayer for the sick with healing and deliverance: ‘the prayer of faith will save the sick,’ thematically paralleling God’s response to Hezekiah’s prayer and extension of life.
Alternative generated candidates
- “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.
- “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.
Isa.38.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומכף: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,const
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- אצילך: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
- וגנותי: VERB,qal,perf,1,NA,sg
- על: PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הזאת: DEM,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 37:35 (verbal): Same prophetic promise in the immediate Isaianic narrative: God pledges to deliver and defend Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria.
- 2 Kings 19:34 (quotation): Parallel account in Kings with nearly identical wording—God promises to defend and save the city from the Assyrian king (Sennacherib).
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 (structural): Chronicles' retelling of Hezekiah's crisis and deliverance: God rescues Hezekiah and Jerusalem from the Assyrian threat, emphasizing divine intervention on the city's behalf.
- 2 Kings 19:35 (allusion): Narrative fulfillment in Kings: the angel of the LORD strikes the Assyrian camp, a concrete event that effects the promised deliverance of the city from the Assyrian king.
Alternative generated candidates
- And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.
- And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.
Isa.38.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וזה: CONJ+PRON,dem,m,sg,abs
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- האות: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מאת: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:9 (verbal): Direct parallel narrative: Isaiah's promise to Hezekiah in Kings uses nearly identical wording—'This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has spoken.'
- Isaiah 7:14 (verbal): Same prophetic 'sign' formula ('the LORD will give you a sign'); both verses announce a concrete sign confirming God's spoken promise.
- Luke 2:12 (verbal): New Testament use of the formula 'this will be a sign to you' (about the infant in the manger); parallels the motif of God providing a sign to confirm divine action or revelation.
- Judges 6:17-18 (thematic): Gideon's request for and receipt of a sign from the LORD to confirm the promise mirrors the motif in Isaiah 38 of a sign validating God's word.
- Exodus 4:1–9 (thematic): God gives Moses miraculous 'signs' to confirm divine commission and make people believe—an earlier instance of the same theological principle that 'a sign' confirms what God has spoken.
Alternative generated candidates
- This is the sign to you from the LORD that the LORD will do the thing that he has spoken:
- And this shall be the sign to you from the LORD that the LORD will do this thing that he has promised:
Isa.38.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- משיב: VERB,hif,ptc,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- צל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המעלות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ירדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- במעלות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אחז: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בשמש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחרנית: ADV
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- מעלות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ותשב: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- השמש: NOUN,f,sg,def
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- מעלות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- במעלות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ירדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:8-11 (quotation): Direct parallel account of Hezekiah’s sign: the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz is reversed ten degrees. The wording and event closely correspond to Isaiah 38:8.
- 2 Chronicles 32:24-31 (verbal): Chronicles’ royal retelling of Hezekiah’s illness and recovery includes the same miraculous sign (reversal of the sun’s shadow) and echoes the Isaiah/2 Kings tradition in a historical summary.
- Joshua 10:12-14 (thematic): God miraculously intervenes in the sun’s motion (‘sun stood still’)—a thematic parallel of divine control over celestial phenomena as a sign confirming God’s action.
- Amos 8:9 (thematic): Prophetic imagery of the sun going down at noon as an extraordinary act of God; shares the motif of abnormal solar phenomena used as signs or judgments.
- Isaiah 7:11-14 (structural): Both passages feature prophetic ‘signs’ given to rulers (or concerning a ruler) to confirm a divine promise or warning; parallels in the function and genre of prophetic sign-giving.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun go back ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz; so the sun returned ten degrees by which it had gone down.”
- Behold, I will make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down on the stair of Ahaz, turn back ten steps; so the sun turned back the ten steps by which it had gone down.”
Isa.38.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מכתב: NOUN,m,sg,const
- לחזקיהו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- בחלתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויחי: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מחליו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:1 (structural): Narrates Hezekiah's life‑threatening illness—provides the narrative context for the king's composition noted in Isaiah 38:9.
- 2 Kings 20:5-6 (allusion): Gives God's promise to restore Hezekiah and add fifteen years to his life; this divine reply is the immediate background to Hezekiah's song of illness and recovery.
