Isaiah 37:13

13 Where is the king of Hamat? the king of Arpad? the king of the city of S'farvayim, of Hena and 'Ivah?'"

Isaiah 37:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 37:13

Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the
king of the city of Sepharvaim
The same, as some think, with the gods or idols of those places, (See Gill on Isaiah 36:19); though it may be the princes that ruled over those cities are meant, who were either slain, or become tributary to the king of Assyria. It is added, Henah and Ivah:
which some take to be the names of the gods or kings of Sepharvaim; but rather, since Sepharvaim is of the dual number, it was a double city, the river Euphrates passing between them; and these, as Musculus conjectures, were the names of them; or it may be, these were distinct cities from that, but what or where they were is not certain. Ptolemy makes mention of a place called Ingine, near Gausanitis or Gozan, supposed to be Henah; though others rather think it to be Ange, which he places in Arabia F9, which I think is not so probable. Ivah perhaps is the same with Avah, in ( 2 Kings 17:24 ) . The Targum does not take them for names or places, but translates them,

``hath he not removed them, and carried them captive?''
and so Jarchi's note is,
``the king of Assyria hath moved and overthrown them, and destroyed them, and removed them out of their place;''
referring to the other cities.
FOOTNOTES:

F9 Geograph. l. 6. c. 7.

Isaiah 37:13 In-Context

11 You have heard what the kings of Ashur have done to all lands - they have completely destroyed them. So how will you be delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered them? No, my ancestors destroyed them - Gozan, Haran, Retzef and the people of 'Eden who were in Tel'asar.
13 Where is the king of Hamat? the king of Arpad? the king of the city of S'farvayim, of Hena and 'Ivah?'"
14 Hizkiyahu took the letter from the messengers' hands and read it. Then Hizkiyahu went up to the house of ADONAI and spread it out before ADONAI.
15 This is the prayer that Hizkiyahu prayed to ADONAI:
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.