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By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come to this city,’ says Yahweh.
Isaiah 37:34 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD.
  • BSB He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city,’ declares the LORD.
  • NKJV By the way that he came, By the same shall he return; And he shall not come into this city,’ Says the Lord.
  • NASB By the way that he came, by the same he will return, and he will not come to this city,’ declares the Lord.
  • NLT The king will return to his own country by the same road on which he came. He will not enter this city,’ says 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

Sennacherib will return home by the road he came and not enter the city, says the Lord. God repeats the certainty of the enemy's retreat.

Overview

God reaffirms that the Assyrian will withdraw without victory, going back the way he came. The repetition stresses the reliability of the prophecy. What seemed an unstoppable invasion will end in a quiet, defeated return, all by God's decree.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 2

  • Isa 37:29Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
  • Prov 21:30There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.

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 37:34YouTube · 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 37:34 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.