Isaiah 38:1-9 · Bible study
Isaiah 38:1-9 Commentary: Hezekiah's Sickness, Prayer, and Healing
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Hezekiah receives a death sentence, prays with tears, and God grants fifteen more years plus a miraculous sign. A study of prayer, mercy, and hope.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God hears a dying king's prayer and grants a full reversal: healing, added years, and a cosmic sign.
- Key words: Prayer (tefillah), tears (dim'ah), sign (ot), add (yosif), remember (zakar).
- Main debate: Was the initial death sentence a conditional warning designed to spur prayer, or a genuine decree that God later reversed?
- Theological theme: God's responsiveness to honest, desperate prayer within His sovereign purposes.
- Best use: Comfort for the seriously ill, encouragement to pray with raw honesty, and testimony of God's power over life and time.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”
2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what was good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4And the word of the LORD came to Isaiah, saying,
5“Go and tell Hezekiah that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
6And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
7This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised:
8I will make the sun’s shadow that falls on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had descended.
9This is a writing by Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery:
WEB World English Bible 2000
1In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your house in order, for you will die, and not live.’”
2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh,
3and said, “Remember now, Yahweh, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4Then Yahweh’s word came to Isaiah, saying,
5“Go, and tell Hezekiah, ‘Yahweh, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will add fifteen years to your life.
6I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.
7This shall be the sign to you from Yahweh, that Yahweh will do this thing that he has spoken.
8Behold, I will cause the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down on the sundial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps.”’” So the sun returned ten steps on the sundial on which it had gone down.
9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and had recovered of his sickness:
KJV King James Version 1769
1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.
2Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord,
3And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,
5Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.
7And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken;
8Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.
9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
1In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah,
3and said, Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
4Then came the word of Jehovah to Isaiah, saying,
5Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city.
7And this shall be the sign unto thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he hath spoken:
8behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down.
9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
1In those days hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come in unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz, the prophet, and saith unto him, `Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou art dying, and dost not live.'
2And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah,
3and saith, `I pray thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which is good in thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth--a great weeping.
4And a word of Jehovah is unto Isaiah, saying,
5Go, and thou hast said to Hezekiah, Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, `I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I am adding to thy days fifteen years,
6and out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver thee and this city, and have covered over this city.
7And this is to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth this thing that He hath spoken.
8Lo, I am bringing back the shadow of the degrees that it hath gone down on the degrees of Ahaz, by the sun, backward ten degrees:' and the sun turneth back ten degrees in the degrees that it had gone down.
9A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick, when he reviveth from his sickness:
Darby Darby Bible 1890
1In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah: Set thy house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Jehovah,
3and said, Ah, Jehovah, remember, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept much.
4And the word of Jehovah came to Isaiah, saying,
5Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add to thy days fifteen years.
6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.
7And this [shall be] the sign to thee from Jehovah, that Jehovah will do this thing that he hath spoken:
8behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees which hath gone down with the sun on the dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned on the dial ten degrees, by which it had gone down.
9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
1In those days Ezechias was sick even to death, and Isaiah the son of Amos the prophet cane unto him, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Take order with thy house, for thou shalt die, and not live.
2And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
3And said: I beseech thee, O Lord, remember how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Ezechias wept with great weeping.
4And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying:
5Go and say to Ezechias: Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy father: I have heard thy prayer, and I have seen thy tears: behold I will add to thy days fifteen years:
6And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of the Assyrians, and I will protect it.
7And this shall be a sign to thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this word which he hath spoken:
8Behold I will bring again the shadow of the lines, by which it is now gone down in the sun dial of Achaz with the sun, ten lines backward. And the sun returned ten lines by the degrees by which it was gone down.
9The writing of Ezechias king of Juda, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 38:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this passage forms a coherent narrative of divine mercy in response to urgent prayer. Hezekiah's fatal illness, the prophet's death sentence, the king's tearful prayer, and God's reversal all point to one reality: God hears and answers. Calvin notes that Hezekiah 'does not break out into rage or indignation like unbelievers, but bears this affliction patiently' and turns to prayer. Barnes observes that Hezekiah appeals to his faithful walk not as a boast but 'as a ground of his hope that God would not cast him off.' Keil and Delitzsch stress the chronological tie to the Assyrian crisis, noting that the passage 'carries us back to the time when Jerusalem was still threatened by the Assyrian.' All agree that God's response, adding fifteen years, promising city deliverance, and giving the shadow sign, is concrete and miraculous. The 'writing' in verse 9 introduces a personal psalm of thanksgiving. The main debate divides interpreters: was God's initial word a conditional warning or an unconditional decree later genuinely reversed? Yet on the narrative's meaning for prayer and mercy there is strong agreement.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Conditional Warning View: The initial prophecy was a conditional threat to provoke repentance and prayer, just as Jonah's word against Nineveh was conditional; God's true intent from eternity included healing (Calvin, JFB).
- Genuine Change View: The narrative presents a real reversal in God's expressed intention in response to human petition, demonstrating the dynamic relationship between divine sovereignty and human prayer (open theist and relational theist readings).
