2 Kings 20 Study Notes: Hezekiah’s Illness and the Envoys from Babylon
Hezekiah becomes deathly ill, prays with tears, and the LORD grants him fifteen more years, confirming it by turning a shadow backward. After envoys from Babylon are shown all his treasures, Isaiah foretells that everything will one day go to Babylon. Hezekiah accepts the word, dies, and Manasseh succeeds him.
General
True or False: Along with healing Hezekiah, the LORD promised to rescue him and Jerusalem from the Assyrian king, for His own sake and David’s (2 Kings 20:6).
Answer: True
This is true. Besides adding fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life, the LORD promised to rescue Hezekiah and the city from the Assyrian king and to defend Jerusalem for His own sake and David’s (20:6). These are the same grounds the LORD gave in His earlier promise to defend the city (19:34). Throughout the history of Judah’s kings, the LORD kept a lamp burning for David, meaning He kept David’s royal line going, because of His promise (1 Kings 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19).
- 2 Kings 20:6 (BSB)“I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””The LORD promises added years and deliverance from Assyria for His sake and David’s.
- 2 Kings 19:34 (BSB)“I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””The LORD had already promised to defend the city on the same grounds.
- 1 Kings 15:4 (BSB)“Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.”For David’s sake the LORD kept a lamp in Jerusalem, preserving his line.
- 2 Kings 8:19 (BSB)“Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.”The LORD would not destroy Judah because of His promise to maintain a lamp for David.
Theological
True or False: The LORD’s answer to Hezekiah includes a promise to rescue him and Jerusalem from Assyria, for His own sake and David’s (2 Kings 20:6).
Answer: True
This is true. The promise of healing is joined to a promise of deliverance from Assyria, grounded in the LORD’s own sake and His servant David (20:6), the very grounds given in 19:34. Hezekiah’s life and Jerusalem’s safety alike rest on God’s covenant commitment to David’s house, the lamp He had pledged to keep burning for David (1 Kings 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19).
- 2 Kings 20:6 (BSB)“I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””The LORD promises added years and deliverance from Assyria for His sake and David’s.
- 2 Kings 19:34 (BSB)“I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””The LORD had already promised to defend the city on the same grounds.
- 1 Kings 15:4 (BSB)“Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.”For David’s sake the LORD kept a lamp in Jerusalem, preserving his line.
- 2 Kings 8:19 (BSB)“Yet for the sake of His servant David, the LORD was unwilling to destroy Judah, since He had promised to maintain a lamp for David and his descendants forever.”The LORD would not destroy Judah because of His promise to maintain a lamp for David.
General
When Hezekiah lay mortally ill, what message did Isaiah bring him from the LORD (2 Kings 20:1)?
Answer: Set your affairs in order, because you will die of this illness
At that time Hezekiah fell ill to the point of death, and Isaiah the prophet came with a word from the LORD: he was to put his household in order, because he was going to die and would not get well (20:1). The message was blunt and gave Hezekiah no hope of recovery. Scripture teaches that the LORD rules over life and death (Deuteronomy 32:39) and that our times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15). Hezekiah’s response, in the next verses, was to turn to the LORD in prayer.
- 2 Kings 20:1 (BSB)“In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’””Isaiah tells the mortally ill Hezekiah that he will die and not recover.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”The LORD declares that He brings death and gives life, the authority behind Isaiah’s message.
- Psalm 31:15 (BSB)“My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.”The psalmist confesses that his times are in God’s hands, as Hezekiah’s life is here.
Theological
What word from the LORD does Isaiah deliver to the mortally ill Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:1)?
Answer: Set your affairs in order, because you will die of this illness
Hezekiah falls mortally ill, and Isaiah brings the LORD’s word: arrange your household’s affairs, since this illness will end in death (20:1). The announcement is stated without qualification. The LORD is sovereign over death and life (Deuteronomy 32:39), and the believer’s times are in His hand (Psalm 31:15). The narrative moves at once to Hezekiah’s response, which is prayer.
- 2 Kings 20:1 (BSB)“In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’””Isaiah tells the mortally ill Hezekiah that he will die and not recover.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”The LORD declares that He brings death and gives life, the authority behind Isaiah’s message.
- Psalm 31:15 (BSB)“My times are in Your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.”The psalmist confesses that his times are in God’s hands, as Hezekiah’s life is here.
General
When envoys came from Babylon’s king, Merodach-baladan, what did Hezekiah do (2 Kings 20:12-13)?
Answer: He showed them all his treasures, his armory, and his whole realm
Babylon’s king sent Hezekiah letters along with a present, because news of his illness had reached him (20:12). Hezekiah welcomed the visitors and let them see all his stored wealth: silver, gold, spices, fine oil, and his armory too. He left nothing in the palace or the whole kingdom unshown (20:13). The LORD’s word about this visit came next, through Isaiah. Babylon, which Hezekiah would call a distant land (20:14), would one day be the land to which Judah’s people were exiled (24:16), as the prophet Micah also foretold (Micah 4:10).
- 2 Kings 20:12-13 (BSB)“At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness. And Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his armory—all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.”Babylon’s envoys arrive, and Hezekiah shows them all his treasures.
- 2 Kings 24:16 (BSB)“The king of Babylon also brought into exile to Babylon all seven thousand men of valor and a thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for battle.”The king of Babylon later carried thousands of Judah’s men into exile to Babylon.
- Micah 4:10 (BSB)“Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!”Micah foretold that the Daughter of Zion would go to Babylon.
Theological
How does Hezekiah receive the envoys sent by Babylon’s king, Merodach-baladan (2 Kings 20:12-13)?
Answer: He showed them all his treasures, his armory, and his whole realm
Merodach-baladan’s envoys arrive with letters and a present, prompted by news of Hezekiah’s illness (20:12). Hezekiah receives them and displays the entirety of his treasure house and armory, leaving nothing in palace or dominion unshown (20:13). The LORD’s word through Isaiah follows. The distant land Hezekiah names (20:14) would become the land to which Judah’s people were exiled (24:16), as Micah also foretold (Micah 4:10).
- 2 Kings 20:12-13 (BSB)“At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness. And Hezekiah received the envoys and showed them all that was in his treasure house—the silver, the gold, the spices, and the precious oil, as well as his armory—all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his palace or in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them.”Babylon’s envoys arrive, and Hezekiah shows them all his treasures.
- 2 Kings 24:16 (BSB)“The king of Babylon also brought into exile to Babylon all seven thousand men of valor and a thousand craftsmen and metalsmiths—all strong and fit for battle.”The king of Babylon later carried thousands of Judah’s men into exile to Babylon.
- Micah 4:10 (BSB)“Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!”Micah foretold that the Daughter of Zion would go to Babylon.
General
Before Isaiah was even out of the middle courtyard, what did the LORD send him back to tell Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:4-6)?
Answer: Your prayer is heard; you will recover and live fifteen more years
The LORD answered at once, sending the prophet back before he was out of the middle courtyard. He was to go to Hezekiah, whom He called the leader of His people, with a message from the God of his father David (20:4-5). The LORD had heard his prayer and seen his tears. He would heal him, and Hezekiah would return to the temple on the third day; the LORD would also give him fifteen more years of life (20:5-6). The LORD’s care for His people’s tears appears elsewhere too: the psalmist rejoices that God had heard his weeping and accepted his prayer (Psalm 6:8-9), and another psalm praises Him for bending His ear to a cry for mercy (Psalm 116:1-2).
- 2 Kings 20:4-6 (BSB)“Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””Before Isaiah leaves, the LORD sends him back to promise healing and fifteen more years.
- Psalm 6:8-9 (BSB)“Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.”The psalmist rejoices that the LORD heard his weeping and accepted his prayer, as with Hezekiah.
- Psalm 116:1-2 (BSB)“I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy. Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.”The LORD inclines His ear to His people’s plea for mercy, as He does here.
Theological
What answer does the LORD send back through Isaiah while he is still in the middle courtyard (2 Kings 20:4-6)?
Answer: Your prayer is heard; you will recover and live fifteen more years
The answer comes before Isaiah has cleared the middle courtyard (20:4). Addressing Hezekiah as leader of His people, in the name of David’s God, the LORD declares that He has heard the prayer and seen the tears; He will heal him, give him fifteen more years, and have him return to the temple on the third day (20:5-6). The sequence is a word of death, a tearful prayer, and a gracious answer. The LORD hears the weeping of His servants and accepts their prayer (Psalm 6:8-9), inclining His ear to their plea for mercy (Psalm 116:1-2).
- 2 Kings 20:4-6 (BSB)“Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’””Before Isaiah leaves, the LORD sends him back to promise healing and fifteen more years.
