The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  36:2 Rabshakeh. The spokesman for Sennacherib’s 3 highest officials, who represented the king against Jerusalem on this occasion, according to 2 Kin. 18:17. great army. This was a token force of the main army (37:36), with which Sennacherib hoped to bluff Judah into submitting. Lachish. A city about 25 mi. SW of Jerusalem. Sennacherib’s conquest of this city was in its closing phase when he sent the messengers. aqueduct from the upper pool. Isaiah met Ahaz at the same spot to try unsuccessfully to dissuade him from trusting in foreign powers (7:3).

  36:3 Eliakim…Shebna. See notes on 22:19–22. Joah…the recorder. The position was that of an intermediary between the king and the people.

  36:4–10 Rabshakeh’s logic was twofold: (1) Egypt was to be unable to deliver Jerusalem (vv. 4–6, 8, 9), and (2) the Lord had called on the Assyrians to destroy Judah (vv. 7, 10).

  36:4 great king, the king of Assyria. The self-appropriated title of Assyrian kings. In contrast, Rabshakeh rudely omitted any title for Hezekiah (vv. 4, 14, 15, 16).

  36:5 mere words. Words amounted to nothing when it came to warfare. In other words, Judah was defenseless.

  36:6 broken reed, Egypt. The Assyrian’s advice strongly resembled that of Isaiah (19:14–16; 30:7; 31:3).

  36:7 He whose high places and whose altars. Rabshakeh mistakenly thought Hezekiah’s reforms in removing idols (2 Kin. 18:4; 2 Chr. 31:1) had removed opportunities to worship the Lord. this altar. That all worship should center in Solomon’s temple, was utterly foreign to the polytheistic Assyrians.

  36:8, 9 Rabshakeh taunted and minimized Judah’s best defensive efforts, even with Egypt’s help.

  36:10 The LORD said. Rabshakeh’s boastful claim of the authority from Judah’s God for his mission may have been a ploy on his part to get a surrender, but it aligned with Isaiah’s prophecy that the Assyrians would be His instrument to punish His people (8:7, 8; 10:5, 6). The Assyrians may have heard this from partisans or may not have known this, but Judah did.

  36:11 Aramaic…Hebrew. Hezekiah’s representatives, aware of the alarm created by the suggestion that the Lord was on the Assyrian side, asked Rabshekah to change from Hebrew to Aramaic, the language of diplomacy, so the people on the wall could not understand his words and be terrified.

  36:12 men…on the wall. The foreign emissary continued his efforts to damage the city’s morale by speaking of the horrors of famine that a long siege would entail.

  36:13–17 Rabshakeh spoke longer and louder, suggesting that Hezekiah could not save the city, but the great king, the king of Assyria, would fill the people with abundance (vv. 16, 17).

  36:16 Make…present. Lit. “Make a blessing with me.” The official invited the people to make a covenant with Assyria by surrendering.

  36:17 take you away. Rabshakeh did not hide Assyria’s well-known practice of deporting conquered peoples to distant places.

  36:18–20 In Rabshakeh’s eyes, the Lord was one of the many gods worshiped by nations conquered by the Assyrians (cf. 10:8–11).

  36:21 held their peace. Hezekiah had apparently anticipated the ultimatum of the Assyrians and had told his representatives and the men on the wall not to respond.

  36:22 clothes torn. The king’s representatives reported to him in a state of grief and shock at the blasphemy they thought they had heard.

  Isaiah 37

  37:1 tore…sackcloth. A reaction that symbolized Hezekiah’s grief, repentance and contrition. The nation was to repent and the king was to lead the way. house of the LORD. God designated the temple as His “house of prayer” (56:7; Matt. 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46), so it was the proper place to go to confess sins and seek forgiveness (cf. Ps. 73:16, 17).

  37:2 elders of the priests. Senior religious leaders in Israel.

  37:3 come to birth…no strength. Hezekiah compared his dilemma with a mother in labor unable to deliver her child. Jerusalem had to be delivered, but he was helpless to make it happen.

  37:4 reproach the living God. Hezekiah received a report of Rabshakeh’s belittling of the Lord by equating Him with other gods and points out the distinction between God who is living and gods who are lifeless and helpless (40:18–20; 46:5–7). remnant that is left. Only Jerusalem remained unconquered. Hezekiah asked Isaiah’s prayer for the city.

  37:6 Do not be afraid. The same assurance Isaiah had given Ahaz (7:4).

