Isaiah 37 1

Isaiah 37:1 kjv

And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

Isaiah 37:1 nkjv

And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

Isaiah 37:1 niv

When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the LORD.

Isaiah 37:1 esv

As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD.

Isaiah 37:1 nlt

When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the LORD.

Isaiah 37 verses

Isaiah 37 1 Meaning

King Hezekiah's immediate reaction upon hearing the Assyrian Rabshakeh's blasphemous and taunting message against Judah and, more critically, against the LORD God. His actions – tearing his clothes, covering himself with sackcloth, and entering the temple – symbolize profound grief, humility, national distress, and an earnest appeal to God in a moment of existential crisis. It marks a shift from human strategy to divine reliance, bringing the overwhelming problem directly into God's presence.

Isaiah 37 1 Context

Isaiah 37:1 follows directly after the Assyrian field commander, Rabshakeh, delivered a devastating psychological and theological assault against Judah and King Hezekiah. In chapter 36, Rabshakeh used Aramic and then Hebrew to publicly taunt the people of Jerusalem, attempting to undermine their morale and trust in both Hezekiah and the LORD God. His primary aim was to portray Judah's God as no more powerful than the gods of the nations Sennacherib had already conquered, asserting that the LORD could not deliver them from Assyrian might. This verse describes Hezekiah's immediate, anguished reaction to this profound blasphemy and existential threat, setting the stage for divine intervention and confirming his steadfast reliance on God rather than human military strategy or political negotiation. The historical context is Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem around 701 BC, a pivotal moment in Judah's history.

Isaiah 37 1 Word analysis

• And when king Hezekiah (וַיְהִי כִּשְׁמֹעַ הַמֶּלֶךְ חִזְקִיָּהוּ - Vayehi kishmoa hamelech Chizqiyyahu):
  • And when: Connects this verse directly to the preceding narrative, showing a cause-and-effect relationship with the Rabshakeh's speech.
  • king Hezekiah: Identifies the specific monarch of Judah. Hezekiah was a righteous king, known for his reforms and trust in the LORD (2 Kgs 18:3-6), making his reaction significant.
• heard it (כִּשְׁמֹעַ - kishmoa, 'when he heard'): Refers to the full content of the Rabshakeh's taunting, blasphemous message against God and His people (detailed in Isa 36).
• he rent his clothes (וַיִּקְרַע אֶת־בְּגָדָיו - vayyiqra et-begadav, 'and he tore his garments'):
  • rent his clothes: An ancient Near Eastern and biblical practice symbolizing profound distress, sorrow, indignation, or spiritual anguish (Gen 37:34, 2 Sam 1:11). Here, it signifies Hezekiah's deep grief over the dire national crisis and outrage at the blasphemy against the LORD.
• and covered himself with sackcloth (וַיִּתְכַּס בַּשַּׂק - vayyitkas bassaq, 'and he covered himself with the sackcloth'):
  • sackcloth: A coarse, dark fabric, typically made from goat's hair. Wearing it was an outward sign of mourning, humility, repentance, or lamentation (1 Kgs 21:27, Jon 3:5). For a king to wear sackcloth showed supreme humility and dependence on God.
• and went into the house of the LORD (וַיָּבֹא בֵּית יְהוָה - vayyavo beit Adonai, 'and he came into the house of the LORD'):
  • house of the LORD: Refers to the Temple in Jerusalem. This action signifies an act of worship, supplication, and seeking divine intervention. It demonstrates Hezekiah's reliance on God as the ultimate deliverer, turning to the sanctuary as the designated place to meet with God (1 Kgs 8:27-30).

Words-group Analysis:

• "he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth": This combination of actions powerfully conveys extreme, visible sorrow, spiritual indignation, and a humble posture before God. It's a non-verbal confession of human inadequacy in the face of the overwhelming threat and a declaration of dependence on the Almighty.
• "and went into the house of the LORD": This is the culmination of his emotional and symbolic actions, directing his, and by extension the nation's, plea directly to God. It highlights the Temple's role as a place of refuge and appeal to divine presence and power in times of desperate need. It shifts the battle from human strategy to divine intervention.

Isaiah 37 1 Bonus section

The almost identical phrasing between Isa 37:1 and its parallel in 2 Kgs 19:1 highlights the consistent and critical nature of this event in the biblical narrative. It underscores Hezekiah's character as a king who consistently looked to God in times of trouble. This event serves as a foundational example of seeking God's face in humility when confronted with an insurmountable adversary and the desecration of His holy name. The Rabshakeh's strategy was to demoralize through words and create a theological crisis, painting YHWH as just another defeated god. Hezekiah's response immediately counters this polemic by appealing directly to YHWH, thereby acknowledging Him as the supreme and true God capable of defending His own honor and people. This turning to God is presented not as a last resort, but as the primary and appropriate action for a righteous leader in a moment of ultimate spiritual and national peril.

Isaiah 37 1 Commentary

Isaiah 37:1 portrays King Hezekiah's immediate and profoundly spiritual response to the Assyrian Rabshakeh's open blasphemy against the LORD and the impending doom facing Jerusalem. His actions – tearing his royal robes and donning sackcloth – transcend mere human lament; they signify a deeply humble and distraught recognition of national catastrophe and a fervent appeal to God's justice and power. His decision to enter the Temple demonstrates a profound conviction that this was not merely a military or political crisis, but a spiritual one, requiring divine intervention. Instead of panicking or engaging in futile human negotiations, Hezekiah modeled true leadership by turning the entire kingdom's crisis into a direct petition before God's throne, recognizing that only the LORD could deliver them from such an overwhelming foe and egregious insult to His name.