2 Kings 20:8 kjv
And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?
2 Kings 20:8 nkjv
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What is the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD the third day?"
2 Kings 20:8 niv
Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the LORD on the third day from now?"
2 Kings 20:8 esv
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?"
2 Kings 20:8 nlt
Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, "What sign will the LORD give to prove that he will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of the LORD three days from now?"
2 Kings 20 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 38:22 | And Hezekiah said, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?" | Parallel account of Hezekiah's sign request. |
| Exod 4:1-9 | Moses requests a sign from God to convince the Israelites, receiving signs of the staff, hand, and water. | God provides signs to affirm His message. |
| Judg 6:17-21 | Gideon asks for a sign (fleece wet/dry) from the Angel of the LORD to confirm his call. | Asking for confirmation of a divine promise. |
| Isa 7:10-14 | Ahaz is offered a sign by the LORD through Isaiah but refuses; the Immanuel sign is given. | God's initiative in offering signs, even when not requested. |
| Psa 103:3 | He forgives all your iniquity; He heals all your diseases. | Yahweh as the divine Healer. |
| Exod 15:26 | "If you will diligently listen... I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer." | God's covenantal promise to heal His people. |
| Jer 30:17 | For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal. | Divine promise of restoration and healing. |
| Psa 116:3 | The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me... | Describes the brink of death, similar to Hezekiah's situation. |
| Psa 6:2-4 | Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. | A prayer for healing from physical affliction. |
| Matt 8:16 | That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. | Christ's power to heal all diseases. |
| Mark 1:32-34 | That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick... and he healed many. | Jesus' extensive healing ministry. |
| John 20:29 | Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." | Believing without a sign; contrast with Hezekiah's request. |
| Luke 11:29-30 | "This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." | Disapproved demand for signs driven by unbelief (unlike Hezekiah). |
| 1 Cor 1:22 | For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom. | The Jewish expectation for signs and miracles. |
| Num 23:19 | God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? | God's faithfulness and inability to lie about His promises. |
| Titus 1:2 | In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began. | Emphasizes God's truthful nature and reliable promises. |
| Heb 6:18 | So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement. | God's unwavering truthfulness, making His promises certain. |
| Exod 34:10 | And he said, "Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation." | God performs marvels and signs related to His covenant. |
| 2 Chr 32:24-25 | In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the LORD, and he spoke to him and gave him a sign. | Parallel account in Chronicles, emphasizing the sign. |
| Matt 27:40 | "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." | Perverted demand for signs; testing God for self-confirmation. |
| Luke 4:40 | Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. | Jesus as the ultimate divine healer, ministering directly. |
2 Kings 20 verses
2 Kings 20 8 Meaning
2 Kings 20:8 records King Hezekiah's request for a tangible sign from the prophet Isaiah, serving as an assurance of Yahweh's promise to heal him from his mortal illness and restore him to health sufficient to worship in the temple on the third day.
2 Kings 20 8 Context
Chapter 20 of 2 Kings opens with King Hezekiah gravely ill, facing imminent death. The prophet Isaiah is sent to deliver Yahweh's message that he should set his house in order, as he would die. Hezekiah responds with fervent prayer and weeping, appealing to God's faithfulness and his own walk before Him. Yahweh, in response to Hezekiah's prayer, reverses the death sentence. Before Isaiah has even left the middle court, he is instructed to return to Hezekiah with a new message: God will heal him, add fifteen years to his life, and deliver Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria. Verse 8 marks Hezekiah's follow-up question, requesting a concrete sign to confirm this astounding reversal and the promise of his recovery, specifically noting his desire to be restored sufficiently to go to the Temple for worship. This event immediately precedes the sign of the sun's shadow moving backward on the dial of Ahaz.
2 Kings 20 8 Word analysis
- Hezekiah (חִזְקִיָּהוּ - Chizqiyyahu): "Yahweh strengthens" or "my strength is Yah." This name becomes deeply ironic and profound here. The man whose name means "Yahweh strengthens" is on his deathbed, requiring divine strength to live. His request for a sign affirms his dependence on Yahweh for this strength.
- said (וַיֹּאמֶר - vayyō'mer): A common Hebrew narrative conjunction, marking the flow of the conversation. Here it shows Hezekiah's direct and immediate response to Isaiah's relayed promise.
