The Meaning of Isaiah 37:17 Explained

Isaiah 37:17

KJV: Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God.

YLT: Incline, O Jehovah, Thine ear, and hear; open, O Jehovah, Thine eyes and see; and hear Thou all the words of Sennacherib that he hath sent to reproach the living God.

Darby: Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open, Jehovah, thine eyes, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to reproach the living God.

ASV: Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to defy the living God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Incline  thine ear,  O LORD,  and hear;  open  thine eyes,  O LORD,  and see:  and hear  all the words  of Sennacherib,  which hath sent  to reproach  the living  God. 

What does Isaiah 37:17 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 37

1  Hezekiah mourning, sends to Isaiah to pray for them
6  Isaiah comforts them
8  Sennacherib, going to encounter Tirhakah, sends a blasphemous letter to Hezekiah
14  Hezekiah's prayer
21  Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Sennacherib, and the good of Zion
36  An angel slays the Assyrians
37  Sennacherib is slain at Nineveh by his own sons

What do the individual words in Isaiah 37:17 mean?

Incline Yahweh Your ear and hear open Yahweh Your eyes and see and hear - all the words of Sennacherib which he has sent to reproach the God living
הַטֵּ֨ה יְהוָ֤ה ׀ אָזְנְךָ֙ וּֽשְׁמָ֔ע פְּקַ֧ח יְהוָ֛ה עֵינֶ֖ךָ וּרְאֵ֑ה וּשְׁמַ֗ע אֵ֚ת כָּל־ דִּבְרֵ֣י סַנְחֵרִ֔יב אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁלַ֔ח לְחָרֵ֖ף אֱלֹהִ֥ים חָֽי

הַטֵּ֨ה  Incline 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
יְהוָ֤ה ׀  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אָזְנְךָ֙  Your  ear 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
וּֽשְׁמָ֔ע  and  hear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
פְּקַ֧ח  open 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: פָּקַח  
Sense: to open (the eyes).
יְהוָ֛ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עֵינֶ֖ךָ  Your  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וּרְאֵ֑ה  and  see 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וּשְׁמַ֗ע  and  hear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
אֵ֚ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
דִּבְרֵ֣י  the  words 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
סַנְחֵרִ֔יב  of  Sennacherib 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: סַנְחֵרִיב  
Sense: son of Sargon, father of Esarhaddon, and king of Assyria from 705–68 BC; attacked Judah during the reign of king Hezekiah and Judah was delivered when in response to the prayer of Hezekiah an angel smote 85,000 Assyrian soldiers.
שָׁלַ֔ח  he  has  sent 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
לְחָרֵ֖ף  to  reproach 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: חָרַף 
Sense: to reproach, taunt, blaspheme, defy, jeopardise, rail, upbraid.
אֱלֹהִ֥ים  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
חָֽי  living 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.