2 Kings 19:16
New International Version
Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

New Living Translation
Bend down, O LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.

English Standard Version
Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.

Berean Standard Bible
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.

King James Bible
LORD, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God.

New King James Version
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

New American Standard Bible
Incline Your ear, LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to taunt the living God.

NASB 1995
“Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

NASB 1977
“Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open Thine eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

Legacy Standard Bible
Incline Your ear, O Yahweh, and hear; open Your eyes, O Yahweh, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God.

Amplified Bible
O LORD, bend down Your ear and hear; LORD, open Your eyes and see; hear the [taunting] words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to taunt and defy the living God.

Christian Standard Bible
Listen closely, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see. Hear the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Listen closely, LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, LORD, and see. Hear the words that Sennacherib has sent to mock the living God.

American Standard Version
Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, and hear; open thine eyes, O Jehovah, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent him to defy the living God.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Incline, LORD JEHOVAH, your ear, and hear; open, LORD JEHOVAH, your eyes and see, and hear all the words of Sennakherib who sent to reproach the living God!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Incline thine ear, O Lord, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherim, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

Contemporary English Version
But just look how Sennacherib has insulted you, the living God.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Incline thy ear, and hear: open, O Lord, thy eyes, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent to upbraid unto us the living God.

English Revised Version
Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent him to reproach the living God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Turn your ear toward me, LORD, and listen. Open your eyes, LORD, and see. Listen to the message that Sennacherib sent to defy the living God.

Good News Translation
Now, LORD, look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God.

International Standard Version
Turn your ear, LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, LORD, and observe! Listen to the message sent by Sennacherib to insult the living God!

JPS Tanakh 1917
Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open Thine eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, wherewith he hath sent him to taunt the living God.

Literal Standard Version
Incline, O YHWH, Your ear, and hear; open, O YHWH, Your eyes, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib with which he has sent him to reproach the living God.

Majority Standard Bible
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.

New American Bible
Incline your ear, LORD, and listen! Open your eyes, LORD, and see! Hear the words Sennacherib has sent to taunt the living God.

NET Bible
Pay attention, LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, LORD, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God!

New Revised Standard Version
Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God.

New Heart English Bible
Incline your ear, LORD, and hear. Open your eyes, LORD, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib, with which he has sent to defy the living God.

Webster's Bible Translation
LORD, bow down thy ear, and hear: open, LORD, thy eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, who hath sent him to reproach the living God.

World English Bible
Incline your ear, Yahweh, and hear. Open your eyes, Yahweh, and see. Hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to defy the living God.

Young's Literal Translation
Incline, O Jehovah, Thine ear, and hear; open, O Jehovah, Thine eyes, and see; and hear Thou the words of Sennacherib with which he hath sent him to reproach the living God.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Hezekiah's Prayer
15And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth. 16Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God. 17Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands.…

Cross References
1 Kings 8:29
May Your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, 'My Name shall be there,' so that You may hear the prayer that Your servant prays toward this place.

2 Kings 19:4
Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives."

2 Kings 19:17
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste these nations and their lands.

2 Chronicles 6:40
Now, my God, may Your eyes be open and Your ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

Psalm 31:2
Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.

Isaiah 37:17
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see. Listen to all the words that Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.


Treasury of Scripture

LORD, bow down your ear, and hear: open, LORD, your eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which has sent him to reproach the living God.

bow down.

Psalm 31:2
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.

Isaiah 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.

open.

1 Kings 8:29
That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

2 Chronicles 6:40
Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

Daniel 9:18
O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

which hath sent.

2 Kings 19:4
It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

Psalm 79:12
And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

Isaiah 37:4,17
It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left…

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2 Kings 19
1. Hezekiah, in 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.
20. Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Sennacherib, and the good of Zion.
35. An angel slays the Assyrians.
36. Sennacherib is slain by his own sons.














(16) Bow down thine ear, and hear.--Not so much my prayer as the words of Sennacherib.

Open, Lord, thine eyes, and see.--Referring, as Thenius says, to Sennacherib's letter; not, however, as if Jehovah's eyes were closed before this prayer. To treat the figurative language of the Old Testament in such a manner does violence to common sense. "Bow thine ear," "Open thine eyes," in Hezekiah's mouth simply meant "Intervene actively between me and my enemy;" although, no doubt, such expressions originally conveyed the actual thoughts of the Israelites about God.

Which hath sent him.--Rather, which he hath sent. The "words" are regarded as a single whole, a message.

The living God.--In contrast with the lifeless idols of Hamath, Arpad, &c.

Verse 16. - Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear. "Bow down thine ear" is a Hebrew idiom for "give ear," "attend "(see Psalm 31:2; Psalm 71:2; Psalm 86:1; Proverbs 22:17, etc.). It is based upon the fact that, when men wish to catch exactly what another says to them, they bend themselves towards him, and bring one ear as near to him as they can. Open, Lord, thine eyes, and see. Take cognizance both with eye and ear; i.e. take full cognizance - let nothing escape thee. And hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God; rather, which he has sent to reproach. The suffix translated "him" in our version really means "it" - i.e. the speech or letter of Sennacherib, which Hezekiah has "spread before the Lord."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Incline
הַטֵּ֨ה (haṭ·ṭêh)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5186: To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend

Your ear,
אָזְנְךָ֙ (’ā·zə·nə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 241: Broadness, the ear

O LORD,
יְהוָ֤ה ׀ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and hear;
וּֽשֲׁמָ֔ע (ū·šă·mā‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

open
פְּקַ֧ח (pə·qaḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 6491: To open, to be observant

Your eyes,
עֵינֶ֖יךָ (‘ê·ne·ḵā)
Noun - cdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

O LORD,
יְהוָ֛ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

and see.
וּרְאֵ֑ה (ū·rə·’êh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

Listen to
וּשְׁמַ֗ע (ū·šə·ma‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

the words
דִּבְרֵ֣י (diḇ·rê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

that
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

Sennacherib
סַנְחֵרִ֔יב (san·ḥê·rîḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5576: Sennacherib -- a king of Assyr

has sent
שְׁלָח֔וֹ (šə·lā·ḥōw)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

to defy
לְחָרֵ֖ף (lə·ḥā·rêp̄)
Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2778: To pull off, to expose, to betroth, to carp at, defame, to spend the winter

the living
חָֽי׃ (ḥāy)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

God.
אֱלֹהִ֥ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT History: 2 Kings 19:16 Incline your ear Yahweh and hear (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 19:15
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