Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 38:2
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
2. turned his face toward the wall ] (cf. 1Ki 21:4) an instinctive expression of the feeling that he was alone with God in this bitter moment.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall – The wall of the room in which he was lying He was probably lying on a couch next the wall of his room. Eastern houses usually have such couches or ottomans running along on the sides of the room on which they recline, and on which they lie when they are sick. Hezekiah probably turned his face to the wall in order that his emotion and his tears might not be seen by the bystanders, or in order that he might compose himself the better for devotion. His prayer he wished, doubtless, to be as secret as possible. The Chaldee renders this, Turned his face to the wall of the house of the sanctuary; that is, of the temple, so that it might appear that be prayed toward the temple. Thus Daniel; when in Babylon, is said to have prayed with his windows opened toward Jerusalem Dan 6:10. The Mahometans pray everywhere with their faces turned toward Mecca. But there is no evidence in the Hebrew text that Hezekiah prayed in that manner. The simple idea is, that he turned over on his couch toward the wall of his room, doubtless, for the greater privacy, and to hide his deep emotion.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 38:2-3
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall
Hezekiahs face turned to the wall
The obvious meaning is the wall of the room, towards which he turned, not merely to collect his thoughts, or to conceal his tears, but as a natural expression of strong feeling.
(J. A. Alexander.)
Self-retirement
The sick man turns his face to the wall in order to retire into himself and God. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
A natural shrinking from death
The voice sounded naturally as it pleaded with the Lord. The old man wants to die; he says, I am living amongst strangers: who is he! and who is she? what are those people? what is their occupation! I do not know where I am: I will live in the sacred past. But the young man in middle life does not want to die. The child does not want to go to rest at nine oclock in the morning. We feel as if we had a call to work. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Hezekiahs face turned to the wall
The place of honour in an Eastern room is an angle of the apartment, so that whichever side Hezekiah turned upon, his face would be to a wall, and screened from observation. (E. W.Shalders, B. A.)
A good mans plea
1. Holy men did sometimes make mention of their good deeds before the Lord, in their prayer to Him (Neh 13:14; Jer 15:15-17).
2. When they did make mention of their good deeds before the Lord, they did it, for the most part, when they were in trouble.
3. They did not mention them as meritorious causes of whet they prayed Neh 13:22).
4. The reason why they mention their good deeds at such time is–
(1) That they might the more incline the Lord to mercy; for the Lord is more ready to show mercy to those who endeavour to live according to His laws than to those who neglect them.
(2) That they might sustain themselves against the faint-heartedness which might assail them, being prone by nature thereto; for the testimony of a good conscience produceth boldness towards God (2Co 1:12; 1Pe 3:21). Besides, Hezekiah might have a special reason to move him to mention his good deeds, and it is this, because the Lord had made a promise to David (1Ki 2:4). At this time Hezekiah had not a child to succeed him in the throne. (W. Day, M. A.)
And Hezekiah wept sore
Hezekiahs tears
In these tears we can discover–
I. A DREAD OF DEATH COMMON TO HUMAN NATURE.
1. This dread of death has a moral cause. What is the cause? A consciousness of sin, and an apprehension of its consequences. On the assumption that man would have died, had he not sinned, his death, we presume, in that case, would have been free from all that is terrible.
2. This dread of death has a moral antidote. O death, where is thy sting? &c. Those who apply this remedy hail rather than dread mortality; they desire to depart, &c.
II. THE INABILITY OF THE WORLD TO RELIEVE HUMAN NATURE. Hezekiah was a monarch. His home was a palace, and the great men of the nation were his willing attendants. Whatever wealth could procure, he could get at his bidding; and yet with so much of the world, what could it do for him? Could it raise him from his suffering couch? Nay! Could it hush one sigh, or wipe one tear away? No! In truth, the probability is that his earthly possessions and splendour added to the awfulness of the idea of death. The world has no power to help the soul in its deepest griefs and wants. The soul weeps in palaces.
