2 Kings 20:9 kjv
And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?
2 Kings 20:9 nkjv
Then Isaiah said, "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing which He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees?"
2 Kings 20:9 niv
Isaiah answered, "This is the LORD's sign to you that the LORD will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?"
2 Kings 20:9 esv
And Isaiah said, "This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?"
2 Kings 20:9 nlt
Isaiah replied, "This is the sign from the LORD to prove that he will do as he promised. Would you like the shadow on the sundial to go forward ten steps or backward ten steps? "
2 Kings 20 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:14-19 | And God said, “Let there be lights… for signs…” | God designed celestial bodies for signs. |
| Ex 4:8 | “If they will not believe you… then they will believe the sign of the latter sign.” | God gives signs to validate His messengers. |
| Josh 10:12-14 | Then Joshua spoke to the Lord… “Sun, stand still at Gibeon…” | God demonstrated control over sun's movement. |
| Judg 6:36-40 | And Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel… let there be dew…” | God gives specific signs to confirm His will. |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | The Lord kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. | God's sovereignty over life and death. |
| Is 7:11 | “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God…” | God invites asking for signs for assurance. |
| Is 38:7-8 | This is the sign to you from the Lord… the shadow… on the sundial of Ahaz will go back ten steps. | Parallel account of this miracle. |
| Jer 28:9 | As for the prophet… when the word of the prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent him. | Signs validate a prophet's authenticity. |
| Jer 31:35 | Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day… | God established the fixed order of nature. |
| Job 9:7 | Who commands the sun not to shine, and sets a seal upon the stars... | God's power over celestial bodies. |
| Ps 74:16 | The day is yours, the night also is yours; you have prepared the light and the sun. | God's proprietorship over day and night, sun. |
| Ps 104:19 | He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. | God's sovereign ordering of celestial bodies. |
| Ps 147:5 | Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. | God's immense power and wisdom. |
| Ez 33:33 | When this comes—and come it will!—then they will know that a prophet has been among them. | Fulfillment of prophecy as a sign. |
| Dan 4:35 | All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing… He does according to His will… | God's absolute sovereignty over all things. |
| Hab 3:11 | The sun and moon stood still in their habitation... | Echoes miraculous control over celestial bodies. |
| Zech 8:6 | “Thus says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant… will it also be marvelous in My sight?” | What seems impossible for man is not for God. |
| Jn 14:29 | “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come, you may believe.” | Signs and prophecies reinforce faith. |
| Acts 2:22 | Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs. | Miracles confirm divine endorsement. |
| 1 Cor 1:22 | For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom. | Signs were a primary expectation for divine validation in Judaism. |
| Heb 2:4 | while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles… | God confirms His word and messengers. |
| Rom 9:20 | But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? | Man cannot question God's methods or power. |
2 Kings 20 verses
2 Kings 20 9 Meaning
This verse presents Isaiah's proposal of a miraculous sign to King Hezekiah, confirming the Lord's promise to heal him and grant him fifteen additional years of life. The sign involves an impossible manipulation of the sun's shadow on the sundial of Ahaz. Hezekiah is given a choice between the shadow advancing ten steps or retreating ten steps, a clear demonstration of divine power over creation.
2 Kings 20 9 Context
King Hezekiah of Judah was facing imminent death due to a severe illness (a boil/tumor). Isaiah the prophet delivered the grim news that he would die and not recover. Hezekiah, in profound distress, prayed fervently to the Lord, pleading with tears, recalling his faithful walk and wholehearted devotion. God immediately heard his prayer and responded. Before Isaiah even left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him, instructing him to return to Hezekiah with a message of healing and an extension of fifteen years to his life. This miraculous intervention followed Hezekiah's deep humility and prayer. The present verse offers Hezekiah a specific sign to confirm this extraordinary divine promise, leading directly into the physical miracle described in the following verse. Historically, this occurred during the Assyrian threat, around the time of Sennacherib's invasion, highlighting God's immediate and direct intervention in His people's affairs. The sundial of Ahaz (Hezekiah's father) likely symbolizes an existing, known structure or artifact from that period.
