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Texts -- 2 Kings 20:11-21 (NET)

Context
20:11 Isaiah the prophet called out to the Lord , and the Lord made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairs of Ahaz .
Messengers from Babylon Visit Hezekiah
20:12 At that time Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan , king of Babylon , sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah , for he had heard that Hezekiah was ill . 20:13 Hezekiah welcomed them and showed them his whole storehouse , with its silver , gold , spices , and high quality olive oil , as well as his armory and everything in his treasuries . Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and in his whole kingdom . 20:14 Isaiah the prophet visited King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did these men say ? Where do they come from ?” Hezekiah replied , “They come from the distant land of Babylon .” 20:15 Isaiah asked , “What have they seen in your palace ?” Hezekiah replied , “They have seen everything in my palace . I showed them everything in my treasuries .” 20:16 Isaiah said to Hezekiah , “Listen to the word of the Lord , 20:17 ‘Look , a time is coming when everything in your palace and the things your ancestors have accumulated to this day will be carried away to Babylon ; nothing will be left ,’ says the Lord . 20:18 ‘Some of your very own descendants whom you father will be taken away and will be made eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon .’” 20:19 Hezekiah said to Isaiah , “The Lord’s word which you have announced is appropriate .” Then he added , “At least there will be peace and stability during my lifetime .” 20:20 The rest of the events of Hezekiah’s reign and all his accomplishments , including how he built a pool and conduit to bring water into the city , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah . 20:21 Hezekiah passed away and his son Manasseh replaced him as king .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Hezekiah

    [ebd] whom Jehovah has strengthened. (1.) Son of Ahaz (2 Kings 18:1; 2 Chr. 29:1), whom he succeeded on the throne of the kingdom of Judah. He reigned twenty-nine years (B.C. 726-697). The history of this king is contained in 2 Ki...
    [smith] (the might of Jehovah). Twelfth king of Judah, son of the apostate Ahaz and Abi or Abijah, ascended the throne at the age of 25, B.C. 726. Hezekiah was one of the three most perfect kings of Judah. (2 Kings 18:5) Ecclus. ...
    [nave] HEZEKIAH 1. King of Judah, 2 Kin. 16:20; 18:1, 2; 1 Chr. 3:13; 2 Chr. 29:1; Matt. 1:9. Religious zeal of, 2 Chr. 29; 30; 31. Purges the nation of idolatry, 2 Kin. 18:4; 2 Chr. 31:1; 33:3. Restores the true forms of worshi...

  • ISAIAH, 1-7

    [isbe] ISAIAH, 1-7 - i-za'-ya, i-zi'-a: 1. Name 2. Personal History 3. Call 4. Literary Genius and Style 5. Traditions concerning His Martyrdom 6. Period 7. Analysis and Contents 8. Isaiah's Prophecies Chronologically Arranged 9. T...

  • ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 3

    [isbe] ISRAEL, HISTORY OF, 3 - V. Period of the Separated Kingdoms. 1. Contrasts and Vicissitudes of the Kingdoms: The two separated kingdoms differed materially. The kingdom of Ephraim was the more powerful of the two. It embraced...

  • KINGS, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] KINGS, BOOKS OF - || I. TITLE II. SCOPE III. CHARACTER OF BOOKS AND POSITION IN THE HEBREW CANON 1. Purpose 2. Character of Data IV. HISTORICAL VALUE 1. Treatment of Historical Data 2. Chronology 3. Value of Assyrian Records...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • JUDAH, KINGDOM OF

    [isbe] JUDAH, KINGDOM OF - || I. CANAAN BEFORE THE MONARCHY 1. The Coming of the Semites 2. The Canaanites 3. The Israelite Confederacy 4. Migration into Canaan 5. The Bond of Union 6. Early Rulers 7. The Judges 8. Hereditary Kings...

