Isaiah 38

Isaiah · Chapter 38

Isaiah 38:8

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
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.I 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.behold, 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.

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
here Iהִנְנִ֣יhi-NIH2005
look!

הֵן (hen) interj 1) behold, lo, though hypothetical part 2) if Aramaic equivalent: hen (הֵן "look!" H2006A)

[am] about to turn backמֵשִׁ֣יבme-SHIVH7725G
to return: return

שׁוּב (shuv) : return 1) to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a) to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (fig) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things 1a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) …

[the] shadow ofצֵ֣לtzelH6738
shadow

צֵל (tsel) 1) shadow, shade 1a) shadow (on dial) 1b) shadow, shade (as protection) 1c) shadow (symbolic of transitoriness of life) Also means: tse.lel (צֵלֶל "shadow" H6752)

the stepsהַֽמַּעֲל֡וֹתha-ma-'a-LOTH4609B
step

מַעֲלָה (ma.a.lah) 1) step, stair 1a) step, stair 1b) steps (of sundial) 1c) stories (of heaven) 1d) ascent 1e) song of ascent 1e1) to the three great pilgrim feasts (Psalm titles)

whichאֲשֶׁ֣ר'a-SHERH0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

it had gone downיָרְדָה֩ya-re-DAHH3381
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

on [the] steps ofבְמַעֲל֨וֹתve-ma-'a-LOTH4609B
step

מַעֲלָה (ma.a.lah) 1) step, stair 1a) step, stair 1b) steps (of sundial) 1c) stories (of heaven) 1d) ascent 1e) song of ascent 1e1) to the three great pilgrim feasts (Psalm titles)

Ahazאָחָ֥ז'a-CHAZH0271G
Ahaz

אָחָז (a.chaz) A king of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Ki.15.38; son of: Jotham (H3147H); married to Abi (H0021); father of: Hezekiah (H2396) and Maaseiah (H4641J) Also named: Achaz (Ἀχάζ "Ahaz" G0881) § Ahaz = "he has grasped" 1) king of Judah, son Jotham, father of Hezekiah 2) a Benjamite, son of Micah, and great grandson of Jonathan

with the sunבַּשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁba-SHE-meshH8121
to minister

שְׁמַשׁ (she.mash) (Pael) to minister, serve Aramaic of she.mesh (שֶׁ֫מֶשׁ "sun" H8121)

backwardsאֲחֹרַנִּ֖ית'a-cho-ra-NITH0322
backwards

אֲחֹרַנִּית (a.cho.ran.nit) backwards, back part, the rear

tenעֶ֣שֶׂר'E-serH6235
ten

עֶשֶׂר (e.ser) 1) ten 1a) ten 1b) with other numbers Aramaic equivalent: a.sar (עֲשַׂר "ten" H6236)

stepsמַעֲל֑וֹתma-'a-LOTH4609B
step

מַעֲלָה (ma.a.lah) 1) step, stair 1a) step, stair 1b) steps (of sundial) 1c) stories (of heaven) 1d) ascent 1e) song of ascent 1e1) to the three great pilgrim feasts (Psalm titles)

and it went backוַתָּ֤שָׁבva-TA-shovH7725G
to return: return

שׁוּב (shuv) : return 1) to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a) to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (fig) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things 1a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) …

the sunהַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ha-SHE-meshH8121
to minister

שְׁמַשׁ (she.mash) (Pael) to minister, serve Aramaic of she.mesh (שֶׁ֫מֶשׁ "sun" H8121)

tenעֶ֣שֶׂר'E-serH6235
ten

עֶשֶׂר (e.ser) 1) ten 1a) ten 1b) with other numbers Aramaic equivalent: a.sar (עֲשַׂר "ten" H6236)

stepsמַעֲל֔וֹתma-'a-LOTH4609B
step

מַעֲלָה (ma.a.lah) 1) step, stair 1a) step, stair 1b) steps (of sundial) 1c) stories (of heaven) 1d) ascent 1e) song of ascent 1e1) to the three great pilgrim feasts (Psalm titles)

on the stepsבַּֽמַּעֲל֖וֹתba-ma-'a-LOTH4609B
step

מַעֲלָה (ma.a.lah) 1) step, stair 1a) step, stair 1b) steps (of sundial) 1c) stories (of heaven) 1d) ascent 1e) song of ascent 1e1) to the three great pilgrim feasts (Psalm titles)

whichאֲשֶׁ֥ר'a-SHERH0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

it had gone downיָרָֽדָה׃ סya-RA-dahH3381
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

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