2 Kings 20 - Study the King James Bible

In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.

those days. About the time of the second invasion (2 Kings 18:13 ), but before the deliverance of 2 Kings 19:35 .
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
Set thine house in order = Give charge concerning thine house. See the Structure of Isa 36:39 .
die, and not live. Figure of speech Pleonasm ( App-6 ), a double emphasis.

Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,

he. Some codices, with four early printed editions, Septuagint, and Syriac, read "Hezekiah".
prayed. See note on 2 Kings 20:15 . See his references to this in his "Songs of the degrees" (Psalms 120:1 ; Psalms 123:1-3 ; Psalms 130:1 , Psalms 130:2 ); and App-67 .

I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

walked = walked to and fro: i.e. habitually walked.
a perfect = whole, or undivided.
wept sore. Hebrew "wept with a great weeping" = wept bitterly. Figure of speech Polyptoton. App-6 . See note on Genesis 26:28 .

And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying,

came. The only occurrence of this in the case of Isaiah. Compare Genesis 15:1 .

Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.

God of David (Hebrew. Elohim. This tells us the nature of Hezekiah's prayer. He had no heir to the throne, but remembered Jehovah's word to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 . Hence his anxiety, as manifested in his "Songs of the degrees". Compare Psalms 127:3-5 ; Psalms 138 ; Psalms 132 . See App-67 . (Manasseh not born till three years later, 600 B.C.)
behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. Introducing the fivefold ( App-10 ) promise and answer to his prayer in verses: 2 Kings 20:5 and 2 Kings 20:6 .
go up, &c. This also must have been a subject of prayer.

And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.

fifteen years. 603-588 B.C.
defend = be a shield to. Compare 2 Kings 19:34 .
My servant David's sake. See note on 2 Kings 20:5 and Psalms 132 .

And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

lump = cake, or plaister.

And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?

What shall be the sign . . . ? Contrast Ahaz (Isaiah 7:11 , Isaiah 7:12 ).
go up into the house of the LORD. See note on 2 Kings 19:14 , and App-67 .

And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forth ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?

degrees. It is to these degrees that Hezekiah's fifteen Songs refer (Psa 120 - 134). The word "degrees" is repeated here six times (in the history), but five times in Isaiah's gracious words ( 2Ki 38:8 ).

10.

And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.

down = forward (2 Kings 20:9 ).

11.

And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.

dial = degrees.
Ahaz. See note on 2 Kings 20:8 .

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 had been sick.

Berodaeh. Some codices, with Septuagint and Syriac, read "Merodach". Compare Isaiah 39:1 .
king of Babylon. First occurrence of this title. Babylon and Nineveh the two great cities competing henceforward for supremacy in Assyria. Finally settled by Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar, "the head of gold" (Daniel 2:37 , Daniel 2:38 ).
sent letters and a present. These did what the king of Assyria and the king of terrors could not do.

13.

And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.

hearkened. He did not pray as in 2 Kings 20:2 , or as in 2 Kings 19:15 . See the notes and Isaiah 39:2 , "was glad".
all. Some codices, with Syriac and Vulgate, omit this "all".
his. The depletion of 2 Kings 18:15 , 2 Kings 18:16 was not of "his" house, but of the house of Jehovah as well as "the king's house".
and. Note the Figure of speech Polysyndeton ( App-6 ) emphasizing each item.
all the house of his armour = all his armoury.
treasures = treasuries.

14.

Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

Then came Isaiah. He was to Hezekiah what Nathan was to David (2 Samuel 12:1 ).
What said . . . ? Figure of speech Anthropopatheia : for God knew who the men were, and what they had said.
a far country. Some codices, with three early printed editions, Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulg, add "unto me".

15.

And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.

16.

And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.

17.

Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house,and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.
into Babylon. Compare 2 Chronicles 33:11 , and see note on 2 Kings 20:12 . A remarkable prophecy, as Babylon was of little account as yet (compare Isaiah 39:6 ). The return from Babylon was also foretold ( Isa 48:49 ).

18.

And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

they. Hebrew text reads "he". But some codices with 3 early printed editions, read "they". Compare Isaiah 39:7 .
eunuchs: i.e. courtiers, chamberlains, &c. Compare Genesis 37:36 and Daniel 1:3 , Daniel 1:4 .

19.

Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?

Good. Hezekiah's submission was like Eli's. Compare 1 Samuel 3:18 .
Is it not good, if: or, Is it not that, &c. Figure of speech Erotesis. Septuagint reads "Let there be good".

20.

And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

a pool = the pool. Compare 2 Kings 18:17 . The pool of Siloam fed by the conduit mentioned below.
a Conduit = the conduit. A long underground channel discovered by Sir Charles Warren (in 1867) running from Gihon (now the Virgin's Fount) down to Siloam. An inscription found in it describes the making of it. Compare 2 Chronicles 32:30 .
brought water = brought the water. This is referred to by Hezekiah in Psalms 46:4 , where it is contrasted with the raging waters of 2 Kings 20:3 . Compare this with Isaiah 8:6-8 .

21.

And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

slept with his fathers. See note on Deuteronomy 31:16 .