Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, that sittest [above] the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth." — Isaiah 37:16 (ASV)
O Lord of hosts – (See the note at Isaiah 1:9).
That dwellest between the cherubims – On the cherubim, see the note at Isaiah 14:13. The reference here is doubtless to the fact that the symbol of the divine presence in the temple, the Shechinah (from שׁכן shâkan — to dwell, to inhabit; so called because it was the symbol of God’s dwelling with his people or inhabiting the temple) – rested on the cover of the ark in the temple. Hence, God is frequently represented as dwelling between the cherubim (Exodus 25:22; Psalms 80:1; Psalms 99:1). On the whole subject of the cherubim, the reader may consult an article in the Quarterly Christian Spectator for September 1836.
Thou art the God – The only God (Isaiah 43:10–11).
Even thou alone – There is none besides you – a truth which is often affirmed in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 32:39; Psalms 86:10; 1 Corinthians 8:4).
Thou hast made heaven and earth – It was on the ground of this power and universal dominion that Hezekiah pleaded that God would interpose.