Isaiah 37:7 - Exposition

Behold, I will send a blast upon him ; rather, I will put a spirit within him ; i.e. I will take away from him the spirit of pride and arrogance by which he has been hitherto actuated, and I will infuse into his heart, instead, a spirit of hesitation and fear. He shall hear a rumour ; literally, as Delitzsch translates, he shall hear a hearsay ; i.e. "a report," or " tidings. " It is uncertain what "tidings" are intended. Some suppose "tidings of the movements of Tirhakah;" others, "tidings of the destruction of his host;" a few, "tidings of an insurrection in some other part of the Assyrian empire." This last supposition is wholly gratuitous, since we have no indication, either in Scripture or in the inscriptions, of any such insurrection. The choice lies between the other two, or between one or other of them, and the two combined. The vagueness is owing, not to the time at which the present narrative took shape, but to the fact that a vague promise—quite sufficient for its purpose—was given at first, the filling in of the details being reserved for a later period (see Isaiah 37:22-35 ). I will cause him to fall by the sword (see Isaiah 37:38 ).