Isaiah 38:17 · Bible study
Isaiah 38:17 Commentary: Deliverance and Forgiveness United
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
How Hezekiah's psalm connects physical healing with forgiveness of sins, a study of suffering, divine love, and the Old Testament view of temporal sanctions.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Hezekiah thanks God for turning his bitter suffering into peace by delivering him from death and casting away his sins.
- Key words: 'Peace' (shalom, welfare), 'bitterness' (mar, wordplay), 'loved' (chashak, embrace), 'pit of destruction' (shachat beli, death/Sheol), 'cast behind back' (hishlakhta acharei gev, full forgiveness).
- Main debate: Whether the 'pit of corruption' refers to literal death, spiritual perdition, or both, and whether the forgiveness is primarily temporal or eternal.
- Theological theme: God's love as the source of deliverance from sin and death; the connection between sin and suffering; the complete removal of sins.
- Best use: Prayers of thanksgiving for recovery, reflection on God's forgiveness, preaching on the relationship between healing and pardon (with pastoral caution).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.
KJV King James Version 1769
Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Behold, it wasformypeacethat I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Lo, to peace He changed for me bitterness, And Thou hast delighted in my soul without corruption, For Thou hast cast behind Thy back all my sins.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Behold, instead of peace I had bitterness upon bitterness; but thou hast in love delivered my soul from the pit of destruction; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Behold in peace is my bitterness most bitter: but thou hast delivered my soul that it should not perish, thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
He aquí amargura grande me sobrevino en la paz: mas á ti plugo librar mi vida del hoyo de corrupción: porque echaste tras tus espaldas todos mis pecados.
Eis que para meu próprio bem tive grande amargura; tu, porém, com amor livraste minha alma da cova do perecimento; porque lançaste para trás de ti todos os meus pecados.
Voici, mes souffrances mêmes sont devenues mon salut;
Siehe, um Trost war mir sehr bange. Du aber hast dich meiner Seele herzlich angenommen, daß sie nicht verdürbe; denn du wirfst alle meine Sünden hinter dich zurück.
Zie, in vrede is mij de bitterheid bitter geweest; maar Gij hebt mijn ziel liefelijk omhelsd, dat zij in de groeve der vertering niet kwame; want Gij hebt al mijn zonden achter Uw rug geworpen.
Ecco, è per la mia pace che io ho avuto grande amarezza; ma tu, nel tuo amore, hai liberata l’anima mia dalla fossa della corruzione, perché ti sei gettato dietro alle spalle tutti i miei peccati.
Oto czasu pokoju przyszła na mię była gorzkość najgorzciejsza; ale się tobie podobało wyrwać duszę moję z przepaści skażenia, przeto, żeś zarzucił w tył swój wszystkie grzechy moje.
Вот, во благо мне была сильная горесть, и Ты избавил душу мою от рва погибели, бросил все грехи мои за хребет Свой.
看哪，我 受 大苦，本為使我得平安；你 因愛 我的靈魂（或譯：生命）便救我脫離敗壞的 坑，因為 你將我一切的 罪 扔 在 你的背後。
See, in place of peace my soul had bitter sorrow. but you have kept back my soul from the underworld; for you have put all my sins out of your memory.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 38:17
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 verse is Hezekiah's testimony of deliverance, where physical rescue from death and forgiveness of sins are woven together. Barnes notes that 'Hezekiah, in accordance with the sentiment everywhere felt and expressed in the Bible, regarded his suffering as the fruit of sin.' The opening phrase 'for peace I had great bitterness' uses a wordplay on mar (bitter) that intensifies the emotion. Matthew Henry paraphrases: 'Behold, my great bitterness is turned into peace.' The key verb chashakta, rendered 'you have loved,' is understood by Clarke as 'you have lovingly embraced my soul from the pit' (cf. Job 33:24). Calvin sees in the rescue a mark of God's fatherly kindness. All agree that 'cast all my sins behind your back' signifies complete removal, God intentionally turns away from sins so they no longer affect the relationship. Gill applies this to spiritual deliverance from the state of nature; JFB connects it to Christ's work of redemption. The shared core is clear: God's saving love addresses both the mortal threat and the root cause, sin.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Temporal deliverance view: Hezekiah's literal recovery from illness; sin caused the sickness, forgiveness removed it.