  • HEZEKIAH (2)

    [isbe] HEZEKIAH (2) - (chizqiyah, "Yahweh has strengthened"; also written chizqiyahu, "Yah has strengthened him"; Hezekias): One of the greatest of the kings of Judah; reigned (according to the most self-consistent chronology) from...

  • Temptation

    [nave] TEMPTATION. Gen. 3:1-13; Gen. 20:6; Ex. 34:12 vs. 13-16.; Deut. 7:25; Deut. 8:11-14, 17, 18; Deut. 13:3; 1 Chr. 21:1; 2 Chr. 32:30, 31; Psa. 119:165; Prov. 1:10-17; Prov. 2:10-12, 16; Prov. 4:14, 15; Prov. 5:6-21; Prov. 6:2...

  • SENNACHERIB

    [isbe] SENNACHERIB - se-nak'-er-ib (cancheribh; Sennachereim, Assyrian Sin-akhierba, "the moon-god Sin has increased the brothers"): Sennacherib (704-682 BC) ascended the throne of Assyria after the death of his father Sargon. Appr...

  • Isaiah

    [nave] ISAIAH, called also Esaias. Son of Amos, Isa. 1:1. Prophesies in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, Isa. 1:1; 6:1; 7:1, 3; 14:27; 20:1; 36:1; 38:1; 39:1; at the time of the invasion by Tartan, of...

  • Babylon, kingdom of

    [ebd] called "the land of the Chaldeans" (Jer. 24:5; Ezek, 12:13), was an extensive province in Central Asia along the valley of the Tigris from the Persian Gulf northward for some 300 miles. It was famed for its fertility and its...

  • Rich, The

    [nave] RICH, THE: Neh. 5:1-13; Job 21:7-15; Job 27:13-23; Job 31:24, 25, 28; Psa. 49:16-18; Psa. 52:1-7; Psa. 73:3-22; Prov. 14:20; Prov. 18:11, 23; Prov. 28:11; Eccl. 5:13, 14, 19, 20; Jer. 5:7-9, 27-29; Jer. 9:23; Jer. 17:11; Je...

  • ALLIANCE

    [isbe] ALLIANCE - a-li'-ans. 1. In the Patriarchal Stories: Frequent references are made to alliances between the patriarchs and foreigners. Abraham is reported to have had "confederates" among the chiefs of the Canaanites (Gen 14:...

  • Babylon

    [nave] BABYLON City of Built by Nimrod, Gen. 10:10. In the land of Shinar, Gen. 10:10; 11:2. Tower of, Gen. 11:1-9. Capital of the kingdom of Babylon, Dan. 4:30; 2 Kin. 25:13; 2 Chr. 36:6, 7, 10, 18, 20. Gates of, Isa. 45:1, 2...

  • Dial

    [ebd] for the measurement of time, only once mentioned in the Bible, erected by Ahaz (2 Kings 20:11; Isa. 38:8). The Hebrew word (ma'aloth) is rendered "steps" in Ex. 20:26, 1 Kings 10:19, and "degrees" in 2 Kings 20:9, 10, 11. Th...
    [smith] "An instrument for showing the time of day from the shadow of a style or gnomon on a graduated arc or surface; "rendered" steps" in Authorized Version, (Exodus 20:26; 2 Kings 10:19) and "degrees," (2 Kings 20:9,10,11; I...
    [nave] DIAL, a contrivance for indicating time by the sun's rays, 2 Kin. 20:11; Isa. 38:8. See: Sun-dial.

  • Prophecy

    [nave] PROPHECY Concerning Jesus, See: Jesus. Concerning church, See: Church, Prophecies Concerning Prosperity of. Relating to various countries, nations, and cities, see under their respective titles. Respecting individuals, see...

  • BALADAN

    [ebd] he has given a son, the father of the Babylonian king (2 Kings 20:12; Isa. 39:1) Merodach-baladan (q.v.).
    [isbe] BALADAN - bal'-a-dan bal'adhan, "He (i.e. Merodach) has given a son": Baladan is said in 2 Ki 20:12 and Isa 39:1 to have been the father of Berodach (Merodach)-Baladan, king of Babylon. Some have thought that the Biblical. w...

