Hezekiah’s plea reminds us that genuine faith acknowledges our helplessness and finds refuge in God’s power.
Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove; My eyes look wistfully to the heights; O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security. (v.14) In this verse, King Hezekiah of Judah (who reigned from 715-686 BC) grieves over his life-threatening illness and prays from Jerusalem, the capital city of his kingdom. He likens his cries to the fluttering or chirping of birds, expressing the frailty of his condition before the Lord. His gaze “wistfully to the heights” underscores his desperate look to God for rescue.
The mournful phrases, I twitter… I moan like a dove, evoke the somber imagery of relentless sorrow. Elsewhere in Scripture, the cooing of doves likewise symbolizes deep lament (Isaiah 59:11). This poetic depiction of sorrow is echoed in another passage, where “the Bible often uses the cooing (murmuring) of doves as an image for human mourning”. Hezekiah’s prayer reveals his intense vulnerability and dependence on God, recognizing that only the Lord can provide security and deliverance in the face of oppression.
In a broader biblical context, Hezekiah’s cry of dependence upon the Lord foreshadows the humble posture of believers who turn to God in times of great distress. Jesus similarly welcomes the weary and oppressed, urging them to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28). Hezekiah’s example encourages us to bring our fears and frailties before the Creator, trusting that He remains the only true source of hope and security.
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Isaiah 38:14 meaning
Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove; My eyes look wistfully to the heights; O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security. (v.14) In this verse, King Hezekiah of Judah (who reigned from 715-686 BC) grieves over his life-threatening illness and prays from Jerusalem, the capital city of his kingdom. He likens his cries to the fluttering or chirping of birds, expressing the frailty of his condition before the Lord. His gaze “wistfully to the heights” underscores his desperate look to God for rescue.
The mournful phrases, I twitter… I moan like a dove, evoke the somber imagery of relentless sorrow. Elsewhere in Scripture, the cooing of doves likewise symbolizes deep lament (Isaiah 59:11). This poetic depiction of sorrow is echoed in another passage, where “the Bible often uses the cooing (murmuring) of doves as an image for human mourning”. Hezekiah’s prayer reveals his intense vulnerability and dependence on God, recognizing that only the Lord can provide security and deliverance in the face of oppression.
In a broader biblical context, Hezekiah’s cry of dependence upon the Lord foreshadows the humble posture of believers who turn to God in times of great distress. Jesus similarly welcomes the weary and oppressed, urging them to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28). Hezekiah’s example encourages us to bring our fears and frailties before the Creator, trusting that He remains the only true source of hope and security.