2 Kings 20

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE

2 Kings 18:1 to 2 Kings 20:21

Three Chapter s of Kings are devoted to the reign of good King Hezekiah. After a somewhat lengthy introduction to the reign of this king (2 Kings 18:1-12), the author discusses a political crisis (2 Kings 18:13 to 2 Kings 19:37) and a personal crisis (2 Kings 20:1-19) during which Hezekiah manifested exemplary faith. A brief and stereotyped conclusion brings the discussion of this reign to a conclusion (2 Kings 20:20-21). The theme throughout these Chapter s is that of tiny Judah attempting to extricate itself from the shackles of tributary allegiance to mighty Assyria.

REVIEW OF CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

I. FACTS TO MASTER

A. Identify each of the following:

1. Abi

2. Rabsaris

3. Esarhaddon

4. Nehushtan

5. Rab-shakeh

6. Nisroch

7. Shalmaneser

8. Eliakim

9. Adram-melech

10. Sennacherib

11. Shebna

12. Berodach-baladan

13. Hezekiah

14. Joah

15. Sharezer

16. Tartan

12: Tirhakah

B. Of what significance are each of the following places?

1. Gaza

2. Egypt

3. Libnah

4. Samaria

5. Hamath

6. Ethiopia

7. Halah

8. Arpad

9. Lebanon

10. Habor

11. Sepharvaim

12. Carmel

13. River Gozan

14. Hena

15. Armenia

16. Lachish

17. Ivah

18. Babylon

C. Of what significance was each of the following?

1. a pool

2. figs

3. a conduit

4. cherubim

5. letters and a present

6. bronze serpent

7. sundial

8. bruised reed

9. boil (sore)

10. a letter

D. How do the following numbers fit into the narrative?

1. Fifteen years

2. Third day

3. Ten degrees (steps)

4. Three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold

5. Two thousand horses

II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER

The sixth year of Hezekiah was the ninth year of Hoshea (2 Kings 18:10)that is, 722 B.C. But in the fourteenth year of Hezekiahwhich must be 701 B.C.Sennacherib invaded Judah (2 Kings 18:13). How would you explain this chronological discrepancy?

In what way does the Assyrian account of Sennacherib’s invasion supplement the Biblical account? What problems are raised by the secular account?

Why do some scholars feel that Sennacherib must have invaded Judah twice? Is this reconstruction necessary?

For what purpose did Sennacherib send his officers to the walls of Jerusalem? Why did they deliver their ultimatum in Hebrew rather than Aramaic, the language of diplomacy?

What are the major arguments put forth by Rab-shakeh to induce the Jews to surrender?

What position did Isaiah take with regard to the invasion of Sennacherib in 701 B.C.

On what occasions did Hezekiah pray? Why did he on one occasion spread the letter of the Assyrian king be fore the Lord?

Two signs were granted to Hezekiah. What were they? How did these signs differ from one another?

How did the Assyrian threat against Judah come to an end? What is the chronological relationship between the decimation of the Assyrian army and the death of Sennacherib?

Why did God reveal to Hezekiah that he would die of illness? Besides the natural desire to live, what other factors contributed to Hezekiah’s earnest prayer regarding his illness?

Chronologically, when did Hezekiah’s illness occur?

If you knew you had only fifteen more years to live, how would you reorder your life? How did Hezekiah use his fifteen grace years?

For what purpose did Isaiah order a lump of figs to be put on Hezekiah’s sore?

Why did Hezekiah ask for a sign to verify the promise of his speedy recovery? Is it wrong for believers to ask for miraculous signs from God?

How was it that the shadow on the sundial went back ten steps? What evidence is there that the effects of this miracle were observable only in Palestine?

What motivated the king of Babylon to send an embassy to Hezekiah? Why did Hezekiah show these visitors all his treasures?

How was Hezekiah rebuked for his indiscretion with regard to the Babylonians?

Why did Hezekiah regard the negative prophecy of Isaiah as good? 2 Kings 20:19

Describe the water tunnel constructed during the reign of Hezekiah.

2 Kings 20:1-11

III. HEZEKIAH’S PERSONAL CRISIS 20:1-19

The chronological placement of the episode related in chapter 20 is problematic. That the events of this chapter are earlier than the crushing defeat of Sennacherib’s army is suggested by 2 Kings 20:6. Since fifteen years were added to the life of Hezekiah and since that king died in 686 B.C., his miraculous healing must have taken place in 701 B.C. the very year of the Assyrian invasion. Another chronological clue is found in the fact that in this chapter Hezekiah still is in possession of his treasure (2 Kings 20:13-17), i.e., these treasures had not yet been carried off to Nineveh. The chapter relates (1) Hezekiah’s serious illness and miraculous recovery (2 Kings 20:1-11); and (2) his foolish mistake and subsequent rebuke (2 Kings 20:12-19).