III. THE POWER OF PRAYER TO HELP HUMAN NATURE. These tears were the tears of prayer as well as of fear, and his fear stimulated his prayer. And what was the result of this prayer? I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. This is a remarkable instance of the power of prayer, and is recorded here to encourage our suffering nature to direct its cries to heaven. (Homilist)
Hezekiahs distress and prayer
Hezekiah had tried to serve God faithfully, and had been taught to expect length of days as his reward. The very consciousness of his integrity, and of his desire to honour the Lord in the presence of his people, must have added to his distress. What had been the fatal flaw in his service that had brought upon him this unexpected doom? Life and immortality had not been brought to fight. Death, for him, seemed banishment from the presence of the Lord. In the grave he could not praise Him; dead, he could not celebrate His glory (Isa 38:11; Isa 38:18). Twice he says, Thou wilt make an end of me. We seldom realise how much we owe to that resurrection which lifted the veil that was spread over all nations. But Hezekiah teaches us how much strength, consolation, and joy may be found in communion with God in this life. His earthly experience, which he thought was to come to an end, was, after all, part of the life eternal. The Hebrews vivid sense of Gods presence with him in this life, were it more generally ours, would make our fear more reverent, our obedience and submission more complete, and would put an end to much of that practical atheism which prevails in the world of to-day. Let us not miss the consolation of the message Isaiah brought to his king, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears. Our prayers may be ignorant and shortsighted, we may not know what to pray for as we ought, but our tears are not overlooked. When our sadness is speechless, the scalding tears that tell our hearts woe, move the Divine pity, and plead for us more eloquently than any words we can put into frame. In all our afflictions, He is afflicted–to believe this is to be consoled. (E. W. Shalders, B. A.)
Hezekiahs prayer in affliction
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT LED TO THE UTTERANCE OF THIS PRAYER.
1. Hezekiah was sorely afflicted. The exact nature of his disease may be difficult to determine. There is no ground for the vague supposition that he was afflicted with the plague which destroyed the Assyrians. The malady was probably a fever boil (Ewald), or a single carbuncle formed under the back of the head (Thenius), or fever terminating in abscess (Meade). The word shechin, translated boil, means strictly inflammation. The crude state of medical science then would make many diseases fatal which are now easily removed. The body is subject to multifarious maladies. Few have perfect health. Doubtless better health would come from wiser habits and simpler faith. But many causes of disease are indefinable. A sick body often ministers to the growth of the soul. It casts the shadow of eternity over the fife. It awakens prayer in the most callous. It brings the prayerful nearer God.
2. Hezekiah believed that his affliction would be unto death. He probably encouraged a hope of recovery until Isaiah came; though, as Josephus informs us, the physicians despaired of him, and expected no good issue from his sickness; as neither did his friends. Hope dies hard in a sick mans breast. Isaiah, perhaps, did what, none of Hezekiahs physicians or courtiers were prepared to do. He faithfully delivered the Divine message. It was a painful duty. The dying should be warned. Not to do so is an unkindness and a sin. All have some preparations to make when death comes unexpectedly. The house of the soul needs to be set in order as well as the estate.
3. Hezekiah met death with great reluctance. Men generally shrink from death at its first approach. Dr. Johnson held that no man met death willingly. Many doubtless have. But to meet death without reluctance is no direct proof of meetness for eternity. Remember Bunyans Weary of the World. The good may be unwilling to die. Hezekiah was not spiritually unprepared. He was reluctant to die–
(1) From the natural disinclination which men feel towards death. He was in the prime of life. His hold of all earthly things was firm. Age loosens the grasp. He saws time of quiet and prosperity dawning upon his kingdom, and he desired to live to enjoy it.
(2) He had no heir. It is certain that Manasseh who succeeded him was not then horn, for twenty years later he was but twelve years old; and the land had not yet begun to recover from the late ravages, so that his death would have left the nation in a distracted condition, and would probably have exposed it to many new calamities (Kitto).
(3) He had not that clear revelation of immortality which we as Christians possess. He would look upon death as being cut off from the land of the living, as going down into silence. Christ had not opened the kingdom of immortality to the eyes of men. This life was all to him, and he clung to it.
II. HEZEKIAHS PRAYER.
1. He does not utter the desire that was uppermost in his mind. We may not have recorded all that he prayed: probably his prayer was broken off abruptly in weeping. He knew God could interpret his broken words, his sighs, his tears. Many prayers are too elaborately expressed. They prove their shallowness by the smooth elegance of the language in which they are uttered. Strong feeling makes the tongue falter. Much in prayer may be left to Gods omniscience, justice, wisdom, tenderness, and love. Like a father He interprets the heart of His child.
2. Hezekiah appeals to his past life as a reason why his life should be prolonged. Few can do this. Most lives are so marred, so imperfect, so sinful, that they can furnish no argument before God. But, it has been asked, was there not in this prayer a spirit of self-commendation contrary to the spirit of the Gospel? Not a conscious self-clothing of deceit, but a pernicious self-ignorance? We think not. Hezekiah lived under a dispensation of religious thought that led him to believe that a mans character and conduct were the grounds upon which Gods favour or displeasure was bestowed. And this is true under a dispensation of grace; though we, under that dispensation, realise as Hezekiah could not that all our virtue is by the help of Gods Spirit, and can merit little in His sight. The modern habit of self-analysis and eagerness to find some evil to condemn at every turn, so as to describe ourselves as the vilest of the vile, was unknown to him. Many merely attempt to descend to some imaginary standard of vileness which they suppose is the proper depth of self-humiliation to reach to secure Gods favour. Much of this confession of being miserable sinners is but miserable cant. Sick-bed confessions are exposed to this danger. Such lip-service may be, as Lynch says, most suspicious and affrighting. What God desires is an honest expression of our hearts convictions.
This Hezekiah gave. This prayer was uttered with true humility. Whatever had been his sins–and he recognised them (verse 17)–he could claim–
1. Sincerity. He had walked before God in truth. He was conscious of no deceit, no inward angularities, no warping of conscience, no sophistical coverings, no histrionic attitudes. He lived out the verities of his soul.
2. Simplicity of purpose. His heart was perfect in its consecration to the Divine glory. He had no double aims. In building up the religious life of the nation he had not sought his own honour but Gods.
3. That his acts had been regulated as in Gods sight, and had been to increase goodness in the earth. His life was indeed his prayer. Life will have to be reviewed. A life of sin makes a death-bed terrible.
III. THE EMOTIONS WITH WHICH THIS PRAYER WAS OFFERED.
1. Hezekiah was filled with grief. But while grief prostrates the mental and physical energies it often gives great potency to prayer. The gaze of Hezekiahs almost speechless soul was fixed on God with beseeching earnestness, and the poignancy of his grief arrested the Divine arm.
2. There was in Hezekiahs mind a feeling of bitter disappointment. He expected to live, and his expectation rested upon his religious belief. In his day, under the incompleted revelation of t he Divine purposes, centering in human life and destiny, which was then possessed, longevity was regarded as one of the peculiar rewards of piety (Psa 90:16). Hezekiah had fulfilled the conditions and he now looked for the reward. He was disappointed in God. To be disappointed in God is the direst disappointment that can fill a mans soul with bitterness. If God fail him, what is there in the universe that is firm? God sometimes permits men to think that He has not been faithful to them. This is, perhaps, the severest test that the human heart can bear. Christ descended to that profundity of woe when He uttered His agonising cry upon the cross. Many fail in such hours. But true faith can enable us to triumph even then. It will enable us to lie weeping before God, waiting for the explanation that it assures us God can and will give; clinging to His garments even when His face seems turned away, and His form, once so near and trusted, has changed, and seems moving steadily away from us. Thus Hezekiah waited, weeping Sore.
3. There was also within him the feeling of utter helplessness. All earthly resources had failed him. When he turned his face to the wall, he felt that no power on earth could help him. His physicians, his attendants, his most trusted counsellors, could render no assistance. He had only God.
