1 In those daies was Hezekiah sicke vnto death: and Isaiah the Prophet the sonne of Amoz came vnto him, and said vnto him; Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not liue.
2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed vnto the Lord,
3 And said, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I haue walked before thee in trueth, and with a perfect heart, and haue done that which is good in thy sight: and Hezekiah wept sore.
4 ¶ Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying,
5 Goe and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Dauid thy father; I haue heard thy prayer, I haue seene thy teares: behold, I will adde vnto thy dayes fifteene yeeres.
6 And I will deliuer thee and this citie, out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this citie.
7 And this shall be a signe vnto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will doe this thing that he hath spoken.
8 Behold, I will bring againe the shadow of the degrees which is gone downe in the Sunne-diall of Ahaz ten degrees backward: so the Sunne returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone downe.
9 ¶ The writing of Hezekiah king of Iudah, when he had bene sicke, and was recouered of his sicknesse:
10 I saide in the cutting off of my dayes; I shall goe to the gates of the graue: I am depriued of the residue of my yeeres.
11 I said, I shal not see the Lord, euen the Lord in the land of the liuing: I shal behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
12 Mine age is departed, and is remoued from me as a shepheards tent: I haue cut off like a weauer my life: he will cut mee off with pining sicknesse: from day euen to night wilt thou make an end of me.
13 I reckoned till morning, that as a Lyon so will hee breake all my bones: from day euen to night wilt thou make an end of me.
14 Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter; I did mourne as a doue: mine eyes faile with looking vpward: O Lord, I am oppressed, vndertake for me.
15 What shall I say? hee hath both spoken vnto mee, and himselfe hath done it: I shall goe softly, all my yeeres in the bitternesse of my soule.
16 O Lord, by these things men liue: and in all these things is the life of my spirit, so wilt thou recouer me, and make me to liue.
17 Behold, for peace I had great bitternesse, but thou hast in loue to my soule deliuered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe.
18 For the graue cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that goe downe into the pit cannot hope for thy trueth.
19 The liuing, the liuing, hee shall praise thee, as I doe this day: the father to the children shall make knowen thy trueth.
20 The Lord was ready to saue me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments, all the dayes of our life, in the house of the Lord.
21 For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lumpe of figges, and lay it for a plaister vpon the boile, and he shall recouer.
22 Hezekiah also had said, what is the signe, that I shall goe vp to the house of the Lord ?
Hezekiah's sickness and recovery. (1-8) His thanksgiving. (9-22)1-8 When we pray in our sickness, though God send not to us such an answer as he here sent to Hezekiah, yet, if by his Spirit he bids us be of good cheer, assures us that our sins are forgiven, and that, whether we live or die, we shall be his, we do not pray in vain. See #2Ki 20:1-11|.
9-22 We have here Hezekiah's thanksgiving. It is well for us to remember the mercies we receive in sickness. Hezekiah records the condition he was in. He dwells upon this; I shall no more see the Lord. A good man wishes not to live for any other end than that he may serve God, and have communion with him. Our present residence is like that of a shepherd in his hut, a poor, mean, and cold lodging, and with a trust committed to our charge, as the shepherd has. Our days are compared to the weaver's shuttle, #Job 7:6|, passing and repassing very swiftly, every throw leaving a thread behind it; and when finished, the piece is cut off, taken out of the loom, and showed to our Master to be judged of. A good man, when his life is cut off, his cares and fatigues are cut off with it, and he rests from his labours. But our times are in God's hand; he has appointed what shall be the length of the piece. When sick, we are very apt to calculate our time, but are still at uncertainty. It should be more our care how we shall get safe to another world. And the more we taste of the loving-kindness of God, the more will our hearts love him, and live to him. It was in love to our poor perishing souls that Christ delivered them. The pardon does not make the sin not to have been sin, but not to be punished as it deserves. It is pleasant to think of our recoveries from sickness, when we see them flowing from the pardon of sin. Hezekiah's opportunity to glorify God in this world, he made the business, and pleasure, and end of life. Being recovered, he resolves to abound in praising and serving God. God's promises are not to do away, but to quicken and encourage the use of means. Life and health are given that we may glorify God and do good.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.