Isaiah 37:1

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיְהִ֗י כִּשְׁמֹ֙עַ֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּ וַיִּקְרַ֖ע אֶת־בְּגָדָ֑יו וַיִּתְכַּ֣ס בַּשָּׂ֔ק וַיָּבֹ֖א בֵּ֥ית יְהוָֽה׃

Transliteration

And wayehî as-to-shmōaʿ the melek Ḥizqiyāhû and-wayiqraʿ ʾet-begādāyw and-wayitkās in-the-śaq and-wayyābōʾ bêt YHWH.

Grammar Details

• *wayehî*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3ms - and it happened/came to pass
• *kishmōaʿ*: preposition כ + qal infinitive construct - when/as hearing
• *melek*: noun, masculine singular construct - king of
• *Ḥizqiyāhû*: proper noun - Hezekiah
• *wayiqraʿ*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3ms - and he tore
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *begādāyw*: noun, masculine plural + 3ms suffix - his garments/clothes
• *wayitkās*: waw-consecutive + hitpael imperfect 3ms - and he covered himself
• *śaq*: noun, masculine singular - sackcloth
• *wayyābōʾ*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3ms - and he came/entered
• *bêt*: noun, masculine singular construct - house of
• *YHWH*: divine name - Yahweh/LORD

Word Meanings

• *wayehî*: and it happened/and it came to pass
• *shmōaʿ*: to hear/hearing
• *begādāyw*: his garments/his clothes
• *śaq*: sackcloth/coarse cloth worn in mourning
• *bêt YHWH*: house of YHWH/temple

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  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.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And it happened, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  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.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  When Ezechias herde that, he rente his clothes, & put on a sack cloth, & went in to the temple of the LORDE.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And when the King Hezekiah heard it, he rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth and came into the House of the Lord.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  When Hezekia hearde that, he rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went into the temple of the Lorde.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  ¶ 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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  It happened, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of Yahweh.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And it cometh to pass, at the king Hezekiah's hearing, that he rendeth his garments, and covereth himself with sackcloth, and entereth the house of Jehovah,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And on hearing it Hezekiah took off his robe and put on haircloth and went into the house of the Lord.

• World English Bible (2000)

  It happened, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into Yahweh's house.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the LORD’s temple.