  37:7 spirit. The Lord promised to incline Sennacherib’s attitude in such a way that he would leave Jerusalem unharmed and return home.

  37:8 Libnah. After conquering Lachish, Sennacherib moved on to this smaller town to the N of Lachish.

  37:9 Tirhakah king of Ethiopia. Tirhakah did not become king of Ethiopia (and Egypt) until 11 years after the 701 B.C. siege, so Isaiah’s use of “king” anticipates his future title. At that moment, however, he represented a threat to Sennacherib from the S that caused him to renew his call for Jerusalem’s surrender to the N.

  37:10–13 The king of Assyria sent messengers to summarize the arguments given in Rabshakeh’s ultimatum of 36:4–19.

  37:10 deceive. The accusation of deception was first against Hezekiah (36:14), then against the Lord.

  37:11–13 The threat repeats the thrust of 36:18–20.

  37:12 The conquered cities mentioned here lay between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Mesopotamia.

  37:13 These were cities of Syria that had fallen to the Assyrians recently.

  37:14 house of the LORD. Godly Hezekiah returned to the house of the Lord (cf. v. 1) as he should have, in contrast to Ahaz, who in a similar crisis refused even to ask a sign from the Lord (7:11, 12).

  37:16 the One who dwells…heaven and earth. The basis for Hezekiah’s plea was God’s role as the Sovereign and Creator of the universe, not Judah’s worthiness to be delivered.

  37:17 hear…see…hear. In contrast to the gods of other nations (Ps. 115:4–7), the God of Israel heard and saw all.

  37:18, 19 Hezekiah exploded the Assyrian theory that the Lord was no different from gods of the other nations that could not deliver their worshipers.

  37:20 You alone. Hezekiah displayed the highest motivation of all in requesting the salvation of Jerusalem: that the world may know that the Lord alone is God (cf. Dan. 9:16–19).

  37:21 Isaiah the son of Amoz. Immediately upon the conclusion of Hezekiah’s prayer, Isaiah had a response from the Lord.

  37:22 laughed you to scorn. Jerusalem, portrayed as a virgin helpless before a would-be rapist, had the “last laugh” against Sennacherib.

  37:23 you reproached and blasphemed. The Lord had heard Sennacherib’s reproach against Him (37:17).

  37:24, 25 Even the servants of Sennacherib had bragged about Assyria’s being unstoppable.

  37:26 I have brought it to pass. God corrected Sennacherib’s vanity; he conquered nothing on his own, but was a mere instrument in the Lord’s hand.

  37:27 They were dismayed. Assyria had utterly overwhelmed populations included in their conquests.

  37:28 your rage against Me. Sennacherib’s ignorance of being a mere tool in the Lord’s hand was bad, but his belittling of God, the source of his life, was far worse.

  37:29 hook in your nose…bridle in your lips. In judging Sennacherib, the Lord treated him as an obstinate animal with a ring in his nose and/or a bridle in his mouth. Some ancient sources indicate that captives were led before a king by a cord attached to a hook or ring through the upper lip and nose. Thus, he was to be brought back to his own country.

  37:30 sign. The two years in which they were sustained by the growth of the crops were the two in which Sennacherib ravaged them (cf. 32:10). He left immediately after the deliverance (37:37), so in the third year, the people left could plant again.

  37:31, 32 remnant…remnant. From the remnant of survivors in Jerusalem came descendants who covered the Land once again (1:9, 27; 3:10; 4:3; 6:13; 8:16, 17; 10:20, 22; 11:12, 16; 26:1–4, 8; 27:12; 28:5; 37:4).

  37:32 zeal of the LORD of hosts. The same confirmation of God’s promise in 9:7 assured the f
uture establishment of the messianic kingdom. Deliverance from Sennacherib in Hezekiah’s day was a down payment on the literal, final restoration of Israel.

  37:33 shall not come…build a siege mound. God promised that the Assyrians would not even pose a physical threat to Jerusalem. They came near, but never engaged in a true siege of the city.

  37:34 shall he return. In contrast with his arrival in Judah as an overbearing, invincible monarch, he returned to Assyria as a defeated, dejected “has been.” In his own Annals he claimed only to have “shut up” Jerusalem, not to have conquered it.

  37:35 For My own sake. Since Sennacherib had directly challenged the Lord’s faithfulness to His word (v. 10), the faithfulness of God was at stake in this contest with the Assyrians (cf. Ezek. 36:22, 23). for My servant David’s sake. God pledged to perpetuate David’s line on his throne (2 Sam. 7:16; cf. 9:6, 7; 11:1; 55:3).

