2 Kings Chapter 20
God Extends Hezekiah’s Life
A. Hezekiah’s recovery.
1. Isaiah’s announcement to Hezekiah.
Second Kings 20:1, King James Version:
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.
In those days refers to the period in which the Assyrian war machine was still threatening Judah, because Jerusalem had not yet been delivered as confirmed later in the chapter. This crisis should be read alongside Isaiah chapter thirty eight, which records the same event from the prophetic perspective. Scholars have long debated the exact date, but the internal evidence suggests a date earlier than the Assyrian siege of seven hundred and one B C, likely around seven hundred and twelve B C. This timing places Hezekiah’s illness right in the heart of national turmoil, reminding the reader that even righteous leaders face personal affliction in times of national crisis.
Hezekiah was sick unto death and Scripture does not reveal the cause. God allowed the sickness to strike him and it is clear that it was not random. The illness became a divinely ordained moment that forced the king to confront his own mortality. Isaiah then delivered a direct command from God, calling the king to set thine house in order. This was not only a warning of impending death but also a mercy from God, who does not always grant such clarity to men facing the end of their earthly lives. From the dating in Second Kings eighteen verse two combined with the Lord’s granting of fifteen additional years in Second Kings twenty verse six, Hezekiah was approximately thirty nine years old when told he would die. His death at that age would have seemed premature, further intensifying his grief. Matthew Poole notes that divine declarations of judgment often include hidden conditions known only to God, meaning even a sentence of death is sometimes an invitation to seek mercy.
2. Hezekiah’s prayer.
Second Kings 20:2 through 3, King James Version:
Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, 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.
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall as a physical demonstration of earnestness. By doing so he removed all distraction, he dismissed Isaiah, and he placed himself alone before the Lord. This simple act reflects the seriousness of his pleas. His prayer begins with the words I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked. At first glance this sounds self righteous to a New Covenant ear, however Hezekiah was praying according to the theology of the Old Covenant where blessings and curses were directly tied to obedience. Scriptures such as Leviticus chapter twenty six and Deuteronomy chapter twenty eight make clear that covenant obedience brought covenant blessing, therefore the king’s appeal fits the system in which he lived. This is the same principle behind the description in Psalm fifteen verses one and two which says, Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle, who shall dwell in thy holy hill, He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. Such self referenced appeals disappear in the New Testament because the believer approaches God through the righteousness of Christ. Paul states in Galatians chapter three verses thirteen and fourteen that Christ brought the blessing through faith. Jesus Himself commanded His followers to pray in His name in John chapter sixteen verses twenty three and twenty four. Therefore Hezekiah’s prayer belongs to its covenantal setting but would not be the proper foundation for Christian prayer today.
Hezekiah wept sore because death under the Old Covenant did not carry the clarity of hope that believers possess through the gospel. Paul writes in Second Timothy chapter one verse ten that Christ brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Before that revelation men of faith did not possess the same settled confidence regarding the afterlife. Furthermore Hezekiah likely viewed his impending death as a sign of God’s displeasure. The comment by Trapp captures the New Covenant believer’s comfort when he remarks that death for the saint is like a father’s horse that carries the child home, however Hezekiah did not possess that level of assurance. His grief was intense because he believed his life and kingship were ending under a shadow of divine discipline.
3. Isaiah brings God’s answer to Hezekiah’s prayer
Second Kings 20:4 through 7, King James Version:
And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 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, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
Isaiah had scarcely left the king’s presence before God halted him in the middle court of the palace with a new word of mercy. The suddenness of the divine interruption highlights the immediacy with which God responded to the tears and prayer of His servant. Hezekiah is addressed as the captain of My people, a title affirming both his God given authority and the Lord’s personal concern. The message is grounded in covenant, for the Lord identifies Himself as the God of David thy father, reminding Hezekiah that God’s dealings with Judah flow through the Davidic covenant and its promises of preservation, protection, and future fulfillment. God declares that He has heard the prayer and has seen the tears, a reminder that fervent supplication does not sink into silence but reaches the throne of God with full clarity. The assurance I will heal thee is graciously specific, and the Lord adds a confirming sign by telling Hezekiah that he will go up to the temple on the third day, demonstrating restored strength and renewed fellowship with God. The gift of fifteen additional years is a profound extension of life, demonstrating the mercy of God when His people humble themselves.
a. I will add to your days fifteen years.
