But I know your stayed, and your going out, and your coming in, and your rage against me.
I know
Psalm 139:2-11 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off…
Proverbs 5:21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
abode, or sitting
your going out and coming in
This expression signifies the totality of one's daily life and activities. In ancient Near Eastern culture, "going out and coming in" was a common idiom for the entirety of a person's life and endeavors. It underscores God's comprehensive knowledge and sovereignty over all human affairs. This concept is also found in Deuteronomy 28:6, where blessings are promised for obedience, indicating God's involvement in every aspect of life.
and your raging against Me
Here, God addresses the hostility and arrogance of Sennacherib against Him. The Assyrian king's blasphemous threats and military campaigns against Judah are seen as direct challenges to God's authority. This phrase highlights the futility of opposing God, as seen in the eventual downfall of Sennacherib's forces. It serves as a reminder of the spiritual battle between human pride and divine sovereignty, similar to the defiance of Pharaoh in Exodus. This also foreshadows the ultimate victory of Christ over all opposition, as prophesied in Revelation.
• The opening “But” cuts through Assyria’s boasts, reminding Sennacherib that every earthly plan is ultimately answered by heaven’s verdict (Psalm 2:4; Proverbs 21:30).
• “I know” declares God’s perfect, present knowledge. Nothing about the king’s power, secret counsel, or personal life escapes His gaze (Psalm 139:1-4; Job 31:4).
• The same phrase appears in the parallel account, 2 Kings 19:27, underscoring that this is not poetic exaggeration but a literal assertion of divine omniscience.
• Because God knows, He alone can promise deliverance to Jerusalem and defeat to Assyria—and keep that promise without fail (Isaiah 37:33-35).
• A ruler’s “sitting down” pictures moments of rest, decision-making, and the assumed security of his throne. God watches all of it (Psalm 33:13-15).
• For believers, the verse echoes Psalm 139:2: “You know when I sit and when I rise,” assuring that quiet, private moments are fully seen.
• God’s awareness of a tyrant’s leisure reminds us that injustice never hides behind palace walls (Psalm 94:9-11).
• Ancient kings led armies in and out of battle; every march, every sortie, every diplomatic mission was under God’s surveillance (2 Kings 19:32).
• Scripture often uses this pair to sum up the whole of life’s activity (Deuteronomy 28:6; Psalm 121:8). The Lord guards His people’s movements, and He also tracks the oppressor’s steps.
• Bullet reminders for today:
– Daily routines are never mundane to God.
– Strategic plans rise or fall under His sovereign review (James 4:13-15).
• “Raging” exposes the core issue: Sennacherib’s campaign is ultimately hostility toward God, not merely Jerusalem (Psalm 2:1-2; Acts 4:25-28).
• The Lord personalizes the offense—“against Me”—showing that persecution of His people is personal to Him (Zechariah 2:8; Acts 9:4).
• Divine response is certain: “Because your rage against Me… I will put My hook in your nose” (2 Kings 19:28). History records the Assyrian army struck, and the king returned humiliated, exactly as foretold.
• The warning endures: arrogant rage invites sure judgment (Nahum 1:2-3; 1 Peter 5:5).
Isaiah 37:28 proclaims God’s exhaustive knowledge of an arrogant king’s life—rest, movement, and rebellion alike. The verse assures God’s people that He sees every detail, rules every circumstance, and will decisively confront pride that sets itself against Him. Divine omniscience is not abstract theology; it is the real-time guarantee that the Lord defends His own and overturns every boast raised against His name.
(28) Thy abode . . .--The three words include, in the common speech of the Hebrews, the whole of human life in every form of activity (Psalm 121:8; Psalm 139:2).Verse 28. - I know thy abode; literally, thy down-sitting (comp. Psalm 139:2). The meaning is that God has, and has had, his eye on Sennacherib throughout all his career, seeing to and watching over his performance of his will. The phrase, going out, and coming in, is a Hebrew idiom for a man's doings (see Numbers 27:17; Deuteronomy 28:6; Deuteronomy 31:2; 1 Samuel 18:13, 16; 2 Samuel 3:25; 1 Kings 3:7, etc.). Thy rage against me. As shown in the message sent by Rab-shakeh (ch. 36:7), in Rabshakeh's speech to the "men on the wall" (Isaiah 36:15-20), and in the letter sent to Hezekiah from Lachish (Isaiah 37:10).