- Anthropomorphic Accommodation View: The Old Testament describes God in human terms adapted for comprehension; the full revelation in Christ shows an unchanging God who works through means, including prayer.
What is clear: Hezekiah was mortally ill, he prayed with tears, and God healed him, added fifteen years to his life, and gave a miraculous sign as confirmation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Timing of the illness | Hezekiah's sickness occurred during the same period as the Assyrian threat under Sennacherib. | Some place the illness before the angel destroyed the Assyrian army (thus the promise in v.6 was still future); others place it after, reading v.6 as an assurance of continued safety. Most commentators (Keil, Barnes) favor the earlier dating. |
| Hezekiah's appeal to his own righteousness | Hezekiah is not claiming to be sinless but recalls his faithful walk as the basis for his plea, consistent with Old Testament promises of long life for obedience (Exodus 20:12). | Some (Matthew Henry) see this as a valid prayer under the Old Covenant; Reformed interpreters (Calvin) stress that he is strengthening his own faith, not bargaining with God. Christians differ on whether this pattern of appeal is appropriate for prayer today. |
| Nature of the sign on the sundial | The shadow's reversal was a supernatural sign confirming God's promise of healing and deliverance. | Some understand it as a cosmic miracle that actually reversed the sun's motion (or the earth's rotation); others (Barnes) suggest a local optical refraction or a miracle affecting only the shadow. Both positions affirm a genuine act of God. |
| Did God change his mind? | God responded to Hezekiah's prayer and changed the announced outcome from death to fifteen more years. | Some (Calvin, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) argue the initial word was a conditional warning meant to drive Hezekiah to prayer, and God's decree had always included the healing. Others read the narrative at face value: God genuinely relented in response to human intercession, demonstrating relational give-and-take. Both sides seek to honor God's sovereignty and the efficacy of prayer. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Hezekiah's illness occurred during the same period as the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib (Isaiah 36, 37). The phrase 'in those days' (verse 1) likely places this event before the destruction of the Assyrian army, though a precise chronology remains debated. Hezekiah's throne was still under threat, and he had no heir at the time, a detail that adds weight to his distress. The command 'set your house in order' meant making a will and arranging for succession; without an heir, the Davidic line itself hung in the balance.
Hezekiah 'turned his face to the wall' (verse 2). In an eastern home, couches lined the walls. Turning there allowed privacy and focus for prayer, away from onlookers, face to the wall, mind directed toward God. Matthew Henry describes it as a way of shutting out the world to be alone with God. His weeping was intense: the Hebrew says he 'wept with a great weeping' (beki gadol). Near death, with no son and an invading army at the gate, his anguish was total.
The 'sundial of Ahaz' (verse 8) was likely a stairway or set of steps on which a shadow marked the time of day. This object, built by Hezekiah's father Ahaz, recalls Judah's recent history of idolatry and political compromise. The sign of the shadow moving backward ten steps was a visible pledge that God controls the cosmos and can suspend natural order. The promise that God would 'defend this city' (verse 6) tied Hezekiah's personal healing to national deliverance. Barnes suggests the sign may have involved a supernatural refraction rather than a literal reversal of the sun's course; the text itself does not explain the mechanism, only the fact. Verse 9, 'The writing of Hezekiah,' introduces a song that does not appear in 2 Kings 20, making the prophet's version a more complete record of the king's response. This was a testimony meant to be remembered, both for private gratitude and for public instruction.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note significant variations between this account and the parallel in 2 Kings 20. The Kings version includes additional elements: Isaiah's prescription of a fig poultice, Hezekiah's explicit request for a sign, and the key phrase 'for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant' in the deliverance promise. The Isaiah version omits these, making it more concise. In verse 6, the absence of that phrase suggests the promise here is abridged. In verse 8, the Septuagint and Syriac read 'the sun' (hashemesh) where the Hebrew has 'with the sun' (bashshemesh), indicating early textual fluidity about the sign's mechanics. The phrase 'the middle court' in 2 Kings 20:4 appears in some Hebrew manuscripts of Isaiah 38:4 instead of 'the city,' clarifying that Isaiah turned back before leaving the palace complex. Overall, the two versions are harmonious but serve different editorial purposes, the Kings version includes medical and liturgical details, while Isaiah's version foregrounds the prophetic word and the king's personal response.
Reception History
The story of Hezekiah's healing has been treasured across Christian traditions as a paradigm of answered prayer. Hezekiah's song (Isaiah 38:10-20) has been incorporated into liturgical prayers for the sick in both Eastern and Western traditions. Early church fathers such as Jerome and Origen reflected on the sundial sign as evidence of God's sovereignty over creation. Medieval commentators often read the passage allegorically, seeing Hezekiah as a type of the soul rescued from death. The question of whether God changed his mind became a touchpoint in Reformation debates about predestination and human freedom, with Calvin using the passage to illustrate the conditional nature of some prophetic announcements. In modern times, the account continues to offer comfort to those facing terminal illness, affirming that tears and honest prayer are received by a God who acts.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Unwelcome Word (vv.1-2). Through Isaiah, God declares that Hezekiah will die. No comfort, no explanation, just a command to put his affairs in order. The king faces the end without warning.
