Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 39:7
And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
7. The words which thou shalt beget seem, according to usage, to imply that the calamity would fall on Hezekiah’s own children.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And of that sons – Thy posterity (see the note at Mat 1:1).
That shall issue from thee – Of the royal family. The captivity at Babylon occurred more than a hundred years after this, and of course those who were carried there were somewhat remote descendants of Hezekiah.
And they shall be eunuchs – The word used here ( sariysiym) denotes properly and strictly eunuchs, or such persons as were accustomed to attend on the harems of Oriental monarchs Est 2:3, Est 2:14-15. These persons were also employed often in various offices of the court Est 1:10, Est 1:12, Est 1:15, and hence, the word often means a minister of court, a court-officer, though not literally an eunuch Gen 37:6; Gen 39:1. It is not easy, however, to tell when the word is to be understood literally, and when not. The Targum understands it of those who should be nurtured, or become great in the kingdom of Babylon. That the Jews were advanced to some offices of trust and power in Babylon, is evident from the case of Daniel Dan 1:2-7. It is by no means improbable, also, that the king of Babylon would have a pride in having among the attendants at his court, or even over the harem, the descendants of the once magnificent monarchs of the Jews.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
7. sons . . . from theeThesons which Hezekiah (as JOSEPHUStells us) wished to have (see on Isa28:3, on “wept sore”) will be among the foremost insuffering.
eunuchsfulfilled(Dan 1:2; Dan 1:3;Dan 1:7).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away,…. Manasseh his immediate son was taken and carried to Babylon, though afterwards released; nor does it appear that he was made a eunuch or an officer there; this had its fulfilment in Jeconiah and his children, and in others that were of the seed royal, as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, to whom the Jewish commentators apply this; this is expressed in different words, signifying much the same, to affect the mind of Hezekiah the more:
and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon; or “chamberlains”; and who very often were castrated for that purpose, though it does not necessarily signify such, being used of officers in general. The Targum renders it “princes” f; and such an one was Daniel in the court of the king of Babylon; and his three companions were also promoted, Da 2:48.
f So Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it princes and governors.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
7. Of thy sons It might be thought that this was far more distressing to Hezekiah, and therefore it is put last for the sake of heightening the picture. Even though any calamity spread widely in a nation, it is commonly thought that kings and their families will be exempted, as if they were not placed in the same rank with other men. When he understood, therefore, that his sons would be made captives and slaves, this must have appeared to him to be exceedingly severe. Hence again we may learn how much God was displeased with Hezekiah for seeking aid from earthly wealth, and boasting of it in the presence of wicked men, when God by a dreadful example punishes it as an unpardonable crime, that Hezekiah made an ambitious display of his wealth in presence of unbelievers.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
7. Of thy sons Descendants. The king was childless till three years after his recovery, when Manasseh was born. “He wept sore,” (chapter Isa 38:7,) most probably because he was childless. God gave him a son, but what a son he proved!
Shall be eunuchs Household vassals of oriental royalty: a retribution for the sins, not of Hezekiah, most probably, but of Manasseh and later descendants.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 39:7. They shall be eunuchs, &c. The Hebrew word sarisim, rendered eunuchs, signifies great officers employed about the person of the sovereign; and, as eunuchs were generally invested with these offices, the word eunuch, and a great officer, became frequently synonymous terms in the East, though they convey perfectly different ideas in our language. See Parkhurst on the word and Dan 1:3; Dan 1:21.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
thy sons. Hezekiah had none as yet, and Jehovah’s promise to David (2Sa 7:16) seemed in danger of failing. Manasseh was not born till the third of the fifteen added years. Hence his reference to this position in the “Songs of the Degrees”. See Psa 127:3-5; Psa 127:3-5 and Psalm 128 (quoting in Isa 39:5-6 the words in Isa 39:8). Hezekiah did not marry till after this, and there may be a reference to his marriage to Hephzi-bah in Isa 62:4, which serves as the basis of the comparison in his prophecy concerning the future blessing of Israel.
eunuchs. See Dan 1:3, Dan 1:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
of thy sons: 2Ki 24:12, 2Ki 25:6, 2Ki 25:7, 2Ch 33:11, 2Ch 36:10, 2Ch 36:20, Jer 39:7, Eze 17:12-20
they shall be: Fulfilled, Dan 1:2-7
Reciprocal: Deu 28:36 – bring thee 1Sa 8:15 – officers 1Ki 22:9 – officer 1Ch 21:17 – on my father’s 2Ch 18:8 – officers Job 14:21 – he knoweth it not Isa 10:3 – in the desolation Isa 56:3 – neither Jer 25:9 – I Dan 1:3 – General Mic 1:16 – for Hab 1:6 – I raise Zep 1:8 – the princes Mat 19:12 – which were made
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
39:7 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be {f} eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
(f) That is, officers and servants.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Some of Hezekiah’s descendants would also be taken (captive) to Babylon. It is very probable that at the time of the events in chapters 36-39 Hezekiah had no children. His son, Manasseh, began reigning when he was 12 years old, and Hezekiah died a year later, in 686 B.C. Thus, Isaiah’s announcement here may have sparked a hope-in Hezekiah’s mind-for some descendants. As usual, God’s promise of judgment contained some hope. This prediction of Hezekiah’s descendants became true of the king’s physical seed: his son Manasseh (2Ch 33:11), King Jehoiachin (2Ki 24:12), and King Zedekiah (2Ki 25:7). It also became true of many of Hezekiah’s people, his children in that sense, when Nebuchadnezzar carried three deportations of Judahites off to Babylon (cf. 2Ki 24:12-16; 2Ch 33:11; Dan 1:3-4; Dan 1:6).