Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,
Parallel translations
- WEB Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh, saying,
- KJV Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying,
- BSB Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying,
- NASB Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying,
- NLT When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Hezekiah turns to the wall and prays to the LORD. In distress he goes directly to God.
Overview
Rather than despairing, the dying king turns from the world and seeks the LORD in earnest prayer. His instinct in crisis is to appeal to God's mercy. This models the believer's response to suffering: not turning away from God but turning toward Him, confident that the throne of grace is open through our great High Priest.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Ps 50:15Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
- Matt 6:6But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
- 1 Kgs 8:30Listen to the supplication of your servant, and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Yes, hear in heaven, your dwelling place; and when you hear, forgive.
- Isa 38:2–3Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 20:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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