Isaiah 38 17

Isaiah 38:17 kjv

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

Isaiah 38:17 nkjv

Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.

Isaiah 38:17 niv

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 38:17 esv

Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

Isaiah 38:17 nlt

Yes, this anguish was good for me,
for you have rescued me from death
and forgiven all my sins.

Isaiah 38 verses

Isaiah 38 17 Meaning

King Hezekiah reflects on his near-fatal illness, acknowledging that his intense suffering ultimately served a divine purpose, leading to his spiritual and physical restoration. He confesses that his bitter experience was overcome by God's profound, active love, which rescued him from the brink of death. Central to this miraculous deliverance was God's decisive act of forgiving all his sins, completely removing them from His remembrance and judgment.

Isaiah 38 17 Context

Isaiah 38 records King Hezekiah's miraculous recovery from a terminal illness. Chapters 36-39 interrupt the broader prophetic themes of Isaiah, providing a historical narrative focused on Hezekiah's reign. Prior to this verse, the prophet Isaiah informs Hezekiah that his illness is fatal (Isa 38:1). Hezekiah turns his face to the wall and prays earnestly to the Lord, pleading for his life based on his faithfulness (Isa 38:2-3). God hears his prayer and sends Isaiah back to promise him fifteen more years of life and deliverance from Assyria, providing the miraculous sign of the sun dial turning back (Isa 38:4-8).

Isaiah 38:9-20 then contains Hezekiah's "writing" or prayer of thanksgiving after his recovery. Verse 17 is a key part of this profound song of praise, where the king articulates his deep theological reflections on the experience. The immediate context of Hezekiah's personal lament, near-death experience, and subsequent healing is crucial, as it shows an intimate moment between the king and his God, reflecting not only on physical survival but spiritual salvation and forgiveness of sins.

Isaiah 38 17 Word analysis

• Behold (הִנֵּה - hinnêh): An interjection signaling surprise, emphasis, or calling for special attention. It alerts the listener/reader to a profound or unexpected revelation.

• for my well-being (לְשָׁל֣וֹם - ləšālôm): Literally "for peace." This is ironic or counterintuitive. He expected peace (wholeness, prosperity, security), but instead encountered deep suffering. Or, it could mean "for the sake of my well-being," suggesting that the suffering itself led to a deeper state of shalom found through God.

• I had great bitterness (מַר־לִ֣י מָ֑ר - mar-lî mār): A double expression, "bitter to me, bitter," signifying extreme, intense, and profound anguish or suffering. It denotes an overwhelming experience of sorrow, pain, or distress, a bitterness to the soul, not just physically.

• but You (וְאַ֣תָּה - wə’attâ): The conjunction "but" marks a sharp contrast, shifting from Hezekiah's human experience to divine intervention. The pronoun "You" emphasizes God as the active agent.

• have lovingly delivered (חָשַׁ֗קְתָּ - ḥāšaqtā): From the verb ḥāšaq, meaning to love deeply, set one's heart upon, be attached to, deliver with strong affection. This signifies God's deep, purposeful, and emotional commitment to Hezekiah, not just a casual rescue but one born of profound affection.

• my soul (נַפְשִׁי - nap̄šî): Refers to the whole being, life, the inner self. It's not merely a physical rescue but a comprehensive deliverance of his entire person, his existence.

• from the pit of corruption (מִשַּׁ֣חַת בְּלִ֑י - miššaḥaṯ bəlî): Šaḥat denotes a pit, destruction, or decay (often associated with the grave or Sheol). Beli means "nothingness," "corruption," or "wearing away." The combined phrase powerfully portrays the realm of ultimate decay, utter ruin, or non-existence in death. It vividly expresses the brink of annihilation.

• for You have cast (כִּ֣י הִשְׁלַ֔כְתָּ - kî hišlak̄tā): "For" introduces the reason or explanation. The verb hišlak̄tā (from šalak) means to throw, cast, or hurl away. It suggests a decisive, deliberate, and complete act of dismissal or rejection.

