Isaiah 37 14

Isaiah 37:14 kjv

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Isaiah 37:14 nkjv

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Isaiah 37:14 niv

Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

Isaiah 37:14 esv

Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.

Isaiah 37:14 nlt

After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the LORD's Temple and spread it out before the LORD.

Isaiah 37 verses

Isaiah 37 14 Meaning

Faced with Sennacherib's terrifying and blasphemous letters threatening Judah, King Hezekiah did not resort to human strategy or despair. Instead, he took the letters, ascended to the Temple, and visually presented his predicament and the enemy's defiance directly to the LORD, signifying his complete reliance on God's intervention.

Isaiah 37 14 Context

Isaiah chapter 37, alongside chapters 36 and 38-39, describes the major crisis of Sennacherib's Assyrian invasion of Judah during King Hezekiah's reign. After Jerusalem was besieged, the Assyrian Rabshakeh delivered a powerful message of psychological warfare, taunting the Judeans, insulting Hezekiah, and blaspheming the LORD by asserting His inability to save them, comparing Him to the defeated gods of other nations (Isa 36:4-20). In response, Hezekiah mourned (Isa 37:1) and sent to the prophet Isaiah, who assured him of God's intervention (Isa 37:5-7). However, Sennacherib then sent his own letters, reaffirming his threats and doubling down on his blasphemous claims (Isa 37:8-13). This specific verse, 37:14, describes Hezekiah's direct and personal response to these terrifying letters, marking a pivotal moment of turning from human anxiety to divine petition.

Isaiah 37 14 Word analysis

• And Hezekiah received (וַיִּקַּח, vayyiqqaḥ): From the root לָקַח (laqaḥ), meaning "to take, to receive." This highlights Hezekiah's active engagement; he didn't ignore or delay. It was a formal acknowledgment of the severe threat.
• the letters (הַסְּפָרִים, h-assəp̄ārîm): Plural, from the root סֵפֶר (sēpher), meaning "scroll, document, letter." This implies a series of written communications or a detailed, extensive document, making the threat comprehensive and deliberate, designed to instigate terror and demand surrender.
• from the hand of the messengers (miyyad h-ammalʾākîm): Emphasizes formal, official delivery by emissaries. These were not rumors but authenticated, authoritative pronouncements of war from the mighty Assyrian king.
• and read them (וַיִּקְרָאֵהוּ, vayyiqraʾēhû): From the root קָרָא (qaraʾ), "to read, to call out." Hezekiah personally processed the full weight of the threats, understanding their blasphemous content and dire implications for Jerusalem and, more importantly, for God's honor.
• and Hezekiah went up (וַיַּעַל חִזְקִיָּהוּ, vayyaʿal ḥizqiyyāhû): From the root עָלָה (ʿalah), "to go up, ascend." This action indicates moving to a physically higher, and therefore symbolically more sacred, place. Jerusalem's Temple stood on Mount Moriah, necessitating an ascent, signifying a deliberate act of seeking divine presence.
• to the house of the LORD (בֵּית יְהוָה, bêṯ YHWH): Refers to the Temple in Jerusalem. This was the established locus for meeting with God, offering prayers and sacrifices, and seeking divine guidance. It underscored that Hezekiah's appeal was specifically directed to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
• and spread them out (וַיִּפְרְשֵׂהוּ, vayyiprəśēhû): From the root פָּרַשׂ (pāraś), "to spread out, extend." This is a profoundly visual and tangible act. It was more than a private prayer; it was a physical presentation of the problem to God. It expressed vulnerability, a desperate plea for God to literally "see" the enemy's blasphemy and His people's dire situation, acting as an eloquent, non-verbal prayer.
• before the LORD (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, lip̄nê YHWH): Literally "before the face of Yahweh." This stresses that God was the direct, primary audience for Hezekiah's display. It communicated absolute reliance and belief that only the sovereign God could understand, judge, and act in response to such a monumental threat.

Words-group analysis

• received the letters...and read them: This phrase signifies Hezekiah's complete engagement with the immediate threat, acknowledging its full weight and personal impact. It’s an admission that the king had faced the challenge head-on and had internalized its gravity before taking the next step.
• went up to the house of the LORD: This phrase describes Hezekiah's redirection from human solutions to divine sanctuary. It implies both a physical and spiritual elevation, deliberately moving away from the temporal world's pressures towards a place of sacred communion and ultimate authority.
• spread them out before the LORD: This powerfully evocative phrase captures the essence of Hezekiah's faith. It wasn't just bringing the letters, but making them fully visible, laid bare before God. This act symbolises laying all fears, threats, and blasphemies directly at the feet of the Almighty, trusting that God sees, understands, and will judge.

Isaiah 37 14 Bonus section

• Hezekiah's act of taking the letters to the Temple transformed a military/political crisis into a theological one. He understood that Sennacherib's blasphemies were not just against Judah but primarily against the name and honor of the LORD Himself, making divine intervention imperative for God's own glory.
• This physical act of spreading the letters served as a direct petition and an eloquent silent prayer, more powerful in its symbolism than many words. It was an expectation that God, as the righteous judge, would "read" and respond to the enemy's unjust aggression and pride.
• Hezekiah's leadership here set a profound example for his people, demonstrating where ultimate help truly lay. It instilled faith in God rather than fostering fear of man.
• This specific action is a tangible illustration of bringing every concern, complaint, or seemingly insurmountable problem into God's presence, rather than dwelling on it or attempting to resolve it in human strength alone.

Isaiah 37 14 Commentary

Hezekiah's response to Sennacherib's threatening letters provides a profound model of prayer and faith in the face of overwhelming odds. When confronted with humanly insurmountable challenges and direct affronts to God's sovereignty, the king bypassed any reliance on military strength, political alliances, or his own strategic intellect. His actions were swift, intentional, and deeply spiritual: receiving and comprehending the threat, then immediately turning to God in His sanctuary. The act of "spreading the letters out before the LORD" is a particularly potent visual representation of trust. It expresses complete transparency and vulnerability, presenting the full measure of the problem, including the enemy's contempt for God, directly to the divine gaze. This was a king, yet he demonstrated courageous humility by acknowledging his utter powerlessness and submitting the entire crisis to God's ultimate authority. Hezekiah's move essentially made the Assyrian threat God's own battle, placing it on God's "desk" for divine judgment and intervention. It beautifully illustrates the principle of casting one's cares upon the LORD because He cares (1 Pet 5:7).