Isaiah 39:3

Isaiah 39:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did those men say, and where did they come from?” “From a distant land,” Hezekiah replied. “They came to me from Babylon.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, "What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?" Hezekiah said, "They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.”

Context of Isaiah 39:3

1At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah since he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. 2Hezekiah was pleased with the letters, and he showed the envoys his treasure house — the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil — and all his armory, and everything that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his palace and in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say, and where did they come to you from?” Hezekiah replied, “They came to me from a distant country, from Babylon.” 4Isaiah asked, “What have they seen in your palace?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen everything in my palace. There isn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.” 5Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord of Armies:

Isaiah 39:3 word by word

וַיָּבֹא֙ יְשַׁעְיָ֣הוּ הַנָּבִ֔יא אֶל־הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֜יו מָ֥ה אָמְר֣וּ׀ הָאֲנָשִׁ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה וּמֵאַ֙יִן֙ יָבֹ֣אוּ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ חִזְקִיָּ֔הוּ מֵאֶ֧רֶץ רְחוֹקָ֛ה בָּ֥אוּ אֵלַ֖י מִבָּבֶֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• Isaiahיְשַׁעְיָ֫הוּyesha‛yâh yesha‛yâhû · IsaiahH3470
• the prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• unto kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• Hezekiahחִזְקִיָּהוּchizqîyâh chizqîyâhû yechizqîyâh yechizqîyâhû · HezekiahH2396
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• these menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• and from whenceאַ֫יִן'ayin · where?H370
• from a farרָחֹקrâchôq râchôq · distantH7350
• countryאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• from Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894

Cross-references for Isaiah 39:3

• Isaiah 38:1In those days Hezekiah became terminally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”
• 2 Samuel 12:1So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.
• 2 Kings 20:14Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked him, “Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?” Hezekiah replied, “They came from a distant country, from Babylon.”
• 2 Chronicles 16:7At that time, the seer Hanani came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “Because you depended on the king of Aram and have not depended on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you.
• 2 Chronicles 19:2Then Jehu son of the seer Hanani went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Do you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the Lord’s wrath is on you.
• 2 Chronicles 25:15So the Lord’s anger was against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why have you sought a people’s gods that could not rescue their own people from you?”
• Jeremiah 22:1This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and announce this word there.
• Deuteronomy 28:49The Lord will bring a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down on you like an eagle, a nation whose language you won’t understand,
• Joshua 9:6They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land. Please make a treaty with us.”
• Jeremiah 5:15I am about to bring a nation from far away against you, house of Israel. This is the Lord’s declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand.

Commentaries on Isaiah 39:3

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Then came Isaiah - Isaiah was accustomed to declare the will of God most freely to monarchs (see Isaiah 7) What said these men? - What proposition have they made? What is the design of their coming? It is implied in the question that there had been some improper communication from them. To this question Hezekiah returned no answer. And from whence came they? - It was doubtless known in Jerusalem that ambassadors had come, but it would not be likely to be…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-8Hezekiah was an example of godliness, prayer, and care for the people of Jerusalem. However, he disappointed the Lord by showing off his wealth and military power to the envoys from Babylon.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. What ... whence--implying that any proposition coming from the idolatrous enemies of God, with whom Israel was forbidden to form alliance, should have been received with anything but gladness. Reliance on Babylon, rather than on God, was a similar sin to the previous reliance on Egypt (Is 30:1-31:9). far country--implying that he had done nothing more than was proper in showing attention to strangers "from a far country."Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 39:3

• Minister, Christian
• Temptation

In the dictionaries

• Babylon
• Hezekiah
• Isaiah
• Babylon, Babylonia, Babylonian
• Chronicles, Books of
• Hezekiah (2)

Commentaries on Isaiah 39

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings