Isaiah 39:7

That is, officers and servants.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

sons . . . from thee--The sons which Hezekiah (as JOSEPHUS tells us) wished to have (see on Isa 28:3, on "wept sore") will be among the foremost in suffering.

eunuchs--fulfilled (Dan 1:2-3, Dan 1:7).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

7. The words which thou shalt beget seem, according to usage, to imply that the calamity would fall on Hezekiah’s own children.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away,.... Manasseh his immediate son was taken and carried to Babylon, though afterwards released; nor does it appear that he was made a eunuch or an officer there; this had its fulfilment in Jeconiah and his children, and in others that were of the seed royal, as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, to whom the Jewish commentators apply this; this is expressed in different words, signifying much the same, to affect the mind of Hezekiah the more:

and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon; or "chamberlains"; and who very often were castrated for that purpose, though it does not necessarily signify such, being used of officers in general. The Targum renders it "princes" (f); and such an one was Daniel in the court of the king of Babylon; and his three companions were also promoted, Dan 2:48.

(f) So Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it princes and governors.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And of that sons - Thy posterity (see the note at Mat 1:1).

That shall issue from thee - Of the royal family. The captivity at Babylon occurred more than a hundred years after this, and of course those who were carried there were somewhat remote descendants of Hezekiah.

And they shall be eunuchs - The word used here (סריסים sâriysiym) denotes properly and strictly eunuchs, or such persons as were accustomed to attend on the harems of Oriental monarchs Est 2:3, Est 2:14-15. These persons were also employed often in various offices of the court Est 1:10, Est 1:12, Est 1:15, and hence, the word often means a minister of court, a court-officer, though not literally an eunuch Gen 37:6; Gen 39:1. It is not easy, however, to tell when the word is to be understood literally, and when not. The Targum understands it of those who should be nurtured, or become great in the kingdom of Babylon. That the Jews were advanced to some offices of trust and power in Babylon, is evident from the case of Daniel Dan 1:2-7. It is by no means improbable, also, that the king of Babylon would have a pride in having among the attendants at his court, or even over the harem, the descendants of the once magnificent monarchs of the Jews.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

7. Of thy sons — Descendants. The king was childless till three years after his recovery, when Manasseh was born. “He wept sore,” (chapter Isa_38:7,) most probably because he was childless. God gave him a son, but what a son he proved!

Shall be eunuchs — Household vassals of oriental royalty: a retribution for the sins, not of Hezekiah, most probably, but of Manasseh and later descendants.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Of thy sons that shall issue from thee. Hezekiah had at the time, probably, no son, since Manasseh, who succeeded him upon the throne, was not born till two years later. Besides Manasseh, he appears to have had a son, Amariah, who was an ancestor of the Prophet Zephaniah. (Zep_1:1) He may, of course, have also had others. His descendants, rather than his actual sons, seem to be here intended; and the fulfilment of the prophecy is to be found in Dan_1:3, where certain "of the king"s seed" are mentioned among the Israelites who served as eunuchs in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

“And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shall beget, shall they take away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” The future form of the expression in the first clause has respect to the fact that Hezekiah had as yet no children. (See above on Isa 38:2). ‘They shall take’ may either be an indefinite construction, or agree with ‘the Babylonians’ understood. Instead of ‘they shall take’, the parallel passage (2Ki 20:17) has the singular ‘he shall take’, which is equally correct and regular, in a case of indefinite construction. The fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded in 2Ki 24:12-16 and Dan 1:1-7, and that so clearly, that the neologists are driven to their usual supposition of an interpolation, or of such an alteration as to make the terms of the prediction more determinate.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Isaiah continues to speak Yahweh's message to Hezekiah.

The sons born from you

"Your sons"

they will take them

"the Babylonians will take them"

translationWords

son

ancestor

eunuch

Babylon

Hezekiah

Isaiah

word of God

good

peace

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And...[some] of your sons Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.