- Psalm 6:8-9 (BSB)“Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.”The psalmist rejoices that the LORD heard his weeping and accepted his prayer, as with Hezekiah.
- Psalm 116:1-2 (BSB)“I love the LORD, for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy. Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.”The LORD inclines His ear to His people’s plea for mercy, as He does here.
General
True or False: At Isaiah’s instruction, a fig poultice was placed on Hezekiah’s boil, and he recovered (2 Kings 20:7).
Answer: True
This is true. Isaiah told them to make a fig poultice, a paste of crushed figs placed on a sore, and they put it on Hezekiah’s boil, and he recovered (20:7). The healing was the LORD’s work, as His promise shows (20:5), and here He used a simple, ordinary remedy. Scripture often confesses that it is the LORD who wounds and heals (Deuteronomy 32:39; Job 5:18).
- 2 Kings 20:7 (BSB)“Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.”Isaiah has a fig poultice applied to Hezekiah’s boil, and he recovers.
- 2 Kings 20:5 (BSB)““Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.”The LORD had promised to heal Hezekiah.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”The LORD declares that He wounds and heals, so Hezekiah’s recovery is His work.
- Job 5:18 (BSB)“For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.”God both strikes and heals, confirming that healing comes from His hand.
Theological
True or False: Hezekiah recovered after a fig poultice was applied to his boil at Isaiah’s direction (2 Kings 20:7).
Answer: True
This is true. At Isaiah’s instruction a fig poultice is applied to the king’s boil, and he recovers (20:7). The healing is the LORD’s, as His promise in 20:5 makes clear, accomplished here through an ordinary means. God’s providence works through means without ceasing to be His own work; He is the One who wounds and heals (Deuteronomy 32:39; Job 5:18).
- 2 Kings 20:7 (BSB)“Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.”Isaiah has a fig poultice applied to Hezekiah’s boil, and he recovers.
- 2 Kings 20:5 (BSB)““Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.”The LORD had promised to heal Hezekiah.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”The LORD declares that He wounds and heals, so Hezekiah’s recovery is His work.
- Job 5:18 (BSB)“For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.”God both strikes and heals, confirming that healing comes from His hand.
General
How did Hezekiah respond to the news that he would die (2 Kings 20:2-3)?
Answer: He faced the wall, asked the LORD to remember his loyalty, and wept
Facing the wall, Hezekiah poured out a prayer. He asked the LORD to remember how he had lived before Him with faithfulness and an undivided heart, doing what pleased Him, and he wept bitterly (20:2-3). His words match the narrator’s own verdict on him: he pleased the LORD and trusted Him, holding fast to Him and keeping His commands (18:3, 18:5-6). Scripture invites God’s people to bring their distress to Him, for the LORD stays close to those who sincerely call to Him and hears their cry (Psalm 145:18-19).
- 2 Kings 20:2-3 (BSB)“Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.”Hezekiah turns to the wall, prays for the LORD to remember his faithfulness, and weeps.
- 2 Kings 18:3 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.”The narrator had already said that Hezekiah did right in the LORD’s eyes, as his prayer recalls.
- 2 Kings 18:5-6 (BSB)“Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him. He remained faithful to the LORD and did not turn from following Him; he kept the commandments that the LORD had given Moses.”Hezekiah trusted the LORD and kept His commands, the faithfulness he appeals to here.
- Psalm 145:18-19 (BSB)“The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.”The LORD is near to those who call on Him and hears their cry, as He hears Hezekiah.
Theological
What is Hezekiah’s response to the announcement of his death (2 Kings 20:2-3)?
Answer: He faced the wall, asked the LORD to remember his loyalty, and wept
Facing the wall, Hezekiah prays, appealing to his faithful and wholehearted walk before the LORD, and weeps bitterly (20:2-3). His appeal coheres with the narrator’s assessment that he did right in the LORD’s eyes, trusted Him, and kept His commands (18:3, 18:5-6). The prayer is the cry of a covenant servant to his covenant God, who stays close to those who sincerely cry to Him and hears them (Psalm 145:18-19).
- 2 Kings 20:2-3 (BSB)“Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying, “Please, O LORD, remember how I have walked before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion; I have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.”Hezekiah turns to the wall, prays for the LORD to remember his faithfulness, and weeps.
- 2 Kings 18:3 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done.”The narrator had already said that Hezekiah did right in the LORD’s eyes, as his prayer recalls.
- 2 Kings 18:5-6 (BSB)“Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him. He remained faithful to the LORD and did not turn from following Him; he kept the commandments that the LORD had given Moses.”Hezekiah trusted the LORD and kept His commands, the faithfulness he appeals to here.
- Psalm 145:18-19 (BSB)“The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.”The LORD is near to those who call on Him and hears their cry, as He hears Hezekiah.
General
How did Hezekiah respond to Isaiah’s word about Babylon (2 Kings 20:19)?
Answer: He called the word good, thinking his own days would be peaceful
Hezekiah told Isaiah that the LORD’s message he had delivered was good. The verse adds what he was thinking: surely there would be peace and safety while he himself lived (20:19). The chapter then closes Hezekiah’s reign. His other deeds, his strength, and his building of a pool and a water tunnel into the city were written in the official record of Judah’s kings, and when he died his son Manasseh became king (20:20-21). The next chapter shows Manasseh doing great evil (21:1-2), and the narrator later explains that the LORD commanded Judah’s fall because of Manasseh’s sins (24:3-4).
- 2 Kings 20:19 (BSB)“But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Will there not at least be peace and security in my lifetime?””Hezekiah calls the LORD’s word good and thinks of peace in his own lifetime.
- 2 Kings 20:20-21 (BSB)“As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool and the tunnel to bring water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh reigned in his place.”The summary of Hezekiah’s reign, his death, and Manasseh’s succession.
- 2 Kings 21:1-2 (BSB)“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.”Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son and successor, did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 24:3-4 (BSB)“Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.”Judah’s fall came at the LORD’s command because of the sins of Manasseh.
Theological
What is Hezekiah’s reply to the prophecy of the Babylonian exile (2 Kings 20:19)?
Answer: He called the word good, thinking his own days would be peaceful
Hezekiah calls the LORD’s word good, and the narrator supplies his thought: surely there will be peace and safety in his own days (20:19). The regnal summary follows, noting his might and his pool and tunnel for the city’s water (20:20), and Manasseh succeeds him (20:21). The succession is ominous: Manasseh does evil like the nations the LORD drove out (21:1-2), and the narrator later traces Judah’s removal, commanded by the LORD, to Manasseh’s sins (24:3-4).
- 2 Kings 20:19 (BSB)“But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Will there not at least be peace and security in my lifetime?””Hezekiah calls the LORD’s word good and thinks of peace in his own lifetime.
- 2 Kings 20:20-21 (BSB)“As for the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, along with all his might and how he constructed the pool and the tunnel to bring water into the city, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and his son Manasseh reigned in his place.”The summary of Hezekiah’s reign, his death, and Manasseh’s succession.
- 2 Kings 21:1-2 (BSB)“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.”Manasseh, Hezekiah’s son and successor, did evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 24:3-4 (BSB)“Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was unwilling to forgive.”Judah’s fall came at the LORD’s command because of the sins of Manasseh.
General
What sign did the LORD give to confirm His promise to heal Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:8-11)?
Answer: The shadow on Ahaz’s stairway moved backward ten steps
Hezekiah asked what sign would show that the LORD would heal him and that he would return to the temple on the third day (20:8). Isaiah offered a choice: should the shadow advance ten steps, or retreat ten? Hezekiah answered that moving forward would be easy, but going back would not (20:9-10). So Isaiah cried to the LORD, who made the shadow retreat ten steps, back over ground it had already covered on Ahaz’s stairway (20:11). The God who made the heavens rules over creation itself; nothing is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17). Scripture records another day when the LORD stopped the sun’s ordinary course for His people (Joshua 10:13).
- 2 Kings 20:8-11 (BSB)“Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?” “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.” So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.”Hezekiah asks for a sign, and the LORD turns the shadow back ten steps on Ahaz’s stairway.
- Jeremiah 32:17 (BSB)““Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!”Nothing is too difficult for the LORD who made the heavens and the earth, as this sign shows.
- Joshua 10:13 (BSB)“So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.””The LORD had once before halted the sun’s ordinary course, showing His rule over creation.
Theological
What sign confirms the LORD’s promise of healing to Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:8-11)?
Answer: The shadow on Ahaz’s stairway moved backward ten steps
Hezekiah requests a confirming sign (20:8), and Isaiah offers the shadow’s advance or retreat by ten steps; Hezekiah chooses the harder, the shadow’s return (20:9-10). At Isaiah’s cry the LORD turns the shadow back ten steps on Ahaz’s stairway (20:11). The sign displays the Creator’s sovereign rule over the created order, for whom nothing is too hard (Jeremiah 32:17), as when the sun halted in Joshua’s day (Joshua 10:13).