- 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 (structural): Parallel chronicler's account of Hezekiah's sickness, prayer, and recovery, recounting the same events summarized by the Isaiah superscription.
- Psalm 30 (thematic): A royal thanksgiving 'when he had been sick and was healed'—same genre as Hezekiah's autobiographical song of sickness and deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he was ill and recovered:
- A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he was sick and recovered.
Isa.38.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- בדמי: PREP
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- אלכה: VERB,qal,impf,1,?,sg
- בשערי: PREP
- שאול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פקדתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,sg
- יתר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- שנותי: VERB,qal,perf,1,comm,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:2-3 (structural): Parallel narrative account of Hezekiah’s illness and lament; the king expresses fear of going to the gates of Sheol and prays for life, corresponding closely to Isaiah 38:10–20.
- Psalm 30:3 (thematic): A thanksgiving for rescue from the brink of death: the psalmist speaks of being lifted from Sheol, echoing the reversal of Hezekiah’s expectation of entering the gates of Sheol.
- Psalm 88:3-6 (thematic): A lament that pictures nearness to death and being overwhelmed (darkness, the gates of death); similar imagery and tone of impending descent into Sheol as in Isaiah 38:10.
- Job 14:13-15 (allusion): Job’s wish to be hidden in Sheol until God’s anger passes and his hope that God will call him back parallels the motifs of going down to Sheol and longing for deliverance found in Isaiah 38:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- “I said, In the midst of my days I must go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years.
- I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years.
Isa.38.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,com,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- אראה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- יה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- החיים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- אביט: VERB,qal,imperf,1,na,sg
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עוד: ADV
- עם: PREP
- יושבי: PTC,qal,ptc,mp,cons
- חדל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:1-7 (structural): The same Hezekiah illness/rescue narrative; Isaiah 38:11 is part of Hezekiah’s lament found in parallel form in 2 Kings 20 (the accounts overlap in content and sequence).
- Psalm 88:3-6 (thematic): A deep death‑oriented lament—'my life draws near to Sheol' and exclusion from the land of the living—echoes Hezekiah’s fear that he will no longer 'see the LORD in the land of the living.'
- Job 3:11-12 (thematic): Job’s wish that he had died at birth parallels the existential despair in Isaiah 38:11 about no longer seeing the living world or the LORD—both express a wish for non‑existence over continued suffering.
- Psalm 6:5 (verbal): 'For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in the grave who shall give thee praise?' underscores the finality and separation from God associated with death, matching Hezekiah’s statement that he will not behold the LORD in the land of the living.
Alternative generated candidates
- I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD, in the land of the living; I shall look upon people no more among the inhabitants of the world.
- I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD, in the land of the living; I shall look on mankind no more among those who dwell in the world.
Isa.38.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- דורי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נסע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ונגלה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- כאהל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רעי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- קפדתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- כארג: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חיי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מדלה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יבצעני: VERB,hip,impf,3,_,sg
- מיום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשלימני: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 7:6 (verbal): Uses the same loom/shuttle imagery—"My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle"—echoing Isaiah's folding up of life like a weaver's work.
- Psalm 102:3,11–12 (thematic): A lament of transience and curtailed life—"my days are consumed like smoke... my days are like a declining shadow"—reflecting Isaiah's sense of life being cut off from morning to night.
- 2 Kings 20:1–11 (structural): Parallel narrative: Hezekiah's illness, prayer and God's response. Isaiah 38 is the poetic reflection on the same historical episode recorded here.
- 2 Corinthians 5:1–4 (allusion): New Testament use of the 'tent' metaphor for the mortal body (the 'earthly tent') parallels Isaiah's image of the dwelling/tent being removed, highlighting human frailty and temporariness.
Alternative generated candidates
- My dwelling has been removed and taken away from me like a shepherd’s tent; I have rolled up my life like a weaver’s shuttle; he cuts me off; from day even to night you bring me to an end.
- My dwelling has been taken from me and removed like a shepherd’s tent; I have rolled up my life like a weaver; from day to night you cut me off; I finish my days.
Isa.38.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שויתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- עד: PREP
- בקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כארי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כן: ADV
- ישבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- עצמותי: NOUN,f,pl,poss1
- מיום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשלימני: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg,obj1
Parallels
- Psalm 22:14 (verbal): Uses the same corporeal imagery of shattered/broken bones ('all my bones are out of joint') to describe extreme suffering.
- Job 30:17 (verbal): Speaks of bones being pierced or afflicted ('my bone is pierced in me'), a close verbal parallel to Isaiah’s ‘all my bones are broken/pierced’.
- Psalm 38:3 (thematic): Laments bodily breakdown under divine anger—'there is no soundness in my flesh... no health in my bones'—echoing Isaiah’s emphasis on bone pain and near‑death affliction.
- Psalm 6:2–3 (thematic): A plea for mercy because of bodily distress ('for I am weak... my bones are in anguish'), paralleling Hezekiah’s description of prolonged night‑long suffering and broken bones.
Alternative generated candidates
- I am diminished until the morning; like a lion he tears all my bones; from day even to night you make an end of me.
- I cry out till morning like a lion—like a lion I make plaintive moaning; I languish, and my life is poured out like water; from day to night you bring me to an end.
Isa.38.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כסוס: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עגור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כן: ADV
- אצפצף: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אהגה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- כיונה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- עיני: NOUN,f,pl,cons+1s
- למרום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- עשקה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ערבני: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Psalm 102:6-7 (verbal): Both passages use avian similes (pelican/sparrow; crane/dove) to portray the speaker’s desolation and solitary lament.
- 2 Kings 20:1-11 (structural): Narrates the same historical episode (Hezekiah’s illness, prayer, and deliverance); Isaiah 38’s lament and song correspond to the parallel account in 2 Kings.
- Psalm 55:6 (thematic): Expresses a wish to take wing like a dove and flee from distress; parallels Isaiah’s use of bird imagery to convey a desire to escape suffering and find rest/security in God.
- Job 30:29 (thematic): Uses animal/bird imagery (jackals/ostriches) to communicate humiliation, isolation, and affliction—similar tonal language of personal suffering in Isaiah 38:14.
Alternative generated candidates
- Like a crane or a swallow I chatter; I mourn like a dove; my eyes grow weak looking upward, O LORD, I am oppressed—be my security.
- Like a crane or a swallow I chatter; I mourn like a dove; my eyes fail looking upward—O LORD, I am oppressed; be my security.
Isa.38.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- אדבר: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- ואמר: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדדה: VERB,qal,impf,1,x,sg
- כל: DET
- שנותי: VERB,qal,perf,1,comm,sg
- על: PREP
- מר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:5 (structural): Same narrative: God's promise to Hezekiah about added years; Isaiah 38 records Hezekiah's personal response—acknowledging that God has spoken and acted.
- Psalm 39:4-7 (Heb. 39:5-8) (thematic): Meditation on the brevity and bitterness of life and resigned trust in God ('What shall I say?' / reflection on limited days), paralleling the tone of Isaiah 38:15.
- Job 13:15 (thematic): Expression of submission/trust even under divine action or affliction ('Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him'), echoing Hezekiah's recognition that God has acted and his humble response.
- Proverbs 16:9 (thematic): Affirms God's sovereignty over human plans ('the LORD directs the steps'), resonating with Isaiah's note that God has spoken and done what He willed.
- Psalm 116:9 (verbal): Uses the language of walking in life after deliverance ('I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living'), paralleling Isaiah's 'I shall walk… all my years' as a post-deliverance resolve.
Alternative generated candidates
- What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I shall walk humbly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
- What shall I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I will walk humbly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
Isa.38.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- עליהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- יחיו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ולכל: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהן: PREP+PRON,3,f,pl
- חיי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- רוחי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- ותחלימני: CONJ+VERB,hif,imperfect,2,m,sg,obj1cs
- והחיני: CONJ+VERB,hif,imperfect,2,m,sg,obj1cs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:5-6 (structural): Parallel account of Hezekiah’s prayer and God’s promise to heal him and add years to his life—the same event Isaiah 38 treats.
