2 Kings 20 KJV: Healing, Signs, and the Pride of a King
2 Kings 20 documents Hezekiah’s miraculous recovery from a terminal illness and the sign of the sun’s shadow moving backward. It concludes with the king’s foolish decision to show the Babylonian envoys all his treasures, triggering a prophecy of Judah's future captivity.
v1-11: Hezekiah’s Sickness and the Miracle of the Sun
v12-19: The Babylonian Envoys and the Prophecy of Exile
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed 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 armor, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.
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.
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 showed them.
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.
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.
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?
And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
Witness the power of prayer to extend a life and the subtle pride that can compromise the safety of future generations. Begin your study with 2 kings 20 summary.
The 'shadow on the dial' moving backward was a cosmic sign that God can reverse the seemingly irreversible, including time and death. The 'Word Secret' is *Keli*, referring to 'vessels' or 'treasures,' which Hezekiah turned into a display of personal ego rather than divine glory. Discover the riches with 2 kings 20 commentary, containing expert led word study (original greek/hebrew) and passage level analysis.
Unlock the hidden 2 kings 20 1 meaning and summary by exploring context, analyzing original greek and hebrew words, and studying cross references of each verse.
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