Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a cake of figs, and lay it for a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”
- KJV For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
- NKJV Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.”
- NASB Now Isaiah had said, “Have them take a cake of figs and apply it to the boil, so that he may recover.”
- NLT Isaiah had said to Hezekiah’s servants, “Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover.”
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
Isaiah had directed that a poultice of figs be applied so Hezekiah would recover. God's healing came through ordinary means.
Overview
The narrative notes that the prophet prescribed a fig poultice as part of the king's cure. God's miraculous promise did not exclude the use of a natural remedy. This shows that trusting God's healing and using appropriate means are not opposed but can work together under his providence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 2 Kgs 20:7–8Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.
- Mark 7:33So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.
- John 9:6When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.
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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 38:21 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.