- Job 10:12 (verbal): Job: “Thou hast granted me life... thy visitation hath preserved my spirit” — closely echoes the language of life and preservation of the spirit in Isaiah 38:16.
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (thematic): “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word...” — a related theological motif about what truly sustains life (divine provision/word/spirit) reflected in Isaiah’s ‘by these things men live… the life of my spirit.’
- Ezekiel 37:14 (allusion): God’s promise to put his Spirit in the dead and they shall live parallels the idea of life being given/restored by God’s spirit in Isaiah 38:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit; you restore me and bring me back to life.
- O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. You restore me, and cause me to live.
Isa.38.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- לשלום: PREP
- מר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- מר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואתה: CONJ+PRON,2,m,sg
- חשקת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- משחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- בלי: PREP
- כי: CONJ
- השלכת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אחרי: PREP
- גוך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m
- כל: DET
- חטאי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
Parallels
- Psalm 30:3 (verbal): Thanksgiving for deliverance from the pit/grave — 'thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit,' echoing 'delivered it from the pit of corruption.'
- Psalm 103:3-4,12 (thematic): Language of God healing, redeeming life from destruction and removing transgressions far away mirrors Isaiah's themes of healing, redemption and God casting away sins behind his back.
- Micah 7:19 (verbal): Divine forgiveness pictured as casting sins away — 'Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the sea' closely parallels 'thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.'
- 2 Kings 20:5-6 (structural): Parallel historical context: God’s answered word to Hezekiah in his illness — promise of recovery and added years — the narrative background for Isaiah 38's thanksgiving.
- Psalm 116:8 (thematic): Personal thanksgiving for rescue from death — 'For thou hast delivered my soul from death' resonates with Isaiah's theme of God preserving the life/soul and turning calamity into peace.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but you have had compassion on my soul and delivered it; you have cast all my sins behind your back.
- Behold, for peace I had great bitterness, but you have loved my soul and delivered it from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
Isa.38.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- שאול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תודך: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
- יהללך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישברו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- יורדי: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- בור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 6:5 (verbal): Expresses the same idea that the dead cannot remember or thank God — ‘in death there is no remembrance of thee; in the grave who shall give thee thanks?’ — closely paralleling Isaiah’s claim that Sheol/death cannot praise God.
- Psalm 115:17 (verbal): Declares ‘The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence,’ a near verbal parallel highlighting the inability of the departed to praise God.
- Psalm 88:10-12 (verbal): Uses rhetorical questions about whether the dead can praise or experience God’s wonders (‘Shall your wonders be known in the grave?’), echoing Isaiah’s contrast between the living who bless God and the dead who cannot.
- Job 14:10-14 (thematic): Reflects on the finality of death and the absence of return/benefit for the dead; thematically related in portraying death/Sheol as a state incompatible with praising or experiencing God’s faithfulness.
Alternative generated candidates
- For Sheol cannot praise you; death cannot celebrate you; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your truth.
- For Sheol cannot thank you; Death cannot praise you; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
Isa.38.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- יודך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+OBJ,2,ms
- כמוני: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבנים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יודיע: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- אמתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 118:17 (verbal): "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD" closely parallels the theme of the living one giving thanks and proclaiming God's faithfulness.
- Psalm 145:4 (verbal): "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts" echoes the intergenerational transmission—parents telling children—found in Isaiah 38:19.
- Psalm 71:18 (thematic): An old/ailing speaker vows to continue declaring God's strength and deeds to the coming generation, matching Hezekiah's resolve to make God's faithfulness known to his children.
- Deuteronomy 6:7 (thematic): The command to teach God's words diligently to one's children ("...and shalt teach them... to thy children") provides the covenantal background for the father-to-children motif in Isaiah 38:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- The living—the living—he shall give you thanks, as I do today; the father shall make known to the children your faithfulness.
- The living— the living—he shall praise you, as I do today; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness.
