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
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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.

Where else these words appear

“reckoned” Hebrew H7737 · used in 21 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
  • Psalms 18:33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
  • Proverbs 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

“lion” Hebrew H738 · used in 72 verses

  • Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
  • 2 Kings 17:25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
  • Jeremiah 2:30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

“end” Hebrew H7999 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 44:4 And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
  • 1 Kings 9:25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house.
  • Proverbs 6:31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house.

“bones” Hebrew H6106 · used in 108 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • 1 Kings 13:31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
  • Psalms 141:7 Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.