HEZEKIAH hĕz’ ə kī’ ə (חִזְקִיָּ֥ה; LXX ̔Εζεκίας, G1614, meaning Yahweh has strengthened). Hezekiah was a descendant of David and king of Judah. Three accounts are given of his reign (2 Kings 18:1-20:21; 2 Chron 29:1-32:33; Isa 36:1-39:8).

Outline

1. Chronology. The twenty-nine year reign of Hezekiah is best dated in the three decades 716/15 to 687/86 b.c. The extensive research on the chronology of this period by E. R. Thiele (pp. 118-140) reflects some difficulties in interpreting the dating systems during OT times and await further analysis. By adopting the above dates for Hezekiah, the interpretation of the Biblical data and its synchronization with the chronologies of Syria, Assyria, Babylon, and Egypt seem to offer the best solution to the difficulties in the light of present knowledge. Based on this chronology, some of the important events during the lifetime of Hezekiah can be dated as follows:

740—Birth of Hezekiah

736—Ahaz began co-regency with Jotham

732—Damascus capitulated to Assyria

—Jotham died

—Hoshea replaced Pekah in Samaria

727—Shalmaneser V became king of Assyria

723—Samaria conquered by Assyria

722—Sargon became king of Assyria

716/15—Ahaz died, Hezekiah became king

711—Ashdod conquered by Sargon II

705—Sennacherib became king of Assyria

701—Hezekiah’s sickness, fifteen-year extension

—Deliverance from Assyrian pressure

—Merodach-baladan congratulated Hezekiah

697—Manasseh made co-regent with Hezekiah

689—Babylon destroyed by Sennacherib

688—Sennacherib failed in his second threat to conquer Jerusalem

2. Assyrian supremacy in the Fertile Crescent. The reign of Hezekiah can be understood better in the light of the international pressure that the Assyrian kings brought to bear upon Judah during the life of Hezekiah.

Judah emerged as the strongest power in the heart of Pal. under Uzziah during the decade from 750 to 740 b.c. Israel had enjoyed its greatest peak of economic and political prosperity under Jeroboam II who died in 753 b.c. During the following three decades, revolutions and dynastic changes occurred repeatedly until Samaria capitulated to the Assyrians in 723 b.c. The aggressive westward move of Tiglath-pileser, who ruled Assyria from 745-727 b.c., was temporarily halted by a coalition in northern Syria c. 743 b.c. in which Azariah (Uzziah), king of Judah, participated in a battle at Arpad. Since Menahem, the king of Israel, paid tribute to Tiglath-pileser, the Assyrians did not advance southward so that Uzziah was able to maintain an anti-Assyrian policy. Jotham continued this policy but likely was replaced by Ahaz because the latter adopted a pro-Assyrian policy in 736/35 b.c. At the same time, Pekah in Samaria and Rezin in Damascus formed an alliance to resist Assyrian aggression. Ahaz triumphed in his Assyrian alliance even when the two kings of the N temporarily invaded Judah. The political involvement of Ahaz, who met the Assyrian king in Damascus when Rezin and Pekah were both dethroned, brought idolatory and paganism into the Temple where God alone was to be worshiped.

By 723 b.c. Shalmaneser V invaded Israel and conquered Samaria. Sargon II, 722-705 b.c., advanced southward along the Mediterranean coast conquering Ashdod in 711 b.c. When Sennacherib came to the Assyrian throne in 705 b.c., he began the conquest of numerous cities on the coastal plain, boasting that he subjected forty-six walled cities. Although he threatened Hezekiah repeatedly, he never succeeded in conquering Jerusalem. In 701 b.c., Sennacherib’s plans were abruptly terminated when he had to return to suppress a Babylonian rebellion. After destroying Babylon in 689 b.c., he may have made another attempt to suppress Hezekiah. Sennacherib never claims in his records to have conquered Jerusalem. In 681 b.c. Sennacherib was killed by two of his sons and succeeded by another son named Esarhaddon.

3. Hezekiah’s religious and political policies. Religiously and politically, Hezekiah faced a kingdom in need of extensive reforms. Under Ahaz, who had defied the warnings and advice by Isaiah, idolatry had been promoted to an unprecedented degree through his alliance with Assyria. Hezekiah was not interested in currying the favor of the Assyrian kings either politically or religiously.

Hezekiah reacted drastically to the idolatrous conditions that prevailed in Judah and Jerusalem. Being keenly aware that the Israelites were God’s covenant people, he provided leadership as king in initiating a reform program to honor God in accordance with the Mosaic revelation.

The Temple in Jerusalem was reopened. The Levites were given the responsibility for repairing and renovating it so that God could again be properly worshiped. All the things associated with idolatry were removed to the brook Kidron, whereas the vessels that had been desecrated were sanctified for the Temple to be used by the priests and Levites in their ministries. The initiation of sacrifices was accompanied by musical groups employing harps, cymbals, and lyres as had been the custom in David’s time. Burnt offerings were accompanied by liturgical singing in which psalms of David and Asaph were used by the participants.

With Israel having been reduced to the status of an Assyrian province, Hezekiah took advantage of the opportunity to invite the Israelites from the northern tribes to join in the celebration of the passover in Jerusalem. Many responded to Hezekiah’s invitation. Except for observing the Passover a month late to allow adequate time for preparation, the religious leaders under Hezekiah carefully followed the Mosaic instructions. The joyfulness of the celebration of this Passover had been previously exceeded only at the time when the Temple had been dedicated under Solomon.

Throughout Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh there were signs of religious reformation in the destruction of idols. Pillars, Asherim, high places, and altars were demolished throughout the land. Hezekiah himself exemplified his concern by destroying the bronze serpent, which Moses had erected in the wilderness (Num 21:4-9), so that the people could no longer use it as an object of worship.

Hezekiah, like David, provided leadership in organizing the priests and Levites for the regular religious services. The tithe was reinstituted and allotted to the religious leaders who devoted themselves to the service of God in accordance with the law. So generous were the contributions that all the priests and Levites had sufficient support to engage in their religious responsibilities. Plans were made to observe the feasts and seasons regularly according to the order prescribed in the law of Moses. As a whole, the religious reformation under Hezekiah was a decided success.

From the political and military perspective, Hezekiah provided equally strong leadership to Judah. When Sargon II advanced into the Philistine area and captured Ashdod, international tension developed. Isaiah dramatically warned Hezekiah and his people not to interfere with the Ashdod siege lest Jerusalem become directly involved and attacked by the Assyrians (Isa 20:1-6).

During this time, Hezekiah made extensive preparation in anticipation of Assyrian aggression. As part of his defense program he built fortifications around Jerusalem, stimulated craftsmen in the production of shields and weapons, and organized his fighting forces under combat commanders.

Realizing the importance of an adequate water supply, Hezekiah constructed a tunnel extending 1,777 ft. through solid rock from the spring of Gihon to the Siloam pool. The city wall was extended to enclose this vital source of water. In the area surrounding Jerusalem other sources of water were cut off as far as possible, so that the invading Assyrians would not be able to utilize them to their own advantage.

Having led his people in extensive religious and military reforms to prepare his people for the impending threat of the Assyrians, Hezekiah exemplified before his people an attitude of confidence in God. Boldly he assured them that God would sustain them to withstand the enemy who was dependent on “an arm of flesh” (2 Chron 32:1-8).

4. The Assyrian threat. The scriptural accounts of the relationships between Judah and Assyria during the Hezekiah-Sennacherib era, the extension of Hezekiah’s life, and Judah’s contacts with Babylon are quite extensive and detailed, but they are not necessarily in chronological order. Exact time sequence is often omitted. Although a number of problems await solution it seems probable that the Biblical and secular accounts can be reasonably integrated by allowing for the sequence of developments in the following order.

In 705 b.c., Sennacherib faced numerous rebellions when he succeeded Sargon as king of Assyria. Babylon rebelled under Merodach-baladan, who by 702 b.c. abandoned his throne to Bel-ibni. Nationalism surged in Egypt under Shabako, an Ethiopian king who founded the twenty-fifth dynasty c. 710 b.c. Having forced Merodach-baladan into exile, Sennacherib turned westward to subdue Phoenicia and other coastal resistance centers, advancing to the maritime plain W of Jerusalem. By 701 b.c., he boasted about conquering forty-six walled cities and taking 200,000 captives.

From Hezekiah he exacted a heavy tribute in silver and gold and then sent representatives to Jerusalem to intimidate the king and his people (2 Kings 18:13-19:8; Isa 36:1-37:8). Speaking in the Heb. language, the Assyrians warned the people that their God would not give them any more aid than the heathen gods of other cities had aided them in their futile resistance against Assyrian might. Hezekiah reacted in great distress, went to the Temple dressed in sackcloth, and sent word to Isaiah. The latter predicted that Sennacherib would hear a rumor and suddenly return to his own land where he would die by the sword (2 Kings 19:7). Shortly after this, Sennacherib received word that Babylon was in rebellion. Immediately he abandoned his siege of Lachish and departed without conquering Jerusalem. In his records he merely boasts about shutting up Hezekiah like a bird in a cage.

With the Assyrian exit from Pal., the surrounding cities and nations expressed their congratulations to Hezekiah with abundant gifts (2 Chron 32:23). These gifts, plus the resumption of trade, ushered in a period of economic prosperity such as Judah had not enjoyed for some time.

Very likely it was in 701 b.c. that Hezekiah was seriously ill. Although warned by Isaiah to prepare for death, Hezekiah’s prayer was answered in the extension of his life for a fifteen-year period as well as the promise of deliverance from the Assyrians (Isa 38:4-6; 2 Kings 20:1-11).

The congratulations of Merodach-baladan may have been a recognition of Hezekiah’s physical recovery as well as his successful resistance to the king of Assyria. The triumph of Hezekiah’s personal and national recovery was only tempered by Isaiah’s prediction that subsequent to his reign Judah would be subjected to Babylonian captivity.

After a decade or more of repeated rebellions, Sennacherib destroyed Babylon in 689 b.c. Hearing of the advance of Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, Sennacherib may have attempted to march across the Arabian desert toward Egypt in 688 b.c. This time he sent a letter to Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:9-34; Isa 37:9-36). To this threat Hezekiah responded very calmly, spreading this letter out before the Lord in the Temple and praying in confidence that God would deliver. From Isaiah came the message that the king of Assyria would return the way he came. Subsequently the army of Sennacherib was decimated in a miraculous manner by 185,000 men (2 Kings 19:35-37). Probably Sennacherib returned across the desert, abandoning his hopes to conquer Hezekiah and Tirhakah. In 681 b.c., he was killed by two of his sons as had been predicted by Isaiah in 701 b.c.

Hezekiah died in 686 b.c., having enjoyed the fifteen-year extension of his life in peace and prosperity. He was succeeded by Manasseh his son who probably had become co-regent in 696 b.c.

Bibliography J. Finegan, Light from the Ancient Past (1946), 170-182; W. F. Albright, “New Light from Egypt on the Chronology and History of Israel and Judah,” BASOR, 130 (1953), 4-11; S. J. Schultz, The Old Testament Speaks (1960), 205-215, 299-314; E. R. Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings (1965), 90-172.