Isaiah 37:1
in Isaiah 37On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Jehovah.
KJV
And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
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This verse in Isaiah 37
Commentary
6 notes on this verseLeaving aside the clear things, let us discuss only those in which the hidden meaning is present. They tear their clothes because they hear Rabshekah blaspheming. The king himself tears his own clothes because he believed it to be his and the people's sins that Rabshekah has come all the way to the gate of Jerusalem and has spoken such things against the Lord.
This site's exposition
King Hezekiah tore his clothes
on Isaiah 37:1-3
Hezekiah meets the taunt with grief and prayer, for he tore his clothes. His message gives a birth image, children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. Henry sets this beside his father Ahaz, who built an altar to a foreign god.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Chapter 37, Verse 1 and following) Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary and Joah son of Asaph the recorder went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him what the field commander had said. When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They told him, 'This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.' If you want to know how the Lord your God heard the words of Rabsaces, whom the king of the Assyrians, his lord, sent to blaspheme the living God and to reproach the words that the Lord your God heard, lift up a prayer for the remainder that have been found. Then the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, and Isaiah said to them: 'Thus you shall say to your master: Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria blasphemed me.' Behold, I will give to him the spirit, and he will hear the message, and he will return to his land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his land. Leaving aside the clear things, let us discuss only those in which the hidden meaning is present. They tear their clothes because they hear Rabshekah blaspheming. The king himself tears his own clothes because he believed it to be his and the people's sins that Rabshekah has come all the way to the gate of Jerusalem and has spoken such things against the Lord. Whereupon, the high priest, because he believed that he had blasphemed the Savior, tore his garments (Matt. […]
The Medieval Church1 voice
In this part he shows how Ezechias fought against the blasphemies of the Assyrians with humility and prayers, and concerning this he does three things. First, he recounts how he went to the place of prayer, assuming the dress of humility: and covered himself with …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
When king Hezekiah heard it - Heard the account of the words of Rabshakeh Isa 36:22. That he rent his clothes - (See the note at Isa 36:22). He covered himself with sackcloth - (See the note at Isa 3:24). And went into the house of the Lord - Went up to the temple to spread out the case before Yahweh Isa 37:
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֗י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כִּשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ | kishmoa' | when heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּ | chizkiyahu | Hezekiah | H2396 → | 127 times |
| וַיִּקְרַ֖ע | vaiyikra' | and he tore | H7167 → | 63 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְּגָדָ֑יו | begadav | clothes his | H899 → | 217 times |
| וַיִּתְכַּ֣ס | vaiyitkas | and he covered himself | H3680 → | 152 times |
| בַּשָּׂ֔ק | basak | with <the> sackcloth | H8242 → | 49 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֖א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בֵּ֥ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיְהִ֗יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כִּשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙when heard
kishmoa'H8085 →1159 times
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּHezekiah
chizkiyahuH2396 →127 times
וַיִּקְרַ֖עand he tore
vaiyikra'H7167 →63 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
בְּגָדָ֑יוclothes his
begadavH899 →217 times
וַיִּתְכַּ֣סand he covered himself
vaiyitkasH3680 →152 times
בַּשָּׂ֔קwith <the> sackcloth
basakH8242 →49 times
וַיָּבֹ֖אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
בֵּ֥ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 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
Ezra 9:5At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
it leads to
- 1 Kings 8:54
Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD, he got up before the altar of the LORD, where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward…
- 1 Kings 8:38
then may whatever prayer or petition Your people Israel make—each knowing his own afflictions and spreading out his hands toward this temple—
- 1 Kings 8:22
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,
- Exodus 9:29
Moses said to him, “When I have left the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may…
- Exodus 9:33
Then Moses departed from Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the LORD. The thunder and hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
- 1 Kings 8:54
Through
2 Kings 22:11When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes
it leads to
- Joel 2:13
So rend your hearts and not your garments, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. And He relents from sending disaster.
- 2 Chronicles 34:19
When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes
- Jonah 3:6–7
When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
- Joel 2:13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.