Isaiah 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16
Chapter 38
10
Once I said: In the noontime of my life, I go; I am sent to the land of the dead, for the rest of my years.
11
I said: Never again shall I see the Lord in the land of the living; never again shall I see the inhabitants of the earth.
12
Like a shepherd’s tent, my dwelling has been pulled down and thrown away; like a weaver, you rolled up my life and cut it from the loom: from day to night you made me waste away.
16
O Lord, give me back my health and give me back my life!
Commentaries
Historical Section.
Aside from Hezekiah’s prayer of thanksgiving (Isaiah 38:9-20), this historical account closely matches 2 Kings 18:13-20, which describes the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 B.C. and its miraculous deliverance (2 Kgs 19:35-37). Isaiah does not mention that Hezekiah surrendered to Senna-cherib and paid him tribute, as stated in 2 Kings 18:14-16.
Song of Hezekiah.
This psalm has two parts. The first is a lament for being at the gates of the abyss (Sheol was seen as a prison), where he feels forced to enter in the middle of his life (10-12). In the second part, the king suddenly thanks the Lord for changing his luck. He admits his sin of trusting in political alliances instead of in God (17).