2 Kings 19:3 kjv
And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.
2 Kings 19:3 nkjv
And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah: 'This day is a day of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.
2 Kings 19:3 niv
They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.
2 Kings 19:3 esv
They said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth.
2 Kings 19:3 nlt
They told him, "This is what King Hezekiah says: Today is a day of trouble, insults, and disgrace. It is like when a child is ready to be born, but the mother has no strength to deliver the baby.
2 Kings 19 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 46:1 | God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. | God as help in distress |
| Isa 25:4 | For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm… | God's protection in trouble |
| Zep 1:15 | A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness… | Describing days of distress |
| Jer 30:7 | Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble… | Intense national trouble predicted |
| Isa 37:4 | It may be the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh… and will rebuke the words… | God hearing the enemy's blasphemy |
| Ps 74:10 | How long, O God, is the adversary to scoff? Is the enemy to blaspheme your name forever? | Plea against blasphemy |
| Ezk 35:12-13 | …and that you have multiplied your words against Me; I have heard them. | God hears rebellious words/blasphemy |
| Ezk 36:22-23 | …not for your sake… but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations… | God acts to vindicate His name |
| 2 Chr 20:12 | O our God, will You not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless… we do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You. | Acknowledging helplessness, seeking God |
| Ps 121:1-2 | I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD… | Looking to God for help |
| Ps 4:1 | Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress… | God provides relief in distress |
| Hos 13:13 | The pains of childbirth come for him, but he is an unwise son, for at the proper time he does not present himself… | Childbirth metaphor of missed opportunity/crisis |
| Isa 26:17-18 | Like a pregnant woman… so were we in your presence, O LORD. We were pregnant… but we gave birth to wind… | Childbirth metaphor for unfulfilled deliverance |
| Jer 30:6 | Ask now, and see, Can a man bear children? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labor…? | Childbirth metaphor for great anguish |
| Ga 4:19 | My little children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you… | Paul uses birth metaphor for spiritual travail |
| Ps 50:15 | Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. | Divine invitation to pray in trouble |
| Joel 2:32 | And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved… | Calling on the Lord for salvation |
| Php 4:6-7 | Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving… | Call to prayer in anxiety |
| Heb 4:16 | Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. | Approaching God in need |
| Ex 14:14 | The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. | God fights for His people |
| Neh 4:20 | Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us. | Trust in God fighting |
2 Kings 19 verses
2 Kings 19 3 Meaning
This verse encapsulates King Hezekiah's desperate assessment of Judah's dire situation. He conveys through his envoys to the prophet Isaiah that the nation is engulfed in intense distress, enduring humiliation and severe verbal assaults (rebuke), critically escalated by direct blasphemy against God Himself. The vivid metaphor of a woman in labor without the strength to deliver emphasizes the utter exhaustion and profound helplessness, signifying a critical, long-awaited moment of deliverance that is agonizingly close yet impossible to achieve by human means.
2 Kings 19 3 Context
Chapter 19 begins with King Hezekiah’s response to the arrogant and blasphemous speech of Rabshakeh, the Assyrian envoy from Sennacherib, detailed in chapter 18. Rabshakeh had not only belittled Judah’s military and political alliances but, more significantly, directly mocked the LORD God, claiming Hezekiah's God was no more capable of delivering Judah than the gods of other conquered nations. Hezekiah's actions—tearing his clothes and covering himself with sackcloth—symbolize his profound grief and repentance, an act of humility before God in a moment of extreme crisis. Sending messengers to the prophet Isaiah is a clear acknowledgment of the spiritual nature of the conflict and a reliance on divine intervention, as human means have proved futile. This verse, therefore, represents Hezekiah’s heartfelt and raw expression of the severity of the predicament, setting the stage for Isaiah’s prophecy and God’s miraculous deliverance. Historically, this account details events around 701 BCE during Sennacherib's campaign against Judah, a pivotal moment in the nation's history.
2 Kings 19 3 Word analysis
And they said to him: This highlights the messenger's role, transmitting Hezekiah's direct and urgent words to Isaiah.
Thus says Hezekiah: Emphasizes that these are the King's authoritative and deeply felt words.
