Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 20:12

At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

12 21. An embassy to Hezekiah from the king of Babylon. Isaiah’s message to Hezekiah. Death of Hezekiah (2Ch 32:25-33; Isa 39:1-8)

12. Berodach-baladan ] The first part of the name is given as Merodach in Isaiah. This is the more correct form, but the interchange of the two labials is very easily made.

This king of Babylon is mentioned in the Assyrian inscriptions, as overthrown by Sargon the father of Sennacherib. He is said in the canon to have reigned 12 years, while Polyhistor gives him a brief reign of six months. It seems probable that both are correct. After the defeat by Sargon, at which time he had been king 12 years, he was for some years an exile, but afterwards finding means to recover his kingdom, he kept the power for a very brief space. Whether his embassy to Hezekiah is to be assigned to the longer or the shorter time of his kingship depends upon the date in Hezekiah’s life at which his sickness occurred. If, as some have conjectured, that event was before Sennacherib’s invasion the embassy must have been before Merodach’s expulsion: if Hezekiah’s disease followed after Sennacherib’s invasion, then the Babylonian embassy must be placed in the brief six months’ rule which Merodach had after his return. The date of Merodach’s expulsion is placed b.c. 709, his return to the throne b.c. 702.

and a present ] This is in the original, minchah, a present intended to procure alliance and aid.

for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick ] And probably had heard also of the wondrous sign which attended on his recovery. Whether the announcement of such a marvel would create special interest in Babylon the land of star-worship and star-study we can only conjecture. No doubt the congratulation on Hezekiah’s recovery was only used as a pretext for an embassy which should gain over Judah, if possible, to the side of Babylon.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Berodach-baladan – The correct form of this name, Merodach-baladan, is given in Isaiah Isa 39:1. It is a name composed of three elements, Merodach, the well-known Babylonian god Jer 50:2, but (pal) a son; and iddin, or iddina, has given; or Baladan may be a form of Beliddin. This king of Babylon is mentioned frequently in the Assyrian inscriptions, and he was not unknown to the Greeks. He had two reigns in Babylon. First of all, he seized the throne in the same year in which Sargon became king of Assyria, 721 B.C., and held it for 12 years, from 721 B.C. to 709 B.C., when Sargon defeated him, and took him prisoner. Secondly, on the death of Sargon and the accession of Sennacherib, when troubles once more arose in Babylonia, be returned there, and had another reign, which lasted six months, during a part of the year 703 B.C. As the embassy of Merodach-Baladan followed closely on the illness of Hezekiah, it would probably be in 713 B.C.

The son of Baladan – In the inscriptions Merodach-Baladan is repeatedly called the son of Yakin or Yagin. This, however, is a discrepancy which admits of easy explanation. The Assyrians are not accurate in their accounts of the parentage of foreign kings. With them Jehu is the son of Omri. Yakin was a prince of some repute, to whose dominions Merodach-baladan had succeeded. The Assyrians would call him Yakins son, though he might have been his son-in-law, or his grandson.

The embassy was not merely one of congratulation. Its chief object was to inquire with respect to the going back of the shadow, an astronomical marvel in which the Chaldaeans of Babylon would feel a keen interest 2Ch 32:31. A political purpose is moreover implied in the next verse. Merodach-baladan was probably desirous of strengthening himself against Assyria by an alliance with Judaea and with Egypt.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

2Ki 20:12-13

Berodach-baladan . . . sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah.

Hezekiah and the ambassadors, or vainglory rebuked

Who among us would not have shown the strangers over our house, and our garden, and our library, and have pointed out to them any little treasures and curiosities which we might happen to possess? And what if Hezekiah was somewhat proud of his wealth? Was it not a most natural pride that he who was a monarch of so small a territory should nevertheless be able, by economy and good government, to accumulate so large and varied a treasure? Did it not show that he was prudent and thrifty; and might he not commend himself as an example to the Babylonian ambassadors, as showing what these virtues had done for him? Exactly so; this is just as man seeth; but God seeth after another sort: Man looketh at the outward appearance, but God looketh at the heart. Things are not to God as they seem to us. Actions which apparently and upon the surface, and even, so far as human judgment can go, may appear to be either indifferent or even laudable, may seem to God to be so hateful that His anger may burn against them. We look upon a needle, and to our naked eye it is as smooth as glass, but when we put it under the microscope it appears at once to be as rough as an unmanufactured bar of iron. It is much after this manner with our actions. Yet another reflection which strikes one at the very first blush of this affair, namely, that God has a different rule for judging His childrens doings from that which He applies to the actions of strangers. I can believe that if Hezekiah had sent his ambassadors to Berodach-baladan, that heathen monarch might have shown the Jewish ambassadors over all his treasures without any sort of sin; God would not have been provoked to anger, nor would a prophet have uttered so much as a word of remonstrance or of threatening: but Hezekiah is not like Berodach-baladan, and must not do as the Babylonians may do. Baladan is but a serf in Gods kingdom, and Hezekiah is a prince; the one is an alien, and the other is a dear and much cherished child. We have all different modes of dealing with men according to their relation to us. If a stranger should speak against you in the street you Would not feel it, you would scarce be angry even though the statement might be libellous; but if it were the wife of your bosom it would sting you to the heart, or if your child should slander you it would cut you to the quick. We remark then that the act of Hezekiah here recorded is not upon the surface a sinful one, but that the sin is to be found, not so much in the action itself as in his motives, of which we cannot be judges, but which God very accurately judged, and very strictly condemned: and, again, we remark that this sin of Hezekiah might not have been sin in others at all, that even with the same motive is done by others it might not have so provoked God; but seeing that Hezekiah, above even most of the scriptural saints, was favoured with singular interpositions of providence, and distinguished honours from Gods hand, he should have been more careful. His sin, if little in others, became great in him, because of his being so beloved of God.

