Isaiah 38:8 NIV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 38:8

Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees ,.... Or lines made on a dial plate, to show the progress of the sun, and what time of day it was. Some think only the shadow was brought back by the power of God, the sun keeping its course as usual; but in the next clause the sun is expressly said to return ten degrees: besides, it is not easy to conceive how the shadow of the sun should go back, unless the sun itself did; if it had been only the shadow of it on Ahaz's dial, it would not... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 38:8

Which is gone down "By which the sun is gone down" - For בשמש bashshemesh , the Septuagint, Syriac, and Chaldee read השמש , hashshemesh . - Houbigant. In the history of this miracle in the book of Kings, ( 2 Kings 20:9-11 ;), there is no mention at all made of the sun, but only of the going backward of the shadow: which might be effected by a supernatural refraction. The first ὁ ἡλιος , the sun, in this verse is omitted in the Septuagint, MS. Pachom. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:1-8

Sickness and recovery of Hezekiah. All pathos ultimately turns upon contrast, and the greatest of all contrasts is that between death and life. All who have passed through a dangerous illness, and have been brought nigh unto the gates of death, will feel touched by this narrative, which hints meanings that lie below the surface. I. THE WARNING . The king falls into deadly sickness; and the prophet's voice assures him that his days are numbered. "Thou shalt die, and not live." The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:1-22

SECTION II .— HEZEKIAH 'S ILLNESS , AND THE EMBASSY OF MERODACH - BALADAN ( Isaiah 38:1-22 ; Isaiah 39:1-8 .). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:7-8

Signs for the help of faith. In this case, as in that of Gideon, God granted signs. For the people of Palestine, and for his disciples, our Lord wrought miracles, which were signs; but he utterly refused to meet the demand of the Pharisees. "There shall no sign be given you." Our Lord, however, reproved the desire for signs as showing some weakness of character in those who desired them. "Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe." Exactly what the sign granted to Hezekiah was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:8

The sun-dial of Ahaz . We are informed by Herodotus that the sun-dial was an invention of the Babylonians (Herod; 2.109), from whom it would readily pass to the Assyrians. Ahaz may have obtained a knowledge of it, or an actual specimen, when he visited Tiglath-Pileser at Damascus ( 2 Kings 16:10 ), and, on his return to his capital, have caused one to be erected there. Sun-dials are of several kinds. The one here spoken of seems to have consisted of a set of steps, with a perpendicular... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 38:8

Behold, I will bring again the shadow - The shadow, or shade which is made by the interception of the rays of the sun by the gnomon on the dial. The phrase ‘bring again’ (Hebrew, משׁיב mēshı̂yb) means to cause to return (Hiphil, from שׁוב shûb, to return); that is, I will cause it retrograde, or bring back. Septuagint, Στρέψω Strepsō - ‘I will turn back.’ Few subjects have perplexed commentators more than this account of the sun-dial of Ahaz. The only other place where a sun-dial is... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 38:1-8

Isaiah 38:1-8. In those days was Hezekiah sick See notes on 2 Kings 20:1-11. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 38:1-22

Hezekiah’s illness and recovery (38:1-22)The events recorded in Chapters 38 and 39 probably happened before those of the previous chapters. Hezekiah was about to die (38:1), but in answer to his prayer God gave him an extension of life. It seems that the reason for preserving Hezekiah’s life was to enable him to bring Judah through the time of conflict with Assyria (2-6). God gave Hezekiah a miraculous sign to confirm that this extension of life was according to the divine will (7-8).Hezekiah... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Isaiah 38:8

the shadow of the degrees. It is to these "degrees", or steps of the sundial of Ahaz his father, that Hezekiah refers in the title for "The Songs of the Degrees". See App-67 . degrees = steps. Note the emphasis placed on these by the fivefold repetition of the word. dial = degrees (making the fifth repetition of the word). read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 38:8

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 38:8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:1-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:1-22

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:7-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:8

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 38:8

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 38:1-8

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Isaiah 38:1-22

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Isaiah 38:8

Group of Brands