2Ki 20:1-6 | Clarke | e4.org | CHAPTER XX Hezekiah's sickness, and the message of the prophet to him, to prepare for death , 1. His distress and prayer to God , 2, 3. The Lord hears, and promises to add fifteen years to his life, and Isaiah prescribes a means of cure , 4-7. Hezekiah seeks a sign; and to assure him of the truth of God's promise, the shadow on the dial of Ahaz goes back ten degrees , 8-11. The King of Babylon sends a friendly message to Hezekiah, to congratulate him on his recovery; and to these messengers he ostentatiously shows all his treasures , 12, 13. Isaiah reproves him, and foretells that the Babylonians will come and take away all those treasures, and take the people into captivity; and degrade the royal family of Judah , 14-18. Hezekiah bows to the Divine judgment , 19. His acts and death , 20, 21. NOTES ON CHAP. XX Verse 1. Set thine house in order ] It appears from the text that he was smitten with such a disorder as must terminate in death , without the miraculous interposition of God: and he is now commanded to set his house in order , or to give charge concerning his house ; to dispose of his affairs, or in other words, to make his will ; because his death was at hand. "This sickness," says Jarchi , "took place three days before the defeat of Sennacherib." That it must have been before this defeat, is evident. Hezekiah reigned only twenty-nine years, . He had reigned fourteen years when the war with Sennacherib began, , and he reigned fifteen years after this sickness, ; therefore 14+15=29, the term of his reign. Nothing can be clearer than this, that Hezekiah had reigned fourteen years before this time; and that he did live the fifteen years here promised. That Hezekiah's sickness happened before the destruction of Sennacherib's army, is asserted by the text itself: see .

‏ 2 Kings 20:1-6

CHAPTER XX

Hezekiah's sickness, and the message of the prophet to him, to prepare for death, 1.

His distress and prayer to God, 2, 3.

The Lord hears, and promises to add fifteen years to his life, and Isaiah prescribes a means of cure, 4-7.

Hezekiah seeks a sign; and to assure him of the truth of God's promise, the shadow on the dial of Ahaz goes back ten degrees,

8-11.

The King of Babylon sends a friendly message to Hezekiah, to congratulate him on his recovery; and to these messengers he ostentatiously shows all his treasures, 12, 13.

Isaiah reproves him, and foretells that the Babylonians will come and take away all those treasures, and take the people into captivity; and degrade the royal family of Judah, 14-18.

Hezekiah bows to the Divine judgment, 19.

His acts and death, 20, 21.

NOTES ON CHAP. XX

Verse 1. Set thine house in order] It appears from the text that he was smitten with such a disorder as must terminate in death, without the miraculous interposition of God: and he is now commanded to set his house in order, or to give charge concerning his house; to dispose of his affairs, or in other words, to make his will; because his death was at hand. "This sickness," says Jarchi, "took place three days before the defeat of Sennacherib." That it must have been before this defeat, is evident. Hezekiah reigned only twenty-nine years, 2Ki 18:2. He had reigned fourteen years when the war with Sennacherib began, 2Ki 18:13, and he reigned fifteen years after this sickness, 2Ki 20:6; therefore 14+15=29, the term of his reign. Nothing can be clearer than this, that Hezekiah had reigned fourteen years before this time; and that he did live the fifteen years here promised. That Hezekiah's sickness happened before the destruction of Sennacherib's army, is asserted by the text itself: see 2Ki 20:6.

Verse 3. I beseech thee, O Lord] Hezekiah knew that, although the words of Isaiah were delivered to him in an absolute form, yet they were to be conditionally understood, else he could not have prayed to God to reverse a purpose which he knew to be irrevocable. Even this passage is a key to many prophecies and Divine declarations: see chap. 18 of Jeremiah.

Hezekiah pleads his uprightness and holy conduct in his own behalf. Was it impious to do so? No; but it certainly did not savour much either of humility or of a due sense of his own weakness. If he had a perfect heart, who made it such?-God. If he did good in God's sights who enabled him to do so?-God. Could he therefore plead in his behalf dispositions and actions which he could neither have felt nor practiced but by the power of the grace of God? I trow not. But the times of this ignorance God winked at. The Gospel teaches us a different lesson.

Wept sore.] How clouded must his prospects of another world have been! But it is said that, as he saw the nation in danger from the Assyrian army, which was then invading it, and threatened to destroy the religion of the true God, he was greatly affected at the news of his death, as he wished to live to see the enemies of God overthrown. And therefore God promises that he will deliver the city out of the hands of the king of Assyria, at the same time that he promises him a respite of fifteen years, 2Ki 20:6. His lamentation on this occasion may be seen in Isaiah, Isa 38:9-22.

Verse 4. Into the middle court] hatstser, the court. This is the reading of the Masoretic Keri: haair, "of the city," is the reading of the text, and of most MSS.; but the versions follow the Keri.

Verse 6. I will add unto thy days fifteen years] This is the first and only man who was ever informed of the term of his life. And was this a privilege! Surely no. If Hezekiah was attached to life, as he appears to have been, how must his mind be affected to mark the sinking years! He knew he was to die at the end of fifteen years; and how must he feel at the end of every year, when he saw that so much was cut off from life? He must necessarily feel a thousand deaths in fearing one. I believe there would be nothing wanting to complete the misery of men, except the place of torment, were they informed of the precise time in which their lives must terminate. God, in his abundant mercy, has hidden this from their eyes.