My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me. My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent.This phrase reflects the transient nature of life, akin to a shepherd's tent that is easily set up and taken down. In the ancient Near East, shepherds were nomadic, moving their tents frequently to find pasture for their flocks. This imagery emphasizes the temporary and fragile state of human existence. The context here is King Hezekiah's illness and his reflection on the brevity of life. The tent metaphor is also used in other scriptures, such as 2 Corinthians 5:1, where Paul speaks of our earthly bodies as tents, highlighting the temporary nature of our earthly existence compared to the eternal dwelling with God. I have rolled up my life like a weaver;
The imagery of a weaver rolling up fabric signifies the completion of a task. In ancient times, weaving was a common occupation, and the process of rolling up the finished cloth was a natural conclusion to the work. This metaphor suggests that Hezekiah sees his life as a completed work, ready to be finished. The weaver's imagery is also found in Job 7:6, where Job laments the swiftness of his days, comparing them to a weaver's shuttle. This connection underscores the theme of life's brevity and the inevitability of death. He cuts me off from the loom;
This phrase indicates an abrupt end to life, as if the weaver's work is suddenly cut from the loom before its intended completion. In the context of Hezekiah's illness, it reflects his fear of dying prematurely. The cutting off from the loom can be seen as a divine intervention, where God determines the length of one's life. This concept is echoed in Psalm 31:15, where the psalmist acknowledges that his times are in God's hands, reinforcing the belief in God's sovereignty over life and death. from day until night You make an end of me.
This expression conveys the rapid passage of time, from morning to evening, symbolizing the swift approach of death. In the cultural context, a day was often seen as a complete cycle of life, from birth to death. Hezekiah's lament here is a plea for God's mercy, as he feels his life is being cut short. The phrase also reflects the biblical theme of human mortality, as seen in Psalm 90:6, where life is compared to grass that flourishes in the morning and withers by evening. This serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the urgency to live righteously. Persons / Places / Events 1. HezekiahThe king of Judah who is the speaker in this passage. Hezekiah was known for his faithfulness to God and his reforms to restore proper worship in Judah. 2. IsaiahThe prophet who delivered God's messages to Hezekiah, including the prophecy of his illness and recovery. 3. JerusalemThe city where Hezekiah reigned and where these events took place. 4. Shepherd’s TentA metaphor used by Hezekiah to describe the temporary and fragile nature of human life. 5. Weaver’s LoomAnother metaphor illustrating the brevity and fragility of life, as well as the idea of life being cut short unexpectedly. Teaching Points The Fragility of LifeLife is temporary and fragile, much like a shepherd’s tent or a weaver’s cloth. We should live with an awareness of our mortality and the urgency it brings to our spiritual lives. God’s Sovereignty Over LifeJust as a weaver controls the loom, God has control over the span of our lives. Trusting in His sovereignty can bring peace amidst uncertainty. The Importance of PrayerHezekiah’s response to his illness was to pray fervently. In times of crisis, turning to God in prayer should be our first response. Hope in God’s PromisesDespite the dire situation, Hezekiah’s account reminds us that God hears our prayers and can intervene in miraculous ways. Reflecting on Our LegacyConsidering the temporary nature of life, we should reflect on the legacy we are leaving behind and strive to live in a way that honors God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of a shepherd’s tent and a weaver’s loom help us understand the nature of life according to Isaiah 38:12? 2. In what ways can recognizing the fragility of life influence our daily decisions and priorities? 3. How does Hezekiah’s response to his illness challenge or inspire your own approach to prayer during difficult times? 4. What other biblical figures faced similar realizations about the brevity of life, and how did they respond? 5. How can we balance the awareness of life’s brevity with the hope and assurance found in God’s promises? Connections to Other Scriptures Psalm 102:11This verse also uses the imagery of a tent to describe the fleeting nature of life, similar to Hezekiah's lament. 2 Kings 20:1-11This passage provides the historical context of Hezekiah's illness and recovery, offering a account backdrop to Isaiah 38. James 4:14This New Testament verse echoes the theme of life's brevity, comparing life to a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. | As a Shepherd S Tent | W. O. Lilley. | Isaiah 38:12 | | Human Life a Weaving | W. Wheeler. | Isaiah 38:12 | | Man as a Weaver | W. V. Robinson, B. A. | Isaiah 38:12 | | The Art of Weaving | W. V. Robinson, B. A. | Isaiah 38:12 | | The Inconstancy of Earthly Life | W. Day, M. A. | Isaiah 38:12 | | The Life of Jesus | W. V. Robinson, D. D. | Isaiah 38:12 | | The Web of Life | W. V. Robinson, D. D. | Isaiah 38:12 | | Two Typical Cases: Judas Iscariot and Paul | W. V. Robinson, D. D. | Isaiah 38:12 | | Health and Sickness | W. Clarkson | Isaiah 38:9-15 | | Face to Face with Death | W. Wheeler. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | Hezekiah's Experience | E. Payson, D. D. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | Hezekiah's Poem | E. W. Shalders, B. A. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | Hezekiah's Recovery | R. Harris, D. D. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | Hezekiah's Return to Health | P. M. Muir. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | Hezekiah's Sickness and Recovery | H. J. Gamble. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | Hezekiah's Song | R. Harris, D. D. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | Sickness and Recovery | J. Leifchild, D. D. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | The Fear of Death | P. M. Muir. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | The Prayer of Hezekiah | P. M. Muir. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | The Wisdom of Keeping a Record of One's Life | J. Leifchild, D. D. | Isaiah 38:9-20 | | The Song of Hezekiah | E. Johnson | Isaiah 38:9-22 | | Figures of Life and Death | R. Tuck | Isaiah 38:10-12 | | The Grief of Old Age | W.M. Statham | Isaiah 38:11, 12 | | The Great Disclosure | W. Clarkson | Isaiah 38:11, 18, 19 |
