4He said, “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is transliterated as “Hezekiah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the signs for “king” and “facing the wall” referring to Isaiah 38:2. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that signifies a model, a parameter for his life, referring to “he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, just as his ancestor David had done” of 2 Kings 18:3. (Source: Missão Kophós )
In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 39:4:
Kupsabiny: “Then, Isaiah asked (him), ‘So what did those people see in your home?’ He said, ‘(They) saw everything that is in my home.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The prophet asked, "What did they all see in your palace?" Hezekiah said, "They saw everything in my palace. There was nothing in my treasures that I did not show them."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The prophet still asked, ‘What did they see in your (sing.) palace?’ Hezekia replied, ‘They saw everything in my palace. There is nothing in my wealth that I did- not -show to them.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “I asked him, ‘What did they see in your palace?’ Hezekiah replied, ‘They saw everything. I showed them absolutely everything that I own—all my valuable things.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
He said, “What have they seen in your house?”: Once again, the verb said may better rendered “asked” (Contemporary English Version, New International Version) since Isaiah asks another question here. This question shows he is aware of what happened. He asks Hezekiah what the Babylonian envoys saw in his palace. Your house refers to the royal palace, so many versions say “your palace” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).
Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them”: Hezekiah tried to impress the Babylonians with the extent of his wealth (see the comments on Isa 39.2). There is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them uses two negatives to make a strong statement. In some languages it may be better to state this positively by saying “I showed them absolutely everything in my storehouses.”
Several translation models for this verse are:
• Isaiah then asked, “What did they see in your palace?”
And the king replied, “They saw everything in my palace; there is nothing in the storehouses that I didn’t let them see.”
• Isaiah asked what they had seen in his palace, to which Hezekiah replied that they had seen everything. Not one thing in the storehouses 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 .
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