Isaiah 37:16
ESV
"O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made the heavens and and the earth.
NIV
"Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
NASB
Lord of armies, God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and earth.
CSB
Lord of Armies, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you are God —you alone —of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
NLT
O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.
KJV
O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth.
NKJV
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
What does Isaiah 37:16 mean?
Hezekiah begins his prayer to the Lord with praise. That praise takes the form of simply stating to the Lord who He is and what He has done. God's nature and position and power form the foundation for what Hezekiah will request. Of course, the Lord does not need to be reminded that He is God or what He has done. These statements are declarations of humility and faith. Praise demonstrates that we acknowledge who the Lord is and what He has done.Judah's king calls God the Lord of hosts, referring to God's command over the angel armies of heaven. The Lord is also the God of Israel associated with the cherubim on the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:22). God exists everywhere, but statements such as this reflect His uniquely personal relationship with the earthly temple, from where the king of God's people is making this request.
Next, Hezekiah tells God that He alone is the God of all the kingdoms of the earth. This is a vastly different understanding of Israel's God than the other nations had of their gods. Hezekiah's idea of the Lord was not one of simple nationalism, as if God's power and control over the earth could be limited to Israel. Hezekiah understood that the Lord of Israel (Exodus 3:14–15) is the God of all kingdoms, no matter who or what was worshiped in those nations.
Finally, Hezekiah acknowledges God's greatest display of limitless power: creation of the universe. He is the Creator of all and has both right and power over all He has made. By praising the Lord in this way, Hezekiah was rejecting Sennacherib's advice to doubt the Lord's power.
