Isaiah 38:11 kjv
I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
Isaiah 38:11 nkjv
I said, "I shall not see YAH, The LORD in the land of the living; I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
Isaiah 38:11 niv
I said, "I will not again see the LORD himself in the land of the living; no longer will I look on my fellow man, or be with those who now dwell in this world.
Isaiah 38:11 esv
I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
Isaiah 38:11 nlt
I said, "Never again will I see the LORD GOD
while still in the land of the living.
Never again will I see my friends
or be with those who live in this world.
Isaiah 38 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 6:5 | For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you thanks? | Death stops praise of God in Sheol. |
| Ps 30:9 | "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? | Death renders one unable to praise God. |
| Ps 88:10-12 | Do you work wonders for the dead? ... Are your wonders known in the darkness? | The dead cannot experience or proclaim God's power. |
| Ps 115:17 | The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence. | Sheol is a place of silence, devoid of praise. |
| Job 7:7-9 | My eye will not again see good... he who goes down to Sheol does not come up. | Death as a permanent end to seeing life/good. |
| Eccl 9:10 | Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol. | No activity or knowledge in Sheol. |
| Ps 27:13 | I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! | Hope in experiencing God in this life. |
| Ps 42:2 | My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? | Desire for God's active presence in life. |
| Ps 63:2 | So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. | Experiencing God's presence in His house. |
| Ps 16:11 | You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy. | Joy found in God's presence (implying in life). |
| Ps 17:15 | As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. | Hope of seeing God's face (potentially future/afterlife). |
| Ps 23:6 | Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. | Desire for continuous dwelling in God's presence. |
| Ps 73:24-25 | You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory... there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. | Assurance of God's presence, even to glory. |
| Job 19:25-27 | I know that my Redeemer lives... yet in my flesh I shall see God. | Later hope of seeing God post-death/resurrection. |
| Isa 26:19 | Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise... | Prophetic hope of bodily resurrection. |
| Dan 12:2-3 | And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake... | Resurrection of the dead for judgment. |
| Luke 20:38 | He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him. | God maintains relationship with the departed. |
| John 11:25-26 | Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live." | Jesus conquers death, offers eternal life. |
| Rom 14:8 | For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. | Whether living or dying, we belong to the Lord. |
| Phil 1:21, 23 | For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain... my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. | Death leads to closer fellowship with Christ. |
| Heb 12:22-23 | You have come to Mount Zion... and to the assembly of the firstborn... | Believers join spiritual fellowship, including departed saints. |
| Matt 5:8 | "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." | Promise of future sight of God (spiritual/physical). |
| 1 John 3:2 | We shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. | Future beatific vision of God for believers. |
| Rev 22:4 | They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. | Believers in the new creation will see God's face. |
Isaiah 38 verses
Isaiah 38 11 Meaning
King Hezekiah, facing imminent death, laments his perceived fate of permanent separation. He believes he will no longer experience active fellowship with God in the vibrant, physical realm of life, nor will he engage with fellow human beings within the active sphere of earthly existence. His sorrow stems from the prospect of being cut off from both divine and human interaction, marking an end to his worship, service, and earthly relationships.
Isaiah 38 11 Context
This verse is an integral part of "Hezekiah's Writing When He Had Been Sick and Had Recovered" (Isaiah 38:9). King Hezekiah had received a direct message from God through the prophet Isaiah that he was to die from a grave illness (Isa 38:1). Devastated, Hezekiah wept bitterly and prayed fervently to the LORD, reminding God of his faithful walk (Isa 38:2-3). God, responding to his plea, granted him an additional fifteen years of life, confirming it with a miraculous sign involving the sun's shadow moving backward (Isa 38:4-8).
Verse 11 is part of Hezekiah's psalm of thanksgiving, recounting his mental and emotional state before God's intervention. It reflects the king's profound despair and his understanding of death at that time. He perceived death as a cessation of active relationship with God and disconnect from humanity within the sphere of this earthly life. The chapter is therefore a testament to God's compassionate response to human suffering and the transformation of lament into praise, as seen in the rest of Hezekiah's psalm (Isa 38:10-20), where he eventually praises God for saving his life. The historical setting is the reign of Hezekiah in Judah, likely after the Assyrian siege, and it reflects a period when the understanding of the afterlife was often associated with Sheol – a shadowy existence distinct from vibrant engagement with God.
