Isaiah 37 28

Isaiah 37:28 kjv

But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.

Isaiah 37:28 nkjv

"But I know your dwelling place, Your going out and your coming in, And your rage against Me.

Isaiah 37:28 niv

"But I know where you are and when you come and go and how you rage against me.

Isaiah 37:28 esv

"'I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me.

Isaiah 37:28 nlt

"But I know you well ?
where you stay
and when you come and go.
I know the way you have raged against me.

Isaiah 37 verses

Isaiah 37 28 Meaning

Isaiah 37:28 conveys God's profound and intimate knowledge of the Assyrian king Sennacherib's every action, state, and inner disposition. It declares God's complete omniscience over Sennacherib's entire life – his resting, moving, planning, and, most significantly, his furious blasphemy directed against the Lord. This divine awareness serves as the basis for God's impending judgment and highlights the futility of human pride and opposition to the Almighty.

Isaiah 37 28 Context

Isaiah 37:28 is God's direct message to King Sennacherib of Assyria, delivered through the prophet Isaiah to King Hezekiah of Judah. Earlier, Sennacherib had sent a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah, mocking Yahweh and boasting about his unstoppable conquests over other nations and their gods (Isa 37:9-13). Distraught, Hezekiah took the letter to the Temple, spread it before the Lord, and offered a fervent prayer for deliverance, appealing to God's honor and unique power (Isa 37:14-20). In response, God, through Isaiah, provides assurance to Hezekiah (Isa 37:21-21) and then turns to address Sennacherib directly (Isa 37:22-29). The entire passage (Isa 37:22-29) is a sarcastic taunt-song, with God contrasting Sennacherib's self-glorifying arrogance with God's ultimate sovereignty and foreknowledge. This particular verse forms a crucial part of God's rebuke, directly confronting Sennacherib's mistaken belief that his actions were independent of divine oversight, demonstrating that even his secret intentions and public movements were fully known to the Lord.

Isaiah 37 28 Word analysis

• But (כִּי - kî): This conjunction introduces the explanation or reason for God's impending judgment against Sennacherib. It signals that God's forthcoming actions are based on His perfect awareness of the king. It can also be emphatic, meaning "indeed" or "surely."
• I know (יָדַעְתִּי - yāda‘tî): Derived from the Hebrew root yada‘ (יָדַע), meaning "to know." This is not merely intellectual acquaintance but a deep, intimate, and comprehensive knowledge, indicative of divine omniscience and total oversight. The perfect tense emphasizes a completed and abiding state of knowing. It signifies a profound relationship or understanding that encompasses every aspect.
• your dwelling place (שִׁבְתְּךָ - šīḇtəḵā): From the root yashav (יָשַׁב), meaning "to sit, dwell, remain." This refers to Sennacherib's place of rest, residence, private moments, and stability. It covers his inner sanctum, his home, his secure locations.
• your going out (וְצֵאתְךָ - wəṣē’ṯəḵā): From the root yatsa’ (יָצָא), meaning "to go out, depart." This denotes his public movements, his military campaigns, his leaving his residence for any activity. It encompasses his active, external life.
• and your coming in (וּבוֹאֲךָ - ūḇō’ăḵā): From the root bo’ (בּוֹא), meaning "to come, enter, arrive." Paired with "going out," these two terms form a merism, a literary device where two contrasting parts represent the whole. "Going out and coming in" signifies the totality of Sennacherib's daily activities, his every move, every entry and exit, his entire conduct and course of life, from dawn till dusk, from private to public. This highlights God's continuous and complete surveillance over all his actions.
• and your raging (וְהִתְרַגֶּזְךָ - wəhiṯraggəzəḵā): From the root ragaz (רָגַז), meaning "to tremble, shake, be disturbed, be agitated." The Hithpael stem, used here, often signifies reflexive action, causing oneself to be in a certain state, or being intensely moved. Thus, "raging" denotes an active, self-incited fury, a stirring up of wrath, intense agitation, and arrogant defiance. It speaks to his internal, furious disposition, which motivated his aggressive actions and blasphemous words.
• against me (אֵלָי - ’ēlay): The preposition ’el (אֵל), meaning "to, towards, against," combined with the first-person singular suffix, directly identifies the object of Sennacherib's fury: the Lord God Himself. This specifies the profound personal offense of Sennacherib's pride and blasphemy against the true God, making his rage not merely against Judah but against the Sovereign Creator.

Isaiah 37 28 Bonus section

The repeated "I know" and the comprehensive list of actions in Isaiah 37:28 (dwelling, going out, coming in) parallel the deep intimacy of God's knowledge described in Psalm 139. In Psalm 139, the psalmist expresses awe that God knows every aspect of his life, his thoughts, his words, his movements. Here, in Isaiah, God asserts that same exhaustive knowledge over His enemy, Sennacherib. This reversal underscores a critical theological point: God's attributes (omniscience, omnipresence) are not merely comforting for His people; they are also potent instruments of judgment against those who defy Him. The verse therefore establishes a strong polemic against the limited and localized deities of Assyrian polytheism; the gods of Assyria, even if they existed, certainly did not possess this kind of all-encompassing awareness over their supposed champions, nor did they orchestrate human actions with such detailed precision as Yahweh claims. Sennacherib's fate was sealed not by a superior army or clever tactics, but by his failure to comprehend the true nature of the God he blasphemed.

Isaiah 37 28 Commentary

Isaiah 37:28 serves as a chilling and definitive declaration of divine omniscience and sovereignty against the backdrop of human arrogance. God’s knowledge extends not only to Sennacherib’s observable movements—his “dwelling place,” “going out,” and “coming in”—but also to his inner state, his "raging." This total awareness leaves no aspect of Sennacherib’s existence, private or public, conscious or subconscious, hidden from the Lord. The choice of the Hebrew yada‘ ("know") underscores a deep, personal understanding, far beyond mere intellectual apprehension. Sennacherib thought he was battling a local deity, but God reminds him that his every breath, step, and blasphemous thought are under the watchful eye of the true Almighty, the One against whom all human rebellion is ultimately directed. This verse provides immense comfort to Judah, knowing that their Protector understands every detail of their oppressor's plans, and acts as a severe warning to those who dare to defy the Lord, highlighting the futility of contending with divine power when all one's ways are perfectly known.

• Practical application: Consider the comfort knowing God knows our distress and fears, as He knew Hezekiah's. Also, recognize that nothing done in secret is hidden from Him.