2 Kings 20 explained: A King Given Fifteen More Years

A death sentence (vv. 1-3)

Isaiah tells the gravely ill Hezekiah to settle his affairs, because he will not recover. Hezekiah turns to the wall, probably to pray privately from his bed, and weeps as he reminds God of his faithful life.

The answer comes quickly (vv. 4-7)

Before Isaiah has even left the palace courtyard, he is sent back to say God will heal the king, add fifteen years and protect Jerusalem from Assyria for the sake of the promise to King David. A paste of figs, used in the ancient world to soothe sores, is put on the boil and he recovers.

The shadow goes back (vv. 8-11)

Hezekiah asks for a sign, and the shadow moves backward ten steps on the stairway (or dial) of Ahaz, Hezekiah's father, which seems to have worked like a sundial. Scholars are unsure exactly what this structure was or how the sign happened.

Showing off to Babylon (vv. 12-15)

Babylon's king, then resisting Assyrian rule, sends letters and a gift, probably hoping for an alliance against their shared enemy. Hezekiah shows the envoys every treasure and weapon he has, and the story presents this as an unwise display.

A warning about the future (vv. 16-19)

Isaiah says all this wealth will be carried to Babylon, and some of the king's descendants will serve as castrated officials in its palace. Hezekiah calls the message good, thinking peace will at least last in his own lifetime, and readers differ on whether this sounds humble or self-focused.

The end of his reign (vv. 20-21)

Hezekiah is remembered for a pool and a tunnel that brought water inside Jerusalem's walls, and a tunnel widely linked to him still survives today. He dies and his son Manasseh becomes king.

Key verse: 2 Kings 20:5

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether God's reversal of Hezekiah's death sentence shows that prayer can truly change what God intends to do, or that the warning was always meant to draw out a prayer God already planned to answer.

Something to think about

How much do you think we owe to people who will live after us, when the results of our choices will fall on them rather than on us?