Bible/Isaiah/38

Isaiah 38:17

38:16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live.
Behold, for peace 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. for peace: or, on my peace came great bitterness thou hast in: Heb. thou hast loved my soul from the pit

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Behold, for peace I had great anguish, but you have in love for my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

Behold, for peace 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.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but you have in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

What does Isaiah 38:17 mean?

Isaiah 38:17 is a verse in the book of Isaiah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include שָׁלוֹם (shâlôwm), מַר (mar), חָשַׁק (châshaq). It connects to 15 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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Behold,
for
peaceשָׁלוֹםshâlôwm/shaw-lome'/H7965safe, i.e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i.e. health, prosperity, peace
I
had
great
bitterness:מַרmar/mar/H4751bitter (literally or figuratively); also (as noun) bitterness, or (adverbially) bitterly
but
thou
hast
in
loveחָשַׁקchâshaq/khaw-shak'/H2836to cling, i.e. join, (figuratively) to love, delight in; elliptically; to deliver
to
my
soulנֶפֶשׁnephesh/neh'-fesh/H5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
delivered
it
from
the
pitשַׁחַתshachath/shakh'-ath/H7845a pit (especially as a trap); figuratively, destruction
of
corruption:בְּלִיbᵉlîy/bel-ee'/H1097properly, failure, i.e. nothing or destruction; usually (with preposition) without, not yet, because not, as long as, etc.
for
thou
hast
castשָׁלַךְshâlak/shaw-lak/H7993to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively)
all
my
sinsחֵטְאchêṭᵉʼ/khate/H2399a crime or its penalty
behindאַחַרʼachar/akh-ar'/H310properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
thy
back.גֵּוgêv/gave/H1460the back; by analogy, the middle
for
peace:
or,
on
my
peace
came
great
bitterness
thou
hast
in:
Heb.
thou
hast
loved
my
soul
from
the
pit

Commentary on Isaiah 38:17

HENRY_FULL · Isaiah 38:17
3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. The great truths of divinity are of great use to enforce the precepts of morality, and none more than this—That the eye of God is always upon the children of men. 1. An eye to discern all, not only from which nothing can be concealed, but by which every thing is actually inspected, and nothing overlooked or looked slightly upon: The eyes of the Lord are in every place; for he not only sees all from on high ( Ps. xxxiii. 13 ), but he is every where present. Angels are full of eyes ( Rev. iv. 8 ), but God is all eye. It denotes not only his omniscience, that he sees all, but his universal providence, that he upholds and governs all. Secret sins, services, and sorrows, are under his eye. 2. An eye to distinguish both persons and actions. He beholds the evil and the good, is displeased with the evil and approves of the good, and will judge men according to the sight of his eyes, Ps. i. 6 ; xi. 4 . The wicked shall not go unpunished, nor the righteous unrewarded, for God has his eye upon both and knows their true character; this speaks as much comfort to saints as terror to sinners. 4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therei

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

1 Samuel 2:23

And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. of your: or, evil words of you

2 Samuel 15:1

And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

1 Chronicles 22:11

Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee.

1 Chronicles 28:9

And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

1 Chronicles 28:20

And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

Isaiah 1:23

Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

Isaiah 10:1

Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; that write: or, to the writers that write grievousness

Isaiah 13:1

The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

Isaiah 13:18

Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

Isaiah 19:20

And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

Isaiah 25:12

And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.

Titus 1:13

This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

Titus 2:15

These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Isaiah 38:31Isaiah 38:32

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Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Isaiah 38:17.

Genesis 34:8

And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

Frequently asked questions

What does Isaiah 38:17 say?

Isaiah 38:17 (King James Version) reads: "Behold, for peace 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. for peace: or, on my peace came great bitterness thou hast in: Heb. thou hast loved my soul from the pit"

Is Isaiah 38:17 in the Old or New Testament?

Isaiah 38:17 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah.

Reflect

As you read Isaiah 38:17, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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