Now when King Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and entered the house of the Lord.
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.
- BSB On hearing this report, King Hezekiah tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and entered 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.
- 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 19:1–37When king Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into Yahweh’s house.
- Jonah 3:5–6The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from their greatest even to their least.
- Ezra 9:5At the evening offering I arose up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn; and I fell on my knees, and spread out my hands to Yahweh my God;
- Job 1:20–21Then Job arose, and tore his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshiped.
- Isa 36:22Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
- 2 Kgs 22:11When the king had heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.
- Jer 36:24The king and his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, and didn’t tear their garments.
- Matt 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
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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
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