- to Isaiah (אֶל-יְשַׁעְיָהוּ - el Yeshayahu): Emphasizes the crucial role of the prophet as the intermediary between God and the king. Hezekiah seeks confirmation through the same divine channel that brought both the death sentence and the life promise.
- "What shall be the sign?" (מַה הָאוֹת - mah hā’ôṯ):
- "What" (מַה - mah): An interrogative, seeking specific identification of the sign.
- "the sign" (הָאוֹת - hā’ôṯ): From the root "אות" (ôt), meaning "sign, token, mark, omen, miracle." In a biblical context, it typically refers to a miraculous act, an observable event that authenticates a divine message or presence. Hezekiah isn't questioning God's ability but asking for a visible, undeniable confirmation of the certainty and immediacy of the promised healing. This is not doubt akin to tempting God, but a plea for divine assurance in the face of human vulnerability. It functions like Gideon's fleece – a human desire for a tangible anchor for faith in extraordinary circumstances.
- "that Yahweh will heal me" (כִּי-יִרְפָּא יְהוָה לִי - kî yirpā' Yahweh lî):
- "heal me" (יִרְפָּא - yirpā'): The verb "רפא" (rāphā') signifies both physical and spiritual healing. Here, it explicitly refers to his physical recovery from his fatal illness. It underlines God's direct, personal intervention in human affliction.
- "Yahweh" (יְהוָה - Yahweh): The personal covenant name of God, emphasizing His relational involvement and power as the great Physician.
- "and that I shall go up" (וְעָלִיתִי - wəʿālîṯî): From "עלה" (ʿālâ), meaning "to go up, ascend." In this context, it implies Hezekiah's physical ability to walk, ascend the steps to the temple, and resume his duties and worship there. It denotes full restoration and vitality, not just recovery from near-death.
- "to the house of Yahweh" (בֵּית יְהוָה - bêṯ Yahweh): The Temple in Jerusalem. This signifies a return to communal and official worship, demonstrating complete healing and the ability to fulfill religious duties. It highlights that Hezekiah's desire for healing was also intertwined with his devotion and spiritual life.
- "on the third day?" (בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי - bayyōm haššəlîšî): The "third day" carries significant biblical weight, often denoting a pivotal moment of divine intervention, resurrection, or completion. In this context, it emphasizes the speed and certainty of the recovery. It’s a remarkable timeline for a king at death's door to be well enough for public worship.
2 Kings 20 8 Bonus section
The nature of the sign requested (future action/recovery) versus the sign given (backward shadow on the sundial of Ahaz, 2 Kings 20:9-11) is significant. While Hezekiah asked for a sign of his healing and ability to go to the temple, God provides a sign that manipulates creation itself—a grander, more irrefutable testimony to His absolute power over time and celestial bodies. This demonstrates God's sovereignty is far beyond human comprehension or even expectation. It connects Hezekiah's personal healing to cosmic authority. This celestial sign also likely served to validate Isaiah as a true prophet of Yahweh to the people and demonstrated God's ongoing commitment to Jerusalem's protection (a theme also promised in the context of Hezekiah's illness). Some rabbinic traditions view the "third day" as significant because it evokes the time of Abraham's readiness to sacrifice Isaac, a profound act of faith and divine provision.
2 Kings 20 8 Commentary
Hezekiah's request for a sign is born not of unbelief in God's power, but from a profound human desire for certainty and assurance regarding an extraordinary divine promise. Faced with the reality of his imminent death, the sudden and complete reversal of this decree by God through Isaiah prompts a plea for confirmation. His query "What shall be the sign?" is less a challenge and more an embrace of God's miraculous intervention, seeking a visible token that solidifies his faith in this incredible promise. The ultimate goal, "that I shall go up to the house of Yahweh on the third day," underscores his deepest desire: not just personal longevity, but restoration to the active worship and service of God. This detail frames his recovery not merely as physical health, but as a return to his covenantal responsibilities and his devotion, affirming his faith in Yahweh's restorative power not just over his body, but his entire being and purpose. The choice of a sign further illustrates God's condescension to human needs, providing a tangible experience to confirm an invisible truth.
- Example: A patient, after a dire diagnosis, is told by a trusted doctor of an unprecedented, full recovery. Asking for concrete medical data (like follow-up scans or blood tests) isn't doubt but seeking reassurance and proof of the miracle.
- Example: When a prophet announces an impossible event, seeking a sign allows God to authenticate His message and strengthen the faith of those who receive it, as seen with Gideon or Moses.