Isaiah 38 5

Isaiah 38:5 kjv

Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.

Isaiah 38:5 nkjv

"Go and tell Hezekiah, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.

Isaiah 38:5 niv

"Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.

Isaiah 38:5 esv

"Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.

Isaiah 38:5 nlt

"Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life,

Isaiah 38 verses

Isaiah 38 5 Meaning

Isaiah 38:5 delivers a direct divine message from the LORD to King Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah. After Hezekiah's fervent prayer and weeping over a terminal illness, God assures him that He has both heard his plea and witnessed his deep distress. As a testament to God's responsive mercy, a specific and miraculous extension of Hezekiah's life by fifteen years is promised. This verse underscores God's personal engagement with human suffering and His sovereign power over life and death, particularly in response to heartfelt supplication within the context of His covenant faithfulness.

Isaiah 38 5 Context

Isaiah chapter 38 begins with King Hezekiah receiving a death sentence from the prophet Isaiah, advising him to set his house in order (Is 38:1). Hezekiah, deeply distressed, turns his face to the wall and prays earnestly to the LORD, recalling his faithful walk and weeping bitterly (Is 38:2-3). This immediate context highlights the severity of Hezekiah's illness and his profound faith in a personal God. Isaiah 38:5 is God's direct, swift, and merciful response, interrupting Isaiah's departure. The broader historical context is Hezekiah's reign over Judah, characterized by significant reforms, loyalty to the LORD, and external pressures from the Assyrian Empire. This miracle precedes the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem mentioned in Isaiah 36-37, providing an interlude of divine intervention and highlighting God's faithfulness to Hezekiah, preparing him for the impending national crisis.

Isaiah 38 5 Word analysis

• "Go and say": Hebrew הָלוֹךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ (halokh ve'amarta). This emphasizes an immediate and urgent divine directive. The prophet is not to delay in delivering this changed message.
• "to Hezekiah": חִזְקִיָּהוּ (Ḥizqiyahu). His name means "Yahweh strengthens" or "Yahweh is my strength," which becomes profoundly significant in light of his imminent death sentence and subsequent miraculous recovery, literally being strengthened by God.
• "Thus says the LORD": כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה (Koh Amar YHVH). This is a foundational prophetic formula, unmistakably asserting divine authority and distinguishing God's message from human words. YHVH (the LORD) is the personal covenant God of Israel.
• "the God of David your father": אֱלֹהֵי דָּוִד אָבִיךָ (Elohei Dawid Avikha). This significant phrase invokes the everlasting covenant God made with King David (2 Sam 7), underscoring God's faithfulness across generations. While David was an ancestor, calling him "your father" emphasizes this dynastic connection and covenantal link, validating Hezekiah's standing as a righteous Davidic king, a crucial point in his prayer (Is 38:3). It grounds God's response in historical faithfulness, not just an isolated act of pity.
• "I have heard your prayer": שָׁמַעְתִּי אֶת־תְּפִלָּתֶךָ (Shama'ti et-tefillatekha). The past tense indicates a completed action—God has already received and acknowledged Hezekiah's heartfelt supplication. It affirms God's attentive and responsive nature.
• "I have seen your tears": רָאִיתִי אֶת־דִּמְעָתֶךָ (Ra'iti et-dim'atekha). Similar to "heard," this uses the past tense, signifying that God had fully observed and taken into account the visual expression of Hezekiah's profound distress and sincere repentance/pleading. Tears were considered a powerful form of non-verbal prayer and a sign of deep emotional conviction in ancient Near Eastern culture.
• "Behold": הִנֵּה (Hineh). An emphatic particle used to draw attention to a new and important declaration, often indicating a surprise or a significant turning point in the narrative.
• "I will add fifteen years to your life": וְהֹסַפְתִּי עַל־יָמֶיךָ חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (Ve-hosafti al-yamekha ḥamesh 'esreh shanah). A clear, concrete, and miraculous promise. The precise number "fifteen years" demonstrates divine precision and direct intervention, contradicting the prior "you shall die" decree. It highlights God's sovereign control over life spans and ability to alter human destiny in response to intercession.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Go and say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the LORD'": This initial declaration is a striking example of prophetic re-direction. Isaiah, having just delivered a message of death, is commanded to immediately reverse course with a new, life-affirming message. This demonstrates God's sovereignty even over His own prophecies, responding to the dynamic interaction of human prayer and divine mercy. The authority is underscored by "Thus says the LORD."
• "the God of David your father": This phrase doesn't just identify God, but also affirms Hezekiah's standing in God's covenant lineage. It reminds both Isaiah and Hezekiah of God's enduring faithfulness to the promises made to David and his royal house, providing a powerful foundation for the extraordinary miracle that follows. Hezekiah's own righteous walk (Is 38:3) aligned him with the legacy of David.
• "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears.": This parallelism beautifully articulates God's comprehensive engagement with His suffering servant. He hears the spoken (or unspoken) words and perceives the inner anguish expressed through physical tears. This speaks to God's deep empathy and attentive care, where no part of a genuine cry for help goes unnoticed or unvalued by Him. It assures that true supplication finds favor.
• "Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.": This climactic declaration demonstrates God's immediate and dramatic response. The use of "Behold" draws full attention to this unprecedented act of grace. The specificity of "fifteen years" solidifies the miracle and serves as an undeniable sign of divine power and mercy. It shows that God not only hears and sees but also acts with decisive and precise power.

