Isaiah 38:21-22 · Bible study
Isaiah 38:21-22 Commentary: Means and Sign for Healing
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah prescribes a fig poultice for Hezekiah's boil: natural remedy or divine sign? Hezekiah requests a sign to go to the temple.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Isaiah commands a fig poultice for Hezekiah’s boil, and Hezekiah asks for a sign that he will recover and worship at the temple.
- Key words: דְבֶלֶת (fig cake), מָרַח (to rub), שְׁחִין (boil/inflamed ulcer), אוֹת (sign).
- Main debate: Was the fig poultice a genuinely effective medical remedy or a symbol of God’s power working apart from natural means?
- Theological theme: God uses ordinary means (medicine) to accomplish extraordinary ends (healing), and the ultimate purpose of recovery is worship.
- Best use: Comforting those who seek both medical care and divine healing, and reminding all that restored health leads to praise in God’s house.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
21Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
22And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
21Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”
22Hezekiah also had said, “What is the sign that I will go up to Yahweh’s house?”
KJV King James Version 1769
21For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
21Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.
22Hezekiah also had said, What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Jehovah?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
21And Isaiah saith, `Let them take a bunch of figs, and plaster over the ulcer, and he liveth.'
22And Hezekiah saith, `What is the sign that I go up to the house of Jehovah!'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
21Now Isaiah had said, Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon the boil, and he shall recover.
22And Hezekiah had said, What is the sign that I shall go up into the house of Jehovah?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
21Now Isaiah had ordered that they should take a lump of figs, and lay it as a plaster upon the wound, and that he should be healed.
22And Ezechias had said: What shall be the sign that I shall go up to the house of the Lord?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 38:21
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators agree that the fig poultice was a physical means, but the healing itself came from God. Gill calls it a “miracle within a miracle,” noting that figs were considered harmful to ulcers, so the cure was impossible without divine power. Calvin similarly argues that the plaster was not fitted to the disease but was given as a sign, like the rainbow after the flood, to testify that God worked without medicines. Barnes and Clarke point out that figs were known as an emollient in ancient medicine (Pliny and Celsus attest their use for boils), so the command was a legitimate remedy. Yet even then, Barnes insists the recovery was sudden and complete, far beyond what a poultice could do. The surrounding context (vv. 9, 20) shows Hezekiah’s song of praise after healing. These two verses are recognized as out of chronological order here, likely a marginal addition from 2 Kings 20:7, 8, but they underscore that the same God who used a humble fig cake also gave a spectacular sign on the sundial. Hezekiah’s question in verse 22 reveals his longing to worship in the temple, which is the heart of his recovery.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Natural remedy view: Ancient medical texts (Pliny, Celsus) used figs as emollients for boils; Isaiah prescribed what worked, but God gave the full recovery.
- Sign-only view: Calvin and Gill argue figs were harmful to ulcers, so the command was a sign of God’s power, not a real medicine—like the rainbow.
- Both-and view: God used means as an instrument of His miracle, neither denying the natural property nor elevating it above divine causation.
What is clear: God healed Hezekiah from a fatal illness, and the sign of the sundial confirmed the promise; the ultimate goal was worship in the temple.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the fig poultice | The poultice was a physical means applied to the boil; the outcome was healing. | Some (Calvin, Gill) say figs were unsuitable, even harmful, to ulcers, making it a sign only. Others (Clarke, Barnes) note ancient medical texts that used figs as emollients, so it was a legitimate remedy. Both sides agree the speedy, full recovery was from God. |
| Order of the verses | The verses appear at the end of the chapter in Isaiah but earlier in 2 Kings 20:7-8. | Many scholars regard this as a textual transposition, a copyist’s marginal note later inserted. Others accept it as a literary device, summarizing what happened before the psalm. The meaning is unchanged. |
| Hezekiah’s motive for a sign | Hezekiah wanted assurance of healing so he could worship at the temple. | Some interpret the request as a lack of faith, needing extra proof. Others see it as a godly desire to confirm God’s promise and to organize temple praise. The sign was granted, so it was not rebuked. |
| Role of physical means in divine healing | God can heal with or without means; both are acts of His power. | Christians differ on whether using medicine shows weak faith or honors God as the Creator who provides remedies. This passage is cited by both sides, with neither mandatory, the poultice is used but not commanded for all. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Hezekiah’s illness struck during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem (Isaiah 36, 37). The king was at the point of death, and his writing in 38:9, 20 records his anguish and eventual thanksgiving. The “boil” (Hebrew shechín) probably refers to a severe inflamed ulcer, possibly a symptom of the plague or a carbuncle. In the ancient Near East, figs were a common medical remedy. Clarke cites Pliny’s Natural History stating that figs are applied to swellings that need softening, and Celsus recommends dried figs for dispersing abscesses. So Isaiah’s instruction was consistent with contemporary practice, but the promise of recovery was divine, not merely pharmacological.
