The Pulpit Commentary — Isaiah — Volume 2 — Section 35

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER xxxvm. Hezekiah that he might pray nndisturbed Beds seem to he.ve been placed in the comers The present cliapter is parallel with 2 of rooms, with the head against one wall of Kings XL 1-11, but contains some marked the room, e.nd one side against another. differences from that passage, both in what Ver. 3.-Remember now,O Lord. Hezekiah we.a in the full vigour of life-thirty-nine it omits e.nd in what it inserts. The general years old only. He had probably as yet no nlll'l"ll,tive (vers. 1-8, and 21, 22) is greatly son, since Manasseh, who succeeded him, condensed, and in pa.rt disarranged, vers. was but twelve (2 Kings xxi. l ; 2 Chron. 21, 22 being e,ddcd, as it would seem, by e.n x:z:xiii. 1) whoo Hezekiah died at the age of after-thought. On the other hand. the pee.Im fifty-four. It we.a a grievous thing to e. Jew to !lmve no me.le offspring; it we.a viewed of Hezekiah (vers. 9-20) is additional, as a mark of the Divine displeasure to be having nothing corresponding to it in the cut off in the midst of one'.; do.ye (Job xv. Book of Kings. There is every appea.ranoe 32; xxii. 15, 16 ; Ps. Iv. 23; Prov. x. 27; of 2 Kings XL 1-11 having beon composed Eccles. vii. 17). H1:zekfah ask1:d himsclr- previously to the present chapter, and of the Ha.d he deserved such e. sentcnco? He thought that he had not. He knew that, present chapter having been, in its narrative with wh11tever shortcomings, he hnd endea- portion, abridged from 2 Kings. voured to serve God, had trusted in him Ver. 1.-In those day1. The illness of (2 Kings xviii. 5), cleaved to him (2 Hezekiah is fixed by ver. 5 (and 2 Kinga Kings :z:viii. 6), "depllrted not from fol- :a:. 6) to the fonrteenth year of hie reign, or lowing him, but kept his ccmmr,ndments " B..C. 71 i. The entire ne.rrati ve of this chapter (2 Kings xviii. 6). He therefore ventured and the next is therefore thirteen or fourteen upon an expostulation o.nd an earnest yllll?I! earlier than that of eh. mvi., xxx:vii., prayer; and God was pleased to hee.r the whicli belongs to Hezekie.h's closing years, prayer o.nd to grant it. I have walked ac. 701-698 (see the comment on eh. before thee in truth and with a perfeot heart. =.xvi 1, 2). Sick '11.Dto death; i.e. attacked Campa.re the unbiassed testimony of the by a ma.lady which, if it had run its natural authors of Kings o.nd Chronicles (2 Kings course, would have been fe.te.L Iniah the :z:viii. 3-6; 2 Chron. :z:xix. 2; :z:xxi. 20, 21). prophet the son of Am.oz. This double desig- Under the old dispensntion, there wus nation of Isaiah, by Lie office and by hie nothing to prevent men from plea.ding their descent, marks the original independence of righteousness before God (comp. Job xxxi. this narrati,·e, which was not intended for a i - 40 ; Ps. vii. 3 - R ; :z:viii. 20 - 24 ; continuation of eh. :umi. Thou ahalt die, xxvi. 1- 8, etc.). Hezekiah, however, and not live. Prophecies were often threats, does not really regard himself as sinless and. when such, were eonditiona.l, announcing (comp. ver. 17). And Hezekiah wept sore, results which would. follow unless averted In the Ee.et feelinga are but little restrained. by prayer or repentance (compare Jonah's Joy shows itself in laughter and shouting, prophecy," Yet forty daya,and Nineveh shall grief in tee.re and shrill cries. Xerxes wept be overthrown," Jonah iii. i). when he thought of the shortness of humu.n Ver. 2.-B'.ezekiah turned hi.I faoe toward life (Herod., vii. 46); the Porsiu.ns rent the the wall. TLe action resembles that of Ahab air with loud cries at the funeral of Mu.sistius (I Kings ui. 4); but the spirit is wholly (ibid., iL 2i); on the news of the defoe.t nt different. Ahab turned awe.;y in 1111lenness, Salamis all Buse. " cried u.loud, e.nd wept ou. xxxvw. 1-22.] THE DOOK OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH. 37