TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Isaiah 38:9–22. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
We have here Hezekiah's thanksgiving-song, which he penned, by divine direction, after his recovery. He might have taken some of the psalms of his father David, and made use of them for his purpose; he might have found many very pertinent ones. He appointed the Levites to praise the Lord with the words of David, Ch2 29:30. But the occasion here was extraordinary, and, his heart being full of devout affections, he would not confine himself to the compositions he had, though of divine inspiration, but would offer up his affections in his own words, which is most natural and genuine. He put this thanksgiving in writing, that he might review it himself afterwards, for the reviving of the good impressions made upon him by the providence, and that it might be recommended to others also for their use upon the like occasion. Note, There are writings which it is proper for us to draw up after we have been sick and have recovered. It is good to write a memorial of the affliction, and of the frame of our hearts under it, - to keep a record of the thoughts we had of things when we were sick, the affections that were then working in us, - to write a memorial of the mercies of a sick bed, and of our release from it, that they may never be forgotten, - to write a thanksgiving to God, write a sure covenant with him, and seal it, - to give it under our hands that we will never return again to folly. It is an excellent writing which Hezekiah here left, upon his recovery; and yet we find (Ch2 32:25) that he rendered not again according to the benefit done to him. The impressions, one would think, should never have worn off, and yet, it seems, they did. Thanksgiving is good, but thanksliving is better. Now in this writing he preserves upon record,
I.The deplorable condition he was in when his disease prevailed, and his despair of recovery, Isa 38:10-13.
1.He tells us what his thoughts were of himself when he was at the worst; and these he keeps in remembrance,
(1.)As blaming himself for his despondency, and that he gave up himself for gone; whereas while there is life there is hope, and room for our prayer and God's mercy. Though it is good to consider sickness as a summons to the grave, so as thereby to be quickened in our preparations for another world, yet we ought not to make the worse of our case, nor to think that every sick man must needs be a dead man presently. He that brings low can raise up. Or,
(2.)As reminding himself of the apprehensions he had of death approaching, that he might always know and consider his own frailty and mortality, and that, though he had a reprieve for fifteen years, it was but a reprieve, and the fatal stroke he had now such a dread of would certainly come at last. Or,
(3.)As magnifying the power of God in restoring him when his case was desperate, and his goodness in being so much better to him than his own fears. Thus David sometimes, when he was delivered out of trouble, reflected upon the black and melancholy conclusions he had made upon his own case when he was in trouble, and what he had then said in his haste, as Psa 31:22; Psa 77:7-9.
2.Let us see what Hezekiah's thoughts of himself were.
(1.)He reckoned that the number of his months was cut off in the midst. He was now about thirty-nine or forty years of age, and when he had a fair prospect of many years and happy ones, very happy, very many, before him. This distemper that suddenly seized him he concluded would be the cutting off of his days, that he should now be deprived of the residue of his years, which in a course of nature he might have lived (not which he could command as a debt due to him, but which he had reason to expect, considering the strength of his constitution), and with them he should be deprived not only of the comforts of life, but of all the opportunities he had of serving God and his generation. To the same purport (Isa 38:12), "My age has departed and gone, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent, out of which I am forcibly dislodged by the pulling of it down in an instant." Our present residence is but like that of a shepherd in his tent, a poor, mean, and cold lodging, where we are upon duty, and with a trust committed to our charge, as the shepherd has, of which we must give an account, and which will easily be taken down by the drawing of one pin or two. But observe, It is not the final period of our age, but only the removal of it to another world, where the tents of Kedar that are taken down, coarse, black, and weather-beaten, shall be set up again in the New Jerusalem, comely as the curtains of Solomon. He adds another similitude: I have cut off, like a weaver, my life. Not that he did by any act of his own cut off the thread of his life; but, being told that he must needs die, he was forced to cut off all his designs and projects, his purposes were broken off, even the thoughts of his heart, as Job's were, Job 17:11. Our days are compared to the weaver's shuttle (Job 7:6), passing and repassing very swiftly, every throw leaving a thread behind it; and, when they are finished, the thread is cut off, and the piece taken out of the loom, and shown to our Master, to be judged of whether it be well woven or no, that we may receive according to the things done in the body. But as the weaver, when he has cut off his thread, has done his work, and the toil is over, so a good man, when his life is cut off, his cares and fatigues are cut off with it, and he rests from his labours. "But did I say, I have cut off my life? No, my times are not in my own hand; they are in God's hand, and it is he that will cut me off from the thrum (so the margin reads it); he has appointed what shall be the length of the piece, and, when it comes to that length, he will cut it off."
(2.)He reckoned that he should go to the gates of the grave - to the grave, the gates of which are always open; for it is still crying, Give, give. The grave is here put not only for the sepulchre of his fathers, in which his body would be deposited with a great deal of pomp and magnificence (for he was buried in the chief of the sepulchres of the kings, and all Judah did him honour at his death, Ch2 32:33), which yet he himself took no care of, nor gave any order about, when he was sick; but for the state of the dead, that is, the sheol, the hades, the invisible world, to which he saw his soul going.
(3.)He reckoned that he was deprived of all the opportunities he might have had of worshipping God and doing good in the world (Isa 38:1): "I said," [1.] "I shall not see the Lord, as he manifests himself in his temple, in his oracles and ordinances, even the Lord here in the land of the living." He hopes to see him on the other side death, but he despairs of seeing him any more on this side death, as he had seen him in the sanctuary, Psa 63:2. He shall no more see (that is, serve) the Lord in the land of the living, the land of conflict between his kingdom and the kingdom of Satan, this seat of war. He dwells much upon this: I shall no more see the Lord, even the Lord; for a good man wishes not to live for any other end than that he may serve God and have communion with him. [2.] "I shall see man no more." He shall see his subjects no more, whom he may protect and administer justice to, shall see no more objects of charity, whom he may relieve, shall see his friends no more, who were often sharpened by his countenance, as iron is by iron. Death puts an end to conversation, and removes our acquaintance into darkness, Psa 88:18.
(4.)He reckoned that the agonies of death would be very sharp and severe: "He will cut me off with pining sickness, which will waste me, and wear me off, quickly." The distemper increased so fast, without intermission or remission, either day or night, morning or evening, that he concluded it would soon come to a crisis and make an end of him - that God, whose servants all diseases are, would by them, as a lion, break all his bones with grinding pain, Isa 38:13. He thought that next morning was the utmost he could expect to live in such pain and misery; when he had outlived the first day's illness the second day he repeated his fears, and concluded that this must needs be his last night: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me. When we are sick we are very apt to be thus calculating our time, and, after all, we are still at uncertainty. It should be more our care how we shall get safely to another world than how long we are likely to live in this world.
II.The complaints he made in this condition (Isa 38:14):
"Like a crane, or swallow, so did I chatter; I made a noise as those birds do when they are frightened." See what a change sickness makes in a little time; he that, but the other day, spoke with so much freedom and majesty, nor, through the extremity of pain or deficiency of spirits, chatters like a crane or a swallow. Some think he refers to his praying in his affliction; it was so broken and interrupted with groanings which could not be uttered that it was more like the chattering of a crane or a swallow than what it used to be. Such mean thoughts had he of his own prayers, which yet were acceptable to God, and successful. He mourned like a dove, sadly, but silently and patiently. He had found God so ready to answer his prayers at other times that he could not but look upwards, in expectation of some relief now, but in vain: his eyes failed, and he saw no hopeful symptom, nor felt any abatement of his distemper; and therefore he prays, "I am oppressed, quite overpowered and ready to sink; Lord, undertake for me; bail me out of the hands of the serjeant that has arrested me; be surety for thy servant for good, Psa 119:122. Come between me and the gates of the grave, to which I am ready to be hurried." When we recover from sickness, the divine pity does, as it were, beg a day for us, and undertakes we shall be forthcoming another time and answer the debt in full. And, when we receive the sentence of death within ourselves, we are undone if the divine grace do not undertake for us to carry us through the valley of the shadow of death, and to preserve us blameless to the heavenly kingdom on the other side of it - if Christ do not undertake for us, to bring us off in judgment, and present us to his Father, and to do all that for us which we need, and cannot do for ourselves. I am oppressed, ease me (so some read it); for, when we are agitated by a sense of guilt and the fear of wrath, nothing will make us easy but Christ's undertaking for us.