Hezekiah, even in such circumstances, found God nigh to help and to save. Isaiah was speedily sent back to comfort him with the Divine message: I have heard thy prayers, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. Learn–
1. That true piety will enable us to seek and find God m lifes most painful extremities.
2. That in our hours of bitterest grief prayer will reach Gods ear and bring us relief and deliverance. (Homiletic Magazine.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 2. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall] The furniture of an eastern divan or chamber, either for the reception of company or for private use, consists chiefly of carpets spread on the floor in the middle; and of sofas, or couches ranged on one or more sides of the room, on a part raised somewhat above the floor. On these they repose themselves in the day, and sleep at night. It is to be observed that the corner of the room is the place of honour. Dr. Pococke, when he was introduced to the Sheikh of Furshout, found him sitting in the corner of his room. He describes another Arab Sheikh “as sitting in the corner of a large green tent, pitched in the middle of an encampment of Arabs; and the Bey of Girge as placed on a sofa in a corner to the right as one entered the room.” – Harmer’s Observ. ii. p. 60. Lady Mary Montague, giving an account of a visit which she made to the Kahya’s lady at Adrianople, says, “She ordered cushions to be given me; and took care to place me in the corner, which is the place of honour.” – Letter xxxiii. The reason of this seems to be, that the person so placed is distinguished, and in a manner separated, from the rest of the company, and as it were guarded by the wall on each side. We are to suppose Hezekiah’s couch placed in the same situation; in which turning on either side, he must turn his face to the wall; by which he would withdraw himself from those who were attending upon him in his apartment, in order to address his private prayer to God.
Isa 38:3. And he said, I beseech thee, O JEHOVAH, remember now how I have endeavoured to walk before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart; and have done that which is good in thine eyes. And Hezekiah wept, and lamented grievously. – L.
Isa 38:4. Now [before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court] the word of JEHOVAH came unto him, saying, Go [back,] and say unto Hezekiah, Thus saith JEHOVAH the God of David thy father, I have heard thy supplication; I have seen thy tears. Behold [I will heal thee; and on the third day thou shalt go up into the house of JEHOVAH.
Isa 38:5. And] I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee, and this city, from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city. And [Hezekiah said, By what sign shall I know that I shall go up into the house of JEHOVAH?
Isa 38:7. And Isaiah said,] This shall be the sign unto thee from JEHOVAH, that JEHOVAH still bring to effect this word which he hath spoken.
The words in the translation included within crotchets are supplied from the parallel place, 2Kg 20:4-5, to make the narration more perfect. I have also taken the liberty, with Houbigant, of bringing forward the two last verses of this chapter, and inserting them in their proper places of the narration with the same mark. Kimchi’s note on these two verses is as follows: “This and the following verse belong not to the writing of Hezekiah; and I see no reason why they are written here after the writing; for their right place is above, after And I will protect this city, Isa 38:6. And so they stand in the book of Kings,” 2Kg 20:7-8. The narration of this chapter seems to be in some parts an abridgment of that of 2Kg 20:1-6. The abridger, having finished his extract here with the eleventh verse, seems to have observed, that the seventh and eighth verses of 2Kg 20:7-8 were wanted to complete the narration: he therefore added them at the end of the chapter, after he had inserted the song of Hezekiah, probably with marks for their insertion in their proper places; which marks were afterwards neglected by transcribers. Or a transcriber might omit them by mistake, and add them at the end of the chapter with such marks. Many transpositions are, with great probability, to be accounted for in the same way.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
2. The couches in the East runalong the walls of houses. He turned away from the spectators to hidehis emotion and collect his thoughts for prayer.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall,…. Not figuratively to the wall of his heart, as Jerom; but literally, either to the wall of his bedchamber where he lay sick, that his tears might not be seen, and his prayers interrupted, and that he might deliver them with more privacy, freedom, and fervency; or else to the wall of the temple, as the Targum, towards which good men used to look when they prayed, 1Ki 8:38, which was a type of Christ, to whom we should have respect in all our petitions, as being the only Mediator between God and man: and prayed unto the Lord; as follows:
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
2. Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall. He now relates the manner in which Hezekiah was affected when he received this message, that we may see his piety and faith. He does not break out into rage or indignation like unbelievers, but bears this affliction patiently. He does not debate with God, as if he had already endured enough of distresses from enemies, and ought not to be again chastised so severely by a new kind of afflictions. And this is true patience, not merely in a single instance to endure patiently any distress, but to persevere to the end, and always to be prepared for enduring new troubles, but, above all, to bow to the judgments of God in calm silence, and not to murmur at his severity, though it appear to be great; as David acknowledges that “he was dumb, because he saw that he had to deal with God.” (Psa 39:9.)