- Typological view: The deliverance anticipates Christ's descent into the pit and redemption from sin (JFB, Zech 9:11).
- Soteriological view: The verse teaches the general connection between sin and death, not necessarily that each illness is punitive.
What is clear: Hezekiah thanks God for turning his bitter experience into peace by saving him from death and removing his sins completely.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the first clause | It describes a reversal from suffering to peace. | Some see 'for peace' as 'instead of peace' (Barnes) while others read it as 'my bitterness has turned into peace' (Gill, Keil). |
| Nature of the pit of corruption | It refers to death/Sheol/the grave. | Whether it includes eternal perdition (Gill) or is limited to physical death (Barnes). |
| Connection between sin and sickness | Hezekiah viewed his illness as linked to his sins. | Christians disagree on whether such a direct causal link applies universally, with some emphasizing the OT temporal sanctions and others pointing to the New Testament’s more nuanced view. |
| Scope of forgiveness | God has fully removed Hezekiah's sins. | Whether this forgiveness is purely temporal (restoration of earthly life) or also eternal (salvation from hell). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The setting is the court of King Hezekiah, around 701 BC, after the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem was lifted by divine intervention. In those same days, Hezekiah fell mortally ill, a sudden turn from peace to anguish. The narrative records that Isaiah applied a poultice of figs to a boil, and Hezekiah recovered (Isa 38:21). The psalm inserted here (vv. 10-20) follows the pattern of individual thanksgiving psalms, adapted for public worship (Cambridge Bible notes its liturgical use).
In the ancient Near East, illness and recovery were commonly interpreted within a covenant framework: suffering could be a sign of divine displeasure, and healing a sign of restored relationship. Hezekiah's own prayer (v. 3) appeals to his faithfulness, not as merit, but as evidence of covenant loyalty. The 'pit of corruption' reflects the Hebrew concept of Sheol, the grave, where no praise of God is possible (v. 18). The phrase 'cast behind your back' draws on imagery of a king dismissing a petition or a person turning away from something offensive (cf. 1 Ki 14:9). This psalm, though individual, was preserved in the prophetic book for the worship of later generations, teaching that God's deliverance encompasses both body and soul.
The opening wordplay, mar (bitter) repeated, captures the intensity of the affliction, and its resolution is the peace (shalom) that God brings. This reversal is central to the psalm's structure: Hezekiah describes his past despair, then declares the transformation God worked. The superscription (v. 9) calls it 'the writing of Hezekiah', whether it was actually composed by the king or later ascribed to him, it gives voice to a universal experience of suffering, prayer, and restoration.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants that affect interpretation. The Masoretic Text is stable. Clarke discusses a minor variant in the verb 'thou hast rescued' (chashachta) found in the LXX and Vulgate, but the widespread reading chashakta ('you have loved') is well supported. The wordplay on mar is consistent across manuscripts.
Reception History
This verse has been treasured across Christian traditions for its vivid portrayal of forgiveness. The phrase 'cast all my sins behind your back' appears in many hymns and liturgical confessions. Calvin read it as a model of recognizing God's hand in both affliction and recovery. The Reformers used it to illustrate God's complete forgetfulness of sins. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, it is associated with Christ's descent into Hades and the rescue of souls. JFB and others see a typological fulfillment in Christ's own descent into the pit and the forgiveness secured on the cross.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Bitterness Turned to Peace: Hezekiah recounts his intense anguish, but the word 'behold' (hinneh) signals a dramatic reversal, reminding us that suffering is not the last word in God's purposes.
- Love that Reaches the Pit: The verb chashakta suggests tender, embracing love, God does not stand at a distance but enters our deepest darkness to pull us out (cf. Ps 40:2).
- Sin Cast Behind God's Back: Total forgiveness is pictured as removal, not minimized, but thrown away where it can no longer condemn. This is the foundation of peace.
Five-point outline
- The Unexpected Turn (v17a), Hezekiah's prosperity gave way to bitterness; life is fragile.
- The Cry for Life (v17b implied in context), He prayed, and God heard.
- The Embrace of Love (v17b), God's love personally rescues the soul from destruction.
- The Problem Beneath (v17c), Sin is the root that required dealing with.
- The Complete Removal (v17c), Sins are not merely covered but cast away.
Illustration hooks
- A person facing a sudden cancer diagnosis after years of good health, the shock of bitterness in the midst of peace.