  37:36 the angel of the LORD. This was Isaiah’s only use of a title that is frequent in the OT, one referring to the Lord Himself. For identification, see note on Ex. 3:2. killed. Secular records also mention this massive slaughter of Assyrian troops, without noting its supernatural nature, of course (cf. Ex. 12:12, 29).

  37:37 Nineveh. The capital of Assyria.

  37:38 his god. The place of Sennacherib’s death (ca. 681 B.C.) recalled the impotence of his god, Nisroch, compared with the omnipotence of Hezekiah’s God. struck him down. Sennacherib’s pitiful death came 20 years after his confrontation with the Lord regarding the fate of Jerusalem. Ararat. Mountain region N of Israel, W of Assyria (cf. Gen. 8:4; 2 Kin. 19:37; Jer. 51:27). Esarhaddon. Successor to Sennacherib (ca. 681–669 B.C.).

  Isaiah 38

  38:1 In those days…sick. Hezekiah’s sickness occurred before the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem described in chaps. 36, 37. Isaiah placed the description of that illness here, along with chap. 39, to introduce chaps. 40–66. See note on 2 Kin. 20:1. Set your house in order. An instruction telling Hezekiah to make his final will known to his family (cf. 2 Sam. 17:23; 1 Kin. 2:1–9). you shall die and not live. The prediction sounded final, but Hezekiah knew God was willing to hear his appeal (cf. Ex. 32:7–14).

  38:2, 3 prayed…wept bitterly. See note on 2 Kin. 20:2, 3.

  38:3 loyal heart. Hezekiah based his implied request for an extension of his life on an undivided desire to please the Lord.

  38:5 fifteen years. The Lord’s immediate (2 Kin. 20:4) response granted the king’s request. Having to reverse a prophecy so quickly did not alarm Isaiah as it did Jonah later on (Jon. 4:2, 3). Isaiah resembled Nathan in this respect (2 Sam. 7:3–6).

  38:6 I will deliver…this city. The deliverance described in the previous chapter.

  38:7, 8 sign…ten degrees backward. Here is the first biblical mention of any means of marking time. According to 2 Kin. 20:8–10, Hezekiah requested this sign to confirm the Lord’s promise of healing.

  38:9 writing of Hezekiah. In response to his healing, Hezekiah wrote the record of his helplessness when facing death (vv. 10–14) and told of God’s response to His condition (vv. 15–20). This poetry is missing from the parallel account in 2 Kings.

  38:10 In the prime of my life. The king was probably in his thirties or forties when he fell sick.

  38:11 I shall not see. Hezekiah feared that death would terminate his fellowship with the Lord. YAH. The Heb. repeats the name: “YAH, YAH.” The KJV rendered it, “LORD, even the LORD.” See 12:2; 26:4 for other such repetitions.

  38:12 shepherd’s tent…a weaver. Two comparisons with transient articles illustrate how death removes in a moment what may have seemed so permanent.

  38:14 I mourned…Undertake for me! In his helplessness, Hezekiah pleaded with God to deliver him from impending death.

  38:15 He Himself has done it. The king had complete confidence in God.

  38:16 restore me and make me live. The king’s survival was God’s accomplishment.

  38:17 sins behind Your back. Hezekiah felt his sickness was somehow related to his sinfulness. To be rid of the latter was to be rid of the former also.

  38:18 cannot hope. Hezekiah’s understanding of the resurrection of believers was incomplete. The same was true of others throughout much of the OT. But he was right in recognizing that death ended his opportunity for earthly praise and worship in the presence of men.

  38:19 father…children. Word about God’s faithfulness passed from generation to generation (Deut. 4:9; 6:7; Ps. 78:3, 4). If Hezekiah at this point had no heir, he had another reason for frustration over dying in the prime of life.

  38:20 sing…in the house of the LORD. Hezekiah was so overwhelmed with gratitude to God that he felt compelled to express it appropriately throughout the 15 years he had left on earth.

  38:21, 22 These two verses furnish background details of the account in vv. 1–8.

  38:21 poultice on the boil. The medicine for healing the king’s sickness (2 Kin. 20:7).

  38:22 sign. Hezekiah’s request explained why the Lord gave him a sign that he would be healed (v. 7; cf. 2 Kin. 20:8). the house of the LORD. Hezekiah went to the temple (v. 20) as Isaiah had instructed him to do (2 Kin. 20:5, 8).

