Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Hezekiah's prayer isn't just asking God to listen; it's demanding God see the mockery of Sennacherib. He’s pleading for God to vindicate His own honor against the blasphemy, emphasizing that the insult is not just to Hezekiah or Jerusalem, but to the living God Himself.
Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
King Sennacherib of Assyria has sent a threatening message to King Hezekiah of Judah, boasting of his conquests and intending to mock God. After hearing this, Hezekiah leads his people in prayer and grief, and Isaiah relays God's response, promising deliverance and judgment on Assyria. This prayer is a desperate plea to God, acknowledging the blasphemous words of Sennacherib and calling on God to intervene.
Why does the Bible ask God to 'incline your ear' and 'open your eyes'? Isn't God all-knowing and all-powerful?
When Hezekiah prays, he uses language that describes human actions: 'incline your ear,' 'hear,' 'open your eyes,' 'see.' This isn't because God needs these senses to perceive what's happening.
Anthropomorphism in Prayer
Sennacherib's words were meant to terrify Jerusalem, but Hezekiah understood the real offense was far greater. What was it?
Sennacherib's taunts weren't just military threats; they were direct challenges to God's power and existence. Hezekiah recognized this as the ultimate insult.
Ask a follow-up
Blasphemy vs. Threat
Understand the original words
natah ozn-eka · Hebrew Verb
A respectful, anthropomorphic plea for God to pay close attention to the prayers of His people and to actively intervene in human history.
el chai · Hebrew Adjective
A theological descriptor emphasizing that the God of Israel is not a lifeless idol, but possesses life, consciousness, and the ability to act within time and space.
chareph · Hebrew Verb
To treat with scorn, disdain, or blasphemous arrogance, specifically by challenging the power or legitimacy of God.
c. 705 BC
Death of Sargon II
The death of Sargon II, king of Assyria, led to a period of consolidation for his successor, Sennacherib, who then focused on solidifying his control over the Assyrian empire and its vast territories.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Campaign in the Levant
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, launched a major military campaign into the Levant, conquering many cities and putting down rebellions, including an uprising in Judah led by King Hezekiah.
c. 701 BC
Siege of Jerusalem
Sennacherib's forces besieged Jerusalem. The Assyrian commander, Rabshakeh, delivered a blasphemous message demanding surrender. King Hezekiah prayed to the LORD for deliverance.
c. 701 BC
Divine Intervention and Assyrian Retreat
An angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in their camp overnight. Sennacherib, facing this disaster and reports of other threats, withdrew his army from Jerusalem.
c. 681 BC
Assassination of Sennacherib
Sennacherib was assassinated by his own sons in Nineveh, a violent end that contrasted sharply with his military ambitions and reflected internal instability within the Assyrian empire.
This passage is the parallel account in Kings, showing Hezekiah's prayer to God in response to Sennacherib's taunts, using very similar language to incline God's ear and open His eyes.
Psalm 86:1This psalm echoes the plea 'Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,' revealing a consistent prayerful posture in the face of distress, seeking God's attention and intervention.
Daniel 9:18Daniel's prayer also beseeches God to 'incline your ear and hear' and 'open your eyes and see,' demonstrating a pattern of appealing to God's attentiveness and perception when facing overwhelming circumstances.
2 Chronicles 7:15This verse records God's promise to Solomon that 'my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer made in this place,' directly connecting Hezekiah's prayer to divine promises of hearing and seeing.
Isaiah 37:23In the immediate context, God's response to Hezekiah's prayer directly addresses Sennacherib's mockery, asking 'Whom have you... reproached?... Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes on high? Against the Holy One of Israel,' showing God's active awareness of the insult.
cambridgeIsaiah 37:17: "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."
17 . open thine eyes … and see ] The Hebr. has “thine eye,” which is probably a better reading than “thine eyes” in 2 Kings 19:16 . So “who hath sent” is more correct than “who hath sent him” (the messenger). to reproach the living God ] as in Isaiah 37:4 .
barnesIsaiah 37:17: "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."
Incline thine ear - This is evidently language taken from what occurs among people. When they are desirous of hearing distinctly, they incline the ear or apply it close to the speaker. Similar language is not unfrequently used in the Scriptures as applicable to God 2 Kings 19:16 ; Psalm 86:1 ; Psalm 31:2 ; Psalm 88:2 ; Daniel 9…
Hezekiah's prayer isn't just asking God to listen; it's demanding God see the mockery of Sennacherib. He’s pleading for God to vindicate His own honor against the blasphemy, emphasizing that the insult is not just to Hezekiah or Jerusalem, but to the living God Himself.
King Sennacherib of Assyria has sent a threatening message to King Hezekiah of Judah, boasting of his conquests and intending to mock God. After hearing this, Hezekiah leads his people in prayer and grief, and Isaiah relays God's response, promising deliverance and judgment on Assyria. This prayer is a desperate plea to God, acknowledging the blasphemous words of Sennacherib and calling on God to intervene.
King Sennacherib of Assyria has sent a threatening message to King Hezekiah of Judah, boasting of his conquests and intending to mock God. After hearing this, Hezekiah leads his people in prayer and grief, and Isaiah relays God's response, promising deliverance and judgment on Assyria. This prayer is a desperate plea to God, acknowledging the blasphemous words of Sennacherib and calling on God to intervene.
"Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God." — Hezekiah's prayer isn't just asking God to listen; it's demanding God see the mockery of Sennacherib. He’s pleading for God to vindicate His own honor against the blasphemy, emphasizing that th…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026