The placement of these verses at the end of the chapter is a textual puzzle. In the parallel account (2 Kings 20:7, 8), the poultice command and Hezekiah’s request for a sign appear before the sundial miracle. Here they are appended after the psalm, likely because a copyist omitted them from their original position (after v. 6) and added them in the margin, later incorporated here. This transposition does not affect the meaning but explains the pluperfect tense in English translations (“had said”).
For Hezekiah, “going up to the house of Yahweh” was not casual attendance. The temple was the center of national worship, the place of covenant renewal and public thanksgiving. Earlier (2 Chronicles 30) he had restored Passover. His question, “What is the sign?”, was not doubt but a desire for confirmation that his life would be extended so he could fulfill his vow to praise God in the sanctuary (Psalm 116:12, 14).
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant variant readings in the Hebrew text of these verses. The main textual issue is placement: these verses conclude the chapter in Isaiah but appear earlier in 2 Kings 20:7, 8. Keil and Delitzsch, the Cambridge Bible, and others argue they were accidentally omitted from their original position (after 38:6) and later added in the margin, eventually copied here. This explains the pluperfects in English renderings. The Septuagint also attests the same order as the Masoretic Text, so the transposition was already fixed by the time of that translation.
Reception History
The church has often turned to these verses when discussing the relationship between medical treatment and divine healing. Calvin saw the poultice as a sign like the rainbow, its ineffectiveness proved the miracle was God’s alone. By contrast, Clarke’s Wesleyan tradition emphasized that God works through means, including natural remedies. In the early church, parallels were drawn with Jesus using mud to heal the blind man (John 9:6): physical elements as vehicles of divine power. Hezekiah’s longing to “go up to Yahweh’s house” has been read as a model of how recovery reorients the whole person toward worship. Hymns of thanksgiving after illness often echo this theme, the priority is not merely health but the house of God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God uses means but is not bound by them. The fig poultice was a common remedy, yet the speed and certainty of healing were miraculous. Medical care and prayer cooperate, not compete.
- The sign confirms the promise. Hezekiah asks for a sign, the shadow going backward, and receives it. God accommodates our need for assurance without requiring perfect faith.
- Worship is the goal of healing. Hezekiah does not ask for a longer life for comfort or prestige; he wants to go to the temple and praise God. Recovery points to restoration of relationship with God.
Five-point outline
- Prescription: Isaiah orders a simple treatment of figs and rubbing.
- Promise: “He shall recover”, the divine guarantee before any remedy is applied.
- Persistent request: Hezekiah, even after hearing the promise, wants a tangible sign.
- Provision: The sundial miracle (v. 7, 8) meets that need.
- Praise: The ultimate purpose, going to Yahweh’s house with song and thanksgiving.
Illustration hooks
- A patient whose doctor prescribes a simple antibiotic alongside prayer, finding both effective. The cure comes from God, but the medicine is God’s tool.
- Someone asking for a clear confirmation before making a major life decision, like a job change or move, and then seeing an unmistakable answer.