"This day: Hebrew ha-yōm (הַיּוֹם). Denotes immediate present, a critical turning point, emphasizing the extreme urgency and dire nature of the current moment.
is a day of trouble,: Hebrew tsārāh (צָרָה), meaning distress, anguish, affliction, tribulation. It implies a narrow, constricted place or situation, signifying overwhelming pressure and severe hardship.
of rebuke,: Hebrew tôkaḥaṯ (תּוֹכַחַת), meaning reproof, correction, or punishment. Here, it refers to the public humiliation and verbal assault from the Assyrians, interpreted as a consequence or painful experience reflecting Judah's inadequacy or possibly divine discipline.
and of blasphemy;: Hebrew niʾūṣ (נִאוּץ), meaning scorn, contempt, or blasphemy. This is the most severe aspect, as it specifically refers to the direct insults and devaluing of God Himself by the Assyrians. It's an attack on God's honor and authority. This moves the crisis beyond political or military into the divine realm.
for the children have come to the birth,: Hebrew baʾu vānim ʿad mašbēr (בָּאוּ בָנִים עַד־מַשְׁבֵּר), literally "children have come to the birthstool/breaking-point." "Mašbēr" (מַשְׁבֵּר) signifies the 'breaking place' or the critical point of birth. This metaphor illustrates that the moment of ultimate deliverance, like childbirth, is agonizingly at hand, signifying intense labor and suffering nearing culmination.
but there is no strength to bring them forth.": Hebrew wəʾên kōaḥ lehôlîd (וְאֵין כֹּחַ לְהוֹלִיד), "and no strength to deliver." "Kōaḥ" (כֹּחַ) denotes physical, mental, or spiritual strength/power. This signifies absolute human inability to effect the needed deliverance despite reaching the point of crisis. The natural culmination (birth) is frustrated by complete lack of power, demanding an outside, divine intervention.
"This day is a day of trouble, of rebuke, and of blasphemy;": This sequence shows a progression in the crisis. It starts with internal trouble (distress for Judah), extends to external rebuke (the humiliation by the Assyrians), and culminates in direct blasphemy against God. This escalating intensity reveals the spiritual core of the crisis. Hezekiah correctly perceives the greatest offense is not against him or Judah, but against the Name of the LORD.
"for the children have come to the birth, but there is no strength to bring them forth.": This striking and desperate metaphor speaks of a state of extreme crisis where relief or salvation is conceptually present or expected (like the final stage of labor), but there's a total incapacity to achieve it. It underlines human futility and complete dependence on divine power for intervention. It implies a situation where the necessary resources or power for completion are utterly lacking, no matter how close to the goal.
2 Kings 19 3 Bonus section
This verse serves as a model of earnest prayer and a plea born of profound distress. Hezekiah does not simply complain; he precisely diagnoses the severity of the situation and, crucially, its spiritual dimension, particularly the "blasphemy" against the LORD. This discernment underscores that true crises, especially for God's people, often extend beyond the physical or political to an attack on God's honor and character. His declaration of utter powerlessness is not despair but a confession of radical dependence, setting the stage for God to act and reveal His might precisely when human strength is exhausted. This principle resonates throughout scripture: God often waits until human inability is undeniable to manifest His glorious power, ensuring that the glory redounds to Him alone.
2 Kings 19 3 Commentary
Hezekiah's message to Isaiah in 2 Kings 19:3 is a profound confession of complete national desperation. He understands that the siege by Sennacherib's Assyrian army, combined with the enemy's contemptuous and blasphemous taunts against God, has pushed Judah to the precipice. The sequence "trouble, rebuke, and blasphemy" illustrates the layers of crisis: internal suffering, external humiliation, and the ultimate affront to God's holy name. The metaphor of childbirth reaching its final, critical stage without the strength to deliver is a vivid and poignant expression of total human powerlessness. It is an acknowledgement that the expected or longed-for salvation (the 'birth') is not only desperately needed but also agonizingly impossible through human effort. This complete surrender of human capability and a cry for divine intervention is precisely what prepares the way for God's miraculous act of deliverance, as Hezekiah demonstrates true faith by appealing to God through His prophet when all other options have failed.