Isaiah 37:7

7 See, I will put a spirit into him, and bad news will come to his ears, and he will go back to his land; and there I will have him put to death.

Isaiah 37:7 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 37:7

Behold, I will send a blast upon him
The king of Assyria; a pestilential one, as he afterwards did, which destroyed his army: or, I will put a spirit into him
^F19; a spirit of fear and dread, which will oblige him to desist from his purposes, and flee; though some interpret it only of an inclination, a will ^F20 in him, to return: it may be understood of an angel, a ministering spirit, and be rendered "I will send a spirit against him"; an angelic spirit, as he did, which cut off his army in one night: and he shall hear a rumour;
of the sudden and total destruction of his army; though some refer this to the rumour of the king of Ethiopia coming out to make war against him, ( Isaiah 37:9 ) , but upon this he did not return to his own land, nor was he slain with the sword, as follows: and return to his own land;
as he did, immediately upon the slaughter of his army by the angel: and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land:
as he did, being slain by his own sons, ( Isaiah 37:37 Isaiah 37:38 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 (xwr wb Ntwn) "indam ei Spiritum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F20 So Ben Melech explains it by (Nwur) , "will", "desire", "purpose".

Isaiah 37:7 In-Context

5 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

6 And Isaiah said to them, This is what you are to say to your master: The Lord says, Be not troubled by the words which the servants of the king of Assyria have said against me in your hearing.

7 See, I will put a spirit into him, and bad news will come to his ears, and he will go back to his land; and there I will have him put to death.

8 So the Rab-shakeh went back, and when he got there the king of Assyria was making war against Libnah: for it had come to his ears that the king of Assyria had gone away from Lachish.

9 And when news came to him that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, had made an attack on him, ... And he sent representatives to Hezekiah, king of Judah, saying,