III.The grateful acknowledgment he makes of God's goodness to him in his recovery.
He begins this part of the writing as one at a stand how to express himself (Isa 38:15): "What shall I say? Why should I say so much by way of complaint when this is enough to silence all my complaints - He has spoken unto me; he has sent his prophet to tell me that I shall recover and live fifteen years yet; and he himself has done it: it is as sure to be done as if it were done already. What God has spoken he will himself do, for no word of his shall fall to the ground." God having spoken it, he is sure of it (Isa 38:16): "Thou wilt restore me, and make me to live; not only restore me from this illness, but make me to live through the years assigned me." And, having this hope,
1.He promises himself always to retain the impressions of his affliction (Isa 38:15): "I will go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul, as one in sorrow for my sinful distrusts and murmurings under my affliction, as one in care to make suitable returns for God's favour to me and to make it appear that I have got good by the providences I have been under. I will go softly, gravely and considerately, and with thought and deliberation, not as many, who, when they have recovered, live as carelessly and as much at large as ever." Or, "I will go pleasantly" (so some understand it); "when God has delivered me I will walk cheerfully with him in all holy conversation, as having tasted that he is gracious." Or, "I will go softly, even after the bitterness of my soul" (so it may be read); "when the trouble is over I will endeavour to retain the impression of it, and to have the same thoughts of things that I had then."
2.He will encourage himself and others with the experiences he had had of the goodness of God (Isa 38:16): "By these things which thou hast done for me they live, the kingdom lives" (for the life of such a king was the life of the kingdom); "all that hear of it shall live and be comforted; by the same power and goodness that have restored me all men have their souls held in life, and they ought to acknowledge it. In all these things is the life of my spirit, my spiritual life, that is supported and maintained by what God has done for the preservation of my natural life." The more we taste of the loving-kindness of God in every providence the more will our hearts be enlarged to love him and live to him, and that will be the life of our spirit. Thus our souls live, and they shall praise him.
3.He magnifies the mercy of his recovery, on several accounts.
(1.)That he was raised up from great extremity (Isa 38:17): Behold, for peace I had great bitterness. When, upon the defeat of Sennacherib, he expected nothing but an uninterrupted peace to himself and his government, he was suddenly seized with sickness, which embittered all his comforts to him, and went to such a height that it seemed to be the bitterness of death itself - bitterness, bitterness, nothing but gall and wormwood. This was his condition when God sent him seasonable relief.
(2.)That it came from the love of God, from love to his soul. Some are spared and reprieved in wrath, that they may be reserved for some greater judgment when they have filled up the measure of their iniquities; but temporal mercies are sweet indeed to us when we can taste the love of God in them. He delivered me because he delighted in me (Psa 18:19); and the word here signifies a very affectionate love: Thou hast loved my soul from the pit of corruption; so it runs in the original. God's love is sufficient to bring a soul from the pit of corruption. This is applicable to our redemption by Christ; it was in love to our souls, our poor perishing souls, that he delivered them from the bottomless pit, snatched them as brands out of everlasting burnings. In his love and in his pity he redeemed us. And the preservation of our bodies, as well as the provision made for them, is doubly comfortable when it is in love to our souls - when God repairs the house because he has a kindness for the inhabitant.
(3.)That it was the effect of the pardon of sin: "For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back, and thereby hast delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, in love to it." Note,
[1.]When God pardons sin he casts it behind his back, as not designing to look upon it with an eye of justice and jealousy. He remembers it no more, to visit for it. The pardon does not make the sin not to have been, or not to have been sin, but not to be punished as it deserves. When we cast our sins behind our back, and take no care to repent of them, God sets them before his face, and is ready to reckon for them; but when we set them before our face in true repentance, as David did when his sin was ever before him, God casts them behind his back.