  • Spices

    [ebd] aromatic substances, of which several are named in Ex. 30. They were used in the sacred anointing oil (Ex. 25:6; 35:8; 1 Chr. 9:29), and in embalming the dead (2 Chr. 16:14; Luke 23:56; 24:1; John 19:39, 40). Spices were sto...
    [nave] SPICES In the formula for the sacred oil, Ex. 25:6; 35:8. Stores of, 2 Kin. 20:13. Used in the temple, 1 Chr. 9:29. Exported from Gilead, Gen. 37:25. Sent as a present by Jacob to Joseph, Gen. 43:11. Presented by the qu...

  • Merodach-baladan

    [ebd] Merodach has given a son, (Isa. 39:1), "the hereditary chief of the Chaldeans, a small tribe at that time settled in the marshes at the mouth of the Euphrates, but in consequence of his conquest of Babylon afterwards, they b...
    [nave] MERODACH-BALADAN, called Berodach-baladan, king of Persia. Sends congratulatory letters and a present to Hezekiah, 2 Kin. 20:12; Isa. 39:1.

  • Condolence

    [nave] CONDOLENCE. Instances of David, to Hanun, 2 Sam. 10:2. King of Babylon, to Hezekiah, 2 Kin. 20:12, 13. The three friends of, to Job, Job 2:11. Jesus, to Mary and Martha, John 11:23-35. See: Afflictions and Adversities,...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Israel's continuing success led her enemies to exert increasing opposition against the people of God. This chapter records the Canaanites' first aggressive action against the Israelites.10:1-5 The Jebusites lived in and aroun...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • (Continued from notes on 1 Kings)3. Ahaziah's evil reign in Israel -1 Kings 22:51-2 Kings 1:184. Jehoram's evil reign in Israel 2:1-8:155. Jehoram's evil reign in Judah 8:16-246. Ahaziah's evil reign in Judah 8:25-9:29C. The ...
  • Merodach-baladan ruled as king of Babylon for two terms, 721-710 and 703-702 B.C. The event recorded in these verses evidently took place in 702 B.C.124Hezekiah appears to have let his visitors know the extent of Judah's fina...
  • Josiah began to seek Yahweh when he was 16 years old and began initiating religious reforms when he was 20 (2 Chron. 34:3-7). His reforms were more extensive than those of any of his predecessors. One of them was the repair o...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. "An Interpretation of the Babylonian Exile: A Study of 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-39."Scottish Journal of Theology27:3:(August 1974):329-52.Albright, William F. The Archaeology of Palestine. 1949. Revised ed. Pel...
  • In a few details this account differs from the one in 2 Kings 18-20 and Isaiah 36-37. It was after Hezekiah's acts of faithfulness that God tested his trust (v. 1). Many of Judah's other good kings had followed God faithfully...
  • Hezekiah fell short to being the perfect Son of David just like all the rest of Judah's monarchs. Yet when his heart did become proud because of God's blessings, he humbled himself (vv. 25-26). Consequently God postponed his ...
  • The texts of the individual psalms do not usually indicate who wrote them.1However some of the titles of the individual psalms do contain information about the writers.2This is the only really reliable information we have as ...
  • Chapters 36-39 conclude the section of the book dealing with the issue of trust by giving historical proof that Yahweh will protect those who trust in Him. In these chapters, King Hezekiah represents the people of Judah.344Th...
  • This chapter has many similarities to 2 Kings 24:18-25:30 with the exception of 25:22-26, the story of Gedaliah's assassination (cf. chs. 40-41). This chapter forms a fitting conclusion to the book since it records the fulfil...
  • 16:15 However, Jerusalem became self-centered and unfaithful to the Lord; she forgot Him when she became preoccupied with His blessings (cf. Deut. 6:10-12; 8). She went after every people that passed by rather than remaining ...
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