A. HEZEKIAH’S SERIOUS SICKNESS AND MIRACULOUS RECOVERY 20:1-11

**TRANSLATION

(1) In those days Hezekiah was sick unto death. And Isaiah the son of Amoz the prophet came unto him, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live. (2) And he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, (3) I beseech You, O LORD, Remember, I pray You, how I have walked before You in truth and in perfect heart, and have done that which is good In Your eyes. And Hezekiah wept with great weeping. (4) And it came to pass before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, (S) Turn back and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, Thus says the LORD the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your weeping. Behold I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. (6) And I will add to your days fifteen years, and from the hand of the king of Assyria I will deliver you and this city; and I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David. (7) And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs; and they took it, and put it upon the boil, and he recovered. (8) And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What is a sign that the LORD will heal me and that I may go up on the third day to the house of the LORD? (9) And Isaiah said, This is the sign for you from the LORD that the LORD has done the thing which He has spoken: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps or backward ten steps? (10) And Hezekiah said, It is a light thing for the shadow to move ten steps forward; no, but let the shadow go backward ten steps. (11) And Isaiah the prophet called unto the LORD, and the shadow went backward ten steps by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.

COMMENTS**

In those crucial days just prior to the Assyrian invasion, Hezekiah was smitten with a malady which in the ordinary course of nature would have proved to be fatal. To the royal chambers, Isaiah the prophet was dispatched with a message of warning: Set your house in order,[623]* for you shall die and not live!* (2 Kings 20:1). In the face of this shocking announcement the king turned on his bed away from his numerous attendants and faced the wall so that he might pray to his God with more concentration and earnestness. Hezekiah was a great man of prayer, and in this crisis it was perfectly natural for him to cast his burden upon the Lord (2 Kings 20:2).

[623] Gray (OTL, p. 697) renders: Give last injunctions to your family.

The king’s prayer is a model for those who are afflicted with serious illness. He first of all called upon the Lord to remember how he had tried his very best to walk throughout life so as to meet the approval of the Lord. This is not presumptuous self-righteousness. Hezekiah knew that he had honestly endeavored to serve God and do His will. Whatever had been his shortcomings, his heart had always been right towards God. Under the old covenant, length of days was promised to the righteous (Proverbs 3:2; Proverbs 9:11; Proverbs 10:27). Hezekiah could not comprehend why he should be cut off in middle agehe would have been thirty-ninewhen kings far less righteous had lived two and more decades longer.[624] The king’s opening statement is thus a form of expostulation and laying hold on divine promises.

[624] Uzziah lived to be sixty-eight, Rehoboam to be fifty-eight.

The earnestness of the king was manifested in the tears which accompanied his prayer. Besides the natural fear of deathdeath for the Old Testament saint being a somewhat shadowy and uncertain existencethere were other good reasons for Hezekiah’s earnest petition. For one thing, it would appear from 2 Kings 21:1 that at this point in his life Hezekiah had no male offspring to succeed him on the throne. This of course would be of grave concern to any citizen of the Old Testament world and particularly to the king. Furthermore, Hezekiah knew that his early reformation efforts would most surely bring upon Judah the wrath of the mighty Sennacherib. He wished to live to see his country through this crisis (2 Kings 20:3).

Before Isaiah had reached the second of the three courtyards which surrounded the royal palace, he was arrested by the reception of a new divine communication (2 Kings 20:4). The prophet was ordered to retrace his steps, enter the king’s bedchamber, and reverse the thrust of the oracle he had delivered only moments before. Hezekiah is here called by the somewhat unusual title nagid, a title which means leader, one who goes in front.[625] The Lord here refers to Himself as God of David your father. These two titles, the one given to Hezekiah and the one assumed by God, suggest that Hezekiah was spared from his ailment because he was the leader of God’s people and because he was David’s son, both biologically and spiritually.

[625] Saul was called nagid (1 Samuel 9:16; 1 Samuel 10:1) as was David also (1 Samuel 13:14; 2 Samuel 5:2-16

Hezekiah’s fervent prayer was effectual; God heard it and was mindful to grant the petition of His servant. God promised the king complete healing. Within three days Hezekiah would be able to be up and about and able to worship the Lord in the appointed place (2 Kings 20:5). But God did more than the king had asked or even dreamed. He had asked for nothing more than immediate escape from death. God granted him fifteen additional years of life which, in effect, would more than double the length of his reign. Furthermore, God promised to deliver Hezekiah and Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria. The inclusion of this promise in the divine answer suggests that part of the motivation for Hezekiah’s prayer petition was concern over the forthcoming and inescapable reprisals of the Assyrian king. For the sake of His reputation both in Judah and among the heathen, and for the sake of His commitment to David, Almighty God pledged Himself to be Jerusalem’s defender (2 Kings 20:6).

Isaiah directed those present in the room to place a lump of figs on the malignant boil. Figs were used as a remedy for such boils.[626] However, neither Isaiah nor those present thought that the figs alone could effect the cure. The prophetic order seems to have been more in the nature of a symbolic act such as prophets were wont to perform. The figs symbolized that from that moment forward God would gradually heal the king of his terminal malady. The servants complied with Isaiah’s instructions, and the king recovered by degrees after the manner of natural remedies. It was three days before he was well enough to leave his quarters and offer thanks in the Temple for his miraculous recovery (2 Kings 20:7).

[626] So attested by Pliny, Hist. Nat. XXII, 7 and also in the Ras Shamra texts. See Gray, OTL,p.698.

Even the prophet’s symbolic act did not fully set the mind of Hezekiah at ease with regard to his healing. Under the old covenant God frequently offered miraculous signs to substantiate promises which He made to people in desperate straits. It was well known that Isaiah had instructed Ahaz to ask for a sign to substantiate the promise that God would deliver Jerusalem from the Syro-Ephraimitic armies which invaded the land about 735 B.C. Hezekiah therefore assumed that such a sign would be granted to him and simply asked his prophetic friend what the sign was to be. Three days would be a long weary wait and the king craved some more immediate evidence that his prayer had been favorably answered. Neither God nor the prophet was angry with this request (2 Kings 20:8). It would be faithless now for Christians to demand signs; but in an age of miracles, when there were prophets upon the earth empowered to give signs, faithful men might request them without incurring God’s displeasure.

Isaiah indicated that God would use the sundial of Ahaz, perhaps clearly visible from the window of Hezekiah’s bedchamber, to give his faithful king a sign. The king could pick his sign: Shall the shadow go forward or backward ten steps? (2 Kings 20:9). Hezekiah viewed it as a comparatively easy matter for the shadow which was already descending the steps to accelerate its pace and rapidly descend ten steps. For this reason the king requested that the shadow change its direction and ascend the steps. Hezekiah’s request was natural, if not strictly logical (2 Kings 20:10). Isaiah then cried out fervently in intercessory prayer to the Lord, and God brought the shadow ten steps backward. This miracle would not necessarily involve the temporary reversal in the rotation of the earth. It is clear from 2 Chronicles 32:31 that the miracle was local, done in the land of Judah and hence not visible elsewhere. Probably a very abnormal refraction of the rays of the sun caused the retreat of the shadow on the sundial (2 Kings 20:11).

2 Kings 20:12-19

B. HEZEKIAH’S FOOLISH MISTAKE AND SUBSEQUENT REBUKE 20:12-19

**TRANSLATION

(12) At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was sick. (13) And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, the gold, the spices and precious oil and the house of all his armor and all that was found in his treasuries. There was not a thing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in his domain. (14) And Isaiah the prophet came unto King Hezekiah and said unto him, What did these men say? From whence did they come unto you? And Hezekiah said, From a distant land, they came from Babylon. (15) And he said, What have they seen in your house? And Hezekiah said, All which is in my house they have seen; there is not a thing which I did not show them in my treasuries. (16) And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD: (17) Behold days are coining when all which is in your house and which your fathers have stored away unto this day shall be carried away to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. (18) And they shall take some of your sons who shall come forth from you which you will beget, and they shall become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. (19) And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which you have spoken. And he said, Is it not so if peace and steadfastness shall come to pass in my days?

COMMENTS**

Following his recovery, Hezekiah was visited by an embassy from Berodach-baladan whose name in the Book of Isaiah is spelled Merodach-baladan (Isaiah 39:1). For some twenty years this Babylonian king had been a thorn in the flesh for the Assyrian rulers. Merodach-baladan was anxious to cultivate the friendship of any king who might be minded to rebel against the powerful Assyrians. So this king of Babylon sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah upon the occasion of his recovery. Scholars have generally concluded that the object of the embassy must have been to conclude, or at any rate to pave the way for, an alliance between Judah and Babylon. How this embassy was able to make its way from distant Babylon without being intercepted by Assyrian forces is not indicated. Some feel that because the embassy pretended to be concerned only with congratulating Hezekiah upon his recovery, the Assyrians did not attempt to interfere (2 Kings 20:12).

Hezekiah was dazzled by the attention bestowed upon him by these visitors from Babylon. He hearkened unto them, i.e., listened to their suggestions of an alliance between Judah and Babylon. Hezekiah showed the Babylonian emissaries all of his treasure. While a certain amount of pride motivated this action, Hezekiah was probably moved primarily by more practical considerations. He may have been trying to convince these guests that he would indeed be a valuable ally. No doubt the Babylonians were quite impressed with the silver, gold, spices, and precious oil and other valuables which comprised the wealth of the Judaean king. In addition to his Jerusalem treasures and armaments, Hezekiah gave orders that these ambassadors be shown the collections of arms and stores which existed in other strongholds throughout the land (2 Kings 20:13).

When the Babylonian embassy had left Jerusalem, Isaiah the prophet appeared before Hezekiah with a message of rebuke. In order to elicit from the king a confession about what had taken place, the prophet inquired concerning the visitors: What did these men say? From where did they come unto you? Hezekiah ignored the first question probably because he was unwilling to make known the overtures that he had received from them since he knew that Isaiah repudiated any reliance upon the arm of flesh. The second question the king answered somewhat smugly as he identified distant Babylon as the embassy’s point of origin (2 Kings 20:14). The prophet’s next question got to the heart of the matter: What have they seen in your house? By this the prophet means to ask whether Hezekiah had treated his guests as ordinary ambassadors, or whether instead he had courted an alliance with their master. To the credit of the king, he answered forthrightly and made no effort to conceal what had taken place. He readily acknowledged that he had shown these particular guests everything (2 Kings 20:15).

The king having admitted his folly, the stage was set for the divine word of rebuke. Hear the word of the Lord is a formula which generally introduced such solemn words of condemnation (2 Kings 20:16). Isaiah pulled back the curtain of time to reveal what the future held in store for Judah. In this case it was the very revelation which was Hezekiah’s punishmentthe knowledge that he had gotten involved with that nation which ultimately would destroy Judah. All the treasures he had boastfully displayed to the ambassadors would one day be carried off as plunder to far off Babylon (2 Kings 20:17). Hezekiah’s sons, i.e., descendants, would be carried off to become eunuchs in the court of the king of Babylon (2 Kings 20:18).

This prophecy is indeed unique and completely inexplicable in terms of human prescience. Here for the first time, it would seem, Babylon and not Assyria was identified as the true and ultimate enemy of Judah. It would be Babylon which would bring to fulfillment all the predictions of the prophets since the days of Moses concerning the deportation of the people of God and the destruction of the holy city. Yet at this period in history, Babylon was merely one of several kingdoms bordering on Assyria. From the time of Tiglath-pileser, Babylon almost continually had been under Assyrian domination. Merodach-baladan had at best a tenuous hold on independence. Human foresight would never have suspected that within a century, insignificant Babylon would have completely turned the tables on mighty Assyria. Hezekiah accepted the prophetic rebuke, thereby acknowledging that he had been in the wrong. As far as Hezekiah was concerned, the pronouncement was good because he himself was not personally involved. The king felt that God might have justly brought down on him personally some affliction or calamity in punishment for his political indiscretion. It was a relief to hear that the blow would not fall during his lifetime. The self-centeredness of this evaluation of the prophecy caused the attendants standing nearby to raise their eyebrows. Noticing their chagrin, Hezekiah turned to his courtiers to ask the rhetorical question, Is it not good, if peace and steadfastness be in my days? (2 Kings 20:19). It is not very statesman-like for the king to appear so unconcerned about the future fate of his land. But the irony here is that Isaiah said nothing about Hezekiah having peace and steadfastness during his reign. Shortly he would face the mighty Sennacherib and every fiber of his faith would be tested. Chapter 19 describes in some detail the trials of Hezekiah at the hands of Sennacherib and the sufferings experienced by Judah at that time.

2 Kings 20:20-21

IV. CONCLUSION TO THE REIGN OF HEZEKIAH 20:20-21

**TRANSLATION

(20) And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all of his might, and how he made a pool and a conduit that the water might come to the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (21) And Hezekiah slept with his fathers; and Manasseh his son reigned in his place.

COMMENTS**

Hezekiah was a powerful as well as a pious king. The author of Kings declines to discuss his might but refers the reader to his source of information, the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. Hezekiah’s might was chiefly displayed in the early part of his reign during which time he was able to make incursions into Philistine territory (cf. 2 Kings 18:8). Hezekiah was, of course, no match for Assyria, and would have been crushed by them were it not for the miraculous deliverance of God.

Hezekiah also constructed a pool or reservoir within the city of Jerusalem. That pool is probably to be identified with the pool of Siloam. Water from the Well of the Virgin in the Kidron valley was transported to this pool by an amazing conduit carved out of solid rock beneath Mt. Ophel. This twisting tunnel Isaiah 1708 feet in length and has a height varying from four to five feet and a width of about two feet. In this marvelous engineering feat, workmen began at either end of the hill and tunneled through the rock until they met in the middle. At that point they left an inscription which recounts the joy which marked the completion of the project.[627]

[627] For the inscription see DOTT, p. 210. The inscription is now preserved in the Museum of the Ancient Orient at Istanbul.

To the brief death notice of 2 Kings 20:21, the Chronicler adds, And they buried him in the chiefest (i.e., top most) of the sepulchers of the sons of David (2 Chronicles 32:33). It would seem that the catacomb of David was now full and that Hezekiah had to be buried over that catacomb or perhaps on the ascent which led to it.

SPECIAL STUDY CHRONOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN THE LAST HALF OF THE EIGHTH CENTURY

The period from Uzziah to Manasseh bristles with difficulties. These seven decades present the most perplexing problems to be found in Hebrew chronology. In this period even Edwin Thiele goes astray and concludes that the Hebrew text in at least four verses (2 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 18:1; 2 Kings 18:9-10) is in error.[628] The most satisfactory reconstruction of this chronology is that offered by Harold G. Stigers.[629] The brief notes which follow and the chart which accompanies this special study are based on the study of Stigers.

[628] Thiele, MNHK, pp. 118ff. [629] The Interphased Chronology of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah and Hoshea, BETS, IX-(Spring, 1966), pp. 81-90.

The following explanatory notes should be studied carefully along with the accompanying chart. For amplification and defense of the various points made, see the article by Stigers cited above.

1. 1 Kings 15:27. Pekah commenced his independent reign in the fifty-second year of Uzziah (Azariah). Pekah ruled a total of twenty years counting from 752 B.C. when he set up a rival dynasty in Gilead. Thus his rule in Samaria actually lasted twelve years.

2. 2 Kings 15:30. Hoshea began to reign in the twentieth and final year of Jotham (732 B.C.). Jotham’s reign is counted from the time he virtually assumed the reins of government from his father in 750 B.C.

3. 2 Kings 17:1. Hoshea ruled nine years, from 732-722 B.C. The beginning of his reign fell in the twelfth year of Ahaz. In this synchronism the years of Ahaz are counted from the beginning of his coregency in 743 B.C.

4. 2 Kings 15:32-33. Jotham reigned sixteen years, com mencing in the second year of Pekah, 750 B.C. The last four years of the reign of Jotham are here disregarded (cf. 2 Kings 15:30) because Ahaz had seized all the royal power from his father in 735 B.C. As the prophetic historians in Israel viewed things, Jotham reigned twenty years; but the prophetic histor ians in Judah regarded his active or effectual reign as being only sixteen years.

5. 2 Kings 16:1-2. Ahaz ruled sixteen years commencing in the seventeenth year of Pekah (735 B.C.). Here again the Judaean prophetic historians were concerned only with the actual years of Ahaz’s power. They disregard here twelve years of his coregency with Jotham and four years of his emeritus reign after his son Hezekiah had seized the royal power. The sixteen years in view here are 735-720 B.C. Counting the years of Ahaz’s coregency and his emeritus years his dates would be 743-715 B.C.

6. 2 Kings 18:1-2. Hezekiah began to reign as coregent in the third year of Hoshea (728 B.C.). But his absolute reign of twenty-nine years is counted from 715 B.C. when Hezekiah became sole king. Thus the twenty-nine years of Hezekiah would terminate in 686 B.C. The key here Isaiah 2 Kings 18:13 which indicates that the 701 B.C. invasion of Sennacherib took place in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah.

7. 2 Kings 18:9-10. The seventh and ninth years of Hoshea are here equated with the fourth and sixth years of Hezekiah’s coregency.

8. The total number of years assigned to the kings following Hezekiah and down to the deportation of Jehoiachin in 597 B.C. is ninety-nine years and six months. Yet from the end of Hezekiah’s reign in 686 unto 597 B.C. is ninety years. Therefore, one (or more) of the six kings who reigned between 686 and 597 B.C. must have ruled for nine years as coregent with his father. Because of the circumstances of their accession, five of these kings could not possibly have reigned as coregents. By the process of elimination one can conclude that Manasseh must have served as coregent with Hezekiah for about nine years before he ascended the throne in 686 B.C.