Isaiah 38:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,

NIV: Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,

NASB: Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,

CSB: Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.

NLT: When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,

KJV: Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord,

NKJV: Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,

Hezekiah has received devastating news about his current illness. The Lord has told Him that the condition is fatal (Isaiah 38:1). Later verses note a "boil" (Isaiah 38:21) which might suggest a severe infection or a massive tumor. Hezekiah is relatively young, only about thirty nine years old (2 Kings 18:2). He apparently has no natural heir. If he dies now, David's royal line ends. But the prophet Isaiah has told him to set his affairs in order. This probably included choosing a successor and planning for inheritances.

The king prays immediately. Too sick to go to the temple, he simply pleads to the Lord where he is. He turns away from everything, facing only the wall. Throughout his reign, Hezekiah's greatest victories come when he humbles himself and seeks God (2 Kings 19:14–19). He does so again now. The prayer comes with no explicit request. However, the implication is clear: he is begging God for more time.

Isaiah 38:1–3 explains that King Hezekiah is seriously ill. Later verses mention the presence of a "boil" (Isaiah 38:21), which may mean a large tumor. The prophet visits the king with a message: Hezekiah should expect to die. He responds with mourning, turning away from Isaiah to weep. Hezekiah prays in desperation, noting his faithfulness to the Lord. God will reward that humility with fifteen more years of life (Isaiah 38:4–6).

Hezekiah becomes gravely ill. The only description given mentions a sort of "boil," so this may have been an aggressive tumor. Isaiah tells Hezekiah he will die, so the king prays and weeps. The Lord rewards Hezekiah's faithful dependence with a promise to add fifteen years to his life. God gives a miraculous sign by making the shadow on a staircase-like sundial move backward. After his recovery, Hezekiah writes a psalm describing his grief when he expected death and his joy after the Lord saved him. He commits to worshiping God in the temple for the rest of his life.

The events recorded here most likely happen before the Assyrian invasion described in the previous chapter. Isaiah is arranging his records to smoothly transition into later discussion of the Messiah. The Lord tells King Hezekiah to expect to die from an illness. When the king prays in grief, the Lord grants him fifteen more years and a miraculous sign. Hezekiah responds with a psalm describing both his despair and his renewed praise for the God who saves. Next, Isaiah records a visit from Babylonian messengers and God's prediction that peace will last until after Hezekiah has died.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 5/25/2026 3:21:09 AM