[2.]When God pardons sins he pardons all, casts them all behind his back, though they have been as scarlet and crimson.
[3.]The pardoning of the sin is the delivering of the soul from the pit of corruption.
[4.]It is pleasant indeed to think of our recoveries from sickness when we see them flowing from the remission of sin; then the cause is removed, and then it is in love to the soul.
(4.)That it was the lengthening out of his opportunity to glorify God in this world, which he made the business, and pleasure, and end of life.
[1.]If this sickness had been his death, it would have put a period to that course of service for the glory of God and the good of the church which he was now pursuing, Isa 38:18. Heaven indeed praises God, and the souls of the faithful, when at death they remove thither, do that work of heaven as the angels, and with the angels, there; but what is this world the better for that? What does that contribute to the support and advancement of God's kingdom among men in this state of struggle? The grave cannot praise God, nor the dead bodies that lie there. Death cannot celebrate him, cannot proclaim his perfections and favours, to invite others into his service. Those who go down to the pit, being no longer in a state of probation, nor living by faith in his promises, cannot give him honour by hoping for his truth. Those that lie rotting in the grave, as they are not capable of receiving any further mercy from God, so neither are they capable of offering any more praises to him, till they shall be raised at the last day, and then they shall both receive and give glory.
[2.]Having recovered from it, he resolves not only to proceed, but to abound, in praising and serving God (Isa 38:19): The living, the living, he shall praise thee. They may do it; they have an opportunity of praising God, and that is the main thing that makes life valuable and desirable to a good man. Hezekiah was therefore glad to live, not that he might continue to enjoy his royal dignity and the honour and pleasure of his late successes, but that he might continue to praise God. The living must praise God; they live in vain if they do not. Those that have been dying and yet are living, whose life is from the dead, are in a special manner obliged to praise God, as being most sensibly affected with his goodness. Hezekiah, for his part, having recovered from this sickness, will make it his business to praise God: "I do it this day; let others do it in like manner." Those that give good exhortations should set good examples, and do themselves what they expect from others. "For my part," says Hezekiah, "the Lord was ready to save me; he not only did save me, but he was ready to do it just then when I was in the greatest extremity; his help came in seasonably; he showed himself willing and forward to save me. The Lord was to save me, was at hand to do it, saved me a the first word; and therefore," First, "I will publish and proclaim his praises. I and my family, I and my friends, I and my people, will have a concert of praise to his glory: We will sing my songs to the stringed instruments, that others may attend to them, and be affected with them, when they are in the most devout and serious frame in the house of the Lord." It is for the honour of God, and the edification of his church, that special mercies should be acknowledged in public praises, especially mercies to public persons, Psa 116:18, Psa 116:19. Secondly, "I will proceed and persevere in his praises." We should do so all the days of our life, because every day of our life is itself a fresh mercy and brings many fresh mercies along with it; and, as renewed mercies call for renewed praises, so former eminent mercies call for repeated praises. It is by the mercy of God that we live, and therefore, as long as we live, we must continue to praise him, while we have breath, nay, while we have being. Thirdly, "I will propagate and perpetuate his praises." We should not only praise him all the days of our life, but the father to the children should make known his truth, that the ages to come may give God the glory of his truth by trusting to it. It is the duty of parents to possess their children with a confidence in the truth of God, which will go far towards keeping them close to the ways of God. Hezekiah, doubtless, did this himself, and yet Manasseh his son walked not in his steps. Parents may give their children many good things, good instructions, good examples, good books, but they cannot give them grace.
