King
Hezekiah
13th King of Judah · Divided Kingdom · 715–686 BC
King Hezekiah — Willem de Poorter
Summary
One of Judah's greatest kings who reversed his father Ahaz's idolatry, reopened the Temple, held the greatest Passover since Solomon, and trusted God when Sennacherib's 185,000-man Assyrian army was destroyed by the angel of the LORD.
- Among the passages here, Hezekiah is first named in 2 Kings 18:1: “In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel…”
- The record places Hezekiah in Divided Kingdom.
- 133 verses name Hezekiah, in 12 books.
- 6 moments stand in order on this page, each with its verse.
On this page
Start here
Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.
2 Kings 18:5-6→- 6 key events in order
- 133 verses name Hezekiah, across 12 books
In Scripture
- Verses
- 133
- Books
- 12
Hezekiah
- Role
- 13th King of Judah
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
- Dates
- 715–686 BC
- Tribe
- Judah
- Father
- Ahaz
- Children
- Manasseh
The life in order
from the events the row records, with the first and last verse that names the person among the passages this page stands on
1Where the passages this page records open
2What the record holds, in its own order
- Reopened and purified the Temple2 Chronicles 29:3-11In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD.
- Greatest Passover since Solomon2 Chronicles 30:26So there was great rejoicing in Jerusalem, for nothing like this had happened there since the days of Solomon son of David king of Israel.
- Removed high places2 Kings 18:4He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.
- Sennacherib's invasion2 Kings 18:13-19:37In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.
- Prayer for healing — 15 more years2 Kings 20:1-11In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”
- Foolish display to Babylon2 Kings 20:12-19At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah’s illness.
3Where the passages this page records close
Biography
Hezekiah became king at twenty-five and immediately threw open the Temple doors his father had shut, purified the Temple, reinstated the Levitical priests, and hosted a nationwide Passover celebration that drew even people from the northern kingdom. He removed high places, smashed sacred pillars, cut down the Asherah pole, and destroyed the bronze serpent of Moses (Nehushtan) which people had been burning incense to.
When Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah and his field commander Rabshakeh blasphemed God, Hezekiah spread the letter before the LORD in the Temple and prayed. That night the angel of the LORD struck 185,000 Assyrian soldiers dead. When illness brought him near death, he prayed and wept, and God gave him 15 more years — and as a sign, the shadow on Ahaz's sundial went back ten steps.
He also made a fatal diplomatic mistake showing Babylonian envoys all his treasury, prompting Isaiah to prophesy the Babylonian exile.
Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.
What they got right, and what they got wrong
Strengths
Wholehearted trust in God, bold prayer, sweeping religious reform, courageous faith against impossible odds, engineering projects
Weaknesses
Pride in showing his wealth to Babylon; the 15-year extension that produced Manasseh
Lessons
Prayer is more powerful than armies. Hezekiah's greatest victories came on his knees — before God in the Temple for his nation and before God in his bedroom for his life. The God who answers prayer is the same God who defeats empires. Even the best kings can make spiritually costly decisions when pride replaces prayer.
Spiritual significance
Hezekiah is the supreme example in Judah of what happens when a king thoroughly trusts God: reformation, revival, miraculous military deliverance, and personal healing. His life is also a sobering reminder that even the best can make foolish decisions born of pride.
Hezekiah in Scripture
Open a book to read its mentions here. Text: Berean Standard Bible. Names repeat in Scripture, so some of these verses may speak of another person called Hezekiah. The two marks are drawn from the chapters this page's own references stand in.
Old TestamentNew Testamentsegment width = share of mentions
Old Testament11 books · 131 mentions
2 Kings44 mentions
- 2 Kings 16:20And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David, and his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 18:1In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah.
- 2 Kings 18:5Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel. No king of Judah was like him, either before him or after him.
- 2 Kings 18:7And the LORD was with Hezekiah, and he prospered wherever he went. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and refused to serve him.
- 2 Kings 18:9In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it.
39 further mentions in 2 Kings, read them in the book.
1 Chronicles2 mentions
- 1 Chronicles 3:13Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son,
- 1 Chronicles 4:41These who were noted by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They attacked the Hamites and Meunites there in their dwellings, devoting them to destruction even to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks.
2 Chronicles43 mentions
- 2 Chronicles 28:27And Ahaz rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not placed in the tombs of the kings of Israel. And his son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 29:1Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.
- 2 Chronicles 29:3In the first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah opened and repaired the doors of the house of the LORD.
- 2 Chronicles 29:18Then they went in to King Hezekiah and reported, “We have cleansed the entire house of the LORD, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the table of the showbread with all its utensils.
- 2 Chronicles 29:20Early the next morning King Hezekiah gathered the city officials and went up to the house of the LORD.
38 further mentions in 2 Chronicles, read them in the book.
Nehemiah2 mentions
Proverbs1 mention
Isaiah32 mentions
- Isaiah 1:1This is the vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
- Isaiah 36:1In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all the fortified cities of Judah.
- Isaiah 36:2And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.
- Isaiah 36:4The Rabshakeh said to them, “Tell Hezekiah that this is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What is the basis of this confidence of yours?
- Isaiah 36:7But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the LORD our God,’ is He not the One whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before this altar’?
27 further mentions in Isaiah, read them in the book.
Jeremiah3 mentions
- Jeremiah 15:4I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem.
- Jeremiah 26:18“Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and told all the people of Judah that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.’
- Jeremiah 26:19Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did Hezekiah not fear the LORD and seek His favor, and did not the LORD relent of the disaster He had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great harm on ourselves!”
Hosea1 mention
Micah1 mention
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