Isaiah 37:1

Bishops' Bible (1568)

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

📖 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

Referenced Verses

• 2 Kgs 19:1-9 : 1 So it came to passe, that when king Hezekia hearde it, he rent his clothes, & put on sacke, & came into the house of the Lorde, 2 And sent Eliakim which was the steward of the houshold, and Sobna the scribe, and the elders of the priestes clothed in sacke, to Isai the prophete, the sonne of Amoz. 3 And they sayd vnto him, thus sayth Hezekia: This day is a day of tribulation, & of rebuke and blasphemie: For the children are come to the byrth, and there is no strength to be deliuered. 4 Peraduenture the Lorde thy God will heare al the wordes of Rabsakeh, who the king of Assyria his maister hath sent to rayle on the lyuing God, & to rebuke him with wordes which the Lorde thy God hath hearde: And lift thou vp thy prayer for the remnaunt that are left. 5 So the seruauntes of king Hezekia came to Isai. 6 And Isai sayde vnto them, So shall ye say to your maister: Thus sayth the Lorde, Be not afrayde of the wordes which thou hast heard, with which the young men of the king of Assyria haue rayled on me. 7 Beholde, I will put hym in another mynde, and he shall heare tydinges, and so returne to his owne land, and I will bring to passe, that he shall fall vpon the sworde euen in his owne land. 8 And Rabsakeh went backe againe, and founde the king of Assyria fighting against Libna: for he had hearde howe that he was departed from Lachis. 9 And when he hearde men say of Thirhaka king of the blacke Mores, Behold he is come out to fight against thee: he departed, and sent messengers vnto Hezekia, saying. 10 Thus speake to Hezekia king of Iuda, saying: Let not thy God deceaue thee in whom thou trustest, saying: Hierusalem shall not be deliuered into the hand of the king of Assyria. 11 Beholde, thou hast hearde what the kinges of Assyria haue done to all landes, how they haue vtterly destroyed them: And shalt thou escape? 12 Haue the gods of the heathen deliuered them, whiche myne auncestours haue destroyed? As Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Thelassar? 13 Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, the king of the citie of Sepharuaun, and of Hena and Iua? 14 And Hezekia receaued the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: And Hezekia went vp into the house of the Lorde, and layde it abrode before the Lorde. 15 And Hezekia prayed before the Lord, and sayd: O Lord God of Israel which dwellest betweene ye Cherubs, thou art God alone ouer al the kingdomes of the earth, thou hast made heauen & earth. 16 Lorde bowe downe thyne eare, and heare: Open Lorde thyne eyes, I besech thee, and see: and heare the wordes of Sennacherib whiche hath sent this man to rayle on the lyuing God. 17 Of a trueth Lorde, the kinges of Assyria haue destroyed nations and their landes, 18 And haue set fire on their gods: For they were no gods, but the worke of the handes of man, euen of wood and stone: and they destroyed them. 19 Nowe therfore O Lord our God I besech thee, saue thou vs out of his hande, that all the kingdomes of the earth may knowe that thou onely art the Lorde God. 20 And Isai the sonne of Amoz sent to Hezekia, saying, Thus sayth the Lorde God of Israel: That whiche thou hast prayed me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, I haue hearde it. 21 This is therefore the worde that the Lorde hath sayd of him: The virgin, euen the daughter of Sion hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorne O thou king of Assyria, the daughter of Hierusalem hath shaken her head at thee. 22 Whom hast thou rayled on? and whom hast thou blasphemed? Against whom hast thou exalted thy voyce, and lyfted vp thyne eyes so hye? Euen against the holy of Israel. 23 By the hande of thy messengers thou hast rayled on the Lord, and sayd: With the multitude of my charets I am come vp to the toppes of the mountaynes, euen along by the sides of Libanon, and I will cut downe the hye Cedar trees and the lusty fyrre trees therof: and I will go into the lodging of his borders, and into the wood of his Carmel. 24 I haue digged and druncke straunge waters: & with the steppe of my goyng wil I drye al the water pooles that are besieged. 25 Hast thou not heard howe I haue ordeyned such a thing a great whyle a go, and haue prepared it from the beginning? And shall I not nowe bring it foorth that it may destroy and bring strong cities into wast heapes of stones? 26 And the inhabiters of them shalbe of litle power, and faynt hearted, and confounded, and shalbe lyke the grasse of the field, or greene hearbe, or as the hay on the toppes of the houses, or as the corne that is vnripe & smitten with blasting. 