Isaiah 38:17

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul [delivered it] from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

Behold, for peace {H7965} I had great bitterness {H4751}{H4843}: but thou hast in love {H2836} to my soul {H5315} delivered it from the pit {H7845} of corruption {H1097}: for thou hast cast {H7993} all my sins {H2399} behind {H310} thy back {H1460}.

though instead of peace, I felt very bitter. You desired my life and preserved it from the nothingness pit; for you threw all my sins behind your back.

Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

Behold, it wasformypeacethatI had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

Commentary on Isaiah 38:17 (KJV)

The verse Isaiah 38:17 is a profound expression of King Hezekiah's gratitude and insight into God's character following his miraculous recovery from a life-threatening illness. It beautifully encapsulates the journey from despair to divine peace through forgiveness.

Historical and Cultural Context

This verse is part of King Hezekiah's prayer and thanksgiving recorded in Isaiah 38:9-20. Prior to this, Hezekiah had received a dire prophecy from the prophet Isaiah, stating he would die and not recover (Isaiah 38:1). In deep distress, Hezekiah prayed fervently, and God, in His mercy, extended his life by fifteen years (Isaiah 38:5). His "great bitterness" refers to the anguish and despair he experienced facing imminent death and separation from God's presence among the living. The context highlights a personal and intimate encounter between a suffering king and a compassionate God.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Transformation from Bitterness to Peace: Hezekiah acknowledges that what seemed like a path to "great bitterness" and death ultimately led to "peace" through God's intervention. This illustrates how divine action can turn suffering into profound relief and spiritual well-being.
  • Divine Deliverance from the Pit: The phrase "the pit of corruption" refers to the grave or the brink of death. God's act of delivering Hezekiah's "soul" from this pit signifies a rescue from physical decay and the realm of the dead, emphasizing His power over life and death.
  • God's Personal Love and Forgiveness: The core message is God's deep affection ("in love to my soul") and His complete forgiveness of sins. Hezekiah understands that his physical healing was inextricably linked to spiritual cleansing and reconciliation with God.
  • Complete Forgiveness: The powerful imagery "thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" vividly portrays God's absolute and deliberate removal of sins. It means God chooses not to see, remember, or hold His people's transgressions against them, offering profound assurance of pardon. This concept is echoed in other scriptures, such as Psalm 103:12 and Micah 7:19, which speaks of God casting sins into the depths of the sea.

Linguistic Insights

  • "Pit of corruption" (שַׁחַת - shachat): This Hebrew word often denotes a pit, a dungeon, destruction, or the grave. It conveys the idea of a place of decay and oblivion. Hezekiah's deliverance was from the very threshold of death and the accompanying physical and spiritual dissolution.
  • "Cast all my sins behind thy back": This is a striking anthropomorphism, attributing a human action to God. It's a metaphorical expression of God's complete and intentional act of forgetting or ignoring sins. It's not that God literally has a back, but that He purposefully turns away from and dismisses the record of sin, much like someone putting something out of sight and out of mind. This imagery underscores the thoroughness and finality of divine forgiveness.

Practical Application

Hezekiah's experience offers timeless lessons for believers today. When faced with overwhelming challenges, whether illness, despair, or spiritual struggle, we can find solace in God's capacity for divine intervention. His love is personal, extending even to the deepest parts of our being ("to my soul"). Furthermore, this verse provides immense comfort regarding the forgiveness of sins. Just as God completely removed Hezekiah's transgressions, He offers the same complete pardon to those who turn to Him, especially through the atonement provided by Christ (Colossians 2:13). True peace often follows the acknowledgment of our need for God's mercy and the acceptance of His gracious forgiveness.

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.

  • Isaiah 43:25

    I, [even] I, [am] he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

  • Micah 7:18

    Who [is] a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth [in] mercy.

  • Micah 7:19

    He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

  • Jonah 2:6

    I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars [was] about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

  • Psalms 30:3

    O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

  • Jeremiah 31:34

    And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

  • Psalms 86:13

    For great [is] thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

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