God granted Hezekiah fifteen more years of life in direct response to prayer. This miraculous extension places Hezekiah’s death around six hundred and eighty six B C, which means this promise was given around the time of the Assyrian siege. His physical recovery mirrored the recovery of Judah itself, for as he was raised up from near death, so the city was preserved from destruction. The question naturally arises whether God’s earlier declaration that Hezekiah would die was therefore false. The answer is no. First, Hezekiah truly did die, only later than the initial announcement. Second, God’s warnings often operate as invitations for repentance, as seen throughout Scripture. Divine threats of judgment are frequently conditional in purpose, calling the hearer to turn back and seek mercy. Charles Spurgeon remarks that Hezekiah suddenly found himself rich with a treasure that does not exist in any earthly chest, namely, a heavenly decree granting him fifteen more years. Yet Spurgeon warns that such prosperity becomes a severe test, often more dangerous than the letters of the Rabshakeh or the terrors of invasion. Prosperity has ruined more kings than adversity ever has.
b. I have heard your prayer.
This declaration underscores that prayer truly matters. Scripture presents prayer not as a formal exercise but as a real means by which God has chosen to act in the world. The narrative strongly implies that if Hezekiah had not prayed with earnest tears, his life would not have been prolonged. God granted two gifts. First, the gift of fifteen added years. Second, the gift of knowing the exact length of that extension. That knowledge should have stirred Hezekiah to wisdom, holiness, and diligence in ordering his kingdom and strengthening his walk with the Lord. A man who knows the numbered limit of his remaining years should live with sobriety and intentionality.
c. I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David.
God attaches a second promise to the first. As God would heal the king, so He would also deliver the nation from Assyria. This promise corresponds to earlier declarations of deliverance and therefore indicates that the events of this chapter occurred prior to the miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army recorded later. The two promises are linked. When Hezekiah rose from his sickbed, he could know with confidence that God would also rise for Judah’s defense. The Lord defends Jerusalem not because the people deserve it but for His own sake and because of His oath to David. God’s faithfulness to His covenant does not waver when His people do.
d. Take a lump of figs.
God commanded the use of a medicinal remedy. The lump of figs functioned as a poultice placed upon the boil, likely associated with the illness threatening Hezekiah’s life. The Lord often brings healing through means. To reject medicine in the name of faith is folly unless God clearly commands otherwise. Scripture consistently shows that divine sovereignty works through the natural and the supernatural alike. Here the healing is both an act of God and a result connected to an ordinary treatment applied in obedience to the prophetic instruction. God who made both soul and body may heal through miracle or through medicine according to His good pleasure.
3. God’s sign to Hezekiah: the retreating shadow
Second Kings 20:8 through 11, King James Version:
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, 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, 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, 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.
Hezekiah asked Isaiah for a confirming sign that the Lord would indeed heal him and restore him sufficiently to enter the house of the Lord on the third day. This request was not rooted in unbelief but in reverence. Hezekiah understood that one does not enter the temple casually or in weakness, therefore his ability to go up to the house of the Lord would serve as visible proof of full restoration. The king desired assurance that God’s promise would come to pass. Unlike his father Ahaz, who in false piety refused to ask for a sign, Hezekiah’s request flowed from a sincere desire to anchor his faith in God’s word. Isaiah responded that the Lord Himself would give a sign, one that would directly confirm His promise and one that Hezekiah could witness with his own eyes.
a. What is the sign that the Lord will heal me.
Hezekiah asked for a sign that directly tied his healing to his ability to return to worship in the temple. His motives were not selfish. He simply desired the assurance that his life and service were not ending. Knapp notes that Ahaz refused a sign in mock humility, but Hezekiah rightly asked for one because God had already offered miraculous assurance through His prophet. Faith does not forbid asking for confirmation when God Himself invites it.
b. This is the sign that the Lord will do this thing which He hath spoken.
God showed extraordinary mercy by granting a miraculous sign. God owed Hezekiah nothing beyond the spoken word He had already given. God could have rightly demanded unquestioning belief. Instead the Lord graciously offered an additional display of His power so that the king’s faith would be strengthened. This is consistent with God’s character throughout Scripture. He not only tells His people that He loves them, He demonstrates it in the most lavish and undeniable ways. For example, John 3:16 declares, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. In the same way Romans 5:8 proclaims, But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Thus God’s gift of a sign to Hezekiah fits His pattern of overwhelming grace toward His people.
c. Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees.
