Isaiah 37:16

"Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying,"

Key Reflection

Isaiah 37:16 highlights Hezekiah’s prayer during a time of dire crisis for Judah, when the Assyrian king Sennacherib was threatening Jerusalem. The verse portrays Hezekiah as addressing God, the LORD of Armies and the God of Israel who is enthroned among the cherubim. This context underscores the magnitude of the threat while emphasizing the sovereignty and omnipotence of Yahweh, reassuring Hezekiah that only through divine intervention could Judah be saved from the Assyrian invasion.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

O Lord of hosts -(See the note atIsaiah 1:9). That dwellest between the cherubims -On the cherubim, see the note atIsaiah 14:13. The reference here is doubtless to the fact that the symbol of the divine presence in the temple the Shechinah (fromשׁכןshâkan, to dwell, to inhabit; so called because it was the symbol of God’s dwelling with his people or inhabiting the temple) - rested on the cover of the ark in the temple. Hence, God is frequently represented as dwelling between the cherubimExodus 25:22;Psalms 80:1;Psalms 99:1. On the whole subject of the cherubim, the reader may consult an article in the Quarterly Christian Spectator for September 1836.

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