Isaiah 38:19

19 It is those who are alive who praise you. And that's what I'm doing today. Fathers tell their children about how faithful you are.

Isaiah 38:19 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 38:19

The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this
day
Every one of the living, or such who are both corporeally and spiritually alive; and therefore the word is repeated; none but such who are alive in a corporeal sense can praise the Lord in this world; and none but such who are spiritually alive can praise him aright, and such do under a true sense of the greatness of his mercies, and of their own unworthiness; and such a one was Hezekiah; for the words may be rendered, "as I am this day F24"; that is, alive in both the above senses; and so did he praise God, in such a spiritual manner, even on the day he committed this to writing, and was now in the temple offering up this thanksgiving: the father to the children shall make known thy truth:
not meaning himself, for at this time he had no children; though, no doubt, when he had any, as he afterwards had, particularly Manasseh, he took care to acquaint him with the truth and faithfulness of God in the fulfilling of his promises to him; and which every religious parent would do, and so transmit the memory thereof to future ages.


FOOTNOTES:

F24 (Mwyh ynmk) "quails ego sum hodie", Syr.

Isaiah 38:19 In-Context

17 I'm sure it was for my benefit that I suffered such great pain. You love me. You kept me from going down into the pit of death. You have put all of my sins behind your back.
18 People in the grave can't praise you. Dead people can't sing praise to you. Those who go down to the grave can't hope for you to be faithful to them.
19 It is those who are alive who praise you. And that's what I'm doing today. Fathers tell their children about how faithful you are.
20 "You will save me. So we will sing and play music on stringed instruments. We will sing all the days of our lives in your temple."
21 When Hezekiah was sick, I had said, "Press some figs together. Spread them on a piece of cloth. Apply them to Hezekiah's boil. Then he'll get well again."
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