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On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
Isaiah 37:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB When king Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into Yahweh’s house.
  • KJV And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
  • NKJV And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
  • NASB Now when King Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord.
  • NLT When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and went into the Temple of the Lord.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Hearing the report, Hezekiah humbles himself in mourning and goes into the temple to seek the Lord.

Overview

Hezekiah responds to the crisis not with despair or negotiation but by tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth, and entering Yahweh's house. His turning to God in humility models faith under threat. This act of seeking the Lord, rather than relying on Egypt or his own strength, becomes the channel through which God delivers Jerusalem.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • 2 Kgs 19:1–37On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered the house of the LORD.
  • Jonah 3:5–6And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
  • Ezra 9:5At the evening offering, I got up from my humiliation with my tunic and cloak torn, and I fell on my knees, spread out my hands to the LORD my God,
  • Job 1:20–21Then Job stood up, tore his robe, and shaved his head. He fell to the ground and worshiped,
  • Isa 36:22Then Hilkiah’s son Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and Asaph’s son Joah the recorder came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and they relayed to him the words of the Rabshakeh.
  • 2 Kgs 22:11When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes
  • Jer 36:24Yet in hearing all these words, the king and his servants did not become frightened or tear their garments.
  • Matt 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 37:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).

How Isaiah 37:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.