2 Kings
Chapter 18
UNTIL THE FALL OF JERUSALEM
Hezekiah of Judah (727-698)
In the third year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah, Ahaz’s son Hezekiah became king over Judah.
He was twenty-five years old then, and his reign in Jerusalem lasted for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, daughter of Zechariah.
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, like David, his ancestor.
He trusted in the Lord more than any of the kings of Judah who preceded or succeeded him, and he never departed from the Lord.
He did away with the Sanctuaries on the hills, demolished the standing stones, and cut down the sacred pillars. He also destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had fashioned in the desert, for until that time, the Israelites had been offering sacrifices to it and called it Nehushtan.
For that reason, the Lord was with him. He succeeded in all his undertakings. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and was no longer subject to him.
He imposed his authority on the Philistines as far as Gaza and seized their land from the watchtowers to the fortified cities.
In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign (the seventh year of the reign of Israel’s King Hoshea, son of Elah), King Shalmaneser of Assyria marched up against Samaria and besieged it.
At the end of three years, he conquered it. In the sixth year of the reign of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, king of Israel, Samaria was conquered.
The king of Assyria deported the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
This happened to them because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord, their God, and had broken his Covenant. They did not listen to nor put into practice what Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded them.
In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah. He laid siege to all the fortified cities and seized all of them.
Hezekiah, king of Judah, told Sennacherib, who was in Lachish, “I have misbehaved; stop your attack, and I will do whatever you demand of me.” The king of Assyria demanded that Hezekiah contribute three hundred talents of silver and thirty of gold.
Hezekiah then handed over to him all the money found in the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the royal palace.
It was then that Hezekiah ordered that the gold sheets, with which he had adorned the doorposts, be stripped from the gates of the house of the Lord and given to the king of Assyria.
From Lachish, the king of Assyria sent his field commander with a large army to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem. They halted at the channel of the Upper Pool on the highway to the Fuller’s Field. The field commander called for the king, and
Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, the palace administrator, went out to him, together with Shebnah, the secretary, and Joah, son of Asaph, the recorder.
The field commander told them: “Give Hezekiah this message from the great king of Assyria: ‘How can you be so confident?
You thought that words are as good as wisdom and replace strength in times of war? On whom are you relying on that you rebel against me?
You rely on Egypt, a broken staff which pierces the palm of him who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, for all who rely on him.
Yes, you may say, “We rely on the Lord our God.” But isn’t he the one whose altars and high places Hezekiah removed when he commanded Judah and Jerusalem: “You shall worship before this altar?’
Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king. I will give you two thousand horses if you can supply riders.
How could you ever repulse one of the least of my master’s generals? And you rely on Egypt for chariots and horsemen!
Do you think I have come to attack and destroy this land without consulting the Lord? He said to me: ‘Go up to this land and conquer it!’”
Then Eliakim, Shebnah, and Joah said to the field commander: “Speak to your servants in Aramaic. We understand it. Do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of these people on the walls.”
But the field commander said: “Do you think my master sent me to speak these words only to your master and to you? Is it not also to the men on the walls who, with you, will have to eat their own dung and drink their own urine?”
Then the field commander stood and cried out loudly in Hebrew: “Hear the words of the great king of Assyria:
‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you! No, he will not be able to help you!
Do not listen to him when he tells you to trust the Lord, saying, “The Lord will save us. This city will not be given over to the king of Assyria.’” Do not listen to Hezekiah but
to what the king of Assyria says, ‘Make your peace with me and surrender. Then I will let each of you eat of your vine and fig tree and drink the water of your cistern until I come again.
Then I will take you to a land like your own, a land of grain and new wine, of bread and vineyards, of oil and honey that you may live and not die. Hezekiah is misleading you when he says that the Lord will save you.
Have the gods of the nations rescued their land from the hands of the king of Assyria?
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? And have the gods delivered Samaria from my hand?
Who among these nations’ gods has been able to save his country from me? Do you think that the Lord will deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”
The people were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered:“Don’t respond to him.”
Then Eliakim, with Shebnah and Joah, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn and told him what the field commander had said.
Commentaries
Hezekiah of Judah.
The upcoming chapters, including Chapter 20, focus on Hezekiah and the external crisis he encountered with Assyria.
Hezekiah Ascends the Throne.
Once the date of Hezekiah’s accession to power is established, we move directly to describing his character. Any descendant of David would envy the praise given to this king, son of Ahaz. Hezekiah not only did what was pleasing to the Lord but also behaved like David in every way; even in his victory over the Philistines, he mirrors his ancestor (8). Hezekiah is also credited with suppressing local cults that his predecessors failed to eliminate. He even destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the desert, which people continued to worship by burning incense (4). The overall positive view of Hezekiah’s reign relates to doing what the Lord approves of. 2. Eliminating cults in high places or local cults. 3. “He put his trust in the Lord, the God of Israel” (5f). This highlights the success of all his efforts. It is a concrete expression of what the Deuteronomistic tradition has already identified as the key to the success and prosperity of every Israelite (cf. Dt 4:40; 5:29, 33; 6:3, 18; 12:28; etc.).
External Crisis in Judah.
Verses 9-12 describe the disaster of the Northern Kingdom and the deportation of all its people. After the Northern Kingdom’s fall, the Assyrians plan to attack Judah as well; however, an initial political move has some effect, at least for now: Hezekiah submits to the powerful through a costly vassalage funded by treasures from the Temple and the royal palace (14-16). This vassalage had already been paid, as Judah sought protection from Assyria against Israel and Damascus during Ahaz’s reign. Still, the threat persists; verses 17-37 contain the threatening message sent by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, to Hezekiah. The message shows the Assyrian king’s complete confidence in his army. How can Hezekiah believe that Judah and Jerusalem are immune?