  Isaiah 39

  39:1 At that time. Just after Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery. Merodach-Baladan. See note on 2 Kin. 20:12.

  39:2 Hezekiah was pleased. The text does not say whether it was because of flattery or of a desire for help against the increasing Assyrian threat. Cf. “attentive” in 2 Kin. 20:13. treasures…treasures. Doubtless to try and impress his visitors (2 Chr. 32:25), Hezekiah showed all he could contribute in an alliance against the Assyrians.

  39:3 Isaiah the prophet went. God’s spokesman showed up without being invited to confront the king, as often happened (e.g., 7:3; 2 Sam. 12:1; 1 Kin. 13:1; 18:16, 17).

  39:5, 6 word of the LORD…carried to Babylon. Isaiah predicted the Babylonian captivity that would come over a century later (586 B.C.), another prophecy historically fulfilled in all of its expected detail.

  39:6 nothing shall be left. Hezekiah’s sin of parading his wealth before the visitors backfired, though this sin was only symptomatic of the ultimate reason for the captivity. The major cause was the corrupt leadership of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son (2 Kin. 21:11–15).

  39:7 sons who will descend from you. To a king without an heir, this was good news (that he would have one some day) and bad news (that his sons must go into captivity). See 2 Kin. 24:12–16; 2 Chr. 33:11; Dan. 1:3, 4, 6 for the prophecy’s fulfillment.

  39:8 word of the LORD…good. A surprising response to the negative prophecy of vv. 5–7! It perhaps acknowledged Isaiah as God’s faithful messenger. peace and truth in my days. Hezekiah perhaps reacted selfishly, or perhaps he looked for a bright spot to lighten the gloomy fate of his descendants.

  Isaiah 40

  40:1—66:24 The prophecies of chaps. 1–39 addressed Judah in her situation during Isaiah’s ministry (739 B.C. until ca. 686 B.C.). The prophecies of chaps. 40–66 address Judah as though the prophesied Babylonian captivity (39:5–7) were already a present reality, though that captivity did not begin until 605–586 B.C. The words “‘There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked’” (48:22; 57:21) signal the divisions of this section into three parts: chaps. 40–48, chaps. 49–57, and chaps. 58–66.

  40:1—48:22 This section looks at the hope and comfort of a blessed future subsequent to God’s judgment in the forthcoming Babylonian captivity.

  40:1, 2 Comfort…comfort. The prophecy addressed God’s prophets, instructing them to emphasize the theme of comfort to a captive people in a foreign land many mi. from their home city of Jerusalem. God has good plans for great blessing to Israel in the future because they are His covenant people, who are never to be permanently cast away (cf. Rom. 11:2).

  40:2 iniquity is pardoned…double for all her sins. Cruel slaughter and captivity at the hands of the Babylonians were sufficient payment for past sins; so someday after worldwide dispersion, Israel will return to her land in peace and in the glory
of Messiah’s kingdom.

  40:3–5 A prophetic exhortation told Israel to prepare for the revelation of the Lord’s glory at the arrival of Messiah. Scripture sees John the Baptist in this role (Matt. 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4–6; John 1:23). It likewise sees the future forerunner who is to be like Elijah preparing for Christ’s second coming (Mal. 3:1; 4:5, 6).

  40:3, 4 Prepare the way. The remnant of Israel could remove obstacles from the coming Messiah’s path through repentance from their sins. John the Baptist reminded his listeners of this necessity (Matt. 3:2), as did Jesus (Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15). These verses reflect the custom of some eastern monarchs to send heralds before them to clear away obstacles, make causeways, straighten crooked roads and valleys, and level hills (cf. 45:1, 2). John had the task of getting people ready for Messiah’s arrival.

  40:5 glory of the LORD…revealed. Jerusalem’s misery is to end and the Lord’s glory to replace it, so comfort will come to the city (v. 2), and every person will see God’s glorious salvation (cf. 52:10) in Messiah’s future kingdom (Hab. 2:14; Rev. 21:23; cf. 11:9). mouth of the LORD has spoken. Used for confirmations also in 1:20; 58:14; 62:2.

  40:6–8 All flesh…flower fades. Isaiah elaborated on how transitory humanity is: here today, gone tomorrow. People pass away like plants under the hot breath of the withering E wind. James used this illustration to teach the folly of trusting in material wealth (James 1:10, 11). Peter used it to illustrate the passing nature of everything related to humanity (1 Pet. 1:24, 25).