- The Desperate Prayer (vv.2-3). Hezekiah turns his face to the wall. He prays from his bedside, recalling his faithful walk and his devotion to God. He weeps. His prayer is not a formula; it is raw, honest, and personal.
- The Astonishing Reversal (vv.4-8). Before Isaiah leaves the palace, a new word comes: fifteen more years, deliverance from Assyria, and a sign from heaven. God’s answer comes quickly and decisively.
Five-point outline
- God speaks: death sentence delivered by the prophet (v.1).
- The king prays: Hezekiah turns to the wall and calls on God (vv.2-3).
- God responds: prayer heard, tears seen, fifteen years added (vv.4-5).
- God promises: the city also will be delivered (v.6).
- God confirms: the shadow goes backward as a sign (vv.7-8).
Illustration hooks
- A terminal cancer diagnosis, followed by a treatment that leads to unexpected remission. The prayer of the family echoes Hezekiah's cry.
- A parent who prays all night for a child in intensive care. The answer comes at dawn, and the parent's first act is to write a journal entry of gratitude, much like Hezekiah's 'writing.'
- A community under threat of evacuation from a wildfire where, against all weather models, the wind shifts the fire away from homes. Residents see it as a 'sign' of God's hand, just as the shadow turning back was a sign.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this story mean that if I pray hard enough I can avoid death, or is it a unique case?
- Why did God first say 'you will die' and then change his answer? Can God change his mind?
- Hezekiah mentions his own good deeds, is that a proper way to pray? Aren't we saved by grace alone?
Leading a Discussion
This passage invites us into a very personal moment: a king facing death, a prophet delivering hard news, and God responding to tearful prayer. The questions that follow will help your group move from what happens in the text to what it means for their own lives.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 1-3 aloud. What emotions do you hear in these verses? How does Hezekiah respond to the death sentence, and why do you think he reacts that way?
- Hezekiah reminds God of his faithfulness: 'I have walked before you in truth and with a whole heart.' Is that pride, or something else? What is he doing by mentioning his devotion?
- In verse 5, God says, 'I have seen your tears.' Why might tears matter in prayer? What do our tears communicate to God that words cannot?
- The promise includes both Hezekiah's healing and the city's deliverance (v.6). How are personal and corporate needs connected in this story? When have you seen a personal answer to prayer affect a whole community?
- The sign of the shadow going backward seems strange to us. Why do you think God gave such a dramatic miracle? What did it say about who He is?
- If this story raises questions about whether God changes his mind, how does your church tradition understand the relationship between God's sovereignty and prayerful requests?
- Hezekiah later wrote a song to remember God's mercy (v.9). What practices help you 'write' or remember God's answers to prayer? What would you want to memorialize from your own life?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Samuel 17:23 | When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, arose, and went home to his city, set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, and was buried in the tomb of his father. |
| II Kings 20:1 | In those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.’” |
| II Kings 20:11 | Isaiah the prophet cried to Yahweh; and he brought the shadow ten steps backward, by which it had gone down on the sundial of Ahaz. |
| II Chronicles 32:24 | In those days Hezekiah was terminally ill, and he prayed to Yahweh; and he spoke to him, and gave him a sign. |
| Ecclesiastes 9:10 | Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going. |
| Isaiah 1:1 | The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. |
| Isaiah 37:2 | He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. |
| Isaiah 37:21 | Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Yahweh, the God of Israel says, ‘Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke explains Hezekiah's action by describing the layout of an eastern divan, where the corner is the place of honor. Turning his face to the wall allowed Hezekiah to withdraw from those attending him and address his private prayer to God.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights that Hezekiah's turning his face to the wall was not despair but a deliberate act of pulling away from distraction to fix his whole attention on God alone. He neither argued with God nor pleaded his own merits; instead he recalled his faithful walk as a shield against the temptation to think God had abandoned him.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill observes that Hezekiah’s sickness struck while the Assyrian army still threatened Jerusalem, so his recovery brought deliverance from both death and the enemy. The miracle of the sun going backward on the sundial confirmed God’s promise. Hezekiah’s prayer, based on his sincere walk before God, was swiftly answered with fifteen added years and protection for the city.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that Hezekiah wept bitterly not only from fear of death but because he had no heir, yet his prayer was answered and he fathered Manasseh, whose wicked reign brought God's judgment on Judah. The sign of the shadow's retreat was a local miracle, not a cosmic disturbance, designed for Hezekiah's reassurance.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that the sign of the shadow moving back was not a cosmic reversal of the earth's rotation, which would cause global catastrophe. They suggest it was a refraction phenomenon, making the miracle optical rather than astronomical, yet still a genuine miracle produced through the prophet's faith and prayer.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Hezekiah’s prayer, appealing to his own integrity, belongs to the Old Testament; a Christian could not speak so to God. The harsh death sentence was meant to drive Hezekiah to this very prayer, teaching him necessity before grace.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry draws a pointed lesson: neither earthly greatness nor divine favor shields anyone from sickness and death. Hezekiah, at the peak of his triumph over Assyria, is struck with a mortal illness to teach that we must always rejoice with trembling.