I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt." I have dug wellsThis phrase reflects the Assyrian king's boastful claim of self-sufficiency and conquest. In the ancient Near East, water was a precious resource, and the ability to dig wells symbolized control over life-sustaining resources. The Hebrew root for "dug" (חָפַר, chafar) implies an active effort to obtain what is needed, often through laborious means. Spiritually, this can be seen as a metaphor for human attempts to secure life and prosperity through one's own strength, contrasting with reliance on God. and drunk foreign waters
Drinking "foreign waters" signifies the Assyrian king's expansion into territories not his own, consuming resources that belonged to others. Historically, this reflects the Assyrian empire's aggressive campaigns and dominance over neighboring nations. Theologically, it can be interpreted as a warning against the pride of overreaching and the illusion of invincibility, reminding believers that true sustenance comes from God alone. With the soles of my feet
This phrase emphasizes the ease with which the Assyrian king claims to have achieved his conquests. The imagery of feet suggests a casual, almost dismissive, exertion of power. In biblical symbolism, feet often represent dominion and authority. Theologically, this can be seen as a critique of human arrogance, as it contrasts with the humility and servitude exemplified by Christ, who washed the feet of His disciples. I have dried up all the streams of Egypt
The drying up of "streams of Egypt" is a hyperbolic expression of military prowess, as Egypt was known for its life-giving Nile River. Historically, this reflects the Assyrian king's ambition to conquer even the most fertile and powerful regions. Theologically, it serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over nature and nations. In Scripture, God alone has the power to control the waters (as seen in the parting of the Red Sea), highlighting the futility of human pride and the ultimate authority of the Creator. Persons / Places / Events 1. Assyrian King SennacheribThe speaker in this verse, boasting of his military conquests and power. 2. HezekiahThe King of Judah during the time of Sennacherib's invasion, who sought God's help. 3. JerusalemThe city under threat from the Assyrian army, central to the events of Isaiah 37. 4. EgyptMentioned as a place whose streams were metaphorically dried up by the Assyrian king, symbolizing his dominance. 5. Prophet IsaiahThe prophet who conveyed God's message to Hezekiah and the people of Judah. Teaching Points Human Pride vs. Divine SovereigntySennacherib's boasts highlight human pride, but the account shows God's ultimate control and power. Trust in God During CrisisHezekiah's response to the Assyrian threat teaches us to seek God earnestly in times of trouble. God's DeliveranceThe miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness to His people. The Futility of Earthly PowerSennacherib's temporary success is contrasted with God's eternal authority. The Role of ProphecyIsaiah's role underscores the importance of listening to God's word through His prophets. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Sennacherib's boast in Isaiah 37:25 reflect human pride, and what are the dangers of such pride in our own lives? 2. In what ways can we apply Hezekiah's response to crisis in our personal challenges today? 3. How does the account of Jerusalem's deliverance in Isaiah 37 encourage us to trust in God's sovereignty? 4. What lessons can we learn from the contrast between Sennacherib's temporary power and God's eternal authority? 5. How can we discern and apply the messages of modern-day "prophets" or spiritual leaders in light of Isaiah's example? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Kings 19This chapter parallels Isaiah 37, providing a historical account of Sennacherib's invasion and God's deliverance of Jerusalem. Exodus 7-12The plagues of Egypt, contrasting God's power over Egypt with Sennacherib's boastful claims. Psalm 46A psalm of trust in God's protection, relevant to the context of Jerusalem's deliverance. Isaiah 36Provides background on the Assyrian threat and the psychological warfare used against Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 32Offers another account of Hezekiah's reign and the Assyrian threat, emphasizing God's intervention. People Adrammelech, Amoz, Assyrians, David, Eliakim, Esarhaddon, Haran, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Rabshakeh, Sennacherib, Sharezer, Shebna, TirhakahPlaces Ararat, Arpad, Assyria, Cush, Egypt, Gozan, Hamath, Haran, Hena, Ivvah, Jerusalem, Lachish, Lebanon, Libnah, Mount Zion, Nineveh, Rezeph, Sepharvaim, Telassar, Tigris-Euphrates Region, ZionTopics Besieged, Bulwark, Digged, Drank, Dried, Drunk, Dry, Dug, Egypt, Floods, Foot, Foreign, Lands, Matsor, Places, Rivers, Sole, Soles, Steps, Streams, Water-holes, Waters, WellsDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 37:25 4293 water
4819 dryness Isaiah 37:21-29 5776 achievement Isaiah 37:21-38 5800 blasphemy Isaiah 37:22-25 8672 striving with God Isaiah 37:22-29 8782 mockery Isaiah 37:23-25 4448 forests Isaiah 37:24-25 6121 boasting Library Where to Carry Troubles
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.'--ISAIAH xxxvii. 14. When Hezekiah heard the threatenings of Sennacherib's servants, he rent his clothes and went into the house of the Lord, and sent to Isaiah entreating his prayers. When he received the menacing letter, his faith was greater, having been heartened by Isaiah's assurances. So he then himself appealed to Jehovah, spreading …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Triumph of Faith
'And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 15. And Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord, saying, 16. O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou hast made heaven and earth. 17. Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and hear; open Thine eyes, O Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The First Trumpet.
