2 Kings 20 12

2 Kings 20:12 kjv

At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

2 Kings 20:12 nkjv

At that time Berodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

2 Kings 20:12 niv

At that time Marduk-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent Hezekiah letters and a gift, because he had heard of Hezekiah's illness.

2 Kings 20:12 esv

At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

2 Kings 20:12 nlt

Soon after this, Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent Hezekiah his best wishes and a gift, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been very sick.

2 Kings 20 verses

2 Kings 20 12 Meaning

This verse describes the arrival of a delegation from Babylon to King Hezekiah of Judah. Berodach-Baladan, the son of Baladan and king of Babylon, dispatched letters and a present to Hezekiah upon hearing that the Judahite king had recovered from a severe illness. This diplomatic overture, though seemingly an act of goodwill and condolence, served as a crucial catalyst for testing Hezekiah's heart and revealed his trust in human admiration and alliances rather than exclusive reliance on God. It marks a pivotal moment where Hezekiah’s failure of judgment leads to a prophetic declaration of future exile to Babylon.

2 Kings 20 12 Context

This verse immediately follows Hezekiah's miraculous healing from a mortal illness and the divine sign of the sun's shadow moving backward ten steps. Judah had also recently experienced a stunning deliverance from the Assyrian siege led by Sennacherib, largely attributed to Hezekiah's faith and prayer. At this time, Babylon was an emerging, ambitious power, subservient to but actively resisting Assyrian hegemony. Merodach-Baladan (or Berodach-Baladan) was a Chaldean prince who intermittently seized the throne of Babylon and fiercely opposed the Assyrians, particularly Sargon II and Sennacherib. His sending an embassy was ostensibly a congratulatory and sympathetic gesture concerning Hezekiah's recovery, but its underlying motivation was geopolitical: to gather intelligence, assess Judah's military and economic strength, and potentially forge an anti-Assyrian alliance with Judah, who had also just defied Assyria successfully. Hezekiah's subsequent prideful act of displaying all his treasures and armories to the Babylonian envoys, neglecting to attribute his recent deliverances to God, would directly provoke the prophecy of Jerusalem's future plunder and exile to Babylon.

2 Kings 20 12 Word analysis

• "At that time" (בָּעֵת הַהִיא - ba’et hahi): This phrase emphasizes the immediate sequence of events following Hezekiah's miraculous healing (2 Kgs 20:1-11). It highlights a critical window where Hezekiah, having just experienced divine intervention, was poised to either humble himself or succumb to pride. The timing is crucial to the test God puts him through (as revealed in 2 Chr 32:31).

• "Berodach-Baladan" (בְּרֹאדַךְ בַּלְאֲדָן - Bĕrōḏaḵ Balaḏān): Also spelled Merodach-Baladan (Mĕrōḏaḵ Balaḏān) in Isaiah 39:1, which is generally accepted as historically accurate, referring to Marduk-apla-iddina II. He was a prominent Chaldean chieftain and king of Babylon (722-710 BC and again in 703 BC). His name means "Marduk has given a son." He was a significant figure known for his consistent and persistent opposition to Assyrian dominance, often leading rebellions against Sargon II and Sennacherib. His interest in Judah was purely political, seeking alliances against their common Assyrian foe.

• "son of Baladan": This establishes his lineage, signifying his status as part of the ruling or influential family in Babylonia.

• "king of Babylon" (מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל - meleḵ Bāḇel): At this period (late 8th century BCE), Babylon was a vassal state or intermittently independent power struggling for autonomy against the mighty Assyrian Empire, which was the dominant superpower. This marks Babylon as a future power but indicates its status during Hezekiah's reign as a strategic, rather than dominant, entity.

• "sent" (שָׁלַח - šālakh): Denotes a deliberate and formal act, implying an official diplomatic mission rather than a casual greeting.

• "letters" (סְפָרִים - səp̄ārîm): Plural, indicating formal correspondence, potentially conveying official greetings, condolences, and possibly proposals for an alliance.

