Bible Strands
Isaiah 38:21
Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Isaiah speaks to his attendants, using plural imperatives to instruct them on a physical treatment for King Hezekiah’s boil, following the king’s prayer and the LORD’s promise of healing and extended life.
The words — The Hebrew imperative יִשְׂאוּ (yis'u) means "let them take," and דְּבֶלֶת תְּאֵנִים (develet te'enim) translates literally to "a cake of figs," indicating a prepared poultice rather than a direct address to the patient.
The thread — This medical instruction parallels the fig poultice applied to Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:7 and echoes the broader biblical pattern of physical means accompanying prophetic or divine healing, as seen in Mark 7:33 and John 9:6.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that divine intervention operates through tangible, human-mediated actions, demanding obedience to specific instructions rather than passive waiting.
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
For Isaiah had said, Let them take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaister upon the boil, and he shall recover.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 20:7 Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.
- Mark 7:33 So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.
- John 9:6 When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes.