Isaiah 38:16 kjv
O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
Isaiah 38:16 nkjv
O Lord, by these things men live; And in all these things is the life of my spirit; So You will restore me and make me live.
Isaiah 38:16 niv
Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live.
Isaiah 38:16 esv
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live!
Isaiah 38:16 nlt
Lord, your discipline is good,
for it leads to life and health.
You restore my health
and allow me to live!
Isaiah 38 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 8:3 | "man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word..." | Life sustained by God's word and faithfulness. |
| Ps 30:2-3 | "O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me... kept my soul from going down..." | Prayer for healing and deliverance from death. |
| Ps 36:9 | "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." | God is the ultimate source of all life. |
| Ps 119:50 | "This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life." | God's word and promises bring spiritual life. |
| Prov 4:22 | "for they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh." | God's words are a source of life and health. |
| Jn 1:4 | "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." | Jesus Christ as the embodiment of life. |
| Jn 6:63 | "It is the Spirit who gives life... The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." | Spiritual life through divine words. |
| Jn 6:68 | "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life..." | Only God/Christ offers eternal and true life. |
| Jn 14:6 | "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." | Christ is the embodiment of life. |
| Acts 17:25 | "since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything." | God as the Giver and Sustainer of all life. |
| Rom 8:6 | "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." | Distinction between carnal and spiritual life. |
| 2 Cor 3:6 | "who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant... not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." | Spiritual life through the Holy Spirit. |
| Jas 1:17 | "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." | All good things, including life, come from God. |
| Ex 15:26 | "I am the LORD, your healer." | God identifies Himself as the one who heals. |
| Ps 103:3 | "who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases," | God's power to heal and forgive. |
| Jer 17:14 | "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise." | Prayer for divine healing and salvation. |
| Hab 3:2 | "in wrath remember mercy." | Appealing to God's merciful character. |
| Heb 4:12 | "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword..." | The dynamic power of God's living word. |
| 2 Kgs 20:5 | "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you." | God responds to heartfelt prayers for healing. |
| Lam 3:22-23 | "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases... they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." | God's faithfulness as a constant source of hope. |
Isaiah 38 verses
Isaiah 38 16 Meaning
Isaiah 38:16 expresses King Hezekiah's profound understanding that true life, both physical existence and spiritual vitality, originates solely from God's acts of faithfulness and His promises. It is a direct prayer acknowledging divine sovereignty over life and death, appealing to God's character as the ultimate sustainer and healer, requesting restoration and continued life.
Isaiah 38 16 Context
Isaiah chapter 38 records King Hezekiah's mortal illness, his fervent prayer for recovery, and God's miraculous response extending his life by fifteen years. The verse 16 is part of Hezekiah's psalm or "writing" of thanksgiving and reflection upon his recovery (Isa 38:9-20). Hezekiah had been informed by Isaiah that he would die and not recover (Isa 38:1). His desperate prayer appealed to God's covenant faithfulness and his own righteous walk (Isa 38:3). God heard his cry and granted him life. This specific verse occurs after Hezekiah describes the intense bitterness of his soul and how God intervened, lifting him from the "pit of destruction" (Isa 38:17). "These things" refer back to God's mercy, His casting all sins behind His back, and His restoring of Hezekiah's life – a direct divine intervention. In the historical and cultural context, people often looked to idols or earthly means for healing, but Hezekiah steadfastly turns to Yahweh, implicitly contrasting Him with impotent alternatives.
Isaiah 38 16 Word analysis
- יְהוָה (YHWH / Yahweh): "O Lord"
- Significance: This is the sacred, covenant name of God, indicating His personal, revealed, and unchanging character, particularly His faithfulness to His promises. Hezekiah appeals to God's nature as the One who sustains His people and keeps covenant. It implies a personal relationship.
- עֲלֵיהֶם (
alehem): "by these things," "upon them," "in them"- Meaning: This preposition can indicate dependence, means, or relationship. Here, it refers to the faithful acts and declarations of God described in the preceding verses, especially God's speaking to Hezekiah and doing what He said (Isa 38:15), His promise of life, and His mercy.
