Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
death—that is, the dead; Hades and its inhabitants (Job 28:22; see on Isaiah 38:11). Plainly Hezekiah believed in a world of disembodied spirits; his language does not imply what skepticism has drawn from it, but simply that he regarded the disembodied state as one incapable of declaring the praises of God before men, for it is, as regards this world, an unseen land of stillness; "the living" alone can praise God on earth, in reference to which only he is speaking; Isaiah 57:1-2 shows that at this time the true view of the blessedness of the righteous dead was held, though not with the full clearness of the Gospel, which "has brought life and immortality to light" (II Timothy 1:10).
hope for thy truth— (Psalms 104:27). Their probation is at an end. They can no longer exercise faith and hope in regard to Thy faithfulness to Thy promises, which are limited to the present state. For "hope" ceases (even in the case of the godly) when sight begins (Romans 8:24-25); the ungodly have "no hope" (I Thessalonians 4:13). Hope in God's truth is one of the grounds of praise to God (Psalms 71:14; Psalms 119:49). Others translate, "cannot celebrate."
The second part of the song passes from prayer to thanksgiving at the prayer being heard.
What shall I say?—the language of one at a loss for words to express his sense of the unexpected deliverance.
both spoken . . . and . . . done it— (Numbers 23:19). Both promised and performed (I Thessalonians 5:24; Hebrews 10:23).
himself—No one else could have done it (Psalms 98:1).
go softly . . . in the bitterness—rather, "on account of the bitterness"; I will behave myself humbly in remembrance of my past sorrow and sickness from which I have been delivered by God's mercy (see I Kings 21:27, I Kings 21:29). In Psalms 42:4, the same Hebrew verb expresses the slow and solemn gait of one going up to the house of God; it is found nowhere else, hence ROSENMULLER explains it, "I will reverently attend the sacred festivals in the temple"; but this ellipsis would be harsh; rather metaphorically the word is transferred to a calm, solemn, and submissive walk of life.
The prayer and thanksgiving song of Hezekiah is only given here, not in the parallel passages of Second Kings and Second Chronicles. Isaiah 38:9 is the heading or inscription.
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Isaiah 38:18:
Psalms 6:5
Psalms 30:8-11
Isaiah 35:10
1 Thessalonians 4:13
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