Isaiah 37:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah,

NIV: When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah,

NASB: So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

CSB: So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah,

NLT: After King Hezekiah’s officials delivered the king’s message to Isaiah,

KJV: So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

NKJV: So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

King Hezekiah's delegation has reached Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 37:1–4). They have come dressed in sackcloth, perhaps by order of the king, to humbly deliver the king's desperate message to Isaiah.

Among the delegation are two men that Isaiah knows and has spoken prophecies about. Shebna, the king's secretary, was once the head of the king's household. Now Eliakim holds that position. The change came because Shebna did something shameful before the Lord. Isaiah prophesied about both Shebna's demotion and the manner of his death (Isaiah 22:15–19). Isaiah also described Eliakim's resulting rise and fall (Isaiah 22:23–25). Now both men stood before him representing the humility of their king.

This is a reversal. It had not been long ago when leaders of Judah had told the prophets to only give them good news (Isaiah 30:9–12) and stop telling them what the Lord said. Now the king is aware of his desperate need of Lord and the Lord's spokesman. Hezekiah begs Isaiah to pray for the city. He hopes they will be saved by the Lord, and that God will act against Assyria to defend His holy honor. This would hold Sennacherib and his messengers accountable for mocking God.

Isaiah 37:1–13 continues the story of Assyria's threats against Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:1–3, 20). Hezekiah sends officials to ask Isaiah to pray for them. The Lord tells Hezekiah not to be afraid; He will repel Sennacherib to return home and be killed there. Distracted by rumors, Sennacherib sends a letter to Hezekiah indicating he will soon make good on his threats. After all, none of the gods of other nations saved them from the Assyrian war machine.

Hezekiah is overcome with grief at news that Sennacherib has mocked the Lord and is coming to destroy Jerusalem. God reassures Hezekiah that the Asyrian king will return home to be killed there. Hezekiah prays in the temple, asking the Lord to defend His name and save Judah. Through Isaiah, the Lord reveals to Hezekiah that Jerusalem will not be touched. Assyria's army won't even have the chance to attack. Responding to their aggression and blasphemy, the "angel of the Lord" virtually wipes out the gigantic Assyrian army overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is later killed by his sons.

Isaiah 37 continues the narrative started in Isaiah 36. Assyrian messengers threaten to bring their enormous, nearby army to take Jerusalem. Hezekiah seeks God in response and is reassured that Jerusalem will not see so much as a single Assyrian arrow. The Lord promises to save the city and make the survivors prosper. The angel of the Lord kills an overwhelming number of Assyrian soldiers overnight. Sennacherib returns home and is eventually killed by his own sons. Hezekiah will then face a serious illness and be granted a brief reprieve by God (Isaiah 38).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).