New Living Translation
Isaiah 36:7
7“But perhaps you will say to me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God!’ But isn’t he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn’t Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem?
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
5Do you think that mere words can substitute for military skill and strength? Who are you counting on, that you have rebelled against me? 6On Egypt? If you lean on Egypt, it will be like a reed that splinters beneath your weight and pierces your hand. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is completely unreliable! “But perhaps you will say to me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God!’ But isn’t he the one who was insulted by Hezekiah? Didn’t Hezekiah tear down his shrines and altars and make everyone in Judah and Jerusalem worship only at the altar here in Jerusalem? 8“I’ll tell you what! Strike a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you 2,000 horses if you can find that many men to ride on them! 9With your tiny army, how can you think of challenging even the weakest contingent of my master’s troops, even with the help of Egypt’s chariots and charioteers?
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 in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time.
- 1 Chronicles 5:20They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated.
- 2 Chronicles 16:7At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram.
- 2 Chronicles 32:7“Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side!
- Psalms 22:4Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.
- Psalms 42:5Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and
- Deuteronomy 12:2“When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree.
- 2 Kings 18:4He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan.
- 2 Chronicles 30:14They set to work and removed the pagan altars from Jerusalem. They took away all the incense altars and threw them into the Kidron Valley.
- 2 Chronicles 31:1When the festival ended, the Israelites who attended went to all the towns of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, and they smashed all the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah poles, and removed the pagan shrines and altars. After this, the Israelites returned to their own towns and homes.
- 2 Chronicles 32:12Don’t you realize that Hezekiah is the very person who destroyed all the Lord’s shrines and altars? He commanded Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at the altar at the Temple and to offer sacrifices on it alone.
- 1 Corinthians 2:15Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries