History · Chapter 20 of 25
2 Kings 20
Hezekiah falls mortally ill, and Isaiah tells him to set his house in order. Hezekiah prays and weeps, and God adds fifteen years to his life, confirming it with a sign: the shadow moves backward ten steps. Later, envoys from Babylon visit, and Hezekiah proudly shows them all his treasures. Isaiah announces that one day all of it, and Hezekiah's own descendants, will be carried off to Babylon.
What happens in 2 Kings 20
Hezekiah becomes deathly ill, and Isaiah brings the word that he will not recover but should prepare to die. Hezekiah turns to the wall and prays, weeping, and asking God to remember his faithful walk. Before Isaiah even leaves the courtyard, God sends him back: he has heard the prayer and seen the tears, and will heal Hezekiah and add fifteen years, delivering the city too. Isaiah applies a poultice of figs, and Hezekiah recovers.
As a sign, God makes the shadow on the dial retreat ten steps. Later, envoys from Babylon arrive with letters and a gift, and the flattered Hezekiah shows them everything, all his treasures and armory, holding nothing back. Isaiah then delivers a sobering prophecy: the day will come when all of it, and Hezekiah's own sons, will be carried to Babylon. Hezekiah accepts the word, grateful there will be peace in his own days.
2 Kings 20 in context
This chapter follows the great deliverance from Assyria, revealing the more private struggles of a faithful king: mortality, answered prayer, and the subtle danger of pride. The Babylonian embassy, likely seeking allies against Assyria, foreshadows the empire that would eventually destroy Jerusalem more than a century later.
Isaiah's prophecy of Babylonian exile plants an ominous seed even amid Hezekiah's prosperity, reminding readers that Judah's story bends toward the exile that dominates the end of Kings.
Main themes of 2 Kings 20
2 Kings 20 (KJV)
1In 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. 2Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, 3I 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. 4And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 5Turn 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. 6And 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. 7And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. 8And 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? 9And 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? 10And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. 11And 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. 12At 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. 13And 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. 14Then 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. 15And 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. 16And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. 17Behold, 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. 18And 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. 19Then 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? 20And 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? 21And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.
Verses to carry from 2 Kings 20
“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.”2 Kings 20:5
“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.”2 Kings 20:13
“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.”2 Kings 20:17
Thematic connection
How 2 Kings 20 points to Jesus
Hezekiah receives fifteen added years and a sign that the shadow of death can be turned back, yet even his reprieve only postpones the grave; he still sleeps with his fathers. His story stirs a longing that only Christ answers. Where Hezekiah's healing was temporary and his added years still ended in death, Jesus conquers death itself, offering not fifteen more years but resurrection life that never ends.
Where the shadow retreated as a fleeting sign, Christ steps out of the tomb as the substance, the firstfruits of all who will rise. And where Hezekiah's pride sowed the seeds of exile, Christ, the humble King, secures a kingdom that exile cannot touch. The God who heard Hezekiah's tears is the same God who, in Jesus, wipes away every tear and swallows up death in victory.
Questions about 2 Kings 20
Does Hezekiah's healing mean God always adds years when we pray?
Not necessarily. God graciously answered Hezekiah's specific prayer with fifteen added years, showing he hears and can heal. But Scripture does not promise that every prayer for longer life is granted; even Hezekiah eventually died. The episode reveals a God who genuinely responds to prayer and tears, while the added years, later shadowed by pride and prophecy of exile, remind us that longer life is a stewardship, not a guarantee.
Why is Hezekiah's response to the exile prophecy troubling?
He hears that his descendants and treasures will be carried to Babylon and responds that the word is good because there will be peace in his own days. His relief at personal comfort, seemingly indifferent to his nation's future suffering, exposes a self-centered streak. It is a candid portrait of how even faithful people can shrink their concern to their own lifetime rather than caring for those who come after.
Reflection
God gave Hezekiah more time, and the added years revealed his heart, both in gratitude and in pride. Time itself is a gift and a test. If you knew you had a set number of years left, how would you steward them? The question is not merely how long we live but whether our added days are spent in worship and love, or in self-display.
A prayer from 2 Kings 20
Read the whole Bible with the family
Open it in the app, study it live with someone, and let it lead you to Christ.
Open the BibleRead it togetherSee what God is doing