Isaiah 38 5 Bonus section

The immediacy of God's response to Hezekiah, relayed by Isaiah even before the prophet left the middle court (2 Kgs 20:4), is a powerful demonstration of God's quick and direct intervention. It speaks to a divine responsiveness that is not delayed, and underscores that God actively listens to the pleas of His faithful. This moment also implicitly confronts ancient pagan views of unchangeable fate or destiny dictated by lesser gods. Yahweh, the sovereign God of Israel, proves He has the ultimate power over life and death and can alter any decreed outcome. The subsequent miracle of the sundial's shadow retreating (Is 38:8; 2 Kgs 20:11) served as a profound physical sign to confirm this unbelievable promise, reinforcing God's dominion over creation itself as proof of His word. This entire narrative episode serves to reaffirm God's covenant with David, showcasing His steadfast love even when Hezekiah (a Davidic king) was facing personal annihilation, thus securing the lineage through whom the Messiah would come.

Isaiah 38 5 Commentary

Isaiah 38:5 stands as a profound testament to the power of earnest prayer and the depths of God's compassionate nature. Following a stark death sentence, God's swift intervention highlights His unique responsiveness to a heart turned towards Him. The immediate reversal of prophecy underscores His sovereignty, not being bound by His own declarations when confronted with humble, tearful petition. By identifying Himself as "the God of David your father," God anchors His act of mercy within His eternal covenant with the Davidic line, assuring Hezekiah that his plea aligns with a heritage of divine faithfulness and blessing, contingent upon righteous rule. The hearing of prayer and seeing of tears portray a God who is intimately attentive to both the vocal expressions and the unspoken agony of His children, recognizing the full spectrum of their supplication. The miraculous addition of fifteen years is a concrete, tangible demonstration of God's power to intervene against the natural course of events, extending life when it was believed to be at an end. This verse offers immense comfort, assuring believers that God not only hears their cries in distress but actively and powerfully responds with mercy and grace. It demonstrates that genuine, fervent prayer, born of a heart of faith, can indeed alter the course of seemingly inevitable circumstances, reflecting God's compassionate character and sovereign control over life itself.

Examples for practical usage:

• For desperate situations: Remember Hezekiah's prayer when faced with what seems like a "death sentence" in life—an incurable diagnosis, financial ruin, or relational breakdown—to remind us that God's power extends beyond human limitations.
• For the power of intercession: Just as Isaiah delivered God's answer, we are reminded to be messengers of hope and comfort to others, interceding for them and believing God can change seemingly fixed circumstances.
• For understanding God's nature: Reflect on God hearing Hezekiah's prayer and seeing his tears to deepen our understanding of God's compassionate and attentive character, encouraging vulnerability and sincerity in our own prayers.