Major Prophets · Chapter 39 of 66
Isaiah 39
Babylon's king sends envoys with letters and a gift after Hezekiah's recovery. Flattered, Hezekiah shows them all his treasures and armory, hiding nothing. Isaiah confronts him, then prophesies that everything will one day be carried to Babylon and his descendants taken as captives. Hezekiah accepts the word as good, relieved there will be peace in his own days, a response that quietly reveals shortsighted complacency.
What happens in Isaiah 39
After Hezekiah's recovery, Merodachbaladan, king of Babylon, sends letters and a present, having heard of the king's illness. Hezekiah, glad of the attention, shows the envoys his entire treasury: silver, gold, spices, precious ointment, and all his armory, leaving nothing in his house or realm unseen. Isaiah the prophet comes and asks what the men said and where they came from. Hezekiah answers that they came from a far country, Babylon, and admits he showed them everything.
Isaiah then delivers a solemn oracle: the days are coming when all that his house has stored up will be carried to Babylon, and some of his own descendants will be taken to serve as eunuchs in the Babylonian palace. Hezekiah replies that the word of the LORD is good, adding that at least there will be peace and truth in his own days. The chapter closes the Hezekiah narrative and turns Isaiah's book toward the Babylonian exile.
Isaiah 39 in context
This episode, paralleling 2 Kings 20, marks a hinge in Isaiah. Babylon was then a rising power, not yet Judah's conqueror, making the prophecy striking. Hezekiah's pride in displaying his wealth to a foreign envoy exposes misplaced trust and sets the stage for the exile that later chapters address.
Positioned just before Isaiah 40's comfort ye, the chapter closes the Assyrian era and opens the horizon of Babylon, exile, and the promised return.
Main themes of Isaiah 39
Isaiah 39 (KJV)
1At that time Merodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. 2And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. 3Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. 4Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. 5Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 7And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. 8Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.
Verses to carry from Isaiah 39
“And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.”Isaiah 39:2
“Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.”Isaiah 39:6
“Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. He said moreover, For there shall be peace and truth in my days.”Isaiah 39:8
Thematic connection
How Isaiah 39 points to Jesus
This chapter does not predict Christ, but it sets in motion the exile that shapes the whole story of redemption the gospel completes. By announcing that Judah's treasures and children will go to Babylon, Isaiah opens the long night of exile from which Israel longs for a deliverer. The chapters that follow answer with comfort, a highway for God, and the promise of a Servant who redeems, themes the New Testament sees fulfilled in Jesus.
Matthew's genealogy even marks the deportation to Babylon as a turning point on the way to the Messiah. Thus Hezekiah's failure becomes, in God's providence, part of the path toward Christ, who gathers home a people scattered by sin and exile. The connection is thematic, framing the redemptive arc Jesus brings to its goal.
Questions about Isaiah 39
What was wrong with Hezekiah showing his treasures?
The act itself was not obviously sinful, but it revealed a heart drawn to impress a rising foreign power rather than to glory in God. Having just been rescued and healed, Hezekiah paraded his wealth before Babylon, trusting in displayed riches and diplomatic flattery. Isaiah's rebuke exposes the pride beneath the gesture, and the prophecy shows that this misplaced confidence would help open the door to Babylon's later plunder.
Why is Hezekiah's reply about peace in his days troubling?
When told his descendants would be carried into exile, Hezekiah answers that the word is good and takes comfort that peace will last in his own lifetime. His relief reveals a narrow, self-centered horizon, satisfied with personal security while judgment awaits his children. It is a sobering picture of faith that goes no deeper than one's own comfort, indifferent to the generations who will bear the consequences.
Reflection
It is easy to spread my achievements before others for admiration, especially right after God has blessed me. Hezekiah warns me how quickly rescue turns to vanity, and how a contentment that reaches only to my own days can ignore those who come after. Let my trust and my care extend beyond my own comfort.
A prayer from Isaiah 39
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