The first trumpet of the seventh seal begins from the final disturbance and overthrow of the Roman idolarchy at the close of the sixth seal; and as it was to bring the first plague on the empire, now beginning to fall, it lays waste the third part of the earth, with a horrible storm of hail mingled with fire and blood; that is, it depopulates the territory and people of the Roman world, (viz. the basis and ground of its universal polity) with a terrible and bloody irruption of the northern nations, …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse The Power of Assyria at Its Zenith; Esarhaddon and Assur-Bani-Pal
The Medes and Cimmerians: Lydia--The conquest of Egypt, of Arabia, and of Elam. As we have already seen, Sennacherib reigned for eight years after his triumph; eight years of tranquillity at home, and of peace with all his neighbours abroad. If we examine the contemporary monuments or the documents of a later period, and attempt to glean from them some details concerning the close of his career, we find that there is a complete absence of any record of national movement on the part of either Elam, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 The Golden Eagle is Cut to Pieces. Herod's Barbarity when He was Ready to Die. He Attempts to Kill Himself. He Commands Antipater to be Slain.
1. Now Herod's distemper became more and more severe to him, and this because these his disorders fell upon him in his old age, and when he was in a melancholy condition; for he was already seventy years of age, and had been brought by the calamities that happened to him about his children, whereby he had no pleasure in life, even when he was in health; the grief also that Antipater was still alive aggravated his disease, whom he resolved to put to death now not at random, but as soon as he should …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem Christ Rightly and Properly Said to have Merited Grace and Salvation for Us.
1. Christ not only the minister, but also the author and prince of salvation. Divine grace not obscured by this mode of expression. The merit of Christ not opposed to the mercy of God, but depends upon it. 2. The compatibility of the two proved by various passages of Scripture. 3. Christ by his obedience truly merited divine grace for us. 4. This grace obtained by the shedding of Christ's blood, and his obedience even unto death. 5. In this way he paid our ransom. 6. The presumptuous manner in which …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
WHEREIN ITS GOODLY LIGHT, WALLS, GATES, ANGELS, AND THE MANNER OF THEIR STANDING, ARE EXPOUNDED: ALSO HER LENGTH AND BREADTH, TOGETHER WITH THE GOLDEN MEASURING-REED EXPLAINED: AND THE GLORY OF ALL UNFOLDED. AS ALSO THE NUMEROUSNESS OF ITS INHABITANTS; AND WHAT THE TREE AND WATER OF LIFE ARE, BY WHICH THEY ARE SUSTAINED. 'Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God.'-Psalm 87:3 'And the name of the city from that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE.'-Ezekiel 48:35 London: Printed in the year 1665 …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 The Prophet Amos.
GENERAL PRELIMINARY REMARKS. It will not be necessary to extend our preliminary remarks on the prophet Amos, since on the main point--viz., the circumstances under which he appeared as a prophet--the introduction to the prophecies of Hosea may be regarded as having been written for those of Amos also. For, according to the inscription, they belong to the same period at which Hosea's prophetic ministry began, viz., the latter part of the reign of Jeroboam II., and after Uzziah had ascended the …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Concerning the Lord's Supper
There are two passages which treat in the clearest manner of this subject, and at which we shall look,--the statements in the Gospels respecting the Lord's Supper, and the words of Paul. (1 Cor. xi.) Matthew, Mark, and Luke agree that Christ gave the whole sacrament to all His disciples; and that Paul taught both parts of it is so certain, that no one has yet been shameless enough to assert the contrary. Add to this, that according to the relation of Matthew, Christ did not say concerning the bread, …
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation Divine Support and Protection
[What shall we say then to these things?] If God be for us, who can be against us? T he passions of joy or grief, of admiration or gratitude, are moderate when we are able to find words which fully describe their emotions. When they rise very high, language is too faint to express them; and the person is either lost in silence, or feels something which, after his most laboured efforts, is too big for utterance. We may often observe the Apostle Paul under this difficulty, when attempting to excite …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Isaiah 37:25 NIVIsaiah 37:25 NLTIsaiah 37:25 ESVIsaiah 37:25 NASBIsaiah 37:25 KJV
Isaiah 37:25 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
