Isaiah 38:19

19 The living, the living, he thanks thee, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children thy faithfulness.

Isaiah 38:19 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 38:19

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this
day
Every one of the living, or such who are both corporeally and spiritually alive; and therefore the word is repeated; none but such who are alive in a corporeal sense can praise the Lord in this world; and none but such who are spiritually alive can praise him aright, and such do under a true sense of the greatness of his mercies, and of their own unworthiness; and such a one was Hezekiah; for the words may be rendered, "as I am this day ^F24"; that is, alive in both the above senses; and so did he praise God, in such a spiritual manner, even on the day he committed this to writing, and was now in the temple offering up this thanksgiving: the father to the children shall make known thy truth:
not meaning himself, for at this time he had no children; though, no doubt, when he had any, as he afterwards had, particularly Manasseh, he took care to acquaint him with the truth and faithfulness of God in the fulfilling of his promises to him; and which every religious parent would do, and so transmit the memory thereof to future ages.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (Mwyh ynmk) "quails ego sum hodie", Syr.

Isaiah 38:19 In-Context

17 Lo, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but thou hast held back my life from the pit of destruction, for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

18 For Sheol cannot thank thee, death cannot praise thee; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for thy faithfulness.

19 The living, the living, he thanks thee, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children thy faithfulness.

20 The LORD will save me, and we will sing to stringed instruments all the days of our life, at the house of the LORD.

21 Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take a cake of figs, and apply it to the boil, that he may recover."