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Isaiah 38 Bible study: The living, the living
The LORD's first word said Hezekiah would "not live" (38:1), and the same Hebrew verb comes back four more times in the chapter, for his recovery and his song: "You restore me, and cause me to live" (38:16). And the verb of Rabshakeh's "make a pledge" (36:8) is in Hezekiah's plea to the Lord: "Be my security" (38:14).
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“The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father shall make known your truth to the children.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“In Isaiah 38:17, Hezekiah writes to the Lord, "you have cast all my sins behind your back."”
Is that in Isaiah 38, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
From "not live" to "cause me to live"
"In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death" (38:1) (tap sick). Isaiah brings the LORD's word: "The LORD says, ‘Set your house in order, for you will die, and not live.’" (38:1). Here is what almost everyone misses: the chapter keeps coming back to that last verb, chayah, live (tap live). Isaiah has it 11 times in Hebrew, and five of them are in this chapter. The heading of Hezekiah's writing uses it for his recovery: "when he had been sick, and had recovered of his sickness" (38:9). The writing has it twice in one verse: "Lord, men live by these things", and "You restore me, and cause me to live" (38:16). And the chapter's last words from Isaiah end with it: "and he shall recover" (38:21). The verb of not live in 38:1 is the verb of recovered, cause me to live and recover. The writing also says living twice over, with chai, a word Strong's derives from this verb: "The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today" (38:19).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Isaiah 38
- The LORD said, "you will die, and not live" (38:1), and then added fifteen years (38:5). Did the LORD change his mind?
- If the LORD said, "I will add fifteen years to your life" (38:5), why did Isaiah tell them to lay a cake of figs on the boil?
- "For Sheol can’t praise you" (38:18). Is Hezekiah teaching what happens after death?
That was a taste
The rest of Isaiah 38 is waiting in Favor
- "I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears"
- What Hezekiah wrote
- The figs and the question, told last
- Isaiah 38 and 2 Kings 20, side by side
- Behind your back
- Hezekiah's son, in Jesus' line
- 13 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Isaiah 38 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
חָיָהchayahsay kha-YAH
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "live". Strong's: "to live, whether literally or figuratively", and it lists "recover" and "restore (to life)" among the ways the word is rendered. The LORD's word to Hezekiah ends, "for you will die, and not live" (38:1). Isaiah has the verb 11 times in Hebrew, and five of them are in this chapter: not live (38:1), had recovered (38:9), men live and cause me to live (38:16), and he shall recover (38:21). The chapter on Isaiah 26 studies it in "Your dead shall live" (Isaiah 26:19).
For your group
Isaiah 38 Bible study questions
- 1"I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears" (38:5). What difference does it make to you that God sees tears as well as hears words?
- 2After he recovered, Hezekiah wrote, "I will walk carefully all my years because of the anguish of my soul" (38:15). Think of a hard time you came through: how did it change the way you lived afterwards?
- 3"The father shall make known your truth to the children" (38:19). Who first made God's faithfulness known to you, and who might you pass it on to?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Isaiah 38 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Isaiah 38 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Isaiah 38 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home