I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The original Hebrew word used here, often translated as "reckoned" or "quieted," suggests a deep internal wrestling – a struggle to compose oneself in the face of overwhelming pain and the seeming certainty of death. Isaiah wasn't just passively waiting; he was actively trying to bring his mind into alignment with what he thought God was doing, even as his body felt like it was being ripped apart.
I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end.
English Standard Version (ESV)
King Hezekiah is at the brink of death, having received a death sentence from God, but then given a reprieve. In this moment of intense suffering, he describes how he endured the night, expecting death to come at any moment. The pain is so excruciating that he feels like his bones are being crushed by a lion, and he anticipates that his life will be extinguished by the end of the following day.
What does it mean to 'quiet' oneself in the face of death? This verse shows a dramatic shift from a fragile hope to overwhelming agony.
The original Hebrew for "I calmed myself" (or "I reckoned" in some translations) carries a sense of settling or composing oneself. Isaiah, facing a seemingly fatal illness, tried to find a measure of peace, perhaps hoping for relief by morning.
However, the verse immediately contrasts this fragile quietude with intense suffering: "like a lion he breaks all my bones." This isn't just discomfort; it's a violent, crushing pain that obliterates any sense of calm. The original language hints that this might even be a roaring sound of agony, like a lion's cry, signifying the extreme distress he felt.
The transition shows that even when we try to compose ourselves in difficult times, the reality of suffering can be overwhelming, forcing a raw and desperate expression of pain.
The verse speaks of God breaking bones like a lion. How can the God of life be associated with such destructive imagery?
Isaiah uses powerful, even terrifying, imagery to describe God's action in his illness. He says, "like a lion he breaks all my bones." This isn't to say God is malicious, but to convey the absolute, devastating power of the affliction He allowed.
This imagery highlights that God, who is the Creator of all things, also holds the power over life and death. The lion is a symbol of immense strength and predatory power. By comparing God's action to a lion crushing its prey, Isaiah emphasizes the completeness of his suffering and the seemingly inescapable nature of his condition.
It's a stark reminder that God's sovereignty extends over every aspect of our existence, including our physical health and mortality. Even in the midst of such pain, it points to the One who has ultimate control.
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Isaiah felt he wouldn't survive the day. What does this desperate sense of impending death teach us about time and God's timing?
The verse concludes with the stark declaration, "from day to night you bring me to an end." This expresses Isaiah's conviction that his life was literally slipping away within the span of a single day.
He had hoped to survive until morning, but as the day wore on, his expectation shifted to facing death before nightfall. This speaks to the fragility of human life and how quickly our circumstances can change. What seems stable one moment can be gone the next.
While Isaiah's immediate perspective was one of ending, the larger narrative in Isaiah 38 reveals God's miraculous intervention – Hezekiah's life was extended. This contrast highlights God's ultimate authority over time and our lives. Our 'days' are in His hands, and His timing is always perfect, even when we feel like we are at our end.
Understand the original words
ari · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the intense, crushing pain or divine discipline experienced by the sufferer; in biblical imagery, the lion symbolizes power, often used here to describe God's sovereign and overwhelming judgment.
Hezekiah's profound suffering and near-death experience, captured in this verse, occurred during a period of intense national crisis and personal divine intervention, making his subsequent thanksgiving song deeply meaningful.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah, conquering many cities and threatening Jerusalem. The prophet Isaiah advised King Hezekiah during this crisis.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Hezekiah's Illness and Divine Intervention
King Hezekiah falls gravely ill, possibly during or shortly after the Assyrian crisis. Isaiah delivers a prophecy of his imminent death, but Hezekiah prays for healing.
c. 701 BC
Hezekiah's Recovery and Song
God miraculously heals Hezekiah, granting him an additional 15 years of life. In response, Hezekiah composes a psalm of thanksgiving recorded in Isaiah 38.
c. 701 BC
Embassy from Babylon
Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon, sends envoys to Hezekiah to inquire about the sign of his healing. Hezekiah foolishly shows them his treasures, leading to a prophecy of Babylonian exile.
This passage vividly describes the Psalmist's feeling of being attacked and torn apart, much like Hezekiah's sensation of his bones being crushed by a lion.
Lamentations 3:4The prophet describes his own physical suffering in terms that echo Hezekiah's agony, stating 'My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.' This shows a shared experience of intense pain and reliance on God.
Job 10:16Job expresses a similar sense of being hunted and crushed by God, stating 'You rouse yourself against me and multiply your attacks on me; you summon your might against me.' This highlights a recurring theme of divine judgment felt as physical destruction.
Psalm 38:9-10The Psalmist laments, 'All my longings are known to you, Lord; my groans are not hidden from you. My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light of my eyes has failed me.' This parallels Hezekiah's feeling of despair and failing strength in his illness.
barnesIsaiah 38:13: "I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me."
I reckoned - There has been considerable variety in interpreting this expression. The Septuagint renders it, 'I was given up in the morning as to a lion.' The Vulgate renders it, 'I hoped until morning;' and in his commentary, Jerome says it means, that as Job in his trouble and anguish Isaiah 7:4 sustained himself at night expecting the day, and in the da…
bensonIsaiah 38:13: "I reckoned till morning, that, as a lion, so will he break all my bones: from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me."
Isaiah 38:13-14 . I reckoned till morning, &c. — When night came I reckoned I should die before the next morning, my pains being as great as if my bones had been broken, and the whole frame of my body crushed by a lion. Bishop Lowth reads: I roared until the morning like the lion; so did he break to pieces all my bones. Like a crane or a swallow, &c. — “My…
The original Hebrew word used here, often translated as "reckoned" or "quieted," suggests a deep internal wrestling – a struggle to compose oneself in the face of overwhelming pain and the seeming certainty of death. Isaiah wasn't just passively waiting; he was actively trying to bring his mind into alignment with what he thought God was doing, even as his body felt like it was being ripped apart.
King Hezekiah is at the brink of death, having received a death sentence from God, but then given a reprieve. In this moment of intense suffering, he describes how he endured the night, expecting death to come at any moment. The pain is so excruciating that he feels like his bones are being crushed by a lion, and he anticipates that his life will be extinguished by the end of the following day.
King Hezekiah is at the brink of death, having received a death sentence from God, but then given a reprieve. In this moment of intense suffering, he describes how he endured the night, expecting death to come at any moment. The pain is so excruciating that he feels like his bones are being crushed by a lion, and he anticipates that his life will be extinguished by the end of the following day.
"I calmed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones; from day to night you bring me to an end." — The original Hebrew word used here, often translated as "reckoned" or "quieted," suggests a deep internal wrestling – a struggle to compose oneself in the face of overwhelming pain and the seeming ce…
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Last reviewed October 2026