• all my sins (כָּל־חַטֹּאתַֽי - kol-ḥaṭṭōʾṯay): Emphasizes the totality and comprehensiveness of his transgressions. Hezekiah acknowledges that all his moral failings contributed to his predicament.

• behind Your back (אַחֲרֵ֥י גֵוֶֽךָ - ’aḥărê gēwekā): An idiomatic expression meaning to utterly dismiss, forget, or remove from sight and remembrance. It implies that God has completely turned His back on Hezekiah's sins, rendering them null and void, never to be brought up or accounted for again.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "Behold, for my well-being I had great bitterness": This paradoxical statement reveals Hezekiah's personal growth. He initially anticipated a peaceful life but encountered intense suffering. This anguish, however, led him to a deeper, salvific peace found in God. It redefines "well-being" from mere earthly comfort to spiritual restoration.
  • "You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption": This phrase highlights God's active, affectionate intervention. His love (ḥāšaq) is the force that pulls Hezekiah's entire being (nap̄šî) back from the brink of absolute death and decay (šaḥaṯ bəlî), showing God's power over mortality and the grave.
  • "for You have cast all my sins behind Your back": This is the ultimate theological resolution and the reason for deliverance. God's act of completely removing Hezekiah's total sin debt signifies profound grace. It implies that the threat of death was intimately linked to the consequences of sin, and God's forgiveness brought complete release and new life. This is a complete and irrevocable act of divine mercy.

Isaiah 38 17 Bonus section

The linkage of Hezekiah's healing with the forgiveness of his sins hints at a deep ancient Near Eastern understanding where physical ailments, particularly severe ones leading to death, were often associated with divine judgment for sin (though not always a one-to-one causal link, as seen in Job). Hezekiah's song articulates this connection explicitly. God's act of "casting sins behind His back" prefigures the more complete atonement brought by Christ, where sins are not merely forgotten but fully expiated, paid for, and permanently removed from God's ledger. Hezekiah's personal testimony here is a micro-narrative within the macro-narrative of redemption, showcasing God's grace and mercy in an individual life. This understanding of God's active forgiveness, not just overlooking but fundamentally removing the sin, establishes a powerful theme continued throughout Scripture regarding God's just yet merciful nature. It also challenges human notions of accountability, revealing a divine capacity for absolute and definitive release from guilt.

Isaiah 38 17 Commentary

Isaiah 38:17 encapsulates the heart of Hezekiah's profound thanksgiving, linking his deliverance from physical death to the ultimate act of spiritual grace: the forgiveness of sins. The verse begins with a striking contrast, "for my well-being I had great bitterness," reflecting his experience where impending death, often viewed as a consequence of sin, shattered his expected peace. However, Hezekiah recognizes a deeper purpose in this anguish. It was not mere misfortune but a bitter path leading to an encounter with God's unconditional love.

The pivot point is God's active involvement: "but You have lovingly delivered my soul." The Hebrew word ḥāšaq, translated as "lovingly delivered," conveys God's deep affection and attachment, a proactive divine desire to rescue Hezekiah's entire being from the precipice of "the pit of corruption"—a vivid metaphor for the grave, Sheol, and the decay of ultimate non-existence. This isn't just physical healing; it's a resurrection of the soul from despair and the threat of eternal separation.

Crucially, Hezekiah identifies the reason for this divine rescue: "for You have cast all my sins behind Your back." This powerful anthropomorphic image illustrates God's complete and final removal of his transgressions. It signifies an act of divine amnesty, where God deliberately turns away from remembering sin, making it as if it never was. This establishes a profound link between sin and mortality in the ancient mind and reveals God's solution—not merely a delay of death, but an active overturning of the power of sin over life through complete forgiveness. This confession affirms that God's forgiveness is the ultimate source of true shalom and the foundation of life restored. It provides a timeless theological principle: divine intervention and the defeat of death's power are intrinsically linked to the atonement and complete remission of sins.