Hezekiah probably showed his wealth to the Babylonians to indicate that he was able to fund his part in any rebellion against Assyrian power (see the introductory comments on this section [39.1-8]). It is less likely that he showed them to boast. It would have been very unwise to do that in the world of international conflicts of that day. Hezekiah had already stripped gold from the Temple and paid Assyria a large amount as spoils (2 Kgs 18.13-16), so there may not have been very much left to show the Babylonians.

And Hezekiah welcomed them is literally “And he rejoiced over them.” Good News Translation did not make “envoys” explicit in the previous verse, so it renders the pronoun them as “the messengers” for clarity (similarly New International Version). Revised Standard Version does not have to do this since it made the envoys explicit in the previous verse.

And he showed them his treasure house: Hezekiah showed the messengers his treasury. For treasure see the comments on 2.7 even though a different Hebrew word is used there. Treasure house refers to a building where precious things are kept. Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible say “treasury,” and Bible en français courant has “the building where the valuable things were kept.” Good News Translation has simply “wealth.”

The silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses is the list of items in the treasury. The Hebrew word rendered spices refers specifically to the resin from the balsam tree, which was used as perfume and medicine. Here it is used broadly for any perfume, as in 3.24 (see the comments there). Like Revised Standard Version, most versions say “spices,” but that is misleading since spices are used primarily to add flavor to food, not to give off fragrance. Bible en français courant correctly says “perfumes.” The precious oil (literally “good oil”) probably refers to good quality olive oil rather than “fragrant oil” as Revised English Bible and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh suggest. New International Version and New American Bible express it well with “fine oil.”

His whole armory refers to the place where Hezekiah stored weapons. It may be rendered “the place where he [or, the king] kept all the weapons.” Contemporary English Version has “He even showed them where he kept his weapons.”

All that was found in his storehouses may refer to any other treasures the king had, or it may summarize that he showed the envoys everything he had. If this clause refers to other treasures, they are probably grain and other food goods. The passive form was found can be expressed as an active form by saying “and everything else he kept in his storehouses.”

There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them is a summary statement. It simply means that Hezekiah showed the Babylonians everything he owned—things in his palace as well as throughout his kingdom. In all his realm may be a slight exaggeration since it is unlikely that the king traveled with the envoys everywhere in Judah. However, the point is clear—Hezekiah showed them all he had.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Hezekiah welcomed the envoys and then showed them his treasury. He showed them silver and gold, perfumes and fine oil, all his weapons, and everything else he kept in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or throughout his kingdom that he did not let them see.

• Hezekiah was happy to see the envoys. He showed them his treasures, which included silver, gold, perfumes, and fine [olive] oil. He showed them everything he had stored away. Nothing in his palace or throughout his realm/domain did he fail to show them.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .