Isaiah 39

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 39:5

Hear the word of the Lord of hosts - Hear what the mighty God that rules in heaven says of this. This is an instance of great fidelity on the part of the prophet. He felt himself sent from God in a solemn manner to rebuke sin in a monarch, and a pious monarch. It is an instance that strikingly resembles the boldness and faithfulness of Nathan when he went to David, and said, ‘Thou art the man’ 2 Samuel 12:7. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 39:6

Behold, the days come - The captivity of the Jews in Babylon commenced about one hundred and twenty years after this prediction (compare Jeremiah 20:5).That all that is in thine house - That is, all the treasures that are in the treasure-house Isaiah 39:2.And that which thy fathers have laid up in store - In 2 Kings 18:15-16, we are told that Hezekiah, in order to meet the demands of the king of Assyria, had cut off even the ornaments of the temple, and taken all the treasures which were in... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 39:7

And of that sons - Thy posterity (see the note at Matthew 1:1).That shall issue from thee - Of the royal family. The captivity at Babylon occurred more than a hundred years after this, and of course those who were carried there were somewhat remote descendants of Hezekiah.And they shall be eunuchs - The word used here (סריסים sâriysiym) denotes properly and strictly eunuchs, or such persons as were accustomed to attend on the harems of Oriental monarchs Esther 2:3, Esther 2:14-15. These... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 39:8

Good is the word of the Lord - The sense of this is, ‘I acquiesce in this; I perceive that it is right; I see in it evidence of benevolence and goodness.’ The grounds of his acquiescence seem to have been:1. The fact that he saw that it was just. He felt that he had sinned, and that he had made an improper display of his treasures, and deserved to be punished.2. He felt that the sentence was mild and merciful. It was less than he deserved, and less than he had reason to expect.3. It was... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 39

A.M. 3294. B.C. 710. The king of Babylon sends ambassadors with letters and a present to Hezekiah, who shows them his treasures, Isaiah 39:1 , Isaiah 39:2 . Isaiah foretels the Babylonish captivity, Isaiah 39:3-7 . Hezekiah’s resignation, Isaiah 39:8 . Isaiah 39:1. At that time Merodach-baladan Merodach was the name of an idol worshipped by the Babylonians, and Bel, another; and these two idols, with the addition, Adan, or Adon, which signifies lord, it appears, gave name to... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 39:1-8

Warning concerning Babylon (39:1-8)At this time Babylon was increasing in power and was looking for allies to help it resist Assyria. Hezekiah’s illness gave the Babylonian king an excuse to send representatives to Jerusalem with the aim of encouraging Hezekiah to join with Babylon against Assyria. Hezekiah’s faith, which had been strengthened through his miraculous recovery from death, soon weakened. He could not resist the temptation of yet another anti-Assyrian alliance. He was proud of the... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Isaiah 39:1

At that time: i.e. shortly after the two miracles of the shadow and Hezekiah's recovery from his sickness. Compare 2 Chronicles 32:31 . letters and a present. These were more potent than Sennacherib's hosts; just as Ahab's daughter and feast were than his men of war with Jehoshaphat. See 2 Chronicles 18:1-3 . Compare with 2 Chronicles 17:1-3 . read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Isaiah 39:2

glad of them. This is further Divine information, given by Him Who knew Hezekiah's heart. 2 Kings 20:13 records what Hezekiah did: viz. "hearkened unto them". Man could see the ear, but only Jehovah could know the heart. Hezekiah forgot to pray, as in Isaiah 37:4 , Isaiah 37:14 , Isaiah 37:15 , and Isaiah 38:2 . Hence his failure. and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton , to emphasise and call attention (by five "ands") to every detail. his. Note the Figure of speech Repetitio to... read more

E.W. Bullinger