Hezekiah

Lore & Background

Hezekiah's changes to the official Yahweh worship, especially his centralization of worship in Jerusalem and his efforts to rid Judah of the worship of other cult gods and goddesses, are a major focus of biblical accounts. He is considered a very righteous king in both the Second Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles. His efforts to consolidate worship around the God of Israel and his destruction of other cult objects, such as the bronze serpent made by Moses, are seen as his way of consolidating power and temple resources during a turbulent time. His reign was marked by prophetic activity, with prophets such as Isaiah and Micah delivering their messages during his time. He lived another fifteen years after the war and brought material prosperity to his kingdom before he died, and his son Manasseh succeeded him.

Reader's Guide

The name Hezekiah means 'Yahweh strengthens' in Hebrew. Alternately it may be translated as 'Yahweh is my strength'. Based on Edwin R. Thiele's dating, Hezekiah was born in c. 741 BC and died in c. 687 BC at age 54. Thiele and William F. Albright calculated his regnal years, arriving at figures very close to each other, c. 715/16 and 686/87 BC. However, Robb Andrew Young dates his reign to 725–696 BC and Gershon Galil to 726–697/6. The Bible states that the fall of Samaria happened in Hezekiah's 6th year of reign, implying that he would have become king in c. 727 BC. According to the Bible, Hezekiah was the son of King Ahaz and Abijah (also called Abi), daughter of the high priest Zechariah. Hezekiah married Hephzibah, died from natural causes in c. 687 BC aged 54, and was succeeded by his son, Manasseh. According to the Biblical narrative, Hezekiah assumed the throne of Judah at age 25 and reigned for 29 years. Edwin R. Thiele, Leslie McFall, and William F. Albright proposed that Hezekiah served as coregent with his father Ahaz for about 14 years. Albright dates his sole reign as 715–687 BC, and by Thiele as 716–687 BC (the last ten years being a co-regency with his son Manasseh). Hezekiah purified and repaired Solomon's Temple, purged its idols, and reformed the priesthood. In an effort to abolish idolatry from his kingdom, he destroyed the high places (or bamot) and the 'bronze serpent' (or Nehushtan), recorded as being made by Moses, which had become objects of idolatrous worship. In place of the idolatry, Hezekiah centralized the worship of the sole God at the Temple in Jerusalem. He resumed the Passover pilgrimage and the tradition of inviting the tribes of Israel to take part in a Passover festival. According to 2 Chronicles 30 (but not the parallel account in 2 Kings), Hezekiah sent messengers to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to Jerusalem for a Passover celebration. The messengers were scorned, but a few men of the tribes of Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun 'were humble enough to come' to the city. According to the Biblical account, the Passover was celebrated with great solemnity and such rejoicing as had not been seen in Jerusalem since the days of Solomon. The celebration took place during the second month, Iyar, because not enough priests had consecrated themselves in the first month. In 701 BC, the recently anointed Assyrian king Sennacherib m

Did You Know?

• Hezekiah is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
• The Bible praises Hezekiah's reliance on God during the Assyrian siege, claiming divine intervention in Jerusalem's survival; according to 2 Kings 18:5, 'No king of Judah, among either his predecessors or his successors,
• Extra-biblical sources specify Hezekiah by name, along with his reign and influence.