And such is the import of “turning the face to the wall;” for, in consequence of being overwhelmed by shame and grief, as if he shunned the face of men, he summons up his energy, and turns wholly to God, so as to rely entirely upon him. The mere attitude, indeed, is immaterial; but it is of very great importance to us, that nothing should be presented to our eyes or senses which would drag us away from prayer, that we may pour out our desires more freely before God. We are naturally unsteady, and easily drawn aside; and therefore we cannot be too diligent in fixing our attention. If we must pray in public, we are restrained by shame, lest, if we manifest excessive vehemence, we should be thought to do so for the sake of ostentation; or we are afraid of falling into improper attitudes; and therefore we ought to remove everything that would lead us aside.
Hezekiah, therefore, does not turn away his face, as if he were overwhelmed, or as if he bitterly and obstinately rejected the message that had been brought to him, but in this manner sharpens his eagerness for prayer. That he does not present his prayers openly, as when he formerly went up into the temple, followed by the rest of the multitude, (Isa 37:14,) is an indication of the deepest anxiety, as if grief had seized his whole frame. Yet it is a remarkable pattern of piety, that, when he has received the sentence of death, he does not cease to call upon God.
These words, Thou shalt die, and shalt not live, tended not only to startle him, but deeply to wound and pierce his heart, as if God were rushing upon him in a hostile manner to destroy him. It was an alarming token of wrath to be thrown headlong out of life in the very flower of his age, and to be cast out of the world, as if he were unworthy of the society of men; and therefore he had to contend not only with death, but with hell itself and with frightful torments.
Hence it follows that he attached to the Prophet’s words more meaning than they actually conveyed; for, although he could not all at once disentangle himself, yet the Holy Spirit suggested to his dark and confused heart “groanings that could not be uttered.” (Rom 8:26) And indeed it would have been a foolish message if God had not supported him by secret influence, when he appeared to have been slain by the external voice of his servant. But since he would never have aimed at repentance if he had been seized with despair, the slaying came first, and was next followed by that secret energy which dedicated the dead man to God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
DISTRESS IN PROSPECT OF DEATH
Isa. 38:2-3. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, &c.
The causes of Hezekiahs reluctance to die may be gathered from his circumstances. [See Outline: Hezekiahs Prayer, p. 426.] That ungodly men should be terrified at death is what might be expected (P. D. 684); but reluctance to die is not confined to them (H. E. I. 1570).
I. The Christian has naturally a feeling of repugnance at the very thought of the disruption of the union between soul and body. What precedes death, the stroke itself, and its consequences, all excite feelings of dread (P. D. 741, 761).
II. True believers may feel reluctant to die because of the doubts which they entertain with respect to their eternal state. After death is the judgment. Their fears may proceed from various causes. From constitutional temperament, increased by a relaxed state of the nervous system; from the prevalence of unbelief, the imperfection of knowledge and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; from the powerful agency of the god of this world in producing them. A last desperate effort is made to overthrow faith. While these prevail, recovery from bodily distress is felt to be a mercy of no ordinary kind (H. E. I. 323).
III. Religion may be in a declining state in them, and a consciousness of this may render the prospect of death distressing to them. The progress of the Christian is not uniform. If, while in a backward state, he is called to die, conscience is awakened, and he is thrown into alarm (Mat. 25:1-13).
