My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent.This phrase reflects the transient nature of life, akin to a shepherd's tent that is easily set up and taken down. In the ancient Near East, shepherds were nomadic, moving their tents frequently to find pasture for their flocks. This imagery emphasizes the temporary and fragile state of human existence. The context here is King Hezekiah's illness and his reflection on the brevity of life. The tent metaphor is also used in other scriptures, such as
2 Corinthians 5:1, where Paul speaks of our earthly bodies as tents, highlighting the temporary nature of our earthly existence compared to the eternal dwelling with God.
I have rolled up my life like a weaver;
The imagery of a weaver rolling up fabric signifies the completion of a task. In ancient times, weaving was a common occupation, and the process of rolling up the finished cloth was a natural conclusion to the work. This metaphor suggests that Hezekiah sees his life as a completed work, ready to be finished. The weaver's imagery is also found inJob 7:6, where Job laments the swiftness of his days, comparing them to a weaver's shuttle. This connection underscores the theme of life's brevity and the inevitability of death.
He cuts me off from the loom;
This phrase indicates an abrupt end to life, as if the weaver's work is suddenly cut from the loom before its intended completion. In the context of Hezekiah's illness, it reflects his fear of dying prematurely. The cutting off from the loom can be seen as a divine intervention, where God determines the length of one's life. This concept is echoed inPsalm 31:15, where the psalmist acknowledges that his times are in God's hands, reinforcing the belief in God's sovereignty over life and death.
from day until night You make an end of me.
This expression conveys the rapid passage of time, from morning to evening, symbolizing the swift approach of death. In the cultural context, a day was often seen as a complete cycle of life, from birth to death. Hezekiah's lament here is a plea for God's mercy, as he feels his life is being cut short. The phrase also reflects the biblical theme of human mortality, as seen inPsalm 90:6, where life is compared to grass that flourishes in the morning and withers by evening. This serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the urgency to live righteously.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
HezekiahThe king of Judah who is the speaker in this passage. Hezekiah was known for his faithfulness to God and his reforms to restore proper worship in Judah.
2.
IsaiahThe prophet who delivered God's messages to Hezekiah, including the prophecy of his illness and recovery.
3.
JerusalemThe city where Hezekiah reigned and where these events took place.
4.
Shepherd’s TentA metaphor used by Hezekiah to describe the temporary and fragile nature of human life.
5.
Weaver’s LoomAnother metaphor illustrating the brevity and fragility of life, as well as the idea of life being cut short unexpectedly.
Teaching Points
The Fragility of LifeLife is temporary and fragile, much like a shepherd’s tent or a weaver’s cloth. We should live with an awareness of our mortality and the urgency it brings to our spiritual lives.
God’s Sovereignty Over LifeJust as a weaver controls the loom, God has control over the span of our lives. Trusting in His sovereignty can bring peace amidst uncertainty.
The Importance of PrayerHezekiah’s response to his illness was to pray fervently. In times of crisis, turning to God in prayer should be our first response.
Hope in God’s PromisesDespite the dire situation, Hezekiah’s account reminds us that God hears our prayers and can intervene in miraculous ways.
Reflecting on Our LegacyConsidering the temporary nature of life, we should reflect on the legacy we are leaving behind and strive to live in a way that honors God.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Isaiah 38:12?
2.How does Isaiah 38:12 illustrate the brevity of life and its implications?
3.What does the imagery of a "shepherd's tent" teach about life's temporality?
4.How can understanding Isaiah 38:12 deepen our reliance on God's eternal promises?
5.What New Testament passages echo the themes found in Isaiah 38:12?
6.How should Isaiah 38:12 influence our daily priorities and spiritual focus?
7.What does Isaiah 38:12 reveal about the transient nature of life?
8.How does Isaiah 38:12 reflect on God's control over life and death?
9.What historical context influenced the imagery in Isaiah 38:12?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 38?
11.How can Isaiah 38's account of God extending Hezekiah's life align with other biblical teachings on divine decrees?
12.In Luke 22:36, why does Jesus instruct His followers to buy swords if His message is peace?
13.How does the promise of safety in Isaiah 33:16 align with observable instances of righteous people facing disaster historically?
14.What does 'God with us' mean regarding Jesus?What Does Isaiah 38:12 Mean
My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent.• King Hezekiah likens his body and earthly life to a tent—a temporary shelter easily struck and moved.
• A shepherd’s tent never stays long in one place; it is packed up at a moment’s notice when the flock moves on. In the same way, Hezekiah feels his life being swiftly uprooted.
• Cross references:2 Corinthians 5:1 speaks of “an earthly tent” being torn down;Psalm 39:4–5 reminds us that our “span is as nothing” before God;Job 14:2 pictures life as a quickly-fading flower.
• The imagery emphasizes the brevity of earthly existence and God’s sovereign right to relocate us whenever He chooses.
I have rolled up my life like a weaver;• A weaver winds finished cloth off the loom into a neat roll, signaling the work’s completion. Hezekiah senses that his allotted time is being wound up.
• Rolling implies deliberate action: life is not ending by accident but under God’s orderly hand (Psalm 139:16).
