Bible Strands
Isaiah 26:16
O LORD, they sought You in their distress; when You disciplined them, they poured out a quiet prayer.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet speaks on behalf of Israel, addressing the LORD regarding the nation's response to His corrective action. The declaration follows a statement of God's expansion of the nation and precedes a metaphor of labor pains.
The words — The Hebrew verb פּקד (peqad) means "sought" or "visited," paired with מוסר (musar), translated here as "chastening" or "discipline." The phrase ללחש (lalachash) literally denotes "a whisper" or "quiet prayer," describing the manner of their supplication.
The thread — This pattern of seeking God during affliction appears in Hosea 5:15 and Deuteronomy 4:29, where both texts promise divine encounter upon sincere repentance. The motif of earnest prayer in trouble is further reinforced in Psalm 50:15.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that divine discipline precedes genuine supplication, requiring readers to recognize their dependence on God during hardship. It calls for immediate, unadorned prayer rather than delayed or performative devotion.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Lord, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
Cross-references
- Hosea 5:15 Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
- Psalms 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
- Judges 10:9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, and Israel was in deep distress.
- 1 Samuel 1:15 “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 6:37 and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’
- 2 Chronicles 33:12 And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.
- Psalms 42:4 These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the festive procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.
- Psalms 77:1 For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph. I cried out to God; I cried aloud to God to hear me.
- Psalms 91:15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.