God offered a miraculous sign involving the sundial of Ahaz, the royal timekeeping device. The Lord invited Hezekiah to choose whether the shadow would move forward or backward ten degrees. Hezekiah chose the more difficult option, for shadows naturally lengthen in one direction. A backward movement would require divine intervention. The sign was fitting. God was giving Hezekiah additional time on earth, therefore He would also turn back the shadow as a physical representation of this gift. Theologians have debated the mechanics of the miracle. Knapp observes that God could reverse the rotation of the earth if He willed, just as a craftsman can turn back the hands of a clock he has made. God might also have accomplished the sign through the bending of light. Patterson and Austel conclude that no cosmic reversal is necessary since the miracle was localized to Judah as recorded in Second Chronicles 32:31 which states that the phenomenon occurred in the land. Whatever its mechanics, the event was supernatural. It was a visible confirmation that God governs time itself.
However, the miracle did not produce in Hezekiah the immediate humility it should have. Second Chronicles 32:24 through 26, King James Version, records this sobering detail:
In those days Hezekiah was sick to the death, and prayed unto the Lord, and He spake unto him, and He gave him a sign. But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up, therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
This passage shows that miraculous gifts do not automatically produce righteousness. Blessing can become a temptation if pride is not mortified.
d. So Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord, and the shadow returned backward.
The miracle occurred in direct response to Isaiah’s prayer. God granted a supernatural alteration of the sundial’s shadow, moving it backward ten degrees. This extraordinary sign confirmed the certainty of Hezekiah’s healing and the faithfulness of God’s promise. It stands as a reminder that the Creator who governs the sun, the earth, and the laws of nature also governs the lives of His people. When God makes a promise, He has absolute power to confirm it through any means He chooses.
B. Hezekiah’s reception of the Babylonian envoys
1. Hezekiah bares the riches of his kingdom out of pride
Second Kings 20:12 through 13, King James Version:
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 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.
At that time refers to the period following Hezekiah’s miraculous recovery and the gracious extension of fifteen additional years of life. The Lord healed him, restored his strength, delivered Jerusalem from the Assyrians, and gave him unmistakable assurances of divine favor. Yet although God provided the years, it was up to Hezekiah whether those years would be lived in humility and obedience. Sadly, this moment reveals that spiritual blessing does not automatically produce spiritual maturity. The Babylonian visit served as a test that exposed the pride dwelling in Hezekiah’s heart.
The king of Babylon sent letters and a present after hearing that Hezekiah had been sick and had recovered. On the surface this appears to be a diplomatic courtesy, an act of kindness between monarchs. Yet ancient commentators rightly note deeper motives. Babylonian religion revered the sun, therefore when the shadow reversed on the sundial of Ahaz, they regarded it as a supernatural act involving their own deity. Trapp remarks that their sun god had honored Hezekiah, therefore the Babylonians sent envoys to honor him as well. Wiseman notes that it was typical Babylonian protocol to convey such greetings by letter and by emissaries. But the presence of Berodachbaladan reveals far more. This king was a known political agitator striving to throw off Assyrian domination. His visit was not merely social. It was a calculated attempt to draw Judah into an anti Assyrian alliance. Josephus records this political motive and Morgan comments that Babylon sought help from the very nation whose God had defeated Assyria so decisively. The political and spiritual significance of the visit was far more dangerous than a simple exchange of goodwill.
a. At that time.
This phrase signals that Hezekiah’s pride came immediately after remarkable divine favor. God gave him more life, but the stewardship of that extended life belonged to the king. He failed to walk in the humility appropriate for one who had just received so great a mercy.
b. King of Babylon sent letters and a present.
Babylon’s gesture seemed generous, but it was also strategic. The combination of diplomacy, gifts, and personal envoys was standard Babylonian statecraft. The visit carried political implications. While appearing friendly, Babylon was courting Hezekiah as a potential ally in their rebellion against Assyria.
c. Berodachbaladan.
His personal involvement proved that the visit was designed to influence Judah politically. He was a long standing opponent of Assyria and sought support wherever he could find it. Judah appeared to be the rising power of the moment, having seen God’s supernatural deliverance. To Babylon, aligning with Hezekiah seemed advantageous.
d. And Hezekiah was pleased with them.
Here the text exposes the king’s error. Hezekiah was flattered by the attention of a rising empire. Judah was comparatively small and politically insignificant, yet Babylon, a burgeoning superpower, honored him with a royal delegation. This inflated his pride. The king’s heart lifted itself up, not in thanksgiving to God, but in self importance before men.
e. Showed them the house of his treasures.
