Isaiah 39:4 kjv
Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.
Isaiah 39:4 nkjv
And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them."
Isaiah 39:4 niv
The prophet asked, "What did they see in your palace?" "They saw everything in my palace," Hezekiah said. "There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them."
Isaiah 39:4 esv
He said, "What have they seen in your house?" Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them."
Isaiah 39:4 nlt
"What did they see in your palace?" asked Isaiah. "They saw everything," Hezekiah replied. "I showed them everything I own ? all my royal treasuries."
Isaiah 39 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 39:1 | At that time Merodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent...gifts unto Hezekiah... | Immediate context: Babylonian visit |
| Isa 39:2 | Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things... | Parallel account, source of the inquiry |
| 2 Kgs 20:13 | And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things... | Direct parallel in 2 Kings |
| 2 Kgs 20:17-18 | Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up...shall be carried into Babylon...And of thy sons...shall they take away... | Isaiah's immediate prophecy of exile |
| Psa 20:7 | Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. | Trusting in human/material strength |
| Psa 52:7 | Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches... | Reliance on riches leads to downfall |
| Prov 11:28 | He that trusts in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. | Danger of trusting in wealth |
| Prov 16:18 | Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. | Warning against pride |
| Jer 17:5 | Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. | Trusting in man, not God |
| Jer 20:5 | Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city...all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies... | God gives treasures to enemies |
| Jer 25:9 | I will bring them against this land...and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment... | God uses Babylon as judgment |
| Lam 1:10 | The adversary has spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary... | Foreign powers seizing treasures |
| Dan 1:2 | And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God...and he carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of his god. | Fulfillment: Babylon taking vessels |
| Dan 4:30 | The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built...by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? | Nebuchadnezzar's pride |
| Eze 28:5-7 | By thy great wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thy heart is lifted up because of thy riches...I will bring strangers upon thee... | Tyre's pride in riches and destruction |
| Hos 13:6 | According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me. | Prosperity leading to forgetting God |
| Isa 2:7 | Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses... | Judah's earlier trust in wealth |
| 1 Tim 6:17 | Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God... | New Testament warning against trusting riches |
| Heb 11:24-26 | Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt... | True treasure vs. worldly possessions |
| Matt 6:19-21 | Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal... | Investing in heavenly treasures |
| Rev 18:11-13 | And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones... | Fall of Babylon and material possessions |
| Deut 8:17-18 | And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth... | Forgetting God as source of wealth |
Isaiah 39 verses
Isaiah 39 4 Meaning
This verse records King Hezekiah's direct admission to the prophet Isaiah concerning what the Babylonian envoys had seen in his palace. It signifies Hezekiah's complete and unreserved display of his entire treasury and possessions to a foreign delegation. This act, driven by pride or a desire to secure an earthly alliance, inadvertently exposed the wealth and vulnerabilities of Judah, setting the stage for Isaiah's dire prophecy of future Babylonian captivity and plunder.
Isaiah 39 4 Context
Isaiah chapter 39 is a pivotal account following the dramatic events of Hezekiah's life: his miraculous recovery from a deadly illness (Isaiah 38) and Judah's deliverance from the Assyrian invasion (Isaiah 36-37). Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon, sends envoys ostensibly to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery. However, the true motive likely included forming an alliance against the dominant Assyrian empire and gathering intelligence about Judah's military and economic strength. In an act of misplaced pride or political calculation, Hezekiah fully discloses all the contents of his royal treasury to these foreign emissaries (verse 2). This display of wealth and power, instead of glorifying God for his healing and the nation's deliverance, reveals a trust in human alliances and material possessions. Isaiah’s subsequent direct question in verse 4 leads to Hezekiah’s full admission, which immediately precedes the prophet's declaration of impending judgment: that all these same treasures, and even Hezekiah's own descendants, would be carried off to Babylon.
Isaiah 39 4 Word analysis
- Then said he: Hebrew "וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙" (va-yō'mer). This indicates Isaiah's immediate, direct follow-up question, highlighting the critical nature of the moment after Hezekiah's display. It implies a prophetic confrontation, a calling to account.
