Isaiah 37:6, commentary and pictures

God sent word through Isaiah to Hezekiah and his people in the crisis when Assyria threatened the land not to fear the taunting words with which the servants of the Assyrian king blasphemed Him. It came in answer to Hezekiah's humility and prayer when he spread the insulting letter before the Lord and, with Isaiah, cried to Heaven for God to vindicate His own name and cause. God fulfilled it by a wonderful deliverance in one night, when His angel cut off the mighty men, leaders and captains of the Assyrian camp and struck down 185,000 men, though Hezekiah was outnumbered and without an army to match Assyria, thereby saving Jerusalem, guiding and comforting His remnant, exalting Hezekiah before the nations, and turning Rabshakeh back to his own land in judgment for defying the Almighty. It stands as the most notable witness to Assyria in its world power that the Lord is God above all, and shows that He can vindicate His power and promises even when His people are in the minority, its record being written for learning so that Christians who retain faith and spiritual gifts may humble themselves, heed prophetic counsel and subdue their enemies after the example of Hezekiah and Isaiah.

Setting and Literary Context

Isaiah 37:6 stands in the first part of Isaiah, chapters 1 to 39, which is made up of prophecies and historical accounts from Isaiah's years of active public work mingling in the concerns of rulers and people as God's messenger to the nation. Those prophecies were given as distinct single prophecies published at different times and on different occasions and afterward brought together into one collection. It is read July 11 with Isaiah 37 to 39, and its chronological order under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah is doubtful because several chapters are transposed and inserted out of chronological order.

The verse belongs to the record of Sennacherib's campaign against Judah, which when compared with the campaign described in Isaiah 10 identifies that campaign in Isaiah 10 as one made by Sargon. The chapter in which it stands is alike to and parallels 2 Kings 19, linking the account in Isaiah with its parallel account in Kings. That parallel stands with considerable verbal difference between the two accounts.

The account to which the verse belongs shows that the Assyrian army was with its king at Libnah, rather than near Jerusalem, when the angel slew 185,000 men. The king returned to his own land and died there, so this account does not fulfill the description of Tophet prepared for the king in Isaiah 30:33.

Divine Assurance and Deliverance

The verse is God's message through the prophet Isaiah to Hezekiah, his master, and to his people in the crisis when the king of Assyria came up and threatened the land, a crisis caused by Rabshakeh. It was given in answer to Hezekiah's humility and prayer over the Assyrians' continued blasphemy against Jehovah. He spread their insulting letter before the Lord, counseled with the prophet Isaiah, and together they prayed and cried to Heaven for God to vindicate His own name and cause, heeding counsel through God's prophet which his father Ahaz had ignored.

Its command is not to be afraid of the taunting, blasphemous words spoken by the servants of the king of Assyria against God. God fulfilled the word by a wonderful deliverance by His angel, who in one night struck down 185,000 men and cut off the mighty men, leaders, and captains in the Assyrian camp. Though Hezekiah was outnumbered and without an army to match Assyria's great strength, that strength could not prevail against God.

By that deliverance God saved Hezekiah and Jerusalem from Sennacherib, guided them on every side, and exalted Hezekiah in the sight of all nations. He comforted His remnant, turned Rabshakeh back to his own land, and brought judgment on him for defying the Almighty. Joined to the slaughter of Sennacherib's host, the word stands as the most notable witness to Assyria, when risen to world power and influence yet grown corrupt and far from God, that the Lord is God above all and leaves Himself not without witness.

The verse illustrates that God can vindicate His power and promises even when His people are in the minority. Its record of relief through humbling oneself and heeding prophetic counsel was written for learning. So Christians who retain the faith and spiritual gifts given to the church can follow Isaiah and Hezekiah's example and subdue their enemies.