By these things ; i.e. "the things which thou speakest and doest" ( Isaiah 38:15 ). Man does not "live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord" ( Deuteronomy 8:3 ). And in all these things . This rendering is against the laws of grammar. Translate, and wholly in them. read more
The life of our life. This verse is pregnant with suggestive truth, and finds fulfilment in Christian as well as in Jewish experience. I. THAT THE LIFE OF OUR SPIRIT IS THE VERY LIFE OF OURSELVES . It is no uncommon thing for ungodly men, when they are pressed to give attention to the claims of their spirit, to excuse their negligence by contending that "they must live." By this they mean that the necessities of the body will excuse their want of concern for the... read more
Behold, for peace I had great bitterness ; rather, behold , it was for my peace that I had such bitterness , such bitterness. The pain that I underwent was for the true peace and comfort of my soul (comp. Psalms 94:12 ; Psalms 119:75 ; Proverbs 3:12 ; Hebrews 12:5-11 ). Thou hast in love , etc.; literally, thou hast loved my soul back from the pit of destruction—as if God's love, beaming on the monarch's soul, had drawn it back from the edge of the pit (comp. Hosea 11:4 ,... read more
God's way with sin. "For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back." To cast behind one's back, in Hebrew and Arabic, is a figure of speech meaning "to forget, to lose sight of, to exclude from view." Roberts, writing of Hindoo life, says, "This metaphor is in common use, and has sometimes a very offensive signification. The expression is used to denote the most complete and contemptuous rejection of a person or thing. 'The king has cast his minister behind his back,' that is, fully removed... read more
The grave cannot praise thee (cormpare the comment on Isaiah 38:11 ). It is avoiding the plain force of these passages to say that Hezekiah only means that those who go to Hades in a state of condemnation cannot be expected there to praise God (Kay). He speaks broadly and generally of all: "The living, the living, shall praise thee; Sheol cannot praise thee; Death cannot celebrate thee." Manifestly, though he believes in a future state, it is one in which there is either no energy at... read more
The living . Those who still enjoy the light of day. The repetition is emphatic, and has the force of "the living, and the living only. " The father to the children . Hezekiah may, or may not, have had children himself at the time. Manasseh was not born; but he may have had daughters, or even other sons, who did not survive him. He is not, however, perhaps, thinking of his own ease. read more
Parental obligation. "The father to the children shall make known thy truth." I. THAT TRUTH IS THE COMMON HERITAGE OF THE RACE . Of all open and common things truth is that to which our right is most indisputable. The air, the light, the sea, the sky, the beauty of the landscape, etc; are open to us all; but truth, above all these things, is common property. II. THAT REVEALED TRUTH IS PECULIARLY PRECIOUS TO MANKIND . All truth may be said to be... read more
The Lord was ready to save me; rather, came to my rescue ; came and saved me. Therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments ; rather, therefore will we play my stringed instruments. Hezekiah calls the stringed instruments his, because he had recalled their use, and re-established them as a part of the temple service after the suspension of that service by Ahaz ( 2 Chronicles 29:30 ). His intention now is to take continual part with the Levites in . Upon the boil .... read more
Music in the heart. "The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord." The graver question is—Are we ready to be saved? God's arm is not shortened, that he cannot save. And his love to us is the same through all the long centuries. Christ touched the real cause of distance: "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." I. THE READINESS OF GOD . "All things are now ready," said... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 38:15-16
Going softly after sickness. We usually notice in persons who have passed through serious illness which has brought them to the "border-land," and made the things of the other and eternal world familiar, a gracious loosening from this world, a maturing of character, a mellowness, a sacred seriousness, which may well gain poetical form in the expression of Hezekiah, "going softly." We ought to regard all life as a gift, a trust, from God; but in a very special sense it comes home to us that... read more