2 Kings20
English Standard Version
Tap any underlined word for the original Hebrew or Greek.
1 became and was at the point of . And the the of to him and to him, the Lord, your in , for you shall ; you shall .
2 Then Hezekiah his to the and to the Lord, ,
3 , O Lord, how I have you in and with a , and have what is in your . And .
4 And had gone of the , the of the Lord to him:
5 Turn , and to the of my , the Lord, the of your : I have your ; I have your . , I will you. On the you shall to the of the Lord,
6 and I will to your . I will you and this out of the of the of , and I will this for my own and for my .
7 And , a of . And let them and it on the , that he may .
8 And to , What shall be the that the Lord will me, and that I shall to the of the Lord on the ?
9 And , shall be the to you from the Lord, that the Lord will the that he has : shall the , or go ?
10 And , It is an easy for the to . let the .
11 And the to the Lord, and he the , which it had gone on the of .
12 At that the of , of , envoys with and a to , for he that had been .
13 And them, and he them his , the , the , the , the , his , that was in his . There was in his or in his that did them.
14 Then the to , and to him, did these ? And from did they to you? And , They have from a , from .
15 He , have they in your ? And , They have that is in my ; there is in my that I did not them.
16 Then to , the of the Lord:
17 , the are , when that is in your , and that which your have up till this , shall be to . shall be , the Lord.
18 And of your own , be to you, shall be , and they shall be in the of the of .
19 Then to , The of the Lord that you have is . For he , Why not, there will be and in my ?
20 The of the of and his and how he the and the and into the , are they not in the of the of the of ?
21 And with his , and his in his place.
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2 Kings 20Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 2 Kings 20. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Hezekiah's sickness, His recovery in answer to prayer. (1–11). Hezekiah shows his treasures to the ambassadors from Babylon, His death. (12–21).
vv1-11
Hezekiah was sick unto death, in the same year in which the king of Assyria besieged Jerusalem. A warning to prepare for death was brought to Hezekiah by Isaiah. Prayer is one of the best preparations for death, because by it we fetch in strength and grace from God, to enable us to finish well. He wept sorely: some gather from hence that he was unwilling to die; it is in the nature of man to dread the separation of soul and body. There was also something peculiar in Hezekiah's case; he was now in the midst of his usefulness. Let Hezekiah's prayer, see Isa 38. interpret his tears; in that is nothing which is like his having been under that fear of death, which has bondage or torment. Hezekiah's piety made his sick-bed easy. “O Lord, remember now;” he does not speak as if God needed to be put in mind of any thing by us; nor, as if the reward might be demanded as due; it is Christ's righteousness only that is the purchase of mercy and grace. Hezekiah does not pray, Lord, spare me; but, Lord, remember me; whether I live or die, let me be thine. God always hears the prayers of the broken in heart, and will give health, length of days, and temporal deliverances, as much and as long as is truly good for them. Means were to be used for Hezekiah's recovery; yet, considering to what a height the disease was come, and how suddenly it was checked, the cure was miraculous. It is our duty, when sick, to use such means as are proper to help nature, else we do not trust God, but tempt him. For the confirmation of his faith, the shadow of the sun was carried back, and the light was continued longer than usual, in a miraculous manner. This work of wonder shows the power of God in heaven as well as on earth, the great notice he takes of prayer, and the great favour he bears to his chosen.
vv12-21
The king of Babylon was at this time independent of the king of Assyria, though shortly after subdued by him. Hezekiah showed his treasures and armour, and other proofs of his wealth and power. This was the effect of pride and ostentation, and departing from simple reliance on God. He also seems to have missed the opportunity of speaking to the Chaldeans, about Him who had wrought the miracles which excited their attention, and of pointing out to them the absurdity and evil of idolatry. What is more common than to show our friends our houses and possessions? But if we do this in the pride of ours hearts, to gain applause from men, not giving praise to God, it becomes sin in us, as it did in Hezekiah. We may expect vexation from every object with which we are unduly pleased. Isaiah, who had often been Hezekiah's comforter, is now is reprover. The blessed Spirit is both, Joh 16:7, 8. Ministers must be both, as there is occasion. Hezekiah allowed the justice of the sentence, and God's goodness in the respite. Yet the prospect respecting his family and nation must have given him many painful feelings. Hezekiah was indeed humbled for the pride of his heart. And blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; for they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them.
Key Words
הֵם: they (only used when emphatic)
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
חִזְקִיָּה: Chizkijah, a king of Judah, also the name of two other Israelites
חָלָה: properly, to be rubbed or worn; hence (figuratively) to be weak, sick, afflicted; or (causatively) to grieve, make sick; also to stroke (in flattering), entreat
מוּת: to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
יְשַׁעְיָה: Jeshajah, the name of seven Israelites
נָבִיא: a prophet or (generally) inspired man
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אָמוֹץ: Amots, an Israelite
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
Cross References
2 Kings 20The parallel account of Hezekiah's sickness and recovery, containing his personal thanksgiving song.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The exact parallel prophetic account of the Babylonian embassy and Isaiah's subsequent rebuke.
Supported by JFB
Chronicles parallel summarizing Hezekiah's sickness, the miracle of recovery, and his heart's pride.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Explains God left Hezekiah to test him during the visit of the Babylonian ambassadors.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The conditional promise to David's line that Hezekiah pleads before God in prayer.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Verbatim promise of God defending Jerusalem for His own sake and for David's sake.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Provides details on Hezekiah's engineering feat of routing the upper watercourse of Gihon.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The major Old Testament parallel where God alters the sun's natural course for His servants.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Fulfillment where Nebuchadnezzar carries all the treasures of Jerusalem's temple to Babylon.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Fulfillment of the prophecy that Hezekiah's descendants would be eunuchs in Babylon's palace.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Illustrates that conditionally expressed prophetic warnings can be averted through repentance and prayer.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Shows Manasseh was born three years after this extension, during Hezekiah's fifteen added years.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The parallel detail from Isaiah specifying the application of a lump of figs to the boil.
Supported by JFB
Eli's similar submissive response to divine judgment: 'It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.'
Supported by Matthew Henry