Isaiah 38:19

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 38:19 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.
Isaiah 38:19 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 38

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day, &c.] Every one of the living, or such who are both corporeally and spiritually alive; and therefore the word is repeated; none but such who are alive in a corporeal sense can praise the Lord in this world; and none but such who are spiritually alive can praise him aright, and such do under a true sense of the greatness of his mercies, and of their own unworthiness; and such a one was Hezekiah; for the words may be rendered, “as I am this dayf750”; that is, alive in both the above senses; and so did he praise God, in such a spiritual manner, even on the day he committed this to writing, and was now in the temple offering up this…”
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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
“living . . . living--emphatic repetition, as in Isa 38:11, Isa 38:17; his heart is so full of the main object of his prayer that, for want of adequate words, he repeats the same word. father to the children--one generation of the living to another. He probably, also, hints at his own desire to live until he should have a child, the successor to his throne, to whom he might make known and so perpetuate the memory of God's truth. truth--faithfulness to His promises; especially in Hezekiah's case, His promise of hearing prayer.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The living, the living - An emphatic or intensive form of expression, as in Isaiah 38:11, Isaiah 38:17. Nothing would express his idea but a repetition of the word, as if the heart was full of it. The father to the children - One generation of the living to another. The father shall have so deep a sense of the goodness of God that he shall desire to make it known to his children, and to perpetuate the memory of it in the earth. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the living: Psa 146:2; Ecc 9:10; Joh 9:4 the father: Gen 18:19; Exo 12:26, Exo 12:27, Exo 13:14, Exo 13:15; Deu 4:9, Deu 6:7; Jos 4:21, Jos 4:22; Psa 78:3-6, Psa 145:4; Joe 1:3 Isaiah 38:20”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification