Hezekiah
Surrounded by Assyria, he spread the enemy’s letter before God and prayed.
Old Testament · c. 715–686 BC · 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah · Also known as King of Judah
About Hezekiah
Hezekiah was king of Judah who "trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah." He tore down the shrines of idolatry, even breaking the bronze serpent Moses had made, because people burned incense to it. When the Assyrian king Sennacherib surrounded Jerusalem and mocked the God of Israel, Hezekiah took the threatening letter into the temple and spread it before the LORD. That night the Assyrian army was struck down. Later, deathly ill, he wept and prayed, and God gave him fifteen more years. Afterwards he proudly showed his treasures to envoys from Babylon.
Assyria was the superpower of the day and had already destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel. The tunnel Hezekiah dug to bring water into Jerusalem (2 Kings 20:20) can still be walked through today. The prophet Isaiah was his adviser.
The story
He trusted in the LORD
Hezekiah "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD." He removed the high places, broke the images, "and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it." "He trusted in the LORD God of Israel."
2 Kings 18:1-7
The letter before the LORD
Sennacherib’s commander mocked Judah from outside the walls: none of the gods of the nations had saved them. Hezekiah received the king’s letter, "went up into the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD," and prayed: "save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only."
2 Kings 18:17–19:19
That night
"And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand." Sennacherib returned home to Nineveh.
2 Kings 19:32-36
I have seen thy tears
Hezekiah fell ill, and Isaiah told him, "Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die." Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, prayed and "wept sore." Before Isaiah had left the court, God sent him back: "I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee… And I will add unto thy days fifteen years." As a sign, the shadow on the sundial went back ten degrees.
2 Kings 20:1-11
Key moments
- Breaks the bronze serpent: Called Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4)
- Spreads the letter before God: And prays. (2 Kings 19:14)
- Jerusalem delivered: The Assyrian army struck. (2 Kings 19:35)
- Fifteen more years: "I have seen thy tears." (2 Kings 20:5-6)
- Shows his treasures to Babylon: Isaiah warns. (2 Kings 20:13-17)
Questions about Hezekiah
In meetBible these answers are given in Hezekiah’s voice. They are written by hand and checked against Scripture.
Why did you break Moses’ bronze serpent?
Moses had made it in the wilderness, and those who looked at it lived. But "unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan." A gift from God had become an idol, so I broke it in pieces with the other images of false worship.
What did you pray when Assyria surrounded you?
I spread Sennacherib’s letter before the LORD and prayed: "O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth." I admitted that Assyria had destroyed the nations and their gods, "for they were no gods." And I asked, "save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only."
Connected people
- Isaiah: Prophet and adviser
- David: Ancestor
- Moses: Broke Moses’ bronze serpent
- Sennacherib: Besieged Jerusalem
Read it yourself
Start with 2 Kings 18–20.