- A parent pulling a child out of a deep hole, embracing them, God's love reaches down.
- A canceled debt that was weighing on a family, sins thrown behind the back.
Questions your congregation is asking
- 'If I get sick, is God punishing me for a secret sin?'
- 'How can I be sure my sins are truly forgiven and not just put on hold?'
- 'What does it mean to thank God for "peace" when I still feel bitterness?'
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the heart of Hezekiah's thanksgiving poem. It ties together two experiences that we often keep separate: physical rescue and spiritual forgiveness. In the Old Testament covenant context, the connection was immediate. But the New Testament expands our understanding, showing that not all illness is a direct result of personal sin (John 9:3). Hezekiah's testimony invites us to consider how God's forgiveness and deliverance are related in our own lives.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 10-20. What emotional journey does Hezekiah describe before and after verse 17?
- The word 'bitterness' (mar) is repeated. Why does the poet use wordplay here?
- How does Hezekiah describe God's love? What does the Hebrew verb chashakta add to our understanding?
- What did Hezekiah mean by 'the pit of corruption'? How does verse 18 (Sheol cannot praise you) help explain?
- In what sense has God cast 'all my sins' behind his back? What picture of forgiveness does this give?
- Hezekiah connects his suffering with his sins. How do we hold this together with Jesus' teaching in John 9:3 about the man born blind?
- What comfort does this verse offer someone who is physically suffering and wondering about God's love?
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)
| Job 3:25 | For the thing which I fear comes on me, that which I am afraid of comes to me. |
| Job 3:26 | I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither do I have rest; but trouble comes.” |
| Job 29:18 | Then I said, ‘I will die in my own house, I will count my days as the sand. |
| Psalms 10:2 | In arrogance, the wicked hunt down the weak. They are caught in the schemes that they devise. |
| Psalms 30:3 | Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. |
| Psalms 30:6 | As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” |
| Psalms 30:7 | You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled. |
| Psalms 40:2 | He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand. |
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
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies a paronomasia, or wordplay, in the Hebrew that clarifies a famously obscure phrase. He also notes that the word for "rescued" may have a variant spelling, and he renders the phrase about God’s deliverance as a loving embrace or kiss, rescuing the soul from the pit.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights the emphatic Hebrew expression for intense sorrow, "Bitterness to me, bitterness," and explains that God's tender attachment to Hezekiah delivered his soul from the pit of destruction. He emphasizes that God's forgiveness is pictured as casting sins behind His back, showing Hezekiah's recognition that his suffering stemmed from sin.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Hezekiah's suffering was worse because it struck without warning while he was at peace. The suddenness of the calamity, coming right after victory and ease, made it especially crushing. This warns believers not to grow complacent in prosperity but to remain alert to life's fragility.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This poem, inserted from an independent source, is likely a liturgical adaptation rather than a direct historical record. The personal details are suppressed for Temple worship, and the language points to a later date. The shift from "I" to "we" in verse 20 suggests it was used congregationally.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note observes a dramatic reversal from anticipated happiness to bitter grief. Yet the speaker’s hope rests in God’s willing deliverance from corruption and the total removal of sins, cast behind God’s back with no trace remaining.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads the opening phrase not as a contrast but as a transformation: Hezekiah’s great bitterness has been turned into peace by God. He then focuses on God's loving deliverance from the pit of corruption and on the full pardon of sins as the clearest evidence of that love.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights the tender, attached love of God that went down into the pit of death to draw Hezekiah out. The commentator then sees this as a type of Christ, who descended to the pit for redemption and whose work casts sins behind God's back, consigning them to oblivion. Sin and sickness are connected, especially under the Old Testament.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch reads Hezekiah's "What shall I say?" as a rhetorical expression of thanks for God's promise and its fulfillment. They argue that "walk quietly all my years upon the trouble of my soul" means walking in humble remembrance of God's grace, not "in spite of" the trouble. For them, God's words and acts are the sole source of life.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Hezekiah's sickness actually happened before Sennacherib's invasion, not after as the chapter order suggests. The arrangement was rearranged for thematic connections, not chronology, and the Isaiah version shows signs of later editing that intensified the miracle.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights that Hezekiah's sickness was the outward mark of inward trouble—his sins brought him to the brink. The king’s recovery is therefore not just physical but spiritual: God’s healing showed that He had also pardoned his sins, casting them behind His back.