27 I knowe thy dwelling, thy comming out and thy goyng in, and thy fury against me. 28 And because thou ragest against me, & thy tumult is come vp to myne eares, I will put my hoke in thy nostrels, and my byt in thy lippes, and wil bring thee backe againe the same way thou camest. 29 And this shalbe a signe vnto thee, O Hezekia: Ye shall eate this yere of such thinges as grow of them selues, and the next yere such as come vp of those that dyd growe of their owne accorde, and the thirde yere sowe ye and reape, plant vineyardes, and eate the fruites therof. 30 And it that is escaped and left of the daughter of Iuda, shall yet againe take roting downewarde, and beare fruite vpwarde. 31 For out of Hierusalem shall go a remnaunt and a number that shall escape out of mout Sion: The zeale of the lord of hoastes shal bring this thing to passe. 32 Wherfore thus sayth the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: he shall not come to this citie, nor shote an arrowe into it, nor come before it with shielde, nor cast a banke against it. 33 But shall go backe againe the way he came, and shall not come into this citie, sayth the Lorde. 34 For I will defende this citie, to saue it, for myne owne sake, and for Dauid my seruauntes sake. 35 And it came to passe, that the selfe same night the angell of the Lorde went out, and smote in the hoast of the Assyrians an hundred fourescore & fyue thousand: And when the remnaunt were vp early in the morning, beholde they were all dead coarses. 36 And so Sennacherib king of Assyria auoyded and departed, and went againe and dwelt at Niniue. 37 And it fortuned, that as he was in a temple worshipping Nisroch his God, Adramelech & Saresar his owne sonnes smote hym with the sworde: And they escaped into the lande of Armenia, and Asarhaddon his sonne raigned in his steade.
• 2 Kgs 22:11 : 11 And it fortuned, that when the king had hearde the wordes of the booke of the lawe, he rent his clothes.
• Ezra 9:5 : 5 And about the euening sacrifice I arose vp from my heauinesse, and rent my clothes and my rayment, and fell vpon my knees, and spread out my handes vnto the Lorde my God,
• Job 1:20-21 : 20 Then Iob stoode vp, and rent his clothes, & shaued his head, fell downe vpon the ground, worshipped, 21 And sayde: Naked came I out of my mothers wombe, & naked shall I turne thyther againe: The Lorde gaue & the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lorde.
• Isa 36:22-37:38 : 22 So came Eliakim Helkias sonne the chiefe ouer the householde, Sobna the scribe, and Ioah Asaphes sonne the secratarie vnto Hezekia with rent clothes, and tolde hym the wordes of Rabsakeh. 1 When Hezekia hearde that, he rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and went into the temple of the Lorde. 2 But he sent Eliakim the chiefe ouer the householde, Sobna the scribe, with the eldest priestes clothed in sacke, vnto the prophete Esai the sonne of Amos, 3 And they sayde vnto hym, Thus saith Hezekia: This is the day of trouble, of plague, and of blasphemie: for the children are come to the place of birth, but there is no power to bryng them foorth. 4 The Lorde thy God no doubt hath well considered the wordes of Rabsakeh, whom his lorde king of the Assyrians hath sent to defie and blaspheme the lyuyng God, with such wordes as the Lorde thy God hath hearde ryght well: and therfore lyft vp thy prayer for the remnaunt that yet are left. 5 So the seruauntes of the kyng Hezekia came to Esai, 6 And Esai gaue them this aunswere: Say thus vnto your lorde, Thus saith the Lord: Be not afraide of the wordes that thou hast hearde, wherwith the kyng of the Assyrians seruauntes haue blasphemed me. 7 Beholde, I wyll rayse vp a wynde agaynst him, & he shall heare a rumour, and he shall go agayne into his countrey, there wyll I destroy hym with the sworde in his owne lande. 8 Nowe when Rabsakeh returned, he founde the kyng of Assyria laying siege to Libnas: for he had vnderstandyng that he was departed from Lachis. 9 And there came a rumour that Tharakas kyng of Ethiopia was come foorth to warre agaynst hym: and when the king of Assyria hearde that, he sent other messengers to kyng Hezekia with this commaundement. 10 Say thus to Hezekia kyng of Iuda: Let not thy God deceaue thee, in whom thou hopest, and sayest, Hierusalem shall not be geuen into the handes of the kyng of Assyria. 11 For lo, thou knowest well howe the kynges of Assyria haue handled all the landes that they haue subuerted: and hopest thou to escape? 12 Were the people of the gentiles whom my progenitours conquered, deliuered at any tyme through their gods? As namely Gosan, Haran, Rezeph, and the children of Eden, which were at Thalassar? 