Hezekiah responded to the envoys with unrestrained eagerness. He sought to impress them, therefore he displayed every significant treasure in the royal storehouses. The text emphasizes his total openness. He showed them the silver, the gold, the rare spices, the valuable ointments, the entire armory, and every treasure in his dominion. Nothing remained hidden. It was an unguarded disclosure born out of pride and vanity. Isaiah will later expose this as a dangerous act of self exaltation and lack of discernment. Hezekiah allowed ungodly men to see all his defenses, all his wealth, and all his resources. His motive was not spiritual but worldly. Knapp notes that the pride was not of the spiritual kind seen in Uzziah, but worldly pride, the pride of life, exalting in his wealth, armor, treasures, and royal authority. He desired to please and impress men, not to honor God.
Hezekiah faced and failed a temptation common to many, especially those in ministry or leadership, the temptation of success. Many withstand adversity but fall under the weight of prosperity. Hezekiah’s blessings were numerous. He was a godly king, a victorious leader, a man healed by God, a recipient of a miracle, a man promised long life, a man connected to the prophet Isaiah, a man who had seen the sundial sign, a man wealthy, famous, honored, and favored by God. Yet this abundance became a snare. He sinned grievously even after receiving fifteen additional years of life and a miraculous deliverance from the Assyrians. His sins in this episode include pride in the honor shown him by Babylon, ingratitude in taking for himself the glory that belonged to God, misusing his blessings for self indulgence, placing carnal confidence in a foreign alliance, and missing a profound evangelistic opportunity. Instead of testifying to the greatness of the Lord who healed him and saved Jerusalem, he glorified himself before pagan envoys. Knapp insightfully asks why Hezekiah did not show them the house of God instead of the house of his treasures. The temple displayed the glory of the Lord in every detail. The king could have explained the meaning of the altar, the sacrifices, and the covenant promises. Who knows what impact such testimony might have had upon idolaters. But Hezekiah squandered the opportunity. He showed them his treasures, not his God.
2. Isaiah brings a rebuke from God to Hezekiah
Second Kings 20:14 through 18, King James Version:
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 shewed them. Then said Isaiah unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord, 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.
Isaiah the prophet approached Hezekiah immediately after the departure of the Babylonian delegation. As a faithful shepherd of the nation and spokesman of God, Isaiah questioned the king. The questions were not for Isaiah’s information but for Hezekiah’s conviction. The prophet asked, What said these men, and from whence came they unto thee. Isaiah surely knew the answer already, yet the Spirit led him to question the king in order to draw out an honest confession and confront the pride still hidden in Hezekiah’s heart. Hezekiah replied with a tone that seems almost boastful. They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. The king’s answer subtly reveals his pride. He emphasized the prestige of the distant empire as if the esteem of Babylon elevated his own importance.
Isaiah pressed further. What have they seen in thine house. Hezekiah responded without shame. All the things that are in mine house have they seen, there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. He spoke with the delight of a country noble dazzled by the praise of foreign dignitaries. His pride was blinding. Instead of grieving that he had opened the kingdom’s defenses and wealth to pagan eyes, he boasted that he held nothing back. He seemed proud that Babylon had admired Judah. Pride had dulled his spiritual discernment.
a. What did these men say, and from where did they come to you.
Isaiah’s questions were not investigative but diagnostic. By answering them, Hezekiah revealed the condition of his heart. God led Isaiah to ask so that Hezekiah might hear his own foolishness and recognize his sin. Tragically, the king answered honestly yet remained blind to the danger.
b. They have seen all that is in my house.
Hezekiah spoke as one who enjoyed the approval of powerful men. His statement reveals the flavor of self satisfaction. He was impressed with himself because Babylon was impressed with him. Like a small town man enthralled by the admiration of metropolitan visitors, Hezekiah basked in the compliments of idolaters. His pride made him blind to the peril he had invited.
c. All that is in your house shall be carried to Babylon.
Isaiah delivered the Lord’s rebuke with solemn authority. All the wealth that Hezekiah displayed with such pride would one day be plundered. The treasures accumulated by the kings of Judah for generations would be carried away to Babylon. This prophecy was fulfilled precisely during the invasions of Nebuchadnezzar, as recorded in Second Kings 24:10 through 13 and Second Kings 25:11 through 17. Trapp observes that Hezekiah’s foolish display merely informed Babylon where to find its future plunder. Gold thirsty Babylon now knew where to have her draught. Although the fulfillment came more than a century later, it came exactly as Isaiah foretold. The accuracy of the prophecy is so exact that unbelieving critics have invented the theory of multiple Isaiahs solely to avoid acknowledging divine prediction.
d. And they shall take away some of your sons, and they shall be eunuchs.
