Isaiah 37:34 kjv
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 37:34 nkjv
By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,' Says the LORD.
Isaiah 37:34 niv
By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city," declares the LORD.
Isaiah 37:34 esv
By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD.
Isaiah 37:34 nlt
The king will return to his own country
by the same road on which he came.
He will not enter this city,'
says the LORD.
Isaiah 37 34 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Is 37:33 | Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: "He shall not come... shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield, or cast up a mound against it." | Preceding verse, details of the failed siege |
| 2 Ki 19:32-34 | "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria: 'He shall not come..." | Parallel passage, identical prophecy |
| Is 10:12 | When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion... I will punish the proud heart of the king of Assyria | God's use and judgment of Assyria |
| Ps 46:1 | God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. | Divine protection in crisis |
| Ps 48:3 | God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be a fortress. | God's defense of His city |
| Ps 125:2 | As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people... | God's enduring protection for His people |
| Zech 2:5 | And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD... | God as a protector around His people |
| Is 46:9-10 | For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me... declaring the end from the beginning... | God's absolute sovereignty and foreknowledge |
| 1 Ki 8:56 | Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel... Not one word has failed... | God's faithfulness to His promises |
| Num 23:19 | God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind... Has he not said, and will he not do it? | God's unchangeable word |
| Is 55:11 | So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty... | Efficacy and fulfillment of God's word |
| Ps 76:3-6 | There he broke the arrows of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. | God breaking the power of oppressors |
| Ps 9:15-16 | The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid... The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment. | Enemies trapped by their own schemes |
| Is 37:21 | Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Because you have prayed to me..." | God's answer to Hezekiah's prayer |
| Jer 17:5-8 | Cursed is the man who trusts in man... Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD... | Trust in God versus human power |
| Job 5:12-13 | He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success... | God undermining human cunning |
| 1 Sam 2:9 | ...he will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might does man prevail. | God's intervention, not human strength |
| Deut 4:35 | To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him. | God's uniqueness against other gods |
| Rom 8:31 | What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? | Assurance in God's backing |
| Is 44:26 | ...who confirms the word of his servant and performs the counsel of his messengers... | God bringing His prophetic words to pass |
| Ps 147:15-18 | He sends out his command to the earth... He sends out his word... | God's power in natural and human affairs |
Isaiah 37 verses
Isaiah 37 34 Meaning
This verse is a direct and definitive prophetic declaration from God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah to King Hezekiah concerning the invading Assyrian King Sennacherib. It emphatically states that Sennacherib will not succeed in entering or capturing Jerusalem. Instead, he will be forced to retreat by the same route he used for his invasion, without ever breaching the city's walls, highlighting God's sovereign control over the movements and destiny of nations and their rulers.
Isaiah 37 34 Context
This verse is part of God's immediate response to King Hezekiah's fervent prayer in a moment of existential crisis. Chapters 36 and 37 detail Sennacherib, King of Assyria's invasion of Judah (701 BCE) and his siege of Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh, Assyria's envoy, had previously mocked Judah, insulted their God, YHWH, and demanded surrender, citing the failure of other nations' gods to save them from Assyrian power. Hezekiah, in profound humility and trust, spread Sennacherib's threatening letter before the LORD in the temple and prayed for deliverance, specifically appealing to God to defend His honor against the Assyrian taunts (Is 37:14-20). Isaiah's prophecy, culminating in verse 34, assures Hezekiah and the city that God heard their prayer and would act decisively. This prophecy stands as a powerful refutation of the Assyrian claims and a profound affirmation of YHWH's unique sovereignty over all earthly powers and His faithfulness to His covenant people.
Isaiah 37 34 Word analysis
- By the way (בַּדֶּרֶךְ - baderekh): "On the road," "by the path." This emphasizes the exact route, signifying a meticulously controlled and prescribed return. It implies no deviation or escape from the divine decree.
