Isaiah 38:12

Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day [even] to night wilt thou make an end of me.

Mine age {H1755} is departed {H5265}, and is removed {H1540} from me as a shepherd's {H7473} tent {H168}: I have cut off {H7088} like a weaver {H707} my life {H2416}: he will cut me off {H1214} with pining sickness {H1803}: from day {H3117} even to night {H3915} wilt thou make an end {H7999} of me.

My home is uprooted and taken away from me like a shepherd's tent. Like a weaver, I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom. Between day and night you could finish me off.

My dwelling has been picked 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 until night You make an end of me.

My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have rolled up, like a weaver, my life; he will cut me off from the loom: From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

Isaiah 38:12 captures the raw anguish and despair of King Hezekiah as he faced imminent death from a severe illness. This lament is found within King Hezekiah's prayer during a life-threatening illness, before God mercifully granted him an additional fifteen years of life. The verse graphically describes his perception of life being cut short and his profound sense of helplessness.

Context

King Hezekiah, a righteous king of Judah, was told by the prophet Isaiah that he would die from his sickness. Overwhelmed with grief, Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed fervently to the Lord. This verse is part of the mournful song or prayer he composed (recorded in Isaiah 38:9-20) reflecting his state of mind at the brink of death. It vividly portrays the psychological and physical toll of his "pining sickness" and his belief that his end was near.

Key Themes

  • Mortality and Fragility of Life: The verse emphasizes the temporary and delicate nature of human life, likening it to easily dismantled structures.
  • Despair and Helplessness: Hezekiah's words convey a deep sense of powerlessness against the approaching end, feeling as though his life is being actively "cut off."
  • Divine Sovereignty: Despite his despair, Hezekiah acknowledges God's hand in his affliction ("thou wilt make an end of me"), recognizing the Lord's ultimate control over life and death.
  • Suffering and Sickness: The phrase "pining sickness" highlights the physical and emotional toll of his severe illness.

Linguistic Insights

  • "Shepherd's tent": The Hebrew phrase 'ohel ro'eh (אֹהֶל רֹעֶה) refers to a temporary, easily dismantled dwelling used by nomadic shepherds. This imagery powerfully conveys the idea of life being fleeting and effortlessly taken down, emphasizing the fragility and fleeting nature of human existence.
  • "Cut off like a weaver my life": The Hebrew word 'oreg (אֹרֵג) means 'weaver'. A weaver cuts the finished cloth from the loom, signifying the abrupt termination of a life's work or thread. This metaphor underscores the sudden and decisive end Hezekiah felt was coming.
  • "Pining sickness": The Hebrew dallah (דַּלָּה) or related terms suggest a languishing, wasting, or weakening condition, accurately describing the debilitating nature of his illness.

Practical Application

Isaiah 38:12 serves as a poignant reminder of human vulnerability and the preciousness of life. It encourages us to:

  • Acknowledge Mortality: While this verse expresses despair, it prompts reflection on our own finite existence and the importance of living purposefully.
  • Turn to God in Distress: Hezekiah's desperate prayer, even in the face of death, demonstrates the power of crying out to God in our deepest moments of suffering and helplessness. It underscores God's ultimate sovereignty over life and death.
  • Appreciate Each Day: The vivid imagery of life being cut short can foster gratitude for every moment and encourage us to make the most of the time we are given.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 2 Corinthians 5:1

    ¶ For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

  • Psalms 73:14

    For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

  • Hebrews 1:12

    And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

  • James 4:14

    Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

  • Job 9:25

    ¶ Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.

  • Job 9:26

    They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle [that] hasteth to the prey.

  • Isaiah 13:20

    It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
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