Isaiah 39 Study Notes

39:1 Merodach-baladan was king of Babylon, at this time a province of the Assyrian Empire, during two different times—721-710 BC and 705-703 BC. In 703 BC Sennacherib, to whom Merodach-baladan had been a constant irritant looking for opportunities to revolt, removed him. Even after his removal from Babylon, Merodach-baladan went to Elam and continued to plot against Assyria until his death. The letters and a gift that he sent to Hezekiah were part of a strategy to get Hezekiah to join with him in a rebellious alliance. This story in 39:1-8 finds its parallel in 2Kg 20:12-19.

39:2 Hezekiah responded positively to Merodach-baladan, showing him the wealth of his kingdom as well as the strength of his armaments.

39:3-4 We wonder if Hezekiah sensed already that he had done something wrong.

39:5-7 God through the prophet Isaiah expressed his great displeasure with Hezekiah. The king’s actions demonstrated that he was trusting foreign nations like Babylon for his protection rather than God. The Lord’s punishment would take away the wealth that Hezekiah had been showing off to Merodach-baladan. Another part of the punishment was that some of the king’s descendants would be taken away and would become eunuchs in Babylon. Babylonian records indicate that a number of the Babylonian king’s advisers were eunuchs. Some have speculated that Daniel and his three friends (described as “from the royal family and from the nobility,” Dn 1:3) were also made eunuchs since Ashpenaz’s title is literally rendered “chief of the eunuchs.”

39:8 The implication of the announced punishment was that it would happen in a future generation. Hezekiah’s selfish relief does not speak well for him. The reference is likely to the turbulent end of the Davidic dynasty in Judah and specifically to the events surrounding the exile and removal of the last king, Zedekiah.