Hezekiah’s reflection merges thanksgiving for God’s intervention with an honest acknowledgement of sorrow.
Hezekiah, king of Judah from around 715 to 686 BC, found himself in an intensely personal moment of reflection after the LORD promised to heal him of a life-threatening illness. In his song of thanksgiving, he exclaims, “What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.” (v.15) This statement occurs after Isaiah brings word that Hezekiah’s life will be extended, yet the king’s joy is intermingled with sorrow as he recalls the dread of mortal peril. Elsewhere in Isaiah, Hezekiah also witnessed God’s miraculous protection of Jerusalem against the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib, who besieged the city around 701 BC—an event chronicled in Isaiah 36 and 37. Hezekiah’s awareness that God intervenes both in times of national crisis and personal affliction adds depth to his words, showing how intimately the LORD governs his life.When Hezekiah cries, “For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it...” (v.15), he recognizes that the same God who delivered him from enemy armies also controls the breadth of his days. Despite the bitterness that still lingers—and the sober admission that restoration does not erase lingering pain—Hezekiah acknowledges the LORD’s hand in extending his life rather than resenting the hardships that came before. The phrase “bitterness of my soul” suggests that even deliverance can leave a spiritual imprint, prompting the king to walk humbly, mindful of the fleeting nature of earthly life. He travels every remaining year confined by the memory of closeness to death, yet also freed by God’s mercy.
“I will wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.” (v.15) portrays a tension between divine rescue and human frailty. Although his trial was a catalyst for a deeper dependence on the LORD, Hezekiah’s honesty reminds believers that faith and hardship often mingle in a single testimony. He was not rebuked for admitting lingering sorrow; instead, his words exemplify how confessing both gratitude and pain is welcomed by God.
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Isaiah 38:15 meaning
Hezekiah, king of Judah from around 715 to 686 BC, found himself in an intensely personal moment of reflection after the LORD promised to heal him of a life-threatening illness. In his song of thanksgiving, he exclaims, “What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.” (v.15) This statement occurs after Isaiah brings word that Hezekiah’s life will be extended, yet the king’s joy is intermingled with sorrow as he recalls the dread of mortal peril. Elsewhere in Isaiah, Hezekiah also witnessed God’s miraculous protection of Jerusalem against the Assyrian ruler Sennacherib, who besieged the city around 701 BC—an event chronicled in Isaiah 36 and 37. Hezekiah’s awareness that God intervenes both in times of national crisis and personal affliction adds depth to his words, showing how intimately the LORD governs his life.When Hezekiah cries, “For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it...” (v.15), he recognizes that the same God who delivered him from enemy armies also controls the breadth of his days. Despite the bitterness that still lingers—and the sober admission that restoration does not erase lingering pain—Hezekiah acknowledges the LORD’s hand in extending his life rather than resenting the hardships that came before. The phrase “bitterness of my soul” suggests that even deliverance can leave a spiritual imprint, prompting the king to walk humbly, mindful of the fleeting nature of earthly life. He travels every remaining year confined by the memory of closeness to death, yet also freed by God’s mercy.
“I will wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.” (v.15) portrays a tension between divine rescue and human frailty. Although his trial was a catalyst for a deeper dependence on the LORD, Hezekiah’s honesty reminds believers that faith and hardship often mingle in a single testimony. He was not rebuked for admitting lingering sorrow; instead, his words exemplify how confessing both gratitude and pain is welcomed by God.