- 2 Kings 20:8-11 (BSB)“Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?” “It is easy for the shadow to lengthen ten steps,” answered Hezekiah, “but not for it to go back ten steps.” So Isaiah the prophet called out to the LORD, and He brought the shadow back the ten steps it had descended on the stairway of Ahaz.”Hezekiah asks for a sign, and the LORD turns the shadow back ten steps on Ahaz’s stairway.
- Jeremiah 32:17 (BSB)““Oh, Lord GOD! You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for You!”Nothing is too difficult for the LORD who made the heavens and the earth, as this sign shows.
- Joshua 10:13 (BSB)“So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? “So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.””The LORD had once before halted the sun’s ordinary course, showing His rule over creation.
General
After Hezekiah admitted showing the envoys everything, what did Isaiah say would happen (2 Kings 20:14-18)?
Answer: All of it would go to Babylon, and some of his descendants too
Isaiah questioned Hezekiah about the visitors: where were they from, and what had they seen? Hezekiah answered that they had come from far away, from Babylon, and had seen everything in his palace (20:14-15). Then Isaiah gave the LORD’s word: a day was coming when all the palace held, along with everything Hezekiah’s ancestors had saved, would be hauled to Babylon, with nothing left. Some of Hezekiah’s own descendants would be removed to serve as eunuchs, that is, castrated court servants, in the Babylonian king’s palace (20:16-18). This came true later, when Nebuchadnezzar carried off the treasures of the temple and palace, in keeping with the LORD’s word (24:13; 25:13-15), and took King Jehoiachin, a descendant of Hezekiah, to Babylon (24:15).
- 2 Kings 20:14-15 (BSB)“Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?” “They came from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.” “What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked. “They have seen everything in my palace,” answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.””Hezekiah tells Isaiah that the envoys came from Babylon and saw everything.
- 2 Kings 20:16-18 (BSB)“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.””Isaiah announces that all the treasures and some of Hezekiah’s descendants will be taken to Babylon.
- 2 Kings 24:13 (BSB)“As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD.”Nebuchadnezzar carried off the treasures of the temple and palace, as the LORD had declared.
- 2 Kings 25:13-15 (BSB)“Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service. The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.”The Babylonians broke up the temple’s bronze and carried it to Babylon, and took away its gold and silver articles.
- 2 Kings 24:15 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”Jehoiachin, of Hezekiah’s royal line, was carried away to Babylon.
Theological
What does Isaiah announce after Hezekiah’s admission about the envoys (2 Kings 20:14-18)?
Answer: All of it would go to Babylon, and some of his descendants too
Under Isaiah’s questioning Hezekiah concedes that the envoys came from distant Babylon and saw everything (20:14-15). The LORD’s word follows: all the palace treasures and the stored wealth of his fathers will be hauled off to Babylon with nothing remaining, and some of his own descendants will serve as eunuchs in the Babylonian palace (20:16-18). The prophecy is fulfilled in the Babylonian conquest, when Nebuchadnezzar carries off the temple and palace treasures in keeping with the LORD’s word (24:13; 25:13-15) and deports Jehoiachin, Hezekiah’s descendant, to Babylon (24:15).
- 2 Kings 20:14-15 (BSB)“Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, “Where did those men come from, and what did they say to you?” “They came from a distant land,” Hezekiah replied, “from Babylon.” “What have they seen in your palace?” Isaiah asked. “They have seen everything in my palace,” answered Hezekiah. “There is nothing among my treasures that I did not show them.””Hezekiah tells Isaiah that the envoys came from Babylon and saw everything.
- 2 Kings 20:16-18 (BSB)“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.””Isaiah announces that all the treasures and some of Hezekiah’s descendants will be taken to Babylon.
- 2 Kings 24:13 (BSB)“As the LORD had declared, Nebuchadnezzar also carried off all the treasures from the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he cut into pieces all the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD.”Nebuchadnezzar carried off the treasures of the temple and palace, as the LORD had declared.
- 2 Kings 25:13-15 (BSB)“Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service. The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.”The Babylonians broke up the temple’s bronze and carried it to Babylon, and took away its gold and silver articles.
- 2 Kings 24:15 (BSB)“Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”Jehoiachin, of Hezekiah’s royal line, was carried away to Babylon.