Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HEZEKIAH

(Heb. ḥizqîyâ, ḥizqîyāhû)

1. King of Judah (probably 715-687 b.c.e.), son and successor of Ahaz. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. His 29-year rule began when he was 25 (2 Kgs. 18:2 = 2 Chr. 29:1) and is evaluated positively (2 Kgs. 18:3 = 2 Chr. 29:2). The Deuteronomist even claimed that “there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah after him, or among those who were before him” (2 Kgs. 18:5; but cf. 2 Chr. 32:25). Hezekiah was remembered for his piety (2 Chr. 32:20; Isa. 38:10-20), his patronage of the wise (Prov. 25:1), and his construction projects, including an underground tunnel which connected Jerusalem’s Gihon spring with the pool of Siloam (2 Kgs. 20:20; 2 Chr. 32:30; Isa. 22:9-11).

When Hezekiah came to the throne, Judah was a vassal of Assyria. His father Ahaz not only paid tribute to Assyria but also modified Judean cultic practices in order to please his new masters (2 Kgs. 16:10-18). The Chronicler suggests that Ahaz even closed down the temple in Jerusalem (2 Chr. 28:24).

Hezekiah reversed the religious policies of his father. Scholars have long debated the extent of his reforms, since the Deuteronomist devotes only three verses to them (2 Kgs. 18:4, 16, 22). Chronicles, however, describes them in detail (2 Chr. 29:3–32:31). Earlier scholarship discounted the historicity of this report, but today Chronicles is generally seen as reliable. The Deuteronomist may have eliminated some of the details in order to avoid comparisons with King Josiah.

Hezekiah’s reforms included the removal of the high places, the demolition of Canaanite religious symbols, and even the destruction of Nehushtan, the bronze serpent reportedly made by Moses in the desert. The king ordered the purification and restoration of Jerusalem’s temple and its cult (2 Chr. 29:3-36), a renewal of the Passover celebration (2 Chr. 30:1-27), and a reorganization of Judah’s priesthood (2 Chr. 31:2-19). The centralization of the cult in Jerusalem strengthened the moral and political authority of the monarchy while tying Judah’s population more closely to the capital. The remnants of the northern tribes were also invited to join Judah in a common Passover celebration (2 Chr. 30:1-11).

Eventually Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria. The biblical and extrabiblical evidence of Hezekiah’s revolt, although extensive, is sometimes contradictory. It is uncertain whether Hezekiah participated in revolts which took place during the reign of Sargon II. Most likely Hezekiah planned his rebellion over a long period of time, for he carefully forged a series of alliances and fortified Jerusalem and some of the other cities of Judah. Hezekiah supported the rebellious citizens of Ekron and Ashkelon, even imprisoning Padi, Ekron’s king. Most likely he had contacts with Babylon, Tyre, and Egypt (2 Kgs. 18:21; 20:12-15; Isa. 18:1-2; 30:2; 31:1). The death of Sargon II on the battlefield in 705 and Sennacherib’s initial difficulties in quelling numerous revolts throughout the empire probably convinced Hezekiah to withhold tribute and to complete preparations for war. It is possible that the common Passover celebration and Judah’s religious reforms took place at this time.

However, Sennacherib pacified the eastern part of his empire and then marched west. He attacked Tyre and replaced its king Luli, who fled to Cyprus. Then he moved into Philistia and conquered the rebellious cities there. Egyptian forces were routed near the city of Eltekeh. Sennacherib could now focus his attention on Judah. Assyrian annals claim that he besieged and captured 46 of its cities and deported their populations. Hezekiah was “made a prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a cage”; ANET, 288). The Bible confirms that Hezekiah sued for peace and paid a heavy tribute (2 Kgs. 18:13-16).

At this point the evidence becomes ambiguous. Judah was ravaged and lost its independence, but Jerusalem was not captured or destroyed by the Assyrians. Hezekiah (a ringleader of the revolt) was again a vassal, but he did not lose his throne. In his annals Sennacherib claimed total victory over Judah, while the Bible records a slaughter of Assyrians (185 thousand according to 2 Kgs. 19:35 = Isa. 37:36; cf. 2 Chr. 32:21) by an angel of God. Rumors of political or military setbacks (2 Kgs. 19:7 = Isa. 37:7) may have induced Sennacherib to return to the Assyrian capital Nineveh, where he was later assassinated by two of his sons (2 Kgs. 19:36-37 = Isa. 37:37-38; 2 Chr. 32:21). Some scholars have claimed that the evidence points to two separate military campaigns by Sennacherib against Judah (in 701 and again 10 or 15 years later). Most scholars today prefer to see in these reports tendentious accounts of one single campaign.

There is also some ambiguity in Hezekiah’s relationship with Judah’s prophets. Micah and Isaiah were both his contemporaries. There is no biblical evidence that Hezekiah had contact with Micah, although a later generation credited the king with tolerance toward his message (Jer. 26:18-19). Isaiah, however, often provided guidance to Hezekiah (2 Kgs. 19:2-7, 20-34 = Isa. 37:2-7, 21-35). Although Isaiah encouraged Hezekiah to resist the Assyrians when they slandered God (2 Kgs. 19:32-34 = Isa. 37:33-35), it seems likely that he initially opposed Hezekiah’s plans to rebel against Assyria (Isa. 30:1-17; 31:1-5).

Hezekiah’s religious reforms were dismantled by his son Manasseh. His attempts to become politically independent brought only devastation and the burden of heavy tribute to Judah. However, Hezekiah’s example of piety, faithfulness, and zeal for God gave impetus to later successful religious reforms.

Bibliography. R. E. Clements, Isaiah and the Deliverance of Jerusalem. JSOTSup 13 (Sheffield, 1980); R. H. Lowery, The Reforming Kings: Cults and Society in First Temple Judah. JSOTSup 120 (Sheffield, 1991); A. R. Millard, “Sennacherib’s Attack on Hezekiah,” TynBul 36 (1985): 61-77; F. L. Moriarty, “The Chronicler’s Account of Hezekiah’s Reform,” CBQ 27 (1965): 399-406; J. Rosenbaum, “Hezekiah’s Reform and the Deuteronomistic Tradition,” HTR 72 (1979): 23-43.

Timothy A. Lenchak

2. The head of a family who returned from Babylon with Nehemiah following the Exile (Ezra 2:16 = Neh. 7:21 = 1 Esdr. 5:15). His Babylonian name was Ater, and both names are among those sealing the renewed covenant (Neh. 10:17[MT 18]).

3. An ancestor of the prophet Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1), perhaps the same as 1 above.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HEZEKIAH

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)