IV.In the last two verses of this chapter we have two passages relating to this story which were omitted in the narrative of it here, but which we had 2 Kings 20, and therefore shall here only observe two lessons from them: - 1. That God's promises are intended not to supersede, but to quicken and encourage, the use of means. Hezekiah is sure to recover, and yet he must take a lump of figs and lay it on the boil, Isa 38:21. We do not trust God, but tempt him, if, when we pray to him for help, we do not second our prayers with our endeavours. We must not put physicians, or physic, in the place of God, but make use of them in subordination to God and to his providence; help thyself and God will help thee. 2. That the chief end we should aim at, in desiring life and health, is that we may glorify God, and do good, and improve ourselves in knowledge, and grace, and meetness for heaven. Hezekiah, when he meant, What is the sign that I shall recover? asked, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord, there to honour God, to keep up acquaintance and communion with him, and to encourage others to serve him? Isa 38:22. It is taken for granted that if God would restore him to health he would immediately go up to the temple with his thank-offerings. There Christ found the impotent man whom he had healed, Joh 5:14. The exercises of religion are so much the business and delight of a good man that to be restrained from them is the greatest grievance of his afflictions, and to be restored to them is the greatest comfort of his deliverances. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
One surviving comment on this verse from the historical church.
(Verse 16 onwards) I will consider all my years in the bitterness of my soul. Lord, if this is how one lives, and in such a life of my spirit, you will correct me and give me life. Behold, in peace is my bitterest bitterness. But you have saved my soul from perishing: you have cast all my sins behind your back. For neither the underworld will confess to you, nor death praise you: those who descend into the pit will not await your truth. Living, the living himself will confess to you, as I do today. The father will make your truth known to the children. Lord, save me, and we will sing our songs all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. LXX. Lord, it was announced to you about her: and you have revived my spirit and comforted me. Behold, in peace is my bitterness: for you have saved my soul from perishing, and you have cast behind me all my sins. For neither will they praise you in hell, nor will the dead bless you. Nor will those who are in the underworld hope for your mercy: the living will bless you, just as I do. For from today I will make children who will proclaim your righteousness, O Lord of my salvation, and I will not rest, blessing you with the Psalter, all the days of my life in the presence of the house of God. Nothing of the long things of mortals lasts, and all the happiness of the world, while it is held, is lost. For when the time of tribulation comes, everything that is past does not help the one who endures. Hence, the foolish sentiment of Epicurus is, who claims that the remembrance of past good things mitigates present misfortunes. Therefore, Hezekiah says that he considers all the years of his reign, and of his past, as happiness believed to be bitter in the present. And because he is now secure, and does not suffer what is recounted, he philosophizes about the human condition, and says: Lord, if this is how we live, and this is the condition in which we are born, You have chastised me, but You have also given me life, and You have bestowed peace by driving away the Assyrian; but my peace has been more bitter to me than all bitterness, because with tranquility restored to the people, and the city secure, I alone have entered the threshold of death. But you have delivered my soul, so that it would not perish, either in this present life or in the future. You have cast all my sins behind me, so that I may not behold them in sadness, but rather contemplate your mercy. For hell and death will not confess or praise you, according to what is written: For in death there is no remembrance of you (Psalm 6:5). And here confession is understood not for repentance, but for glory and praise, as we also read in the Gospel, I confess to you, O Lord, Father of heaven and earth (Matthew 11:25). Those who descend into the pit will not expect your truth, he says, but rather your mercy, better than in the Septuagint. For he who is in hell does not expect the truth of judgment, but the mercy of God, especially when the Savior descended into hell to free the captives from the depths. They transferred the dead to the same place more clearly. The living, the living themselves will confess to you, just as I do today. And this confession is set forth for praise. For he does not confess his own crimes, but gives thanks to God; and there is no beautiful praise on the mouth of a sinner (Sirach 15). And when Hell and death do not confess or praise God, on the contrary, life and the living glorify the Lord. And what follows: The Father will make your truth known to your children, this signifies what is said in Deuteronomy: Ask your father, and he will tell you; your elders, and they will inform you (Deuteronomy 32, 7), so that God's mercy may be proclaimed to posterity through successions and individual generations. For this reason the LXX translate it: 'From today I will beget sons who will announce your righteousness.' And the causal conjunction connects the following with what came before: that indeed, living beings and he himself, who will beget sons from this day, might bless God, because it was certainly not within their power. For those children were not promised through the prophet, but rather through the present life. Especially since Manasseh, the most impious son, was born, who filled Jerusalem with blood from gate to gate, and did not bless but cursed God, persecuting his saints. Therefore we can say according to the Septuagint that he said, 'I will make children' instead of 'sons': but by 'children' we understand either little ones, or young boys, or infants and later generations, so that all future posterity, knowing this, may praise his incredible mercy which he has obtained. Therefore save me, O Lord; and all who believe in you and are delivered by your help, may we sing to you in the Temple all the days of our life.
