2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:1 IN THOSE DAYS. Verses 2 Kings 20:1 are a “flashback” to the time around 713–712 B.C., some 12 years before Sennacherib’s invasion and some 15 years before Hezekiah’s death (see v. 2 Kings 20:6). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:2 HEZEKIAH TURNED HIS FACE TO THE WALL. Hezekiah is in distress and wants to be left alone. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:3 PLEASE REMEMBER. The prayer is somewhat more self-centered than the one in 2 Kings 19:15, stressing the king’s own righteousness. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:4 THE MIDDLE COURT was the area between the temple and the palace. Isaiah is on his way back to the temple. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:5 ON THE THIRD DAY. This is a detail not included in Isaiah’s parallel account (Isaiah 38:5). YOU SHALL GO UP. God’s response to Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Kings 20:3) shows that many prophecies, though stated in unconditional terms (v. 2 Kings 20:1), have implied conditions. ⇐... [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:7 A CAKE OF FIGS, serving as a medicated bandage, is applied to what may have been an inflamed area. There was a belief that figs had medicinal qualities. The healing of such a serious illness (v. 2 Kings 20:1) probably included a supernatural work of God as well. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ v... [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:8 A SIGN of the promised healing is provided in the unnatural movement of a SHADOW on some STEPS associated with AHAZ (it moves BACK, even though the sun has already caused it to go DOWN the STEPS). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.g [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:13 HE SHOWED THEM ALL HIS TREASURE HOUSE. Hezekiah is evidently proud of his wealth. After the kingdom falls, though, NOTHING SHALL BE LEFT, and even some of the king’s SONS (descendants) will be taken away into exile in BABYLON. On EUNUCHS, see note on 9:32. Here the term... [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:19 WHY NOT? Hezekiah is surprisingly unmoved by Isaiah’s prophecy. All he cares about is PEACE AND SECURITY IN his DAYS. Even this “king like David” has his dark side. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 KINGS—NOTE ON 2 KINGS 20:20 THE POOL AND THE CONDUIT. The Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley was Jerusalem’s water source. A quarter-mile-long conduit brought water from there to a reservoir at the southern end of the city of David. Since this water supply lay outside the city’s walls, it could be... [ Continue Reading ]