The judgment would fall not only on treasure but on Hezekiah’s own descendants. The Babylonians would take the royal sons of Judah and make them servants in the king’s palace. The true riches of a dynasty are its sons, yet these would be taken captive. One fulfillment of this prophecy occurred when Daniel and his three companions were taken in the first deportation as recorded in Daniel 1:1 through 4, King James Version:
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes, children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace.
Because Daniel and his friends were placed under the authority of the master of eunuchs, many interpreters conclude that they were literally made eunuchs. Clarke notes that the word may also refer more broadly to palace servants, yet the context strongly suggests literal eunuch status, since ancient monarchs commonly neutered royal hostages to prevent any future dynastic threat.
Isaiah’s prophecy strikes at the heart of Hezekiah’s pride. He boasted of his wealth, and God declared that wealth would be stripped away. He rejoiced in foreign flattery, and God declared that the same foreigners would later enslave his house. Pride showed Babylon the treasures of Judah, and pride ultimately hastened the fall of Judah.
3. Hezekiah’s curious reaction and the end of his reign
Second Kings 20:19 through 21, King James Version:
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, 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.
Hezekiah’s response to the prophecy of coming Babylonian judgment is startling. When Isaiah declared that Judah’s treasures would be carried to Babylon and that Hezekiah’s own sons would become eunuchs in a foreign palace, Hezekiah replied, Good is the word of the Lord. The king treated the prophecy as acceptable because the disaster would not arrive during his own lifetime. Instead of interceding for future generations, he comforted himself with the assurance that there would be peace and truth in his own days. His statement reveals a tragic self centeredness. He was content with personal safety even if the nation would later suffer. This stands in sharp contrast to Moses and Paul, both of whom were willing to suffer for the sake of their people. Hezekiah failed to rise to that level of sacrificial leadership. His reaction demonstrates a coldness of heart that had grown in him during the fifteen additional years God granted.
a. The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.
This response exposes the sad spiritual condition into which Hezekiah had drifted. Instead of grieving the judgment destined for his descendants, instead of humbling himself in repentance, instead of pleading for mercy on Judah, he expressed personal relief. He was glad that his own life would remain peaceful. In this he showed himself almost the opposite of an others centered man. His thinking was dominated by personal comfort and personal security. The king who once trusted God boldly in the face of Assyria now spoke only of avoiding trouble for himself. It is a sobering warning. Prosperity can harden the heart far more subtly than adversity.
b. How he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city.
The narrative now turns from Hezekiah’s moral failure to his historical achievements. Scripture notes his construction of a water system that secured Jerusalem’s supply during siege. This engineering triumph, known today as Hezekiah’s tunnel, was an extraordinary accomplishment. The tunnel extends over six hundred and forty yards through solid limestone, carved simultaneously from opposite ends and meeting in the middle with remarkable precision. Wiseman notes that the tunnel was cut for six hundred forty three meters to cover a direct distance of three hundred thirty two meters, ensuring access to water within the walls during siege conditions. The famous Siloam inscription, discovered in eighteen eighty, describes the completion of the tunnel in early cursive Hebrew. It records how the quarrymen worked toward each other from opposite ends, hearing the voice of the other team through a crevice when only three cubits remained. Finally their axes broke through together and the waters began flowing from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. This inscription provides an extraordinary archaeological witness to the biblical account.
c. So Hezekiah rested with his fathers.
The chapter closes with a sober summary. Hezekiah was undoubtedly a godly king and a man of strong faith at the beginning of his reign. Second Kings 18:3 through 7 praises his devotion and his reforms. Yet although his reign was marked by genuine righteousness, his ending was not as strong as his beginning. The additional fifteen years God granted him did not produce deeper humility or greater faithfulness. This reality reminds us that age or time does not make anyone better by itself. Time simply passes. As people often say that time will tell or time will heal, Scripture teaches that time accomplishes nothing apart from how one uses it. Hezekiah used his additional years poorly. He grew self centered, careless, and less responsive to spiritual warning. Wiseman notes that Hezekiah was buried on the sloping hill where the tombs of David’s descendants were hewn because the earlier royal burial caves north of the city had already been filled. This historical detail marks the end of a king whose reign began with zeal but ended with decline. After his death, Manasseh his son reigned in his stead, a son whose wickedness would eclipse even the sins of earlier kings and whose reign would accelerate Judah’s path toward the very Babylonian judgment Isaiah prophesied.
