Isaiah 38:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, I will make the shadow cast by the declining sun on the dial of Ahaz turn back ten steps." So the sun turned back on the dial the ten steps by which it had declined.

NIV: I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’ " So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.

NASB: Behold, I will make the shadow on the stairway, which has gone down with the sun on the stairway of Ahaz, go back ten steps.' So the sun’s shadow went back ten steps on the stairway on which it had gone down.

CSB: I am going to make the sun’s shadow that goes down on the stairway of Ahaz go back by ten steps.’" So the sun’s shadow went back the ten steps it had descended.

NLT: I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward on the sundial of Ahaz!’' So the shadow on the sundial moved backward ten steps.

KJV: Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

NKJV: “Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.

Scripture offers no details about this "dial of Ahaz," or "stair of Ahaz." Ahaz was Hezekiah's father (2 Kings 18:1), infamous for refusing to accept a sign from God (Isaiah 7:10–12). In Hezekiah's time, a structure associated with Ahaz was used to mark time. The object may have been built for that very purpose. Or, it may have been an ordinary staircase that happened to catch shadows in a noticeable way. Like a sun dial, the position of a shadow would indicate the time of day. As the sun appeared to move across the sky, the shadow would fall on a different point of the "dial."

God offers Hezekiah two options for his sign (2 Kings 20:8–11). Both would be supernatural, but the one Hezekiah chooses would be utterly impossible. His preference is that the Lord would make it seem that time was running backwards. Since the sign was connected to a shadow cast by the sun, it could not be explained away like a broken clock. That the shadow moved "ten steps" means the miracle was obvious. This was not a tiny variation, but a massive expression of supernatural power.

Isaiah 38:4–8 records the Lord's reaction to Hezekiah's faithful humility. The prophet Isaiah passed along Gods message that King Hezekiah should expect to die from his severe illness. When the king appeals to the Lord, God promises to give him another fifteen years to live. God also vows to preserve Israel from invading Assyrians. To prove that this will happen, God offers a miraculous sign: moving the shadow of a sundial so that the sun appears to be moving backwards.

Hezekiah becomes gravely ill. The only description given mentions a sort of "boil," so this may have been an aggressive tumor. Isaiah tells Hezekiah he will die, so the king prays and weeps. The Lord rewards Hezekiah's faithful dependence with a promise to add fifteen years to his life. God gives a miraculous sign by making the shadow on a staircase-like sundial move backward. After his recovery, Hezekiah writes a psalm describing his grief when he expected death and his joy after the Lord saved him. He commits to worshiping God in the temple for the rest of his life.

The events recorded here most likely happen before the Assyrian invasion described in the previous chapter. Isaiah is arranging his records to smoothly transition into later discussion of the Messiah. The Lord tells King Hezekiah to expect to die from an illness. When the king prays in grief, the Lord grants him fifteen more years and a miraculous sign. Hezekiah responds with a psalm describing both his despair and his renewed praise for the God who saves. Next, Isaiah records a visit from Babylonian messengers and God's prediction that peace will last until after Hezekiah has died.

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).