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Summary
Isaiah 38:17 captures King Hezekiah's profound transformation from the brink of death and despair to a state of divinely granted peace and spiritual renewal. Following his miraculous recovery from a terminal illness, Hezekiah articulates a deep understanding of God's character, recognizing that his physical healing was inextricably linked to God's compassionate love and the complete, decisive forgiveness of his sins. This verse stands as a powerful testament to God's holistic redemption, turning overwhelming bitterness into a profound experience of grace and restoration.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is a pivotal declaration within King Hezekiah's "writing when he had been sick and was recovered from his sickness," recorded in Isaiah 38:9-20. It immediately follows the narrative of his fatal illness and God's miraculous intervention, adding fifteen years to his life in response to his fervent prayer, marked by the sign of the sundial's shadow retreating ten degrees (Isaiah 38:1-8). Hezekiah's preceding verses (Isaiah 38:10-14) vividly portray his deep anguish, lamenting the premature end of his life and the inability to praise God among the living. Verse 17 represents the climax of his thanksgiving, articulating the profound spiritual insight gained through his suffering: God's deliverance was not merely physical but comprehensive, encompassing the forgiveness of sins, which is the ultimate source of true peace.
Historical & Cultural Context
King Hezekiah reigned over Judah during a period of intense geopolitical instability, primarily facing the formidable threat of the Assyrian Empire. His reign (c. 715-686 BC) was marked by significant religious reforms, purging idolatry and centralizing worship at the Jerusalem Temple, aligning Judah more closely with the Mosaic covenant (see 2 Kings 18:3-6). In the ancient Near East, severe illness, especially one unto death, was often interpreted as a sign of divine displeasure or as a consequence of sin. Conversely, recovery was seen as a clear indication of divine favor and forgiveness. The "pit of corruption" (or Sheol/the grave) represented the universal, inescapable destination of all humanity, a shadowy realm from which return was generally not expected. Hezekiah's lament in the preceding verses reflects a common Old Testament perspective that death meant a cessation of active praise and communion with God in the land of the living (Psalm 6:5). Thus, his miraculous recovery was not just a physical reprieve but a profound spiritual restoration, confirming God's active and merciful involvement in the lives of His covenant people.
Key Themes
Isaiah 38:17 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Isaiah and broader biblical theology. It highlights the theme of Divine Sovereignty over Life and Death, demonstrating God's absolute power to extend life and rescue from the very brink of the grave, a truth echoed in Deuteronomy 32:39. The verse also profoundly underscores God's Compassionate Love and Personal Engagement, revealing a God who hears the cries of His people and responds with tender, intimate care, specifically "in love to my soul." Crucially, it emphasizes the theme of Complete Forgiveness and Restoration, portraying God's radical act of casting sins away, a promise that resonates throughout prophetic literature (e.g., Micah 7:19). Hezekiah's personal experience serves as a microcosm of God's grand redemptive plan, where physical healing is inextricably intertwined with spiritual cleansing, leading to profound and lasting peace.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
The KJV translates two related Hebrew words here, emphasizing the intensity and pervasive nature of Hezekiah's suffering. Mar' (H4751) denotes a state of deep sorrow, anguish, or discontent, literally or figuratively bitter. Mârar' (H4843), the root, means "to be bitter" or "to make bitter," often implying a state of being grieved or vexed. Together, they convey the profound, soul-wrenching distress Hezekiah experienced at the prospect of death, transforming his expectation of "peace" (wholeness, well-being) into a reality of intense, overwhelming "great bitterness."
This verb means "to cling," "to join," or figuratively, "to love" or "to delight in." When applied to God, as in this verse, it signifies His deep affection, strong attachment, and benevolent desire for His people. It's not merely a passive feeling but an active, decisive inclination towards Hezekiah's well-being, leading directly to his deliverance. This word highlights the personal and intimate nature of God's intervention, motivated by His profound care for Hezekiah's "soul" (his very life and being).
This noun refers to a crime, an offense, or its penalty; it denotes a deviation from God's standard, a "missing of the mark." In the context of Hezekiah's illness, while not explicitly stated as a direct punishment for a specific sin, the Old Testament often linked suffering to sin. Hezekiah's recognition of God casting his "sins" behind His back indicates a profound understanding that God's forgiveness was integral to his holistic restoration, both physically and spiritually. It speaks to the comprehensive nature of God's grace, addressing the spiritual root of human brokenness and alienation from God.
Verse Breakdown
"Behold, for peace I had great bitterness"
Hezekiah begins with an exclamation of wonder and profound realization ("Behold!"). He reflects on the stark contrast between his hopeful expectation of "peace" (Hebrew: shalom – wholeness, well-being, a normal, flourishing life) and the grim reality of his severe illness, which brought him "great bitterness" – intense physical pain, emotional anguish, grief, and despair at the thought of imminent death. This clause vividly sets up the dramatic reversal wrought by God's intervention.
"but thou hast in love to my soul [delivered it] from the pit of corruption"
This clause marks the dramatic turning point, attributing the deliverance directly and solely to God. The phrase "in love to my soul" profoundly emphasizes God's deep affection, personal care, and benevolent desire as the motivation for His saving action. "My soul" refers to Hezekiah's very life, his being, his inner self. God "delivered it" (implied in the KJV, explicitly a rescue in the Hebrew context) from "the pit of corruption," which signifies the grave, the realm of decay, or the very brink of death. This highlights God's absolute power over life and death, rescuing Hezekiah from what seemed an inevitable and final end.
"for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back"
This final clause provides the profound spiritual reason and ultimate assurance behind Hezekiah's physical deliverance and renewed peace. The imagery of God "casting sins behind His back" is a powerful anthropomorphism. It signifies God's complete, deliberate, and final act of forgetting, dismissing, or choosing not to remember or hold Hezekiah's sins against him. This act of comprehensive and irreversible forgiveness is presented as the foundational reason for the peace and holistic restoration Hezekiah experienced, demonstrating that God's mercy extends to both physical well-being and, more importantly, spiritual reconciliation.
Literary Devices
Isaiah 38:17 masterfully employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message of divine intervention and forgiveness. Antithesis is strikingly evident in the opening clause, contrasting Hezekiah's expectation of "peace" with the reality of "great bitterness," thereby highlighting the dramatic and unexpected shift in his condition and perspective. The phrase "the pit of corruption" serves as a vivid metaphor for the grave or the state of death and decay, powerfully evoking a sense of finality and hopelessness from which only divine intervention could rescue. Most profoundly, the verse utilizes anthropomorphism in the declaration "for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back." This attributes a human action—turning away and discarding something as if it no longer exists or matters—to God, making the abstract concept of divine forgiveness tangible, personal, and profoundly reassuring. It is a powerful idiom that communicates the thoroughness and finality of God's pardon, implying that He chooses not to see, remember, or hold the transgressions against the repentant, thus offering complete reconciliation and true peace.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Isaiah 38:17 beautifully illustrates the profound interconnectedness of physical healing and spiritual forgiveness within God's comprehensive redemptive work. Hezekiah's experience reveals that true peace (shalom) is not merely the absence of trouble or illness but the presence of God's holistic restoration, which addresses both the body and the soul. God's "love to my soul" underscores His deeply personal and intimate care for His creation, extending His mercy and active intervention even when human life seems at its absolute end. The profound act of casting sins behind His back signifies God's complete, irreversible, and gracious pardon, a testament to His character as a forgiving and merciful Father who desires reconciliation. This divine action transforms despair into profound gratitude, overwhelming bitterness into lasting peace, and the shadow of death into renewed life and purpose, demonstrating God's ultimate authority over all aspects of human existence, both temporal and eternal.
Reflection and Application
Hezekiah's heartfelt song of thanksgiving in Isaiah 38:17 offers profound encouragement and a powerful model for believers navigating their own seasons of "great bitterness." Whether facing severe physical illness, profound emotional loss, spiritual despair, or the weight of past failures, this verse reminds us that our God is intimately involved in our suffering. His love is not distant or abstract but deeply personal, reaching into the very core of our being ("to my soul"). Just as Hezekiah's physical healing was intertwined with spiritual cleansing, we are invited to recognize that God's holistic restoration often addresses both our outward circumstances and our inward spiritual condition. The profound assurance that God casts our sins "behind His back" provides immense comfort and liberation, freeing us from the debilitating burden of guilt and shame and enabling us to walk in the peace of His complete and irreversible forgiveness. This passage calls us to cultivate a deep trust in God's sovereign power to transform our deepest sorrows into profound gratitude and renewed purpose, knowing that His boundless mercy triumphs over judgment.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "for peace I had great bitterness" mean?
This phrase vividly captures King Hezekiah's profound emotional and physical state. He expected the normal course of life, which he refers to as "peace" (Hebrew: shalom – wholeness, well-being, prosperity, and a flourishing life). Instead, he was struck with a terminal illness that brought him "great bitterness"—intense physical suffering, overwhelming anguish, and deep despair at the prospect of imminent death. It highlights the stark contrast between his hopeful expectation and the grim, life-threatening reality he faced before God's miraculous and compassionate intervention.
What is the "pit of corruption" referring to?
The "pit of corruption" (Hebrew: shachath bᵉlîy) is a powerful and vivid metaphorical expression referring to the grave, the realm of death, or the state of decay and oblivion. It signifies the very brink of death, from which Hezekiah was miraculously delivered. This phrase emphasizes the finality and hopelessness of death from a human perspective, underscoring the immense magnitude of God's power to rescue and restore life, as also seen in Psalm 30:3. It highlights that Hezekiah was rescued from an otherwise inevitable end.
How can God "cast all my sins behind thy back"? Does God literally have a back?
This is a beautiful example of anthropomorphism, a literary device that attributes human characteristics or actions to God to help us understand a divine truth. God does not literally have a physical back. The imagery powerfully conveys the completeness and finality of His forgiveness. When someone puts something "behind their back," they are intentionally putting it out of sight, out of mind, and choosing not to remember or hold it against the other person. This phrase means God chooses not to remember, acknowledge, or hold our sins against us, offering a full, comprehensive, and irreversible pardon, as also described in Jeremiah 31:34. It speaks to the depth of His mercy and grace.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hezekiah's experience in Isaiah 38:17 serves as a profound Old Testament foreshadowing of the comprehensive salvation and holistic redemption offered ultimately and perfectly in Jesus Christ. Hezekiah's miraculous deliverance from the "pit of corruption" and the casting away of his sins points directly to Christ's ultimate victory over death and sin. While Hezekiah was granted an extension of mortal life, Jesus Christ conquered death definitively through His resurrection, offering not merely a temporary reprieve but eternal life to all who believe in Him (see John 11:25-26). The "love to my soul" that motivated God's deliverance of Hezekiah finds its supreme and ultimate expression in God's incomprehensible act of sending His only Son, Jesus, to die for humanity's sins (see John 3:16). The profound act of God casting Hezekiah's sins "behind thy back" is fully and eternally realized in the atoning work of Christ on the cross, where He bore the sins of the world, effectively removing them from God's sight and from the believer's condemnation (see Colossians 2:13-14). Through Christ, our "great bitterness" of sin, death, and separation from God is transformed into the everlasting "peace" of reconciliation with God (see Romans 5:1), fulfilling the promise of complete forgiveness, spiritual restoration, and eternal deliverance.