Isaiah 38:9-14
Summary for Isa 38:9-20: 38:9-20 a Hezekiah’s poem contains both lament (38:9-14 b) and praise (38:15-20 c), although the praise is distinctly muted until the final verse.38:10 d enter the place of the dead? (literally enter the gates of Sheol?): This image comes from an ancient idea that people enter death through gates (see 14:9 e). Old Testament believers did not understand the afterlife as the New Testament reveals it. It was a shadowy place where all the dead were together and where no praise of God existed (see 38:18 f; Pss 88:10 g; 115:17 h).
38:11 i Hezekiah lamented that if he died, he would not enjoy fellowship with God, his family, and his friends.
38:12 j These images depicted the brevity of life (cp. 2 Cor 5:1 k).
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