Isa. 38 Hezekiah in his sickness receiveth from Isaiah a message of death, Isa. 38:1. By prayer, Isa. 38:2–3, hath his life lengthened: the sun goeth backward for a sign thereof, Isa. 38:4–8. His song of praise to God, Isa. 38:9–20.

Hezekiah was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and inspired by him to write this, both as a testimony of his own gratitude to God, and for the instruction of after-ages.

I said, to and within myself, I concluded it. In the cutting off of my days; when my days were cut off by the sentence of God, related here, Isa. 38:1. I shall go to the gates of the grave; I perceive that I must die without any hopes of prevention. The grave is called a man’s long home, Eccles.

I shall not see the Lord; I shall not enjoy him; for seeing is put for enjoying, as hath been frequently noted. In the land of the living; in this world, which is so called, Ps. 27:13, Ps. 116:9, Isa.

Mine age is departed; the time of my life is expired. As a shepherd’s tent, which is easily and speedily removed. I have cut off, to wit, by my sins, provoking God to do it.

When I was filled with pain, and could not rest all the night long, even till morning, my thoughts were working and presaging that God would instantly break me to pieces, and that every moment would be my last; and the like restless and dismal thoughts followed me from morning till evening.

Like a crane or a swallow; or, a crane and a swallow; the conjunction and being here, as it is Hab. 3:11, and elsewhere, understood, as is manifest from Jer. 8:7, where it is expressed with these very words.

What shall I say I want words sufficient to express my deep sense of God’s dealings with me. He hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it; he did foretell it by his word, and effect it by his hand. This clause and verse is either, 1.

By these things; by virtue of thy gracious word or promise, and powerful work; by thy promises, and thy performances of them, mentioned in the foregoing verse. This place may be explained by comparing it with Deut.

For peace I had great bitterness; my health and prosperity was quickly changed into bitter sickness and affliction. Or, as others render it, my great bitterness was unto peace; was turned into prosperity, or became the occasion of my safety and further advantages; for that drove me to my prayers,…

In this and the following verse, he declares God’s design in delivering him, that he might praise him in his church, which if he had died he could not have done. The grave cannot praise thee; the dead are not capable of glorifying thy name among men upon earth; which I desire and determine to do.

He shall praise thee; they are especially obliged to it, and they only have this privilege. The father to the children shall make known thy truth; they shall not only praise thee whilst they live, but take care to propagate and perpetuate thy praise and glory to all succeeding generations.

Was ready to save me; was a present help to me, ready to hear and succour me upon my prayer in my great extremity. We; both I and my people, who are concerned in me, and for me will sing forth those songs of praise which are due especially from me, for God’s great mercy to me.

This was rather a sign appointed by God, than a natural means of the cure; for if it had a natural faculty to ripen a sore, yet it could never cure such a dangerous and pestilential disease, at least in so little time.

Hezekiah also had said; or, For Hezekiah had said; had asked a sign, which is here added as the reason why Isaiah said what is related in the foregoing verse, to wit, in answer to Hezekiah’s question.