Isaiah 38:8

Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
again	מֵשִׁ֣יב me.Shiv	H7725	to turn back (hence · verb, hiphil active participle, masculine singular absolute
shadow	צֵ֣ל tzel	H6738	shade · noun, common masculine singular construct
degrees	הַֽמַּעֲל֡וֹת ha.ma.'a.Lot	H4609	elevation · definite article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
down	יָרְדָה֩ ya.re.Dah	H3381	to descend (literally · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person feminine singular
sun	בַּשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ ba.She.mesh	H8121	the sun · preposition with the article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
dial	בְמַעֲל֨וֹת ve.ma.'a.Lot	H4609	elevation · preposition + noun, common feminine plural construct
Ahaz	אָחָ֥ז 'a.Chaz	H271	Achaz · proper noun, a man's name
ten	עֶ֣שֶׂר 'E.ser	H6235	ten (as an accumulation to the extent of the digits) · noun, common masculine singular construct
degrees	מַעֲל֑וֹת ma.'a.Lot	H4609	elevation · noun, common feminine plural absolute
backward	אֲחֹרַנִּ֖ית 'a.cho.ra.Nit	H322	backwards · adverb
sun	הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ ha.She.mesh	H8121	the sun · definite article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
returned	וַתָּ֤שָׁב va.Ta.shov	H7725	to turn back (hence · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
ten	עֶ֣שֶׂר 'E.ser	H6235	ten (as an accumulation to the extent of the digits) · noun, common masculine singular construct
degrees	מַעֲל֔וֹת ma.'a.Lot	H4609	elevation · noun, common feminine plural absolute
degrees	בַּֽמַּעֲל֖וֹת ba.ma.'a.Lot	H4609	elevation · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine plural absolute
down	יָרָֽדָה ya.Ra.dah	H3381	to descend (literally · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person feminine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Kings 20:9-11 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten…
Joshua 10:12-14 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of…
2 Chronicles 32:24 In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the LORD: and he spake unto him, and he gave him a sign.
Matthew 16:1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 Chronicles 32:31 Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land,…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 38:1-8

We may hence observe, among others, these good lessons: - 1. That neither men's greatness nor their goodness will exempt them from the arrests of sickness and death. Hezekiah, a mighty potentate on earth and a mighty favourite of Heaven, is struck with a disease, which, without a miracle, will certainly be mortal; and this in the midst of his days, his comforts, and usefulness. Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. It should seem, this sickness seized him when he was in the midst of his triumphs over the ruined army of the Assyrians, to teach us always to rejoice with trembling. 2. It concerns us to prepare when we see death approaching: "Set thy house in order, and thy heart especially…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 38:8

bring again--cause to return (Jos 10:12-14). In Kg2 20:9, Kg2 20:11, the choice is stated to have been given to Hezekiah, whether the shadow should go forward, or go back, ten degrees. Hezekiah replied, "It is a light thing (a less decisive miracle) for the shadow to go down (its usual direction) ten degrees: nay, but let it return backward ten degrees"; so Isaiah cried to Jehovah that it should be so, and it was so (compare Jos 10:12, Jos 10:14). sundial of Ahaz--HERODOTUS (2.109) states that the sundial and the division of the day into twelve hours, were invented by the Babylonians; from them Ahaz borrowed the invention. He was one, from his connection with Tiglath-pileser, likely to hav…

Read the whole note in the console

John Gill on Isaiah 38:8

Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees,.... Or lines made on a dial plate, to show the progress of the sun, and what time of day it was. Some think only the shadow was brought back by the power of God, the sun keeping its course as usual; but in the next clause the sun is expressly said to return ten degrees: besides, it is not easy to conceive how the shadow of the sun should go back, unless the sun itself did; if it had been only the shadow of it on Ahaz's dial, it would not have fallen under the notice of other nations, or have been the subject of their inquiry, as it was of the Babylonians, 2 Chronicles 32:31, which is gone down on the sundial of Ahaz, the first sundial we…

The Church Fathers

For Hezekiah's sake the sun turned back, but for Christ the sun was eclipsed. The sun did not simply retrace its path for Christ but was completely eclipsed. This shows the difference between Hezekiah and Jesus. The former's prayer resulted in the canceling of God's decree. But does not Jesus forgive sins? Repent, shut your door, and pray to be forgiven. Pray that Christ may remove you from the burning flames, for confession has power even to quench fire, power even to tame lions.
— Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 2:15

We find in the commentaries, written by our predecessors, that day had thirty-two hours. For when the sun had run its course, and reached the tenth hour, and the shadow had gone down by the ten degrees in the house of the temple, the sun turned back again by the ten degrees, according to the word of the Lord, and there were thus twenty hours. And again, the sun accomplished its own proper course, according to the common law, and reached its setting. And thus there were thirty-two hours.
— Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Ahaz — Possessor. (1.) A grandson of Jonathan (1 Chr. 8:35; 9:42). (2.) The son and successor of Jotham, king of Judah (2 Kings 16; Isa. 7-9; 2 Chr. 28). He gave himself up to a life of wickedness and…
Dial — For the measurement of time, only once mentioned in the Bible, erected by Ahaz (2 Kings 20:11; Isa. 38:8). The Hebrew word (ma’aloth) is rendered “steps” in Ex. 20:26, 1 Kings 10:19, and “degrees” in…
Ahaz · .Sundial of — .Sundial of
Dial · A contrivance for indi — A contrivance for indi
Disease · Of Hezekiah — Of Hezekiah
Hezekiah · .Sickness and restoration of — .Sickness and restoration of
Sun · Shadow of went back on the sun-dial of Ahaz — Shadow of went back on the sun-dial of Ahaz
Sun-Dial · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Time · Indi — Indi

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Isaiah 38:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 38:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 38:8

John Gill on Isaiah 38:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Isaiah 38:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Isaiah 38:1-8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 38:8

John Gill on Isaiah 38:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Isaiah 38:8

Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 38:7-8

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Isaiah 38:6

Rashi on Isaiah 38:8