Isaiah 39:8
in Isaiah 39But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of Jehovah which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
KJV
Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
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This verse in Isaiah 39
Commentary
10 notes on this verseThen said Hezekiah - The nature of Hezekiah’s crime, and his humiliation on the message of God to him by the prophet, is more expressly declared by the author of the book of the Chronicles: “But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up; therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
This site's exposition
that you have spoken is good
Hezekiah answers: The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good. The narrator adds his thought: At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime. The judgment falls on his sons after his reign, and the text records his words and thought without settling between them.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Be quiet, you who exalt yourself. Do not think you are better than you are! For if your wealth has caused your heart to be proud, it still is not more abundant than that of Hezekiah. He went in and boasted of his wealth before the Babylonians, yet it was all carried away to Babylon. And, if you glory in your children, they shall be led away from you to the beast, as the children of King Hezekiah were led away, and became eunuchs in the palace of the King of Babylon.
(Verse 8) And Hezekiah said to Isaiah: Good is the word of the Lord which he has spoken. And he said: Let there be only peace and truth in my days. So Hezekiah said: It is a good word of the Lord that he has spoken. In this, he is criticized by the Hebrews for not imitating the goodness of Moses, who said to the Lord: Either forgive them this crime, or if you do not, then erase me from your book which you have written (Exodus 32:32).
Therefore, Isaiah delivers the judgment of God's word: 'Listen to the word of the Lord of Hosts: A time will come when all these things that are in your house, acquired not by your own labor but by the labor of your fathers, will be transferred to Babylon, and from your descendants they will become eunuchs in the royal palace.' From where the Hebrews want Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were of royal descent, to become eunuchs, it is beyond doubt that they served in the ministry of King Nebuchadnezzar. So Hezekiah said: It is a good word of the Lord that he has spoken. In this, he is criticized by the Hebrews for not imitating the goodness of Moses, who said to the Lord: Either forgive them this crime, or if you do not, then erase me from your book which you have written (Exodus 32:32). And so the Apostle Paul wishes to be accursed from Christ for his brethren who are Israelites (Rom. IX); and therefore, Hezekiah was not approved by God in His words who spoke in the following: 'Console, console my people,' says your God, so that by whom He had not prayed, they may be consoled by the mercy of the Lord.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Third, he sets out his acceptance of the punishment: and Ezechias said; good, just; peace, from the Assyrians; truth, of religion, above: Lord, you will give us peace (Isa 26:12).
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Hezekiah reckoned that word of the Lord good which discovered sin to him, and made him sensible that he had done amiss, which before he was not aware of. The language of true penitents is, Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness; and the law is therefore good, because, being spiritual, in it sin appears sin, and exceedingly sinful.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
peace . . . in my days--The punishment was not, as in David's case (2Sa 24:13-15), sent in his time. True repentance acquiesces in all God's ways and finds cause of thanksgiving in any mitigation.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Good is the word of the Lord - The sense of this is, ‘I acquiesce in this; I perceive that it is right; I see in it evidence of benevolence and goodness.’ The grounds of his acquiescence seem to have been: 1. The fact that he saw that it was just. He felt that he had sinned, and that he had made an improper display of his treasures, and deserved to be punished. 2. He felt that the sentence was mild and merciful. It was less than he deserved, and less than he had reason to expect. 3. It was merciful to him, and to his kingdom at that time. God was not coming forth to cut him off, or to involve him in anymore calamity. 4. His own reign and life were to be full of mercy still. He had abundant cause of gratitude, therefore, that God was dealing with him in so much kindness. It cannot be shown that Hezekiah was regardless of his posterity, or unconcerned at the calamity which would come upon them. All that the passage fairly implies is, that he saw that it was right; and that it was proof of great mercy in God that the punishment was deferred, and was not, as in the case of David (2 Sam. 13-14 ff), to be inflicted in his own time. The nature of the crime of Hezekiah is more fully stated in the parallel passage in 2Ch 32:25-26, 2Ch 32:30-31. For there shall be peace - My kingdom shall not be disturbed during my reign with a foreign invasion. And truth - The truth of God shall be maintained; his worship shall be kept up; his name shall be honored. In my days - During my reign. He inferred this because Isaiah had said Isa 39:7 that his posterity would be carried to Babylon. He was assured, therefore, that these calamities would not come in his own time. We may learn from this: 1. That we should submit to God when he punishes us. If we have right feelings we shall always see that we deserve all that we are called to suffer. 2. […]
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
“The word of the Lord..is good” since there will be peace in my days.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| חִזְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ | chizkiyahu | Hezekiah | H2396 → | 127 times |
| אֶֽל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְשַׁעְיָ֔הוּ | yesha'yahu | Isaiah | H3470 → | 39 times |
| ט֥וֹב | tov | [is] good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| דְּבַר־ | devar- | [the] word of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| דִּבַּ֑רְתָּ | dibarta | you have spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| וַיֹּ֕אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יִהְיֶ֛ה | yihyeh | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| שָׁל֥וֹם | shalom | peace | H7965 → | 236 times |
| וֶאֱמֶ֖ת | veemet | and stability | H571 → | 127 times |
| בְּיָמָֽי׃ פ | beyamai | in days my | H3117 → | 2304 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
חִזְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙Hezekiah
chizkiyahuH2396 →127 times
אֶֽל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְשַׁעְיָ֔הוּIsaiah
yesha'yahuH3470 →39 times
ט֥וֹב[is] good
tovH2896 →538 times
דְּבַר־[the] word of
devar-H1697 →1440 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
דִּבַּ֑רְתָּyou have spoken
dibartaH1696 →1141 times
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
כִּ֥יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
יִהְיֶ֛הit will be
yihyehH1961 →3559 times
שָׁל֥וֹםpeace
shalomH7965 →236 times
וֶאֱמֶ֖תand stability
veemetH571 →127 times
בְּיָמָֽי׃ פin days my
beyamaiH3117 →2304 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Peter 5:6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.
it leads to
- James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
- Luke 14:11
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Proverbs 29:23
A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
- Matthew 23:12
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
- Luke 18:14
I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- James 4:10
Through
Job 1:21saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
it leads to
- Ecclesiastes 5:15
As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
- 1 Timothy 6:7
For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
- Ecclesiastes 5:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonLate 8th century BCE / Divided KingdomIsaiahEighth-century BCE prophet of Judah whose oracles make up the book of Isaiah; a central voice for messianic prophecy.
- PersonDivided kingdomHezekiahThe reforming king of Judah who trusted Jehovah against Sennacherib, spread the Assyrian letter before the LORD, was granted fifte…
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Aphrahat the Persian Sage, DEMONSTRATION 5:7; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.