Isaiah 37:5-15

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 Isaiah said to them, "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD, "¹Do not be afraid because * of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me.

7 "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will ²hear a rumor and ³return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.""'

8 Then Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against ⁴Libnah, for he had heard that the king had left ⁵Lachish.

9 When he ⁶heard them say concerning Tirhakah king of ⁷Cush, "He has come out to fight against you," and when he heard it he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

10 "Thus you shall say to Hezekiah king of Judah, '⁸Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you, saying, "Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria."

11 '⁹Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be spared?

12 'Did the gods of those nations which my fathers have destroyed deliver them, even ¹⁰Gozan and ¹¹Haran and Rezeph and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar?

13 'Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, and of Hena and Ivvah?' "

Hezekiah's Prayer in the Temple

14 Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.

15 Hezekiah prayed to the LORD saying,

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Isaiah 37:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 37

In this chapter are contained Hezekiah's message to Isaiah, desiring his prayer for him and his people, in this time of sore distress, Isa 37:1-5, the comforting and encouraging answer returned by the prophet to him, Isa 37:6,7, the king of Assyria's letter to Hezekiah, to terrify him into a surrender of the city of Jerusalem to him, Isa 37:8-13 which Hezekiah spread before the Lord, and prayed unto him for deliverance, Isa 37:14-20, upon which he received a gracious answer by the hand of the prophet, promising safety and deliverance to him, and destruction to the king of Assyria, of which a sign was given, Isa 37:21-35 and the chapter is closed with the slaughter of the Assyrian army by an angel, the flight of the king, and his death by the hands of his sons, Isa 37:36-38.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 11

1. Isaiah 7:4; Isaiah 35:4
2. Isaiah 37:9
3. Isaiah 37:37, 38
4. Numbers 33:20; Joshua 10:29
5. Joshua 10:31, 32
6. Isaiah 37:7
7. Isaiah 18:1; Isaiah 20:5
8. Isaiah 36:15
9. Isaiah 10:9-11; Isaiah 36:18-20
10. 2 Kings 17:6; 2 Kings 18:11
11. Genesis 11:31; Genesis 12:1-4; Acts 7:2

Footnotes 7

[a]. Lit "he"
[b]. Or "Ethiopia"
[c]. Lit "Judah, saying"
[d]. Lit "delivered"
[e]. Lit "the"
[f]. Lit "letters"
[g]. Lit "Hezekiah spread"