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Isaiah 38:11

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 38:11 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “I said, I shall not see Jehovah, [even] Jehovah in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

I said, I shall not see Jehovah, [even] Jehovah in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
Isaiah 38:11 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 38

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
8behold, I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz with the sun, to return backward ten steps. So the sun returned ten steps on the dial whereon it was gone down.
9The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness.
10I said, In the noontide of my days I shall go into the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the residue of my years.
11I said, I shall not see Jehovah, [even] Jehovah in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
12My dwelling is removed, and is carried away from me as a shepherd`s tent: I have rolled up, like a weaver, my life; he will cut me off from the loom: From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
13I quieted [myself] until morning; as a lion, so he breaketh all my bones: From day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.
14Like a swallow [or] a crane, so did I chatter; I did moan as a dove; mine eyes fail [with looking] upward: O Lord, I am oppressed, be thou my surety.
← Isaiah 38:10Isaiah 38:12 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living, &c.] Not any more, in this world, though in the other, and that more clearly, even face to face: his meaning is, that he should no more see him in the glass of the word; no more praise him in his house; worship him in his temple; enjoy him in his ordinances; and see his beauty, power, and glory, in the sanctuary; and confess unto him, and praise his namef735. The Targum is, “I shall no more appear before the face of the Lord in the land of the house of his Shechinah, in which is length of life; and I shall no more serve him in the house of the sanctuary.” In the Hebrew text it is, “I shall not see Jah, Jah”; a word,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Lord . . . Lord--The repetition, as in Isa 38:19, expresses the excited feeling of the king's mind. See the Lord (Jehovah)--figuratively for "to enjoy His good gifts." So, in a similar connection (Psa 27:13). "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living"; (Psa 34:12), "What man is he that desireth life that he may see good?" world--rather, translate: "among the inhabitants of the land of stillness," that is, Hades [MAURER], in parallel antithesis to "the land of the living" in the first clause. The Hebrew comes from a root, to "rest" or "cease" (Job 14:6).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“I shall not see the Lord - In the original, the Hebrew which is rendered ‘Lord,’ is not Yahweh, but יה יה yâhh yâhh. On the meaning of it, see the note at Isaiah 12:2 (compare the note at Isaiah 7:14). The repetition of the name here denotes emphasis or intensity of feeling - the deep desire which he had to see Yahweh in the land of the living, and the intense sorrow of his heart at the idea of being cut off from that privilege. The idea here is, that Hezekiah felt that he would not be spared to enjoy the tokens of divine favor on earth; to reap the fruits of the surprising and remarkable deliverance from the army of Sennacherib; and to observe its happy results in the augmenting…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“38:11 Hezekiah lamented that if he died, he would not enjoy fellowship with God, his family, and his friends.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Job 35:14, Job 35:15; Psa 6:4, Psa 6:5, Psa 27:13, Psa 31:22, Psa 116:8, Psa 116:9; Ecc 9:5, Ecc 9:6 Isaiah 38:12”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification