2 Chronicles 30:20 kjv
And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:20 nkjv
And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:20 niv
And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:20 esv
And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30:20 nlt
And the LORD listened to Hezekiah's prayer and healed the people.
2 Chronicles 30 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Short Note) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Chr 29:1-5 | Hezekiah began to reign...did what was right...opened the doors of the house of the LORD... | Hezekiah's piety and righteous reign |
| 2 Chr 30:18-19 | For a multitude...had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover...But Hezekiah prayed... | Immediate context: Hezekiah's prayer for the unclean people |
| Exo 15:26 | "I am the LORD who heals you." | God as the ultimate healer |
| Psa 103:3 | Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, | God's comprehensive healing (physical and spiritual) |
| Jer 17:14 | Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise. | Prayer for divine healing |
| Isa 53:5 | But he was pierced for our transgressions...and with his stripes we are healed. | Healing through atonement, prophetic of Christ |
| Jam 5:15-16 | The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick...and confess your sins...pray for one another, that you may be healed. | Prayer and confession leading to healing |
| Psa 66:19-20 | But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer...Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer... | God's attentiveness to prayer |
| 1 Jn 5:14-15 | And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us...and if we know that he hears us...we know that we have the requests... | Confidence in answered prayer |
| Psa 145:18-19 | The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth...He hears their cry and saves them. | God's nearness and responsiveness to sincere prayer |
| Mt 21:22 | And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. | Faith in prayer leads to reception |
| Jer 33:3 | Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. | Invitation to pray and promise of answers |
| Hos 6:6 | For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. | God's preference for mercy over rigid ritual |
| Mic 6:8 | He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? | Emphasis on heart condition over external rite |
| Mt 9:13 | Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. | Jesus' emphasis on mercy aligning with OT |
| Mk 2:27-28 | The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath... | Principle of spiritual good outweighing strict law |
| Job 42:8 | My servant Job shall pray for you, and I will accept his prayer. | Efficacy of intercessory prayer |
| 1 Tim 2:1-2 | I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions...be made for all people, for kings... | Importance of intercession |
| Rom 8:34 | Christ Jesus is the one who died...indeed is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. | Christ's intercessory role |
| Psa 32:5 | I acknowledged my sin to you...and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. | Forgiveness linked to confession and acceptance |
| Heb 10:22 | Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. | Drawing near with a sincere heart to God |
| Rom 5:8 | But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. | God's grace extended to the undeserving |
| Eph 2:4-5 | But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. | God's rich mercy and grace in salvation |
| 1 Sam 7:5-6 | Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you." ...They poured out water...and said there, "We have sinned against the LORD." | National repentance and intercession by a leader |
2 Chronicles 30 verses
2 Chronicles 30 20 Meaning
The verse states that the Lord heard King Hezekiah's prayer and consequently granted healing and spiritual acceptance to the people who, despite their ritual impurity, had participated in the Passover. This highlights God's merciful nature, valuing sincerity of heart and repentant desire for worship over strict adherence to ritual law in specific circumstances, and His immediate responsiveness to intercessory prayer.
2 Chronicles 30 20 Context
2 Chronicles 30 describes King Hezekiah's grand revival, central to which was the reinstitution of the Passover feast. For generations, the Passover had not been celebrated correctly or with such national unity. Hezekiah diligently organized the event, inviting not only Judah but also the remnant of the Northern Kingdom, Ephraim and Manasseh, who responded with humility and a desire to return to the Lord. Many of these northern Israelites arrived without having ceremonially cleansed themselves according to the strict Mosaic law, specifically related to contact with dead things, touching graves, etc. (Num 9:6, Lev 7:20). Recognizing their sincerity and zeal, but also their ritual defilement, Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, pleading for forgiveness and acceptance of those whose hearts were right even if their hands were unclean. Verse 20 records the direct and immediate divine response to this bold intercession. The larger historical context is one of national decline and spiritual apostasy in Israel and Judah, which Hezekiah was earnestly attempting to reverse through a series of reforms and restoration of proper worship.
2 Chronicles 30 20 Word analysis
And the Lord: Refers to YHWH (Heb. יְהוָה, Yahweh), the covenant God of Israel. Emphasizes divine sovereignty and personal engagement in Israel's affairs.
hearkened: (Heb. שָׁמַע, shama) More than merely hearing. It implies attentive listening, considering, understanding, and positively responding. This signifies divine approval and acceptance of Hezekiah's prayer and the people's heart posture. It suggests a receptive ear and a favorable disposition from God.
to Hezekiah: Highlights the specific target of God's hearkening—the King's intercessory prayer. This validates Hezekiah's righteous leadership and role as mediator. His prayer was decisive.
and healed: (Heb. רָפָא, rapha) This term primarily means to heal or restore physically. In this context, given the prior statement about the people not being cleansed, it doesn't imply recovery from physical sickness caused by the feast. Rather, it signifies divine restoration from a state of ritual uncleanness, preventing the judgment or punishment that usually accompanied partaking of holy things while unclean (Lev 7:20; Num 9:13; 1 Cor 11:27-30 implies potential for sickness/death from improper participation). The healing was primarily a spiritual and ritual cleansing, accepting their sincere heart as sufficient in that unique circumstance, thereby "healing" their spiritual breach and making them whole in God's eyes.
the people: Refers specifically to the multitude from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun who had arrived unpurified (2 Chr 30:18). This demonstrates God's mercy extends to the collective, acknowledging their earnest desire despite procedural lapses.
"And the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah": This phrase underscores God's direct response to sincere prayer, particularly the intercession of a righteous leader. It confirms God's active involvement and affirmation of His servant's faith.
"hearkened...and healed the people": This combination reveals the direct causality: God's reception of the prayer directly resulted in His gracious intervention. The "healing" was the manifestation of His mercy and forgiveness, effectively bridging the gap of ritual imperfection through divine grace.
2 Chronicles 30 20 Bonus section
This verse offers insight into the "spirit of the law" versus the "letter of the law," a theme more extensively developed in the New Testament by Jesus (e.g., Matt 12:7). God's response to Hezekiah's prayer for the unclean participants of the Passover feast revealed that He prioritized the sincere devotion and repentant heart of His people over their ritual shortcomings. This unique instance served as an affirmation of King Hezekiah's reforms and faith, empowering him further in his righteous reign. It also foreshadows a New Covenant understanding where access to God is granted through faith and grace, rather than human merit or ritual purity alone. The "healing" averted a potential divine judgment, making it a pivotal moment of grace for the returning exiles.
2 Chronicles 30 20 Commentary
2 Chronicles 30:20 serves as a powerful testament to God's mercy overriding strict legalism. Amidst the solemn Passover, many heartfelt worshippers were technically unqualified due to ritual impurity. Hezekiah, in a bold move of intercession, appealed to God's inherent goodness rather than the letter of the law. God "hearkened" to this prayer, demonstrating His profound receptiveness to genuine human sincerity and a longing for Him, especially when ritual exactness might unintentionally hinder that devotion. The "healing" wasn't from a disease, but a divine validation that their spiritual eagerness surpassed their ritual deficiency, thus preventing the penalty of desecration. This verse encapsulates a core biblical truth: God desires a right heart and relationship more than perfect adherence to external forms, always responding mercifully when approached with sincerity and humble petition. It is a powerful illustration of divine grace at work, forgiving imperfection out of great love and acceptance.