13 Where is the king of Hemath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the citie Sepharuaim, Ena, and Aua? 14 Nowe when Hezekia had receaued the letter of the messengers, and read it, he went vp into the house of the Lorde, and opened the letter before the Lorde, 15 And Hezekia prayed vnto the Lorde on this maner. 16 O Lorde of hoastes, thou God of Israel, which dwellest vpon Cherubim, thou art the God that only is God of all the kingdomes of the world, for thou only hast created heauen and earth. 17 Encline thine eare Lorde and consider, open thine eyes Lorde and see, and ponder all the wordes of Sennacherib, which hath sent his embassage to blaspheme the lyuyng God. 18 It is true O Lorde that the kynges of Assyria haue conquered all kyngdomes and landes, 19 And cast their gods in the fire: for those were no gods, but the workes of mens handes, of wood or stone, therfore haue they destroyed them. 20 Nowe therfore deliuer vs O Lord our God from the handes of Sennacherib, that all the kyngdomes of the earth may knowe that thou only art the Lorde. 21 Then Esai the sonne of Amos sent vnto Hezekia, saying, Thus saith the Lorde God of Israel: Wheras thou hast made thy prayer vnto me as touching Sennacherib the king of Assyria, 22 This is the aunswere that the Lorde hath geuen concernyng hym: Dispised art thou and mocked O daughter Sion, he hath shaken his head at thee O daughter of Hierusalem. 23 But thou Sennacherib, whom hast thou defied and blasphemed? Agaynst whom hast thou lifted vp thy voyce, and exalted thy proude lokes? euen agaynst the holy one of Israel. 24 Thou with thy seruauntes hast blasphemed the Lorde, and thus holdest thou of thy selfe: I wyll couer the hye mountaynes and sydes of Libanus with my horsemen, and there wyll I cut downe the hye Cedar trees, and the fayrest Firre trees: I wyll vp in the heyght of it, and into the chiefest of his tymber woods. 25 If there be no water, I wyll graue and drynke: and as for waters of defence, I wyll drye them vp with the feete of myne hoast. 26 Yea, hast thou not hearde what I haue taken in hande and brought to passe of olde tyme? That same wyll I do nowe also, and waste, destroy, and bryng strong cities vnto heapes of stones. 27 For their inhabitours shalbe like lame men brought in feare and confounded: they shalbe lyke grasse and greene hearbes in the fielde, lyke the hay vpon house toppes, that wythereth before it be growen vp. 28 I knowe thy wayes, thy going foorth, and thy commyng home, yea and thy madnesse agaynst me. 29 Therfore thy furiousnesse agaynst me, and thy pride is come before me, I wyll put my ryng in thy nose, and my bridle bit in the iawes of thee, and turne thee about euen the same way thou camest. 30 I wyll geue thee also this token O Hezekia this yere shalt thou eate such as groweth of it selfe, and the seconde yere that which spryngeth agayne of the same, & in the thirde yere ye shall sowe and reape, yea ye shall plant vineyardes, and enioy the fruites therof. 31 And such of the house of Iuda as are escaped shall come together, and the remnaunt shall take roote beneath, and bryng foorth fruite aboue. 32 For the escaped shall go out of Hierusalem, and the remnaunt from the mount Sion: and this shall the zeale of the Lorde of hoastes bryng to passe. 33 Therfore thus saith the Lorde concernyng the kyng of the Assyrians: He shall not come into this citie, and shall shoote no arrowe into it, there shall no shielde hurt it, neither shall they cast ditches about it. 34 The same way he came he shall returne, and not come at this citie, saith the Lorde. 35 And I wyll kepe and saue this citie saith he for myne owne and for my seruaunt Dauids sake. 36 Thus the angell of the Lorde went foorth, and slue of the Assyrians hoaste an hundred fourescore and fiue thousande: and when men arose vp early in the mornyng, beholde they were slayne, and all lay full of dead bodyes. 37 So Sennacherib the kyng of the Assyrians brake vp & dwelt at Niniue. 38 Afterwarde it chaunced as he prayed in the temple of Nesroch his God, that Adramalech and Sarazer his owne sonnes slue hym with the sworde, and fled into the lande of Armenia: and Asarhaddon his sonne raigned in his steede.
• Jonah 3:5-6 : 5 And the men of Niniue beleued God, and proclaymed a fast, and put on sackecloth from the greatest of them to the leaste of them. 6 And worde came vnto the king of Niniue: which arose from his throne, and put of his robe, and couered him selfe with sackcloth, & sate downe in asshes.
• Matt 11:21 : 21 Wo vnto thee Chorazin, wo vnto thee Bethsaida: for if the mightie workes which were shewed in you had ben done in Tyre or Sidon, they had repented long ago in sackcloth and asshes.
• Jer 36:24 : 24 Yet no man was abashed therof, nor rent his clothes, neither the kyng hym selfe nor his seruauntes, though they hearde all these wordes.