Isaiah 38

Isaiah · Chapter 38

Isaiah 38:18

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:10I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.11I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.12Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd’s tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life: he will cut me off with pining sickness: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.13I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.14Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me.15What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul.16O LORD, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.17Behold, 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.18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.20The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.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?

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
18For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
forכִּ֣יkiH3588A
for

כִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore

notלֹ֥אlo'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

Sheolשְׁא֛וֹלshe-'olH7585
hell: Sheol

שְׁאוֹל (she.ol) Sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit 1a) the underworld 1b) Sheol-the OT designation for the abode of the dead 1b1) place of no return 1b2) without praise of God 1b3) wicked sent there for punishment 1b4) righteous not abandoned to it 1b5) of the place of exile (fig) 1b6) of extreme degradation in sin

it gives thanks to youתּוֹדֶ֖ךָּto-DE-kaH3034
to praise

יְדָא (ye.da) (Aphel) to praise, give thanks Aramaic of ya.dah (יָדָה "to give thanks" H3034)

deathמָ֣וֶתMA-vetH4194
death

מוֹת (mot) death Aramaic of ma.vet (מָ֫וֶת "death" H4194)

it praises youיְהַלְלֶ֑ךָּye-ha-LE-kaH1984B
to boast: praise

הָלַל (ha.lal) : praise 1) to praise, boast, be boastful 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be boastful 1a2) boastful ones, boasters (participle) 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to praise 1b2) to boast, make a boast 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be praised, be made praiseworthy, be commended, be worthy of praise 1d) (Hithpael) to boast, glory, make one's boast

notלֹֽא־lo'-H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

they hopeיְשַׂבְּר֥וּye-sa-be-RUH7663B
to intend

סְבַר (se.var) (P'al) to think, intend Aramaic of sa.var (שָׂבַר "to await" H7663B)

[those who] go down ofיֽוֹרְדֵי־yor-dei-H3381
to go down

יָרַד (ya.rad) 1) to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go or come down 1a2) to sink 1a3) to be prostrated 1a4) to come down (of revelation) 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to bring down 1b2) to send down 1b3) to take down 1b4) to lay prostrate 1b5) to let down 1c) (Hophal) 1c1) to be brought down 1c2) to be taken down

[the] pitב֖וֹרVorH0953A
pit

בּוֹר (bor) pit, well, cistern, dungeon, pit of the grave

toאֶל־'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

faithfulness yourאֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃'a-mi-TE-khaH0571G
truth: faithful

אֱמֶת (e.met) : faithful 1) firmness, faithfulness, truth 1a) sureness, reliability 1b) stability, continuance 1c) faithfulness, reliableness 1d) truth 1d1) as spoken 1d2) of testimony and judgment 1d3) of divine instruction 1d4) truth as a body of ethical or religious knowledge 1d5) true doctrine adv 2) in truth, truly

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.