Isa.38.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- להושיעני: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA
- ונגנותי: CONJ
- ננגן: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,pl
- כל: DET
- ימי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- חיינו: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:5 (structural): Part of the same Hezekiah narrative: Isaiah tells Hezekiah that the LORD has heard his prayer and will restore his life—providing the factual occasion for the song of thanksgiving in Isa 38:9–20.
- Psalm 118:14 (verbal): “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation” closely parallels Isa 38:20’s combination of divine salvation and musical praise.
- Psalm 27:4 (verbal): “One thing I asked of the LORD... that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life” echoes Isa 38:20’s commitment to worship at the house of the LORD ‘all the days of our life.’
- Psalm 30:11–12 (thematic): “You have turned my mourning into dancing... I will sing praise to you” matches the theme of recovery from death/affliction followed by joyful music and thanksgiving found in Isa 38:20.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD will save me; and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
- The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the LORD.
Isa.38.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ישעיהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- דבלת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- תאנים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וימרחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- השחין: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויחי: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:7 (verbal): Direct parallel account of Hezekiah’s illness: Isaiah (or the prophet) instructs that a cake of figs be applied to the boil; wording and action nearly identical.
- 2 Chronicles 32:24-25 (structural): Alternative retelling of Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery in the Chronicler’s history—same episode in a different biblical witness.
- John 9:6-7 (thematic): Jesus applies a physical substance (mud made with saliva) to the blind man’s eyes as part of the healing—parallel motif of a healer using a material poultice/action to effect restoration.
- Luke 10:34 (thematic): The Good Samaritan treats wounds with oil and wine—another biblical example of practical, material remedies used in care and healing, echoing the poultice image.
- Psalm 103:3 (thematic): Affirmation of God as healer (“who heals all your diseases”); provides theological background for narratives where divine healing occurs through prophets or physical means.
Alternative generated candidates
- Isaiah said, “Let them take a cake of figs and lay it on the boil, and he will recover.”
- Then Isaiah said, “Let them take a lump of figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
Isa.38.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חזקיהו: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- מה: PRON,int
- אות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אעלה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 20:8 (verbal): Direct parallel account of Hezekiah’s question in the parallel Deuteronomistic narrative — the same request for a sign that he will go up to the house of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 20:9-11 (structural): Immediate narrative resolution to the sign-question in the parallel account: God gives a miraculous sign (the shadow moves backward) confirming Hezekiah’s recovery and return to the temple.
- Isaiah 7:11 (allusion): Ahaz is invited to ask for a sign from the LORD ("Ask a sign for yourself"), reflecting the wider prophetic motif of requesting a divine sign as confirmation.
- Judges 6:36-40 (thematic): Gideon’s request for a sign (the fleece) parallels Hezekiah’s request thematically — both seek a concrete, miraculous confirmation of God’s word before proceeding.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hezekiah said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”
- Hezekiah asked, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”
In those days Hezekiah became sick unto death. Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet came to him and said, “Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live.”
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD.
He said, “Remember, O LORD, I have walked before you in truth and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,
“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.
I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city. And this shall be the sign to you from the LORD that the LORD will do this thing which he has spoken:
Behold, I will make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down on the sundial of Ahaz, return ten steps. The sun will go back ten steps on the stairway where it descended.”
A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he was sick and recovered.
I said, In the middle of my days I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remnant of my years.
I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD, in the land of the living; I shall look on mankind no more among the inhabitants of the world.
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; I have rolled up my life like a weaver—he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end.
I lie down until morning like a lion; so all my bones are wasted— from day until night you finish me.
I cry out like a dove— I moan like a mourning crane; my eyes grow dim from looking upward. O LORD, I am oppressed—be my surety.
What shall I say? He has spoken to me, and he himself has done it. I will walk humbly all the days of my life because of the bitterness of my soul.
O LORD, for these things men live; and in all these is the life of my spirit. You restore me and make me live.
Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but you have loved my soul from the pit, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
For Sheol does not thank you; death does not praise you. Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
The living— the living—will give you thanks, as I do today; the father makes known to children your faithfulness.
It is the LORD who saves me; and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the LORD.
Then Isaiah said, “Let them take a lump of figs and apply it as a poultice to the boil, and he will recover.”
Hezekiah said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”