Isaiah 37:24
ESV
By your servants you have mocked the Lord, and you have said, With my many chariots I have gone up the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon, to cut down its tallest cedars, its choicest cypresses, to come to its remotest height, its most fruitful forest.
NIV
By your messengers you have ridiculed the Lord. And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the choicest of its junipers. I have reached its remotest heights, the finest of its forests.
NASB
Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, And you have said, ‘With my many chariots I came up to the heights of the mountains, To the remotest parts of Lebanon; And I cut down its tall cedars and its choice junipers. And I will come to its highest peak, its thickest forest.
CSB
You have mocked the Lord through your servants. You have said, "With my many chariots I have gone up to the heights of the mountains, to the far recesses of Lebanon. I cut down its tallest cedars, its choice cypress trees. I came to its distant heights, its densest forest.
NLT
By your messengers you have defied the Lord. You have said, ‘With my many chariots I have conquered the highest mountains — yes, the remotest peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypress trees. I have reached its farthest heights and explored its deepest forests.
KJV
By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel.
NKJV
By your servants you have reproached the Lord, And said, ‘By the multitude of my chariots I have come up to the height of the mountains, To the limits of Lebanon; I will cut down its tall cedars And its choice cypress trees; I will enter its farthest height, To its fruitful forest.
What does Isaiah 37:24 mean?
Unbelievers mock the idea that God responds to prayers of individual people (Psalm 10:4; 14:1; 94:7). They should be concerned to learn that God hears not only the prayers, but the jeering. Everything the non-believer has said is known by a God (Matthew 12:36) who is ready to do something about it (Galatians 6:7). Sennacherib had openly sneered at Judah's God, believing He did not exist or would be powerless (Isaiah 37:10–12).Not only does the Lord of Israel exist (Exodus 3:14–15), but He's been reading Sennacherib's mail (Isaiah 37:14) and will hold him accountable. Sennacherib's blasphemy wasn't spoken rashly in the heat of the moment. It was carefully crafted mockery of Judah's God. Those taunts were delivered to do the greatest damage possible to the faith of God's people (Isaiah 36:11–15). It was intentional.
Now the Lord quotes Sennacherib's own words back to him. That would terrify most people facing God's judgment. These might be word-for-word statements made by the Assyrian king. Or they might be a summary of how Sennacherib sees himself. He thinks of himself as the one who scaled the highest mountains, cut down the greatest trees, and ruled the best lands. He brags about the size of his military. Sennacherib literally believed—and proclaimed—that nothing on earth could stop him from taking anything he wanted.
This mistaken arrogance will result in dire consequences (Isaiah 37:36–38).