- The joy of returning to a church service after a long illness, feeling the “house of the Lord” as home.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does using medicine show weak faith in God’s power to heal?
- How do I know if a recovery is “miraculous” or just natural?
- After a health crisis, what should be my first priority, returning to normal life, or returning to worship?
Leading a Discussion
These two verses sit like a footnote after Hezekiah’s beautiful song of thanksgiving. They remind us that healing, however it comes, is never just physical, it is a summons to worship. Hezekiah’s request for a sign and the humble remedy of figs together show that God works through ordinary means and extraordinary signs to draw us to Himself.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think Isaiah ordered a fig poultice when he had already promised that Hezekiah would recover? What does this tell us about the relationship between divine power and human action?
- Hezekiah already received a promise of healing (v. 5). Why then does he ask for a sign? Is it doubt, or something else?
- Read 2 Kings 20:8. There the request for a sign includes “and that I will go up to the house of the Lord.” Why is the temple so central to Hezekiah’s hope for recovery?
- The psalm in 38:9, 20 does not mention the fig poultice. Should it have? What does this omission suggest about what Hezekiah considered most important?
- In what ways do we sometimes look for “signs” from God when we already have His promises? How can we tell the difference between seeking confirmation and testing God?
- How does this passage speak to the use of medical treatment alongside prayer in the church today?
- What would it look like for your small group to prioritize worship after a season of difficulty or healing?
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 Kings 20:7 | Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. |
| II Kings 20:8 | Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What will be the sign that Yahweh will heal me, and that I will go up to Yahweh’s house the third day?” |
| Mark 7:33 | He took him aside from the multitude privately and put his fingers into his ears; and he spat and touched his tongue. |
| John 9:6 | When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, |
| Psalms 42:1 | For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God. |
| Psalms 42:2 | My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? |
| Psalms 84:1 | For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. How lovely are your dwellings, Yahweh of Armies! |
| Psalms 84:2 | My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of Yahweh. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. |
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 observes that God chose a specific natural remedy, figs, which ancient medical authorities like Pliny and Celsus recommended for softening and drawing out swellings. The miraculous cure worked through means already known in medicine, not through something arbitrary. Some have called this a "medical tradition in the Bible."
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes points out that the fig plaster was a common ancient medical remedy, not itself miraculous. The true miracle was the reversal of the sun-dial's shadow and the prophetic guarantee of Hezekiah's recovery. Using natural means does not diminish the supernatural character of that sign.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the figs applied to Hezekiah's boil were not a natural remedy but a deliberate sign that God alone healed him. He also notes that Hezekiah's request for a sign, mentioned later, actually occurred earlier, and that his desire for life was to glorify God, not for personal ease.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The writer notes that the Hebrew verb means rub, not lay as a plaster, and that the lump should be translated cake. They suggest the illness was plague, since figs were used by Arabian and Turkish physicians for pestilence. The verses are also out of place, and the pluperfects are ungrammatical; the correct rendering is simple past tense.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Isaiah 38:21 Then said Isaiah, Take a lumpe of drye figs and lay it vpon the boyle, and he shall recouer. Isaiah 38:22 Also Hezekiah had said, What is ye signe, that I shall goe vp into the House of the Lord?
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that the fig poultice was not a natural cure but a divine sign, since figs typically harm ulcers. Jewish commentators called it a miracle within a miracle. He also notes Hezekiah asked for a sign more out of concern for worship in the temple than for his own health.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the psalmist intentionally highlights the praises sung in God's house as the central response to his deliverance. The temple setting and its worship are not incidental; they become the prominent focus of the song itself.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch argue that verses 21-22 are misplaced and belong earlier in the chapter, after verse 6. They also stress that the fig cake was not a medical cure; it was simply a practical means to hasten the healing God had already declared.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange draws a sharp contrast between Hezekiah's prayer and Christian prayer. Hezekiah appeals to his own integrity and upright heart, a speech an Old Testament believer could make, but a Christian cannot. The harsh death announcement was intended to drive him to this kind of fervent petition alone with God.
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.