Referenced Verses

• 2 Kgs 19:1-9 : 1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, the scribe Shebna, and the elders of the priests, all dressed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says: 'Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them.' 4 Perhaps the Lord your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria, his master, has sent to taunt the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that the Lord your God has heard. Therefore, lift up a prayer for the remnant that survives." 5 When King Hezekiah's servants came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, "Tell your master, 'This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid of the words you have heard, which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me with.' 7 Behold, I will send a spirit upon him; he will hear a report, return to his own land, and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. 8 Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria waging war against Libnah, for he had heard that he had departed from Lachish. 9 Now the king of Assyria heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, who had set out to fight against him. So he sent messengers again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 "This is what you are to say to Hezekiah king of Judah: 'Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' 11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. Will you then be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that my fathers destroyed rescue them—nations such as Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? 13 Where now is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? 14 Hezekiah received the letters from the messengers, read them, went up to the Lord's house, and spread them out before the Lord. 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: 'Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.' 16 Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to taunt the living God. 17 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands. 18 They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but merely the work of human hands—wood and stone. 19 But now, Lord our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God. 20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.' 21 This is the word that the Lord has spoken against him: 'The Virgin Daughter Zion despises you and mocks you; the Daughter Jerusalem tosses her head at you as you flee.' 22 Whom have you mocked and insulted? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in arrogance? It is against the Holy One of Israel! 23 By your messengers you have mocked the Lord, saying, 'With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost heights of Lebanon. I will cut down its tallest cedars and its choicest junipers. I will go to its farthest heights, its most fruitful forest.' 24 I have dug wells in foreign lands and drunk water there. With the soles of my feet, I have dried up all the streams of Egypt. 25 Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of rubble. 26 Their inhabitants were powerless; they were dismayed and confounded. They were like plants of the field, tender grass, vegetation sprouting on the roofs, scorched before it can grow. 27 But I know your sitting down, your going out, and your coming in, as well as your raging against Me. 28 Because of your raging against Me and your arrogance that has reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way you came. 29 And this will be a sign for you: This year you will eat what grows by itself, and in the second year, what springs from that. But in the third year, sow and reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 30 The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root below and bear fruit above. 31 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this. 32 Therefore, this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: 'He will not enter this city, shoot an arrow here, come before it with a shield, or build a siege ramp against it.' 33 By the way that he came, he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the Lord. 34 I will defend this city and save it for My sake and for the sake of My servant David. 35 That night, the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning, there were dead bodies everywhere. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. 37 While he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword. They fled to the land of Ararat, and his son Esarhaddon reigned in his place.
• 2 Kgs 22:11 : 11 When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.
• Ezra 9:5 : 5 At the time of the evening sacrifice, I arose from my self-abasement, with my garment and robe torn, and I knelt with my hands spread out to the Lord my God.
• Job 1:20-21 : 20 At this, Job got up, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell to the ground in worship. 21 He said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be blessed.'
• Isa 36:22-37:38 : 22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was over the household; Shebna, the scribe; and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and reported to him the words of the Rabshakeh. 1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. 2 He sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, all clothed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. 3 They said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace, for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them. 4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that still survives. 5 So the servants of King Hezekiah went to Isaiah. 6 Isaiah said to them, "This is what you are to say to your master: This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own land, and there I will cause him to fall by the sword. 8 Then the Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria waging war against Libnah, for he had heard that he had left Lachish. 9 Now the king of Assyria heard about Tirhakah, king of Cush, who was coming to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying, 10 "This is what you are to say to King Hezekiah of Judah: Do not let your God, whom you trust, deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. 11 You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands by utterly destroying them. Will you be delivered? 12 Did the gods of the nations that my predecessors destroyed—Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar—deliver them? 13 Where now is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of the city of Sepharvaim, or of Hena and Ivvah? 14 Hezekiah received the letters from the messengers, read them, and went up to the house of the LORD. There he spread them out before the LORD. 15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying: 16 "O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 17 Incline Your ear, LORD, and hear! Open Your eyes, LORD, and see! Listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who has sent them to mock the living God. 18 Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands. 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but the work of human hands—wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 20 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You, LORD, alone are God. 21 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, 22 this is the word the LORD has spoken against him: 'The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises and mocks you. The Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head as you flee. 23 Whom have you reproached and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! 24 Through your servants you have mocked the Lord. You have said, "With my many chariots I have ascended the heights of the mountains, the utmost parts of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars and its choicest cypress trees. I have reached its remotest heights, the densest of its forests. 25 I dug wells and drank water; with the soles of my feet, I dried up all the rivers of Egypt. 26 Have you not heard? From long ago, I planned it; from ancient times, I designed it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins. 27 Their inhabitants, stripped of strength, were dismayed and put to shame. They were like grass in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the housetops, scorched before it grows up. 28 But I know your sitting down, your going out and coming in, and your raging against Me. 29 Because of your raging against Me and your arrogance that has reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way you came. 30 This will be the sign for you: This year you will eat what grows by itself, and in the second year, what springs from that. But in the third year, sow and reap, plant vineyards, and eat their fruit. 31 Once more, a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. 32 For a remnant will go out from Jerusalem, and survivors from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this. 33 Therefore, this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with a shield or build a siege ramp against it. 34 By the way he came, he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. 35 I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David. 36 Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies. 37 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp, departed, returned home, and stayed in Nineveh. 38 While he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esarhaddon reigned in his place.
• Jonah 3:5-6 : 5 The people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
• Matt 11:21 : 21 ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.’
• Jer 36:24 : 24 Neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were afraid or tore their garments in sorrow.