Isaiah 38:17
“Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God's love reaches into our deepest shame and releases us from the burden of sin.
Context
Hezekiah is reflecting on his illness as a time of judgment and mercy. He expected death as payment for his sins, but God's grace intervened.
What Does Isaiah 38:17 Mean?
Hezekiah expected to die. In that shadow, he felt the weight not only of illness but of his own failures. Yet in the darkness, he met the love of God. This love did not minimize his struggle; it met him in the pit of corruption, that place where shame and death seem final. And there, God cast all his sins behind His back, a posture of complete dismissal, as though He refused even to look at them anymore.
This act of love redefines peace. It is not the absence of suffering but the presence of forgiveness in the midst of it. We are invited to the same release. The pit of corruption need not hold us. When we confess and turn to God, He does not balance our sins against us or keep accounts. He places them beyond His sight, and in doing so, He gives us permission to do the same.
In the Original Language
pit of corruption (Hebrew: shakhat shachat) refers not merely to the grave but to decay and spiritual dissolution.
Application
Our shame thrives in secrecy. When we bring our failures into the light of God's presence, we discover that He does not shame us further. He removes the sin entirely. We can release the bitterness we carry and accept the peace He offers.