Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:

ISAIAH 39:5KJV
Know the Bible

Isaiah 39:5 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 39:5 mean?

Isaiah 39:5 marks the moment when Isaiah tells King Hezekiah to listen to a message from the LORD. The verse introduces the message as God’s word, rather than Isaiah’s own response to the king’s actions.

After questioning Hezekiah about the visitors from Babylon, Isaiah calls for the king’s attention. The title “LORD of hosts” presents the speaker behind the message as the LORD who commands the forces of heaven.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 39:5

  • “Hear” — שָׁמַע (shamaʿ): This word can mean to listen or pay attention, as well as to hear a sound. Here Isaiah calls Hezekiah to attend to the message that follows.
  • “hosts” — צָבָא (tsavaʾ): This word can refer to an army or an organized force. In the title “LORD of hosts,” the KJV uses “hosts” for forces under the LORD’s command, not people receiving guests.

Why Isaiah 39:5 matters

  • The verse identifies whose message Hezekiah is about to hear. Isaiah introduces it as “the word of the LORD of hosts,” giving the words that follow the weight of a royal announcement from God.
  • The message addresses the situation Isaiah has just investigated. Hezekiah has said that he showed the Babylonian visitors everything in his treasures (verse 4), and the following message speaks of those treasures being carried to Babylon (verse 6).

Where else these words appear

“Isaiah” Hebrew H3470 · used in 39 verses

  • 2 Kings 19:2 And he sent Eliakim, which was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
  • 2 Kings 20:19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?
  • Isaiah 7:3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;

“Hezekiah” Hebrew H2396 · used in 78 verses

  • 2 Kings 16:20 And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Hezekiah his son reigned in his stead.
  • 2 Kings 20:3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
  • Isaiah 36:15 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.