• Cross references:Job 7:6, “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle”;Psalm 102:11, “My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.”
• He acknowledges that every thread of his life has been woven according to the Lord’s pattern.
He cuts me off from the loom;• The weaver’s knife severs cloth from the loom—all weaving immediately stops. Likewise, if God chooses, a human life is abruptly ended (Luke 12:20).
• Cutting conveys finality: no further length can be added after the blade falls.
• Cross references:Psalm 31:15, “My times are in Your hands”;Isaiah 40:6-8 contrasts fading flesh with God’s enduring word.
• The phrase underscores God’s ultimate control over mortality; He determines when the weaving is finished.
from day until night You make an end of me.• Hezekiah feels the pressure of time slipping away—morning to evening seems a single breath.
• “You” shifts his focus to God’s direct involvement; the Lord, not fate or illness, governs the duration of his suffering (Deuteronomy 32:39).
• Cross references:Psalm 90:5-6 portrays people swept away like a dream at dawn;Job 4:20 says they are “crushed between morning and evening.”
• The verse captures both urgency and trust: though God brings him to the brink, the same God can also extend his days, as He soon will (Isaiah 38:5).
summaryIsaiah 38:12 communicates Hezekiah’s vivid awareness that life is fragile, temporary, and wholly in God’s hands. By comparing his existence to a movable tent, a finished bolt of cloth, and a swiftly fading day, he confesses that the Lord alone decides when the weaving ends and the dwelling is folded away. This recognition prepares him—and us—to receive God’s mercy with gratitude and to live each moment under the sovereign, compassionate rule of the One who numbers our days.
(12)
Mine age is departed . . .--Better,
my home,or
habitation. . . as in
Psalm 49:19, and thus fitting in better with the similitude that follows. The "home" is, of course, the body, as the dwelling-place of the spirit. (Comp.
Psalm 52:5, "hurl thee away tentless," Heb., and
Job 21:28, "Is not their tent-cord torn away?" Heb.) The "shepherd's tent" is the type of a transitory home (
2Corinthians 5:1-4).
I have cut off like a weaver my life . . .--The words express the feeling of one who had been weaving the web of his life with varied plans and counsels (comp.Isaiah 30:1), and now had to roll it up, as finished before its time, because Jehovah had taken up the "abhorred shears" to cut itfrom the thrum,which takes the place of "with pining sickness." There is, perhaps, a tone of reverence in the impersonal form of the statement. The sufferer will not name Jehovah as the author of his trouble. . . .
Verse 12. -
Mine age is departed; rather,
my dwelling is plucked up. The body seems to be viewed as the dwelling-place of the soul. Hezekiah's is to be taken from him, and carried far away, like a shepherd's tent, while he, his true self,
i.e. his soul, is left bare and naked (comp.
2 Corinthians 5:1-4).
I have cut off like a weaver my life; rather,
I have rolled up,
like a weaver,
my life. The careful weaver rolls up the web, as it advances, to keep it clean and free from dust. Hezekiah had been equally careful of his life; he had about half finished it, when lo! "Jehovah takes up the fatal scissors" (Cheyne), and severs the unfinished cloth from the loom (compare the Greek myth of Clotho, Laehesis, and Atropos).
With pining sickness; rather, as in the margin,
from the thrum. The "thrum" is the portion of the warp which adjoins the upper bar of the loom.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
My dwellingדּוֹרִ֗י(dō·w·rî)Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1755:A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwellinghas been picked upנִסַּ֧ע(nis·sa‘)Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5265:To pull up, the tent-pins, start on a, journeyand removedוְנִגְלָ֛ה(wə·niḡ·lāh)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1540:To denude, to exile, to revealfrom meמִנִּ֖י(min·nî)Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480:A part of, from, out oflike a shepherd’sרֹעִ֑י(rō·‘î)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 7473:Pastoral, a shepherdtent.כְּאֹ֣הֶל(kə·’ō·hel)Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 168:A tentI have rolled upקִפַּ֨דְתִּי(qip·paḏ·tî)Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7088:To contract, roll togethermy lifeחַיַּי֙(ḥay·yay)Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2416:Alive, raw, fresh, strong, lifelike a weaver;כָאֹרֵ֤ג(ḵā·’ō·rêḡ)Preposition-k, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 707:To plait, weaveHe cuts me offיְבַצְּעֵ֔נִי(yə·ḇaṣ·ṣə·‘ê·nî)Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 1214:To cut off, break off, gain by violencefrom the loom.מִדַּלָּ֣ה(mid·dal·lāh)Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1803:Something dangling, a loose thread, hair, indigentFrom dayמִיּ֥וֹם(mî·yō·wm)Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117:A dayuntilעַד־(‘aḏ-)Preposition
Strong's 5704:As far as, even to, up to, until, whilenightלַ֖יְלָה(lay·lāh)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915:A twist, night, adversityYou make an end of me.תַּשְׁלִימֵֽנִי׃(taš·lî·mê·nî)Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7999:To be safe, to be, completed, to be friendly, to reciprocate
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OT Prophets: Isaiah 38:12 My dwelling is removed and is carried (Isa Isi Is) 