Isaiah 38 11 Word analysis
- I said (אָמַרְתִּי, ʾāmaretî): This indicates a deep, settled conviction or a pronouncement of his inner state. It's not a mere passing thought, but an articulation of a grim reality he had come to accept in his affliction. It emphasizes the gravity of his despair.
- I shall not see (לֹא־אֶרְאֶה, lōʾ-ʾerʾeh): The Hebrew verb raʾah (ראה), "to see," here goes beyond mere visual perception. It signifies to experience, to behold, to enjoy, to understand, or to have intimate fellowship. The negation "not" (לֹא, lōʾ) with the future tense conveys absolute certainty in his mind about this loss.
- the LORD, the LORD (יָהּ יָהּ, Yah Yah): The repetition of this abbreviated, poetic form of God's personal covenant name, Yahweh (יהוה), adds intensity and emphasis to his cry. It speaks to a deep, personal relationship Hezekiah fears losing. It implies his active, covenantal relationship with the living God would cease.
- in the land of the living (בְּאֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים, bəʾerets haḥayyîm): This phrase poetically refers to the earthly realm, where life, activity, and visible divine interaction take place. It directly contrasts with Sheol, the grave, or the realm of the dead, which was perceived in much of the Old Testament as a place cut off from vibrant interaction with God and the living.
- I shall look on man no more (לֹא־אַבִּיט אָדָם עוֹד, lōʾ-ʾabbîṭ ʾādām ʿôd): The verb nabaṭ (נבט), "to look on" or "to gaze intently," implies careful observation, contemplating, or interacting. Like "see," it suggests more than just passive viewing; it conveys engaging with people. "No more" (עוֹד, ʿôd) emphasizes the finality of this cessation.
- among the inhabitants of the world (עִם־יֹשְׁבֵי חָדֶל, ʿim-yōšəvē ḥāḏel): The word ḥāḏel (חָדֶל) is distinct. It can mean "ceasing," "stopping," or refers to the "world of cessation" or "transient existence." It paints a picture of humanity as fleeting, reinforcing the ephemeral nature of life on earth and his imminent departure from it. Some scholars translate it as "the world of silence" or "those who cease to be," reinforcing the idea of death's final separation from active society.
Isaiah 38 11 Bonus section
The specific choice of "Yah, Yah" for the LORD, instead of the more common "Yahweh" or "Adonai," gives a very personal and almost plaintive tone to Hezekiah's expression of grief. It reflects a deep, intimate plea being stifled by impending death. Hezekiah's lament here stands in tension with later biblical developments regarding resurrection and the state of the righteous after death. While the Old Testament concept of Sheol often depicted a shadowy existence where active worship and relationship with God were diminished or absent, subsequent revelation, particularly through Christ, fundamentally transformed this understanding. The king's fear was valid within his contemporary theological understanding, underscoring the revolutionary nature of the resurrection message.
Isaiah 38 11 Commentary
Isaiah 38:11 powerfully articulates King Hezekiah's profound fear and lament in the face of death. It expresses a core theological concern prevalent in much of the Old Testament understanding of the afterlife: that death meant a severing of vibrant, active fellowship with God and withdrawal from human community in the "land of the living." For Hezekiah, death was not merely the end of physical life, but a tragic separation from the sphere where he could worship the Lord, enjoy His manifest presence, and fulfill his duties as king among his people. The repetition of "the LORD, the LORD" underscores the personal nature of this feared loss. His lament is born out of a desire for ongoing spiritual and social engagement, which he believed would cease upon entering the realm of the dead. This verse captures a raw, human struggle with mortality and the perceived boundaries of divine-human interaction within a particular historical-theological framework, highlighting God's subsequent merciful intervention to extend his life.