- that he came (בָּא - ba): "He came," "he entered." A simple past tense verb. It refers to the specific route taken by Sennacherib's army as they advanced towards Jerusalem, establishing the exact parameters of his return.
- by the same way (בָּזֶה - bazeh): "By this (one)," "by the very same (way)." The demonstrative pronoun zeh ("this") acts as a strong qualifier, explicitly stating the identical nature of the outbound and inbound paths. This reiterates the certainty and precision of the divine plan for his retreat.
- he shall return (יָשׁוּב - yashuv): "He will return." A definite future tense, expressing absolute certainty, not a possibility. It's a statement of assured reversal of his progress, a complete turnabout dictated by God.
- and he shall not come (וְלֹֽא־יָבֹ֖א - welo-yavo): "And not will he enter." A strong negative followed by a future tense verb. This is an emphatic prohibition and a categorical denial of Sennacherib's primary objective: to enter and conquer Jerusalem. It highlights the divine boundary placed upon his actions.
- into this city (אֶל־הָעִ֣יר הַזֹּ֑את - el-ha'ir hazot): "To this city, this one." Ha'ir (the city) specifically denotes Jerusalem, while hazot (this one) adds further emphasis to its identity. It signifies the place under direct divine protection, inviolable at this particular time.
- declares the LORD (נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה - neum YHWH): "The utterance/oracle of YHWH." This is a solemn prophetic formula, frequently used to mark a divine statement. It underlines the authority, unchangeable nature, and ultimate reliability of the words preceding it, attributing them directly to God Himself, whose word never fails.
Words-group analysis
- "By the way that he came, by the same way he shall return": This parallelism emphasizes the precise and inescapable reversal of Sennacherib's advance. It's a vivid image of divine control over his movements, a clear signal that his ambition will be thwarted with complete geographical accuracy. The powerful military advance is rendered a mere transient passage by divine decree.
- "and he shall not come into this city": This phrase delivers the core promise of the verse—Jerusalem's impenetrable status under God's watch. It directly contradicts Sennacherib's intention and the Rabshakeh's taunts, establishing a divine barrier that no human power can breach when God has decreed otherwise.
- "declares the LORD": This closing formula acts as God's signature, validating the entire prophecy as His irrefutable word. It serves as a reminder to Hezekiah, the people, and any future reader that the preceding statement is not human conjecture but a divine, guaranteed truth.
Isaiah 37 34 Bonus section
The fulfillment of this prophecy was remarkably swift and dramatic. That very night, after Isaiah delivered this message, the Angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their camp (Is 37:36, 2 Ki 19:35). Sennacherib, shamed and defeated, returned to Nineveh "by the same way" he had come, never setting foot in Jerusalem as a conqueror. Later, while worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch, he was assassinated by his own sons (Is 37:37-38, 2 Ki 19:36-37). This concrete historical event profoundly illustrated God's ability not only to deliver on His promises but also to execute judgment on those who defy Him and threaten His chosen people. The prophecy served as a powerful polemic against the polytheism and imperial boasts of Assyria, demonstrating the unparalleled power and unique reality of YHWH as the One true God, the controller of human history.
Isaiah 37 34 Commentary
Isaiah 37:34 serves as a monumental testament to God's absolute sovereignty and faithfulness to His people, especially in times of dire threat. It unequivocally assures King Hezekiah that the mightiest empire of their day, Assyria, would not prevail against Jerusalem, precisely because God had decreed otherwise. The "way that he came" signifies the controlled path of the enemy's arrival and departure, highlighting God's meticulous oversight over all events, even the actions of His adversaries. "Not come into this city" is the direct and potent promise of inviolability, a clear demonstration that Jerusalem's security stemmed not from its defenses or human strategy, but from the divine protection actively provided. This prophecy underscored a critical theological truth: that the LORD, the God of Israel, was not merely a local deity but the supreme, transcendent Ruler over all nations, who hears and answers the prayers of His trusting children.