Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh,
Parallel translations
- KJV Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
- BSB Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
- NKJV Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
- NASB 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,
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 his face to the wall and prays to the Lord. In the face of death he turns to God alone.
Overview
Receiving the death sentence, the king does not despair but turns to God in earnest prayer. Turning to the wall suggests private, heartfelt pleading away from onlookers. His instinct to seek the Lord in extremity models faith that brings even the fear of death before God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 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.
- Ps 50:15Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
- Ps 91:15He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 38:2 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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