Isaiah 37:34
in Isaiah 37He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city,’ declares the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and he shall not come unto this city, saith Jehovah.
KJV
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.
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This verse in Isaiah 37
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
build up a siege ramp against it
on Isaiah 37:33-35
The oracle promises what Rabshakeh's siege never delivers: He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. The tools of a siege are named and denied one by one. The city is defended on two grounds held together, the LORD's own honor and His covenant with David.
This site's exposition
He will go back the way he came
The king who came against the city is sent home by the road he came on, as verse 29 promised. Barnes places the Assyrian camp on the northeast side of the city, where the army met its end. The city itself was never entered.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 33, 34.) Therefore, thus says the Lord about the king of Assyria: He shall not enter this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with a shield, nor build siege works against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not enter this city, says the Lord. I will defend this city and save it for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David. It turns back to its purpose and dispels present fear after the hope of future things.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Here he promises liberation: he shall not come into this city, as he intended, above: take counsel together, and it shall be defeated: speak a word, and it shall not be done (Isa 8:10).
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
By the way that he came, by the same shall he return,.... Without executing his designs on Jerusalem, or other places; he shall lose his labour, and make the best of his way to his own country, without turning to the right or left, in order to disturb other nations, and enlarge his kingdom, being quite dispirited and confounded by what he shall meet with: and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord; or, unto this city, as before; which is repeated to confirm it, and to show the certainty of it.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
By the way that he came - (Isa 37:29; compare Isa 37:37). And shall not come into this city - (Isa 37:33; compare Isa 29:6-8).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ | baderekh | by the way | H1870 → | 707 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בָּ֖א | ba' | he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בָּ֣הּ | bah | by it | ||
| יָשׁ֑וּב | yashuv | he will return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and into | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָעִ֥יר | hair | the city | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| הַזֹּ֛את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָב֖וֹא | yavo' | he will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| נְאֻם־ | neum- | [the] utterance of | H5002 → | 376 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְby the way
baderekhH1870 →707 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
בָּ֖אhe came
ba'H935 →2568 times
בָּ֣הּby it
bah
יָשׁ֑וּבhe will return
yashuvH7725 →1056 times
וְאֶל־and into
veel-H413 →5510 times
הָעִ֥ירthe city
hairH5892 →1090 times
הַזֹּ֛את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יָב֖וֹאhe will come
yavo'H935 →2568 times
נְאֻם־[the] utterance of
neum-H5002 →376 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
Proverbs 21:30There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
it leads to
- Acts 5:39
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
- Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.
- Jeremiah 9:23
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
- Isaiah 14:27
The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?
- 1 Corinthians 3:19–20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
- Acts 5:39
Through
Isaiah 37:29Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
it leads to
- Isaiah 10:12
So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud…
- Isaiah 30:28
His breath is like a rushing torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction; He bridles the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray.
- Ezekiel 38:4
I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws, and bring you out with all your army—your horses, your horsemen in full armor, and a great company armed with shields and bucklers, all…
- Isaiah 10:12
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; 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.