Isaiah 38 10

Isaiah 38:10 kjv

I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

Isaiah 38:10 nkjv

I said, "In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years."

Isaiah 38:10 niv

I said, "In the prime of my life must I go through the gates of death and be robbed of the rest of my years?"

Isaiah 38:10 esv

I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.

Isaiah 38:10 nlt

I said, "In the prime of my life,
must I now enter the place of the dead?
Am I to be robbed of the rest of my years?"

Isaiah 38 verses

Isaiah 38 10 Meaning

Isaiah 38:10 captures King Hezekiah's deeply emotional lament during his mortal illness. He expresses the profound grief of facing premature death, feeling that his life is being abruptly cut short "in the cutting off of my days." He envisions himself entering "the gates of Sheol," the ancient Hebrew concept of the abode of the dead, signifying an irreversible journey into the underworld. The verse conveys a sense of personal loss, where he perceives himself as being "deprived of the remainder of my years," indicating an unfulfilled life and the injustice of an early demise.

Isaiah 38 10 Context

King Hezekiah's words in Isaiah 38:10 are part of a deeply personal prayer or lament (miktam or psalm-like utterance) made after the prophet Isaiah informed him he would die from a severe illness (Isa 38:1). This event occurs shortly after the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib's Assyrian army (Isa 37). While Hezekiah's reign was marked by significant religious reforms, purifying Judah of idolatry and restoring true worship, he now faces his mortality directly. The immediate context is his fervent prayer to God, remembering his faithful walk, and appealing for an extension of his life. This is not just fear of death, but grief over the finality and cutting off of his covenant relationship and capacity to worship God in the "land of the living" as understood by the Old Covenant people. His distress stems from the typical ancient Israelite understanding of Sheol as a shadowy place of silence, cut off from meaningful interaction with God.

Isaiah 38 10 Word analysis

• I said (אָמַרְתִּי, ’āmartî): First-person singular perfect, indicating a personal declaration. It conveys Hezekiah's inner thought process, a deeply felt realization verbalized as a lament. This is his internal confession of impending doom.
• In the cutting off (בִּדְמִי, biḏəmî): The preposition bə- meaning "in" or "at." The noun demî is debated. Some scholars derive it from דָּמָה (damah) meaning "to cease" or "to be silent," implying "in the cessation" or "in the quietness." Others link it to דְּמוּת (demut) meaning "likeness," or "fullness," which would translate "in the noontide" or "in the fullness/peak," tragically implying a life cut short at its prime. Given the context, "cutting off" or "cessation" makes more sense, denoting an abrupt end. It points to an untimely death, not a full life completed naturally.
• Of my days (יָמַי, yāmay): Refers to his life's duration. The emphasis is on my days, personalizing the loss of what he considers his rightful time to live.
• I shall go (אֵלֵכָה, ’ēlēḵāh): The first-person singular imperfect/jussive of הָלַךְ (halakh), "to go." Expresses inevitability or a strong declaration of his expected future action, implying resignation to his fate.
• To the gates (בְּשַׁעֲרֵי, bəša‘ărê): The preposition bə- "to/at" with the noun שַׁעַר (sha‘ar), "gate." Gates were literal entrances to cities but metaphorically represent a threshold, access point, or point of no return. Here, it signifies the entrance to the realm of the dead.
• Of Sheol (שְׁאוֹל, šə’ōl): The standard Old Testament term for the grave, the underworld, the abode of the dead, a place of silence and shadows where departed souls reside, disconnected from the vibrant activities of life and open worship of God. It is distinct from later concepts of hell or heaven, but often associated with a downward journey.
• I am deprived (פֻקַּדְתִּי, puqqadttî): A difficult word, the Pual perfect of פָּקַד (paqad). While paqad often means "to visit," "to inspect," or "to appoint," in the Pual it can convey "to be summoned," "to be missed," "to be cut off," or "to be appointed" (to death/Sheol). In this context, it implies being "removed," "taken away," or "deprived" by a divine decree from God, conveying a sense of helplessness and injustice from Hezekiah's perspective. It highlights that this premature end is not self-inflicted but imposed.
• Of the remainder (יֶתֶר, yeter): "Remainder," "excess," or "what is left over." It contrasts sharply with what he expects, emphasizing that a substantial part of his anticipated life is being unjustly withheld.
• Of my years (שָׁנוֹתָי, šānôtay): Plural of שָׁנָה (shanah), "year," again with the possessive "my." This reiterates the personal sense of loss, focusing on the unlived future time.