IV. The prospect of death may be distressing, because the believer will then be deprived of all opportunity of honouring God in this world. This was one reason for Hezekiahs unwillingness to die. He was in the prime of life. Believers, at a like time, may pray to live in order to be useful in the Church and world. The prayer proceeds from a right principlea desire to honour God. It seems hard for the minister of Christ, after a long course of laborious preparation, to be smitten down to die before he has well begun the great work of preaching. The philanthropist, like Howard, feels a bitterness in the stroke. The Christian parent also. In these and like circumstances a rare strength of faith is called for.
V. God may see good to withhold from true believers the comforts of religion under bodily distress and in their dying moments. To what is the difference in the measure of comfort enjoyed on a deathbed to be ascribed? The sovereignty of God must here be admitted. Objection against it here applies equally in other circumstances. The Divine reasons may be inscrutable to man, although assuredly dictated by infinite wisdom. The newly converted may die joyfully; the veteran Christian may have much less comfort. But generally the faithful life will end, at least, in a peaceful death (H. E. I. 1264).
Would you meet death without terror?
1. Improve by faith that righteousness which Christ wrought out in our nature.
2. See to it that your hearts are changed by the Spirit of God.
3. Devote yourselves unreservedly and unweariedly to the cultivation of holiness in heart and life. The longer we are here, we are the more prone to set our hearts upon the world as if it were our rest. It is from this tendency that the aged Christian sometimes feels as great a reluctance to depart as the Christian in the morning of life (Col. 3:2).James Anderson: Scottish Christian Herald, iii. 569.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
(2) Turned his face toward the wall . . .The royal couch was in the corner, as the Eastern place of honour, the face turned to it, as seeking privacy and avoiding the gaze of men. (Comp. Ahab in 1Ki. 21:4.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Turned his face toward the wall Upon his divan, his bed; and gave himself up to reflection and prayer.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 38:2. Then Hezekiah turned his face See note on 2Ki 1:4 for an account of the Eastern beds; from the position whereof, as there described, it will appear that Hezekiah made use of this posture, that his attendants might not take notice of the fervency of his devotion; for he turned his face from them, and not towards the wall of the temple, as some have too fancifully imagined.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
Ver. 2. See 2Ki 20:2 See Trapp on “ 2Ki 20:2 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
prayed. As in Isa 37:4 (“lift up”) and verses: Isa 38:14, Isa 38:15. Contrast Isa 39:2, where, when the king of Babylon sent letters and he neglected prayer.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
turned: Hezekiah’s couch was probably placed in a corner, which is the place of honour in the East; in which, turning on either side, he must turn his face to the wall; by which he would withdraw himself from those attending him in his apartment. 1Ki 8:30, Psa 50:15, Psa 91:15, Mat 6:6
Reciprocal: 1Ki 18:42 – put his face 2Ki 20:2 – he turned Est 8:3 – besought him with tears Psa 120:1 – my distress
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
38:2 Then Hezekiah {b} turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
(b) For his heart was touched with fear of God’s judgment, seeing he had appointed him to die so quickly after his deliverance from so great calamity, as one unworthy to remain in that estate, and also foreseeing the great change that would come in the Church, as he left no son to reign after him: for as yet Manasseh was not born, and when he reigned, we see what a tyrant he was.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Perhaps Hezekiah turned his face to the wall to concentrate or to make his prayer private. Perhaps he felt completely devastated and withdrew into himself (cf. 1Ki 21:4). He requested God’s mercy in the form of lengthened life, though he did not voice the request in so many words. He based his appeal on his godly walk before God and his wholehearted devotion to God. Hezekiah was a good king who reformed his nation spiritually (cf. 2 Chronicles 29-31). He appealed for longer life on the basis of his godliness, because God promised to bless the godly who lived under the Old Covenant with long life (Exo 20:12; Deu 5:33; Deu 7:12-15; Deu 30:16). His bitter tears showed the depth of his sorrow. He would apparently die without an heir to the throne, in the full strength of his manhood, and with his nation in an unsettled state.