Isaiah 38:12
ESV
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd 's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end;
NIV
Like a shepherd’s tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom; day and night you made an end of me.
NASB
Like a shepherd’s tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me; As a weaver I rolled up my life. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me.
CSB
My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; he cuts me off from the loom. By nightfall you make an end of me.
NLT
My life has been blown away like a shepherd’s tent in a storm. It has been cut short, as when a weaver cuts cloth from a loom. Suddenly, my life was over.
KJV
Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
NKJV
My life span is gone, Taken from me like a shepherd’s tent; I have cut off my life like a weaver. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me.
What does Isaiah 38:12 mean?
Hezekiah reflects on life's fragility. This is part of a psalm he wrote to mark his fatal illness (Isaiah 38:1) and miraculous recovery (Isaiah 38:5). Knowing that he would die emphasized the value of his experiences. Especially important was Hezekiah's joy in worshipping the Lord along with other believers (Isaiah 38:11).Here, the king points out the vulnerability of his physical body. In the ancient world, as in the modern day, tents came in varied shapes and sizes. Some, like the tabernacle (Exodus 26), were sturdy and took effort to disassemble. Others were simple canopies used by shepherds in the field. These were easily knocked down and moved. Life is much more like the second: fragile and subject to sudden loss.
Another analogy for life's fragility is a weaving connected to the loom. It takes effort and time for threads to interlock into their pattern. Eventually, the loom finds itself attached to a beautiful piece of cloth. Yet that cloth can be cut off and rolled up: separated from the loom in an instant. In the same way, earthly life grows and develops over time but can be severed in a fraction of a second. Only God, like a weaver finishing a planned pattern, controls life's beginning and end.
The last phrase of this verse is obscure. Translations use varied phrasing for this and the first words of the following verse (Isaiah 38:13).