• "and a present" (וּמִנְחָה - uminḥâ): Minchah refers to a gift or tribute. While appearing as a gesture of respect or sympathy, in diplomatic contexts, such "presents" often signified a political overture, acknowledging status or implying an intention for future engagement or alliance, potentially a veiled bribe or a test.

• "to Hezekiah" (אֶל חִזְקִיָּהוּ - ’el Ḥizqiyyāhû): The King of Judah, who had just experienced a remarkable healing and national deliverance by God. He was, at this point, spiritually vulnerable.

• "for he heard" (כִּי שָׁמַע - kî šāma‘): The stated reason for the embassy, serving as a plausible pretext.

• "that Hezekiah had been sick" (כִּי חָלָה חִזְקִיָּהוּ - kî ḥālāh Ḥizqiyyāhû): This acknowledges Hezekiah's recent severe illness and miraculous recovery. This information, combined with Judah's defiance of Assyria, made Hezekiah a desirable, strong, and unique potential ally for Babylon in its fight against Assyrian dominance.

• Words-Group Analysis:

  • "At that time Berodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present to Hezekiah": This grouping emphasizes the specific actors and actions that initiated a critical chain of events. It highlights the formality and political weight of the Babylonian overture, setting the stage for Hezekiah's subsequent actions and God's prophetic response. The act of sending "letters and a present" goes beyond mere well-wishing, suggesting a calculated political move intended to assess and influence Judah.
  • "for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick": This clause provides the ostensible reason for the embassy. While presented as sympathy, it underscores a deeper strategic calculation. Hezekiah's survival and recovery, coupled with Judah's unexpected triumph over Assyria, made Judah a strong candidate for an alliance against the Assyrian superpower. This stated reason was likely a diplomatic facade for intelligence gathering and political probing.

2 Kings 20 12 Bonus section

The seemingly innocent diplomatic exchange in 2 Kings 20:12 is portrayed by 2 Chronicles 32:31 as a direct test from God: "However, in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart." This profound insight reveals that God sovereignly allowed this situation to unfold precisely to expose the true condition of Hezekiah's heart after a period of immense blessings and miraculous deliverance. The fact that the Babylonians were also "inquiring about the sign" (the receding sun shadow) indicates a deep fascination with God's miraculous intervention, a spiritual curiosity that Hezekiah should have used to glorify God, but instead he glorified himself and his earthly treasures. The use of "Berodach-Baladan" instead of "Merodach-Baladan" in 2 Kings (compared to Isaiah) could be a scribal variant or a less common but still valid rendering, demonstrating minor textual differences that do not alter the historical identity or theological significance of the event.

2 Kings 20 12 Commentary

2 Kings 20:12 serves as a pivotal hinge in Hezekiah's reign, marking a transition from divine favor and miraculous intervention to human folly and impending judgment. Having just been spared from death and witnessing God's powerful hand against Assyria, Hezekiah should have been firmly rooted in humble gratitude and singular trust in the Lord. Instead, the arrival of the Babylonian delegation, ostensibly a benevolent visit concerning his illness, subtly provided an opportunity for his pride to emerge. Merodach-Baladan, a persistent foe of Assyria, likely sought an alliance with Judah, a kingdom proven to be resilient and possessing wealth. Hezekiah's mistake lay not in receiving the envoys, but in his unadvised eagerness to showcase his entire kingdom's treasury and armory to them, rather than demonstrating the divine power that saved him. He failed to discern the political ambition behind the "present" and overlooked seeking God's counsel concerning these significant visitors. This seemingly minor misstep exposed the deeper inclination of Hezekiah's heart towards worldly approval and reliance on national strength and potential human alliances, a direct affront to God who had just shown His sufficiency. The episode perfectly sets up Isaiah’s immediate prophecy of the coming Babylonian exile, directly linking Hezekiah’s actions here to the tragic fate of his descendants and kingdom. It is a profound illustration of how God tests His people, and how subtle temptations can lead to devastating long-term consequences, underscoring the spiritual danger of pride following periods of divine blessing.