I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me.

ISAIAH 38:13KJV
truelightbible.com

Isaiah 38:13 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 38:13 mean?

Isaiah 38:13 describes a person feeling as if God is relentlessly breaking down his strength, comparing the experience to a lion crushing all his bones, and expressing the sense that his life is being brought to an end from day to night. The verse uses vivid imagery to convey the speaker’s intense suffering and expectation of death.

In this verse, King Hezekiah is speaking after being told he would die from his illness. Hezekiah describes his emotional and physical agony, saying he waited through the night, feeling as if God was attacking him like a lion. The verse highlights Hezekiah’s sense of helplessness and the overwhelming nature of his suffering as he faces what seems like certain death.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 38:13

  • "reckoned" (שָׁוָה, shavah): This word often means to level, compare, or consider. Here, it suggests Hezekiah was counting or enduring the hours, anxiously waiting for morning.
  • "lion" (אַרְיֵה, aryeh): The lion is a symbol of overwhelming strength and danger. Hezekiah uses it to describe how powerful and destructive his suffering feels, as if God is as unstoppable as a lion.
  • "break" (שָׁבַר, shavar): This word means to break or shatter. Hezekiah feels as if every part of him—his bones—are being crushed, emphasizing the completeness of his distress.
  • "end" (שָׁלַם, shalam): This word can mean to finish, complete, or bring to an end. Hezekiah is expressing that he expects God to bring his life to a close, from one day to the next.

Why Isaiah 38:13 matters

  • Isaiah 38:13 helps readers understand the depth of Hezekiah’s despair and how personal and direct his prayer to God was during his illness.
  • The verse’s imagery shows that Hezekiah saw his suffering as coming directly from God, not just from natural causes, which adds to the emotional weight of his plea.
  • This verse connects to the larger passage, where Hezekiah’s prayer and God’s response become a turning point, highlighting the reality of human vulnerability and the hope for divine intervention.