Isaiah 39:3
in Isaiah 39Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?” “They came to me from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.
KJV
Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.
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This verse in Isaiah 39
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Then came Isaiah - Isaiah was accustomed to declare the will of God most freely to monarchs (see Isa. 7) What said these men? - What proposition have they made? What is the design of their coming? It is implied in the question that there had been some improper communication from them. To this question Hezekiah returned no answer. And from whence came they? - It was doubtless known in Jerusalem that ambassadors had come, but it would not be likely to be known from what country they had come.
This site's exposition
Where did those men come from
on Isaiah 39:3-4
Isaiah arrives after the fact and questions the king, Where did those men come from? Hezekiah answers plainly, from Babylon, and then, They have seen everything in my palace. His answers keep returning to the whole, There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
When the ambassadors of the Babylonian king came to Hezekiah, his heart in a fresh access of human weakness was lifted up with pride, and he received them with all gladness, for his own glory; and contrary to the will of God, he led them …
(Verse 3) Then Isaiah the Prophet came to King Hezekiah and said to him: What did these men say, and where did they come from to you? And Hezekiah said: They have come to me from a distant land, from Babylon.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Third, he sets out the reprimand of his vainglory: then Isaiah the prophet came. And first, he sets out the inquiry and the manifestation of his fault: there was not any thing which I have not shown them in my treasures: counsel in the heart …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Then came Isaiah the prophet unto King Hezekiah,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Reliance on Babylon, rather than on God, was a similar sin to the previous reliance on Egypt (Isa 30:1-31:9). far country--implying that he had done nothing more than was proper in showing attention to strangers "from a far country."
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
“They have come to me from a distant country” This is one of three people whom the Holy One, blessed be He, tested and found to be a chamber pot: Cain, Hezekiah, and Balaam. Hezekiah should have replied, “You are a prophet of the Omnipresent.
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
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹא֙ | vaiyavo' | and he came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| יְשַׁעְיָ֣הוּ | yesha'yahu | Isaiah | H3470 → | 39 times |
| הַנָּבִ֔יא | hanavi' | the prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ | chizkiyahu | Hezekiah | H2396 → | 127 times |
| וַיֹּ֨אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָ֜יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מָ֥ה | mah | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| אָמְר֣וּ׀ | ʾameru | did they say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים | haanashim | the men | H582 → | 566 times |
| הָאֵ֗לֶּה | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| וּמֵאַ֙יִן֙ | umeayin | and from where? | H370 → | |
| יָבֹ֣אוּ | yavou | are they coming | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלֶ֔יךָ | ʾeleikha | to you | H413 → | 5510 times |
| וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּ | chizkiyahu | Hezekiah | H2396 → | 127 times |
| מֵאֶ֧רֶץ | meeretz | from a land | H776 → | 2504 times |
| רְחוֹקָ֛ה | rechokah | distant | H7350 → | 84 times |
| בָּ֥אוּ | bau | they have come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֵלַ֖י | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מִבָּבֶֽל׃ | mibavel | from Babylon | H894 → | 262 times |
וַיָּבֹא֙and he came
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
יְשַׁעְיָ֣הוּIsaiah
yesha'yahuH3470 →39 times
הַנָּבִ֔יאthe prophet
hanavi'H5030 →314 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּHezekiah
chizkiyahuH2396 →127 times
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֵלָ֜יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
מָ֥הwhat?
mahH4100 →752 times
אָמְר֣וּ׀did they say
ʾameruH559 →5305 times
הָאֲנָשִׁ֣יםthe men
haanashimH582 →566 times
הָאֵ֗לֶּה<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
וּמֵאַ֙יִן֙and from where?
umeayinH370 →
יָבֹ֣אוּare they coming
yavouH935 →2568 times
אֵלֶ֔יךָto you
ʾeleikhaH413 →5510 times
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּHezekiah
chizkiyahuH2396 →127 times
מֵאֶ֧רֶץfrom a land
meeretzH776 →2504 times
רְחוֹקָ֛הdistant
rechokahH7350 →84 times
בָּ֥אוּthey have come
bauH935 →2568 times
אֵלַ֖יto me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
מִבָּבֶֽל׃from Babylon
mibavelH894 →262 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
Isaiah 38:1In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to…
it leads to
- Isaiah 38:1–8
In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to…
- 2 Chronicles 32:24
In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. So he prayed to the LORD, who spoke to him and gave him a sign.
- 2 Kings 20:1–11
In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to…
- 2 Samuel 17:23
When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he…
- Jonah 3:10
When God saw their actions—that they had turned from their evil ways—He relented from the disaster He had threatened to bring upon them.
- Isaiah 38:1–8
Through
Jeremiah 5:15Behold, I am bringing a distant nation against you, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. “It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 28:49
The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
- Jeremiah 4:16
Warn the nations now! Proclaim to Jerusalem: “A besieging army comes from a distant land; they raise their voices against the cities of Judah.
- Deuteronomy 28:49
Through
Deuteronomy 28:49The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
it leads to
- Lamentations 4:19
Those who chased us were swifter than the eagles in the sky; they pursued us over the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
- Lamentations 4:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
Who and where
3 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…
- PlaceBabil Governorate (archaeological site)BabylonAncient Mesopotamian city and imperial capital; site of the Israelite exile and a recurring biblical symbol of worldly power.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 8; 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) and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.