Isaiah 37:17

My Notes

What Does Isaiah 37:17 Mean?

Hezekiah prays with simple, body-part requests: "Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see." Two requests directed at two divine organs: ear (for hearing) and eyes (for seeing). The prayer asks God to physically orient himself toward the problem — to tilt his ear toward the sound and open his eyes toward the sight.

The object of both actions: "hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God." Hezekiah doesn't ask God to hear his own prayer first. He asks God to hear Sennacherib's words. The Assyrian king's blasphemous letter (verses 10-13) is the exhibit Hezekiah presents to the divine court. Read what he said about you. Listen to how he spoke about you. The evidence of the offense is the content of the prayer.

The phrase "the living God" (Elohim chay) is the theological argument: Sennacherib mocked a God he assumed was like the dead gods of conquered nations. Hezekiah corrects the identification: the God Sennacherib reproached isn't dead. He's living. And the living God can hear and see — which is exactly what Hezekiah asks him to do.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How does making God's honor (not your survival) the subject of the prayer change the prayer's effectiveness?
• 2.What does asking God to hear Sennacherib's words (not Hezekiah's) teach about presenting evidence in prayer?
• 3.How does 'the living God' designation counter Sennacherib's comparison to dead idols?
• 4.What offense against God's character in your context needs to be presented as an exhibit in prayer?

Devotional

Tilt your ear. Open your eyes. Hear what Sennacherib said about you. See what he wrote. Hezekiah's prayer isn't about Hezekiah's need. It's about God's honor. The prayer presents the Assyrian's blasphemy as the exhibit and asks God to take the case.

The ear-and-eye requests are anatomical: Hezekiah asks God to physically orient toward the problem. The ear that could hear anything in the universe — tilt it toward this letter. The eyes that see everything from heaven — open them to this specific blasphemy. The prayer concentrates divine attention on a specific offense: what Sennacherib said about the living God.

The genius of the prayer is that Hezekiah makes God's reputation the issue, not Hezekiah's survival. The Assyrian didn't just threaten Jerusalem. He reproached God. The letter (verses 10-13) said: don't let your God deceive you. The gods of other nations couldn't save them. Your God won't save you either. The blasphemy equates the living God with dead idols. And Hezekiah says: hear that. See that. Is that going to stand?

The 'living God' designation is the counter-argument: Sennacherib compared God to the dead idols of conquered nations. Hezekiah clarifies: the God you mocked is alive. The gods of Gozan and Haran were wood and stone (verse 18-19). They couldn't hear or see. This God can hear if he inclines his ear. This God can see if he opens his eyes. The difference between the living God and the dead idols is exactly what Hezekiah is demonstrating through his prayer.

The prayer succeeds: 185,000 Assyrian soldiers die that night (verse 36). The ear inclined. The eyes opened. The living God heard what was said about him — and responded.

What blasphemy against God's character do you need to present to him as an exhibit — not your problem but his honor?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture