Hezekiah

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 Kings 18:20, Isa. 36-39, and 2 Chr. 29-32. He is spoken of as a great and good king. In public life he followed the example of his great-granfather Uzziah. He set himself to abolish idolatry from his kingdom, and among other things which he did for this end, he destroyed the "brazen serpent," which had been removed to Jerusalem, and had become an object of idolatrous worship (Num. 21:9). A great reformation was wrought in the kingdom of Judah in his day (2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chr. 29:3-36). On the death of Sargon and the accession of his son Sennacherib to the throne of Assyria, Hezekiah refused to pay the tribute which his father had paid, and "rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not," but entered into a league with Egypt (Isa. 30; 31; 36:6-9). This led to the invasion of Judah by Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:13-16), who took forty cities, and besieged Jerusalem with mounds. Hezekiah yielded to the demands of the Assyrian king, and agreed to pay him three hundred talents of silver and thirty of gold (18:14). But Sennacherib dealt treacherously with Hezekiah (Isa. 33:1), and a second time within two years invaded his kingdom (2 Kings 18:17; 2 Chr. 32:9; Isa. 36). This invasion issued in the destruction of Sennacherib's army. Hezekiah prayed to God, and "that night the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000 men." Sennacherib fled with the shattered remnant of his forces to Nineveh, where, seventeen years after, he was assassinated by his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer (2 Kings 19:37). (See SENNACHERIB T0003273.) The narrative of Hezekiah's sickness and miraculous recovery is found in 2 Kings 20:1, 2 Chr. 32:24, Isa. 38:1. Various ambassadors came to congratulate him on his recovery, and among them Merodach-baladan, the viceroy of Babylon (2 Chr. 32:23; 2 Kings 20:12). He closed his days in peace and prosperity, and was succeeded by his son Manasseh. He was buried in the "chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David" (2 Chr. 32:27-33). He had "after him none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him" (2 Kings 18:5). (See ISAIAH T0001895.)

You Might Also Like:

Hezekiah image
Read More

Noah's Ark

Have you ever heard the story of Noah's Ark? It's a famous story from the Bible about a man named Noah who built a huge boat to save himself and the a...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Tower of Babel

Have you ever heard the story of the Tower of Babel? It's a story from the Bible about a group of people who wanted to build a tower that reached all ...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Ten Plagues

Have you ever heard about the Ten Plagues in the Bible? It's a fascinating story about how God showed His power to the Pharaoh of Egypt and freed the ...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Ten Commandments

Have you ever heard about the Ten Commandments in the Bible? These are ten rules that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai to guide the Israelites and all...

Hezekiah image
Read More

12 Tribes of Israel

Have you ever heard about the 12 Tribes of Israel in the Bible? These tribes were the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was later named Isr...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Ministry of Jesus

Have you ever heard about the Ministry of Jesus in the Bible? Jesus was a great teacher and healer who spent three years traveling throughout Israel, ...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Early Church

Have you ever heard about the Early Church in the Bible? After Jesus' death and resurrection, his followers began to spread his teachings throughout t...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Abraham

Today, let's learn about one of the most important figures in the Bible, Abraham. Abraham's story is told in the book of Genesis and is considered a f...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Moses

Let's learn about another important figure in the Bible, Moses. The story of Moses is told in the book of Exodus and is a central part of the history ...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Joshua

Let's talk about Joshua, another important figure in the Bible. The story of Joshua is told in the book of Joshua, which follows the book of Deuterono...

Hezekiah image
Read More

David

David is one of the most well-known figures in the Bible, and his story is told in several books of the Old Testament, including 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Solomon

Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba, and he was known for his great wisdom and wealth. When David was near death, he declared that Solomon...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Jesus

Jesus is the central figure of the Christian faith, and his life and teachings have had a profound impact on the world. Jesus was born in Bethlehem to...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Paul

Paul, also known as Saul of Tarsus, is one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity. Originally, Paul was a persecutor of Christia...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Israel

Israel is a land that is rich in history and culture, and it plays an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Israel was the promised land ...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Egypt

Egypt is a country that is steeped in history and culture, and it plays an important role in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Egypt is prominently fea...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Assyria

Assyria was a powerful empire that played an important role in the ancient Near East and in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Assyria is known for its ...

Hezekiah image
Read More

Babylon

Babylon was a great ancient city in Mesopotamia, located in what is now modern-day Iraq. It was the capital of the Babylonian Empire and is mentioned ...