- What have they seen: The question "מָֽה־רָא֖וּ" (māh rā'ū) is rhetorical, meant to elicit a full confession and underscore the gravity of Hezekiah’s actions rather than to seek new information for Isaiah. It draws out the exact extent of Hezekiah’s prideful exhibition.
- in thy house?: Hebrew "בְּבֵיתֶֽךָ" (bə-ḇêṯeḵā). "Thy house" here refers not merely to a private dwelling but encompasses the royal palace, including its treasuries, armories, and archives—essentially the storehouse of national wealth and secrets. It represents the symbol of the kingdom's prosperity and security, divinely blessed.
- And Isaiah answered: This phrase clarifies the speaker of the question in the KJV, whereas the Hebrew text is simply "And he said" (referring to Isaiah based on context).
- All that is in mine house have they seen: Hebrew "כֹּ֚ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּבֵיתִ֔י" (kōl 'ăšer bə-ḇêṯî). Hezekiah’s reply is a complete, unreserved admission. The word "כֹּל" (kol) meaning "all" or "everything" emphasizes the absolute totality of what was displayed, indicating a profound lack of discretion and a perhaps even boastful surrender of information.
- there is nothing among my treasures: Hebrew "לֹא־הָ֥יָה דָּבָ֖ר" (lō-hāyāh dāḇār) - "there was no thing." "Among my treasures" (בְּאוֹצְרֹתַ֛י - bə-ʾōwṣrōṯay) specifies the vast repositories of precious metals, gems, and state valuables. The root 'אוֹצָר' (otsar) refers to a storehouse, a treasury, or collected riches.
- that they have not seen: This reiterates the complete nature of the disclosure, adding redundant emphasis. Hezekiah leaves no room for doubt about the extent of his transparency to the Babylonians. The repeated emphasis signifies Hezekiah’s self-condemnation, acknowledging a full disclosure of his divinely given prosperity.
Words-group analysis
- "What have they seen in thy house?": This question by Isaiah functions as a prophetic challenge, aimed at making Hezekiah confront the implications of his actions. It draws attention to the material possessions and their visibility to a potential enemy.
- "All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that they have not seen.": Hezekiah's comprehensive confession signifies a moment of spiritual failure. Despite experiencing God's miraculous intervention, he succumbed to pride, seeking validation and alliances through worldly display rather than relying solely on the Lord. The repeated phrases ("all that is in mine house," "nothing among my treasures") intensify the depth of his misjudgment and full revelation.
Isaiah 39 4 Bonus section
The seemingly innocuous act of showing off treasures to foreign dignitaries carried immense theological and historical weight. The Lord God is a jealous God who shares His glory with no one (Isa 42:8). Hezekiah, despite his generally righteous reign and profound personal experience of God's power, failed in this instance to attribute the source of his prosperity and healing to God alone. Instead, he presented it as his own, a display of his personal and national strength. This episode underscores the pervasive temptation, even for those who have walked closely with God, to rely on worldly resources and human estimation, thereby undermining the divine principle of depending solely on the Almighty. Furthermore, it foreshadows Babylon's future role as God's instrument of judgment against Judah, ironically utilizing the very intelligence Hezekiah so readily provided.
Isaiah 39 4 Commentary
Isaiah 39:4 captures the culmination of Hezekiah's grievous error following a period of divine grace and intervention. After God had miraculously healed him and delivered Jerusalem from Assyria, Babylonian envoys came, seemingly to congratulate. Instead of using this opportunity to witness to the power and glory of Yahweh, Hezekiah succumbed to human pride, revealing all the amassed wealth and armaments of his kingdom. His exhaustive display, detailed in his admission, underscores a fundamental shift in trust: from God's protection and provision to the presumed strength of earthly riches and potential political alliances. This moment of personal vanity and misplaced confidence served as a turning point, sealing the prophetic fate of Judah. The very treasures he paraded would eventually be plundered, and his descendants exiled, by the very nation whose envoys he sought to impress. It stands as a timeless lesson against exalting material possessions or human power above the sovereign will and glory of God.