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Isaiah 38:16

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 38:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “O Lord, by these things men live; And wholly therein is the life of my spirit: Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

O Lord, by these things men live; And wholly therein is the life of my spirit: Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.
Isaiah 38:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 38

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
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.
15What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
16O Lord, by these things men live; And wholly therein is the life of my spirit: Wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live.
17Behold, [it was] for [my] peace [that] I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.
18For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.
← Isaiah 38:15Isaiah 38:17 →
← Full Chapter 38 Isaiah Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“O Lord, by these things men live, &c.] Not by bread only, but by the word of God: by the promise of God, and by his power performing it; and by his favour and goodness continually bestowed; it is in him, and by his power and providence, that they live and move, and have their being, and the continuance of it; and it is his lovingkindness manifested to them that makes them live comfortably and go on cheerfully: and in all these things is the life of my spirit; what kept his soul in life were the same things, the promise, power, and providence of God; what revived his spirit, and made him comfortable and cheerful, was the wonderful love and great goodness of God unto him, in appearing to him,…”
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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
“by these--namely, by God's benefits, which are implied in the context (Isa 38:15, "He hath Himself done it" "unto me"). All "men live by these" benefits (Psa 104:27-30), "and in all these is the life of my spirit," that is, I also live by them (Deu 8:3). and (wilt) make me to live--The Hebrew is imperative, "make me to live." In this view he adds a prayer to the confident hope founded on his comparative convalescence, which he expressed, "Thou wilt recover me" [MAURER].”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“O Lord, by these things men live - The design of this and the following verses is evidently to set forth the goodness of God, and to celebrate his praise for what he had done. The phrase ‘these things,’ refers evidently to the promises of God and their fulfillment; and the idea is, that people are sustained in the land of the living only by such gracious interpositions as he had experienced. It was not because people had any power of preserving their own lives, but because God interposed in time of trouble, and restored to health when there was no human prospect that they could recover. And in all these things - In these promises, and in the divine interposition. Is the life of my spirit - I…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“By these - By thy promises, and thy performance of them; therefore it is not strange, that one word of God hath brought me back from the jaws of death. Isaiah 38:18”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“38:16 God’s restoration of Hezekiah’s health also symbolized the restoration from exile that Judah would experience in the future.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Isa 64:5; Deu 8:3; Job 33:19-28; Psa 71:20; Mat 4:4; Co1 11:32; Co2 4:17; Heb 12:10, Heb 12:11 Isaiah 38:17”
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Related study paths

Read Isaiah 38 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification