Isaiah 38: The Shadow on the Steps
Hezekiah's illness, fifteen more years, the shadow turned back, and a psalm from the edge of death
"In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed… And Hezekiah wept sore" (38:1–3).
"Go, and say to Hezekiah… I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years… 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" (vv. 5–8).
"The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave… Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent: I have cut off like a weaver my life… For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee… The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day" (vv. 9–19).
| Verses | What it says | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 38:1 | Hezekiah sick to death; Isaiah: set your house in order, you will die | "In those days": before the deliverance (v. 6). |
| 38:2–3 | He turns to the wall, prays: remember my faithfulness; he weeps bitterly | A prayer appealing to his loyalty. |
| 38:4–6 | God: I have heard and seen; fifteen years added; this city delivered from Assyria | Fifteen years: if he died in 687/686, the illness fell about 702/701. |
| 38:7–8 | Sign: the shadow on the steps (ma'alot) of Ahaz goes back ten steps | Steps, not necessarily a sundial (see below). |
| 38:9 | Heading: the writing (miktav) of Hezekiah after his recovery | Perhaps miktam, a psalm term (Psalms 16, 56–60). |
| 38:10–14 | In the noon of my days, to Sheol's gates; my dwelling pulled up like a shepherd's tent, rolled up like a weaver's cloth; I moaned like a dove | Lament. |
| 38:15–17 | What can I say? He has done it; you restored me; bitterness became peace; you cast my sins behind your back | Turning point. |
| 38:18–20 | Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; the living, the living praise you; we will sing in the LORD's house | Compare Psalms 6:5; 30:9; 88:10–12. |
| 38:21–22 | Isaiah had said: apply a fig cake to the boil; Hezekiah had asked: what is the sign that I will go up to the temple? | In 2 Kings 20:7–8 these come before the sign. |
Figs and medicine
A poultice of pressed figs (develet te'enim) on a boil (shechin) appears also in 2 Kings 20:7. Ugaritic veterinary texts prescribe pressed figs for horses, and figs were used medically across the ancient Mediterranean (reported). The text presents the poultice as the means with the prophet's word; it gives no basis for a modern diagnosis of Hezekiah's illness.
The steps of Ahaz
Ma'alot means "steps" or "degrees"; the KJV's "sun dial of Ahaz" is an interpretation. It may have been a staircase whose steps marked the shadow's progress, perhaps the stairs to Ahaz's roof chamber: the Great Isaiah Scroll (described from a transcription) reads "the steps of the upper chamber of Ahaz," and 2 Kings 23:12 mentions altars "on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz." Egyptian shadow clocks and step-shaped dials existed. No astronomical record confirms a reversal of the sun; a popular story that NASA computers found a "missing day" is an urban legend with no basis.
Out of order
In 2 Kings 20:1–11 the fig poultice and Hezekiah's request for a sign come before the sign itself, and Hezekiah chooses whether the shadow will go forward or back. In Isaiah they stand after the psalm as vv. 21–22, like a note added later. In the Great Isaiah Scroll (described from a transcription) the first scribe ended the chapter with v. 20; vv. 21–22 were added by another hand in the space and margin. 1QIsa-b has vv. 21–22 in the same place as the Masoretic Text. The psalm of 38:9–20 has no parallel in Kings.
When?
"In those days" and the promise to deliver the city (v. 6) place the illness before Sennacherib's withdrawal, so chapters 38–39 are earlier in time than 36–37. The book arranges them after the deliverance so that chapter 39 can end with the announcement of Babylon, leading into chapter 40.
What the evidence shows
- The Great Isaiah Scroll has 38:21–22 added by a later hand. Described from a transcription; photograph check open.
- Hezekiah's psalm (38:9–20) appears only in Isaiah.
- NASA discovered a "missing day" matching Joshua 10 and Isaiah 38. An urban legend.
- "The dial of Ahaz" was a staircase.
Continue the journey
Journey of a PassageIsaiah 38:7–8 and 2 Kings 20:9–11: The shadow on the steps of Ahaz"Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward." The Hebrew says "steps" (ma'alot), not "sun dial"; the Great Isaiah Scroll reads "the steps of the upper chamber of Ahaz," the library's Greek "the steps of your father's house," and the Vulgate "the clock (horologium) of Ahaz." In 2 Kings 20:9–11 Hezekiah chooses whether the shadow goes forward or back.More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- The parallel, with the choice of sign.
- The Chronicler's brief note: Hezekiah's pride.
- Psalms 6:5; 30; 88The dead cannot praise.
- The upper chamber of Ahaz.