Isaiah 37:13

13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, 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 Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands by destroying them utterly. And shalt thou be delivered?
12 Have the gods of the nations delivered those whom my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan and Haran and Rezeph and the children of Eden who were in Telassar?
13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?"
14 And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD.
15 And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying,
Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.