2 Kings 20 9 Word analysis
- And Isaiah said: Establishes Isaiah as God's chosen messenger, directly relaying God's offer to Hezekiah.
- “This shall be the sign (אוֹת ʾôṯ) to you from the Lord,":
- Sign (ʾôṯ): More than just a mark; it implies a miraculous token, a confirming wonder, a pledge of divine power and authenticity. It’s a physical manifestation of God’s intention to authenticate His spoken word. It signifies something out of the ordinary, requiring divine intervention.
- from the Lord: Explicitly states the divine origin of the sign, removing any doubt about its source. It emphasizes God's initiative and sovereign will.
- that the Lord will do the word (דָּבָר dāvār) that He has spoken:
- will do: Emphasizes God's active fulfillment and power.
- word (dāvār): Refers to the divine promise or decree. Here, it is the promise of Hezekiah's healing and extended life. God's dāvār is potent and effective, not just mere utterance but powerful declaration.
- shall the shadow (צֵל ṣēl) go forward (הָלַךְ halakh) ten steps (מַעֲלָה maʿălah), or go back (שׁוּב shūḇ) ten steps?”:
- Shadow (ṣēl): Specifically refers to the sun's shadow on a sundial.
- Go forward (halakh): To advance, proceed in the natural course of the sun's movement.
- Ten steps (maʿălah): Lit. "degrees" or "steps." This refers to the markings or increments on the sundial of Ahaz. The number ten signifies completion or fullness, but here more literally a specific measurement on the sundial. This indicates a precise and observable manipulation.
- Go back (shūḇ): To turn back, reverse direction. This is the miraculous part—defying the natural progression of time and the sun's observable movement.
- Or go back ten steps?: This choice offered to Hezekiah is itself significant. It highlights God's sovereignty over natural laws and allows Hezekiah to participate in the choice of the manifestation of the miracle. This makes the sign even more personal and undeniable. Hezekiah's choice (recorded in 2 Kings 20:10 and Is 38:8) for the shadow to go backward shows his awareness of the greater supernatural nature of such an act, as reversing nature is more astounding than merely advancing.
2 Kings 20 9 Bonus section
- Polemic against idolatry: The miracle on Ahaz's sundial serves as a potent polemic. Ahaz was a very idolatrous king, even bringing an altar from Damascus to Jerusalem (2 Kgs 16). For God to use a device possibly built or favored by such a king, or one reflecting Assyrian influence, to perform a distinctively Yahwistic miracle, demonstrates God's sovereignty over pagan practices and their supposed gods. No solar deity of the surrounding nations could perform such a feat. This miracle shows that the God of Israel, Yahweh, controls the sun, not the other way around.
- The nature of "steps" or "degrees": Scholars debate whether "steps" refer to actual stairs leading up to a platform upon which a gnomon (a shadow-casting object) stood, or whether they were markings/divisions on a horizontal or vertical surface of a specific sundial. Either way, it refers to a precise, measurable change.
- Uniqueness of the sign: This is one of the few instances where God actively asks a human (Hezekiah) to choose the nature of a confirming sign, demonstrating extraordinary condescension and personalized divine attention.
2 Kings 20 9 Commentary
2 Kings 20:9 underscores the Lord's infinite power and personal involvement in the lives of His faithful servants. It serves as a profound assurance that God's spoken word is certain and effective. The request for a sign was met not with an ordinary token, but with an astronomical miracle, directly challenging and subverting the very laws of creation which He Himself established. This was a public display, observable on "Ahaz's sundial," suggesting a device accessible to observation, perhaps a structure within the royal complex. The choice presented to Hezekiah highlights the incredible freedom God offers to those He favors, while simultaneously emphasizing that both options were equally possible for the Creator of the heavens and earth. This miracle firmly positions Yahweh as supreme, above any pagan deity associated with celestial bodies, who were thought to control the sun or time. It authenticated Isaiah's prophecy and strengthened Hezekiah's faith, confirming divine grace following his sincere repentance and prayer. The magnitude of this sign, involving the manipulation of a celestial body's perceived movement, solidifies God’s ability to intervene definitively and undeniably.