Isaiah 38:14

"I waited patiently until morning. He breaks all my bones like a lion. From day even to night you will make an end of me."

Key Reflection

Isaiah 38:14 paints a vivid picture of intense suffering and despair, reflecting the experience of King Hezekiah as he faced the threat of death due to his illness. The original audience would have recognized this imagery as deeply personal, with "breaking all my bones like a lion" evoking the terrifying violence of a predator attacking its prey—a metaphor for the devastating impact of disease and suffering in ancient times. This verse encapsulates Hezekiah's anguish, emphasizing how the darkness of night seemed endless, stretching from dawn to dusk, until death threatened his very existence.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Like a crane -The word used here (סוּסsûs) usually denotes a horse. The rabbis render it here ‘a crane.’ Gesenius translates it ‘a swallow;’ and in his Lexicon interprets the word which is translated ‘a swallow’ (עגוּר'āgûr) to mean “circling,” making gyrations; and the whole phrase, ‘as the circling swallow.’ The Syriac renders this, ‘As the chattering swallow.’ The Vulgate, ‘As the young of the swallow.’ The Septuagint simply reads: ‘As the swallow.’ That two birds are intended here, or that some fowl is denoted by the wordעגוּר'āgûr, is manifest fromJeremiah 8:7, where it is mentioned as distinct from theסוּסsûs(the crane)ועגוּרוסוּסvesûsve‛āgûr.

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