God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 36:7
7Suppose you tell me, “We’re trusting the Lord our God.” He’s the god whose places of worship and altars Hezekiah got rid of. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, “Worship at this altar.” ’
Isaiah 36:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But if thou say to me, We trust in the Lord our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?
- New International Version (NIV)But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”?
- English Standard Version (ESV)But if you say to me, "We trust in the Lord our God," is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar"?
- New King James Version (NKJV)“But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?” ’
Context of Isaiah 36:7
5You give useless advice about getting ready for war. Whom, then, do you trust for support in your rebellion against me? 6Look! When you trust Egypt, you’re trusting a broken stick for a staff. If you lean on it, it stabs your hand and goes through it. This is what Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) is like for everyone who trusts him. Suppose you tell me, “We’re trusting the Lord our God.” He’s the god whose places of worship and altars Hezekiah got rid of. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, “Worship at this altar.” ’ 8“Now, make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I’ll give you 2,000 horses if you can put riders on them. 9How can you defeat my master’s lowest-ranking officers when you trust Egypt for chariots and horses?
Read all of Isaiah 36Isaiah 36:7 word by word
וְכִי־תֹאמַ֣ר אֵלַ֔י אֶל־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ בָּטָ֑חְנוּ הֲלוֹא־ה֗וּא אֲשֶׁ֨ר הֵסִ֤יר חִזְקִיָּ֙הוּ֙ אֶת־בָּמֹתָ֣יו וְאֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָ֔יו וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לִֽיהוּדָה֙ וְלִיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם לִפְנֵ֛י הַמִּזְבֵּ֥חַ הַזֶּ֖ה תִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוֽוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But if thou sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to me, We trustבָּטַחbâţach · to trustH982
- in the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- not he, whose high placesבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
- and whose altarsמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- Hezekiahחִזְקִיָּהוּchizqîyâh chizqîyâhû yechizqîyâh yechizqîyâhû · HezekiahH2396
- hath taken awayסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
- to Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- and to Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
- Ye shall worshipשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
- beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
Cross-references for Isaiah 36:7
- 2 Kings 18:5Hezekiah trusted the Lord God of Israel. No king among all the kings of Judah was like Hezekiah.
- 1 Chronicles 5:20and received help while fighting them. Hagar’s descendants and the nations with them were handed over to Reuben’s descendants. They had called out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayers because they trusted him.
- 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 Syria and did not depend on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped your grasp.
- 2 Chronicles 32:7“Be strong and courageous. Don’t be frightened or terrified by the king of Assyria or the crowd with him. Someone greater is on our side.
- Psalms 22:4Our ancestors trusted you. They trusted, and you rescued them.
- Psalms 42:5Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my savior and my God.
- Deuteronomy 12:2Completely destroy all the worship sites on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every large tree. The people you’re forcing out worship their gods in these places.
- 2 Kings 18:4He got rid of the illegal places of worship, crushed the sacred stones, and cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He even crushed the bronze snake that Moses had made because up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. They called it Nehushtan.
- 2 Chronicles 30:14Then the people got rid of the ⌞idols’⌟ altars in Jerusalem. They got rid of all the altars for incense by dumping them in the Kidron Valley.
- 2 Chronicles 31:1When this was over, all the Israelites who were there went to the cities in Judah. They crushed the sacred stones, cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, and tore down the illegal places of worship and the altars throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh. The Israelites destroyed all of these things. Then all the Israelites returned to their own cities. Each person went to his own property.
- 2 Chronicles 32:12Isn’t this the same Hezekiah who got rid of the Lord’s places of worship and altars and told Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Worship and sacrifice at one altar?’
- 1 Corinthians 2:15Spiritual people evaluate everything but are subject to no one’s evaluation.
Commentaries on Isaiah 36:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7But if thou say "But if ye say" - Two ancient MSS. have תאמרו tomeru in the plural number; so likewise the Septuagint, Chaldee, and the other copy, 2 Kings 18:22. Ye shall worship before this altar "To worship only before this altar" - See 2 Chronicles 32:12.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7But if thou say to me - If you shall make this plea, that you believe Yahweh will protect you in your revolt. The word thou‘ here refers to Hezekiah, or to the ambassadors speaking in his name. In 2 Kings 18:22, it is, but if ye say unto me;‘ that is, you ambassadors. The sense is substantially the same. Is it not he - This is given as a reason why they should not put their confidence in Yahweh. The reason is, that he supposed that Hezekiah had removed…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7We trust in the LORD our God: Ironically, the Assyrian chief of staff knew about Isaiah's message and used it to his advantage (Isaiah 26:4; 36:15; 37:10). Hezekiah showed his dedication to the Lord by tearing down the pagan shrines and altars (2 Kings 18:4). However, the Assyrians mistakenly thought Hezekiah had angered God by doing this.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. The Assyrian mistakes Hezekiah's religious reforms whereby he took away the high places (2Ki 18:4) as directed against Jehovah. Some of the high places may have been dedicated to Jehovah, but worshipped under the form of an image in violation of the second commandment: the "brazen serpent," also (broken in pieces by Hezekiah, and called Nehushtan, "a piece of brass," because it was worshipped by Israel) was originally set up by God's command. Hence the…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 36
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries