Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 37:14-35
The response to the letter 37:14-35 read more
The response to the letter 37:14-35 read more
The Lord promised Hezekiah, in closing, that Sennacherib would not even besiege Jerusalem, let alone attack it, either from close range or from farther away. He would, instead, return to his own land the same way he came. On his prism, discovered by archaeologists, Sennacherib claimed to have shut Hezekiah up like a bird in a cage, but it was really Yahweh who protected Hezekiah. [Note: See Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near . . ., pp. 287-88.] Yahweh would defend Jerusalem and preserve it, not so... read more
7. Send.. him] RV ’put a spirit in him.’22. Virgin] the figure as in Isaiah 23:12.24. Sides] RV ’innermost parts.’ The height.. Carmel] RV ’his farthest height, the forest of his fruitful field.’25. Digged] Deserts cannot impede his march, for he digs wells there. Have I dried, etc.] RV ’will I dry up all the rivers of Egypt’: the Assyrian boasts that he will pass on to conquer Egypt. 26. Jehovah is here the speaker. Done.. formed it] Referring to the ordering of events in the divine... read more
(33) Nor come before it with shields.—The clause points to the two forms of attack: (1) the invaders marching to the assault, protected by their serried shields against the darts and stones which were flung by hand or from engines by the besieged; and (2) the earthworks which were piled up to make the attack on the walls more feasible. (Comp. Habakkuk 1:10; Ezekiel 4:2.) Isaiah’s prediction is not only that Jerusalem will not be taken, but that the enemy, though now encamped around it, will not... read more
(35) For mine own sake . . .—The words set forth, as it were, the two motives of Jehovah’s action: “for His own sake,” as asserting His majesty against the blasphemy of the Assyrians; for “David’s sake,” as mindful of the promise made to him, showing, in the spirit of the second commandment, that the good as well as the evil influences of men survive, and that a later generation may profit by the good that was in its predecessor, as well as suffer for its guilt. read more
CHAPTER XXVIHAD ISAIAH A GOSPEL FOR THE INDIVIDUAL?THE two narratives, in which Isaiah’s career culminates-that of the Deliverance of Jerusalem {Isaiah 36:1-22; Isaiah 37:1-38} and that of the Recovery of Hezekiah {Isaiah 38:1-22; Isaiah 39:1-8}-cannot fail, coming together as they do, to suggest to thoughtful readers a striking contrast between Isaiah’s treatment of the community and his treatment of the individual, between his treatment of the Church and his treatment of single members. For... read more
CHAPTER 37 Hezekiah in the House of the Lord and Sennacherib’s Second Attempt 1. Hezekiah’s humiliation and Isaiah sent for (Isaiah 37:1-5 ) 2. The message from the prophet (Isaiah 37:6-7 ) 3. Rabshakeh’s letter (Isaiah 37:8-13 ) 4. Hezekiah’s prayer (Isaiah 37:14-20 ) 5. The prayer answered (Isaiah 37:21-35 ) 6. The army of Sennacherib judged (Isaiah 37:36 ) 7. The judgment upon Sennacherib (Isaiah 37:38 ) read more
37:35 For I will defend this city to save it for my own sake, and for my servant {b} David’s sake.(b) For my promise sake made to David. read more
HISTORICAL PARENTHESIS These chapters are a dividing line between what may be called Parts 1 and 2 of this book. They deal with Hezekiah’s reign whose history has been considered in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The chapters are not arranged chronologically, as the event of chapter 38, Hezekiah’s sickness and recovery, occurred prior to the siege of Sennacherib (chaps. 36-37). The prophecies preceding these chapters predict the rise of the Assyrian power as the enemy of Judah and God’s rod of... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Isaiah 37:8-35
King Hezekiah’s challenge 37:8-35This section contains two parts: Sennacherib’s letter to Hezekiah, and Hezekiah’s response to it. read more