People Ahaz, Amoz, David, Hezekiah, IsaiahPlaces AssyriaTopics Age, Bring, Carried, Cloth, Cut, Cuts, Cutteth, Departed, Drawn, Dwelling, Frame, Habitation, Herdsman's, Linen-worker's, Loom, Pain, Pining, Plucked, Pulled, Removed, Resting-place, Rolled, Separateth, Shepherd's, Sickness, Sojourning, Tent, Thread, Thrum, Weakness, Weaver, WiltDictionary of Bible Themes Isaiah 38:12 4016 life, human
5212 arts and crafts
5272 craftsmen
5551 spinning and weaving
9021 death, natural Library The Life of the Spirit
(First Sunday after Christmas.) Isaiah xxxviii. 16. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit. These words are the words of Hezekiah, king of Judah; and they are true words, words from God. But, if they are true words, they are true words for every one--for you and me, for every one here in this church this day: for they do not say, By these things certain men live, one man here and another man there; but all men. Whosoever is really alive, that is, has …
Charles Kingsley—Town and Country SermonsNo Man Cometh to the Father but by Me.
This being added for further confirmation of what was formerly said, will point out unto us several necessary truths, as, I. That it is most necessary to be sound and clear in this fundamental point of coming to God only in and through Christ. For, 1. It is the whole marrow of the gospel. 2. It is the hinge of our salvation, Christ is "the chief corner stone," Isa. xxxviii. 16. 1 Pet. i. 5, 6; and, 3. The only ground of all our solid and true peace and comfort. 4 An error or a mistake here, is most …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life Epistle ii. To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.
To Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch. Gregory to Anastasius, Patriarch of Antioch. I have received the letters of your most sweet Blessedness, which flowed with tears for words. For I saw in them a cloud flying aloft as clouds do; but, though it carried with it a darkness of sorrow, I could not easily discover at its commencement whence it came or whither it was going, since by reason of the darkness I speak of I did not fully understand its origin. Yet it becomes you, most holy ones, ever to recall …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Sign Seekers, and the Enthusiast Reproved.
(Galilee on the Same Day as the Last Section.) ^A Matt. XII. 38-45; ^C Luke XI. 24-36. ^c 29 And when the multitudes were gathering together unto him, ^a 38 Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. [Having been severely rebuked by Jesus, it is likely that the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign that they might appear to the multitude more fair-minded and open to conviction than Jesus had represented them to be. Jesus had just wrought …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Letter Xliv Concerning the Maccabees but to whom Written is Unknown.
Concerning the Maccabees But to Whom Written is Unknown. [69] He relies to the question why the Church has decreed a festival to the Maccabees alone of all the righteous under the ancient law. 1. Fulk, Abbot of Epernay, had already written to ask me the same question as your charity has addressed to your humble servant by Brother Hescelin. I have put off replying to him, being desirous to find, if possible, some statement in the Fathers about this which was asked, which I might send to him, rather …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Meditations for the Sick.
Whilst thy sickness remains, use often, for thy comfort, these few meditations, taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his children. Those are ten. 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past, but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruptions, and so prevent us from falling into many other sins, which otherwise we would commit; like a good father, who suffers his tender babe to scorch his finger in a candle, that he may the rather learn to beware …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Assurance
Q-xxxvi: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH FLOW FROM SANCTIFICATION? A: Assurance of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end. The first benefit flowing from sanctification is assurance of God's love. 'Give diligence to make your calling and election sure.' 2 Pet 1:10. Sanctification is the seed, assurance is the flower which grows out of it: assurance is a consequent of sanctification. The saints of old had it. We know that we know …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Power of God
The next attribute is God's power. Job 9:19. If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong.' In this chapter is a magnificent description of God's power. Lo, he is strong.' The Hebrew word for strong signifies a conquering, prevailing strength. He is strong.' The superlative degree is intended here; viz., He is most strong. He is called El-shaddai, God almighty. Gen 17:7. His almightiness lies in this, that he can do whatever is feasible. Divines distinguish between authority and power. God has both. …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 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 38:12 NIVIsaiah 38:12 NLTIsaiah 38:12 ESVIsaiah 38:12 NASBIsaiah 38:12 KJV
Isaiah 38:12 Commentaries
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