Words-group analysis:

• "I said in the cutting off of my days": This phrase expresses the heart of Hezekiah's despair – a realization that his life, anticipated to be longer, is being prematurely severed. It paints a picture of life's abrupt end before its natural completion, often described as life being "snatched away" at its zenith or "noon-tide."
• "I shall go to the gates of Sheol": This idiom vividly portrays his certainty of impending death. "Gates of Sheol" is a powerful metaphor for entering the inescapable realm of the dead. It speaks of a one-way journey into a shadowy existence where the living's praises to God ceased. This also contrasts with any pagan beliefs where kings might ascend to divinity after death; Hezekiah is facing the common lot of humanity in the grave.
• "I am deprived of the remainder of my years": This underscores the feeling of being robbed of an expected future. It conveys a deep sense of loss, unfulfilled potential, and injustice regarding the time he believes he still should have had. This perspective does not openly polemicize, but by stating his personal loss to YHWH, he implicitly laments YHWH's (apparent) decree, rather than submitting to a fate controlled by pagan deities.

Isaiah 38 10 Bonus section

• Theology of Sheol: This verse offers a clear insight into the prevailing Old Testament theology of Sheol. It was generally understood as a netherworld where all the dead go, regardless of righteousness, a realm of inactivity, silence, and severance from God's active worship. This contrasts significantly with later concepts of hell (gehenna) or heaven, and highlights the unique blessing and terror of life and death for ancient Israelites within their covenant relationship. While later parts of the Old Testament (e.g., Psa 16:10, Dan 12:2) begin to hint at resurrection, Hezekiah's words reflect an earlier or more common understanding of Sheol's finality for the living's experience.
• Thematic connection to lament psalms: Hezekiah's prayer closely mirrors the themes and structure of many individual laments found in the book of Psalms, where the supplicant cries out to God from distress, feeling cut off from life and God's favor, yet often ends with an expression of hope or renewed trust. This situates Hezekiah's words within a well-established tradition of biblical prayer.
• Divine Sovereignty over life and death: Although Hezekiah's lament expresses despair, the divine intervention that follows (extension of his life by 15 years, Isa 38:5) profoundly demonstrates God's ultimate sovereignty over life and death, sickness and health. It shows that even when a prophet declares a divine decree, prayer can change that outcome based on God's will and compassion.
• New Covenant Contrast: The profound sense of being cut off from God's presence and praise upon entering Sheol (as expressed by Hezekiah) is transformed in the New Testament through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For believers in Christ, death is no longer a silent separation but an immediate presence with the Lord (Phil 1:23; 2 Cor 5:8), and the grave's power is ultimately overcome by Christ's victory (1 Cor 15).

Isaiah 38 10 Commentary

Isaiah 38:10 is a poignant lament expressing the king's profound human despair in the face of imminent, untimely death. Hezekiah's "cutting off" reflects the human fear of mortality, particularly when life is perceived as unfulfilled. His vivid imagery of entering "the gates of Sheol" highlights the ancient Israelite understanding of death as an entry into a shadowy, silent existence separated from vibrant life and active worship of God. His grief stems not just from losing life, but from losing the opportunity to praise God actively among the living (as reiterated in subsequent verses), and experiencing God's manifest presence on earth. This lament emphasizes the fragile and transient nature of human life under the Old Covenant perspective, where the hope of resurrection was not yet fully revealed as in the New Testament. The verse captures the raw human emotion of sorrow, injustice, and helplessness when faced with life's end before one's expected time.