- Significance: It highlights that life doesn't come from an abstract force but from concrete, divine interventions and truthful words.
- יִחְיֶה (
yichyeh): "men live," "one lives"- Meaning: From the root
chayah, meaning "to live, revive, restore to life, be alive." This verb denotes not just bare existence but vitality and flourishing. - Significance: While Hezekiah is personal, the use of the third person singular implies a general truth, an axiom that is true for all humanity: genuine life depends on God's action.
- Meaning: From the root
- וּבְכָל בָּהֵן (
uvekhol bahen): "and in all these," "and in all of them"- Meaning: The prefix
u-means "and."Bekholmeans "in all."Bahenis "in them." This phrase emphatically reiterates the source of life. - Significance: It emphasizes the comprehensiveness and absolute nature of God's life-giving power and presence in all His deeds and words.
- Meaning: The prefix
- חַיֵּי רוּחִי (
chayei ruchi): "life of my spirit"- Meaning:
Chayeiis the construct plural ofchayim(life), indicating "the life of."Ruchiis "my spirit."Ruachrefers to breath, wind, or the spiritual aspect of a human being – the innermost being, the seat of vitality, consciousness, and emotion. - Significance: This transcends mere physical resuscitation. It refers to spiritual sustenance, comfort, inner peace, and restored hope, implying a deeper, holistic aspect of life renewed by God's hand, particularly after the "bitterness of soul" mentioned earlier.
- Meaning:
- תַּחֲלִימֵנִי (
tachalimeni): "O restore me to health," "heal me"- Meaning: From the root
chalam, which means "to be strong, sound, healthy, dream." In Hiphil stem, it means "to restore to health," "make sound." - Significance: This is a direct petition for specific physical and spiritual restoration. It underscores the belief that only God can truly heal and bring soundness, beyond human capability.
- Meaning: From the root
- וְהַחְיֵנִי (
vehachayeni): "and make me live!"- Meaning: The conjunction
ve-is "and."Hachayeniis from the rootchayah("to live"), in the Hiphil stem with the 1st person singular suffix, meaning "make me live" or "give me life." It's causative. - Significance: It’s a prayer for continued, ongoing life and sustenance, acknowledging God as the continuous Giver and Sustainer of existence, not just a one-time healer.
- Meaning: The conjunction
Isaiah 38 16 Bonus section
- Hezekiah's song here (Isaiah 38:9-20) shares characteristics with other psalms of lament and thanksgiving, highlighting personal anguish and God's powerful deliverance. This genre,
Michtam(mentioned in Ps 16, 56-60), implies a "golden psalm" or "indelible inscription," signifying a deeply significant, memorable prayer. - The Hebrew parallelism inherent in the structure of this verse, moving from general (
men live) to specific (life of my spirit) and from a statement of truth to a direct petition, deepens its emotional and theological impact. - This verse can be understood as an early Old Testament reflection on spiritual life and revival, going beyond mere physical existence. The desire for "life of my spirit" suggests an aspiration for communion with God, spiritual renewal, and inner strength, prefiguring New Testament themes of life in the Spirit.
Isaiah 38 16 Commentary
Isaiah 38:16 stands as a profound testament to absolute reliance on God for both physical existence and spiritual vitality. Hezekiah's words emerge from the harrowing experience of facing death and then miraculously receiving renewed life from God. The phrase "by these things men live" universalizes his personal experience, recognizing that God's faithful acts, His word, and His sovereign interventions are the fundamental sources of life for everyone. This is not about human effort or earthly remedies, but a declaration that the essence of life itself, down to the deepest part of one's "spirit," flows from the divine. His subsequent plea, "O restore me to health and make me live!", is not just for physical recovery but a cry for a full, ongoing, and purposeful life – life breathed and sustained by God. It teaches that our very breath and innermost being find their sustenance and health in the unceasing faithfulness of the Lord, making Him the singular focus of our hope in times of dire need.