I. In order to bring out what Hezekiahs offence was, it will be best for me to begin by describing his circumstances and state at the time of the transaction.

1. We may remark that he had received very singular favours. Sennacherib had invaded the land with a host reckoned to be invincible, and probably it was invincible by all the known means of warfare of that age: but when he came near Jerusalem he was not able even so much as to cast a mound against it. This was a memorable deliverance from a foe so gigantic as to be compared to Leviathan, into whose jaw the Lord thrust a hook, and led him back to the place from whence he came. Beside this, the king had been restored from a sickness pronounced to be mortal.

2. In addition to all this the Lord gave Hezekiah an unusual run of prosperity. Hezekiah was in all respects a prosperous monarch; the man whom the King of kings delighted to honour. This great prosperity was a great temptation, far more difficult to endure than Rabshakehs letter, and all the ills which invasion brought upon the land. Many serpents lurk among the flowers of prosperity; high places are dangerous places; it is not easy to carry a full cup with a steady hand.

3. We must not forget that Hezekiah, at this time, had become singularly conspicuous. To be favoured as he was might have been endurable, if he could have lived in retirement; but he was set as upon a pinnacle, since all the nations round about must have heard of the destruction of Sennacheribs host.

4. Hezekiah had remarkable opportunities for usefulness. How much he might have done to honour the God of Israel! He ought to have made the courts of princes ring with the name of Jehovah. He should have placed himself in the rear of the picture, and have filled the earth with his testimony to the glory of his God. How well he might have exclaimed, in the language of triumphant exultation, Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? Which of these delivered the nations from Sennacherib? Which of these could raise up their, votaries from mortal sickness? Which of these could say to the suns shadow, Go thou back upon the dial of Ahaz? But Jehovah ruleth over all; He is King in heaven above, and in the earth beneath.

5. He, above all men, was under obligation to have loved his God and to have devoted himself wholly to Him. All life is sacred to the Giver of Life, and should be devoted to Him; but life supernaturally prolonged should have been in an especial manner dedicated to God. We must not too hastily condemn Hezekiah. It is for God to condemn but not for us, for I am persuaded had we been in Hezekiahs place we should have done the same. Observe now wherein his loftiness would find food. Here he might have said to himself, Within my dominions the greatest of armies has been destroyed and the mightiest of princes has been humbled. He whose name was a sound of terror in every land came into my country, and he melted away like the snow before the sun. Great art thou, O Hezekiah! great is thy land, for thy land has devoured Sennacherib, and put an end to the havoc of the destroyer. Remember also that he had this to try him above everything else–he had the certainty of living fifteen years. I have already given you a hint of the danger of such certainty. Mortals as we are, in danger of dying at any moment, yet we grow secure; but give us fifteen years certain, and I know not that heaven above would be high enough for our heads, or whether the whole world would be large enough to contain the swellings of our pride. We should be sure to grow vaingloriously great if the check of constant mortality were removed. Then when Hezekiah surveyed his stores, he would see much to puff him up, for worldly possessions are to men what gas is to a balloon. Ah, those who know anything about possessions, about broad acres, gold and silver, and works of art, and precious things, and so on, know what a tendency there is to puff up the owners thereof,

6. To complete our description of the circumstances, it appears that at this time God left His servant in a measure, to try him. Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

II. We must now turn to consider the occurrence itself and the sin which arose out of it. Babylon, a province of Assyria, had thrown off the Assyrian yoke, and Berodach-baladan was naturally anxious to obtain allies in order that his little kingdom might grow strong enough to preserve itself from the Assyrians. He had seen with great pleasure that the Assyrian army had been destroyed in Hezekiahs country, and very probably, not recognising the miracle, he thought that Hezekiah had defeated the host, and so he sent his ambassadors with a view to make a treaty of alliance with so great a prince. The ambassadors arrived. Now in this case the duty of Hezekiah was very clear. He ought to have received the ambassadors with due courtesy as becomes their office, and he should have regarded their coming as an opportunity to bear testimony to the idolatrous Babylonians of the true God of Israel. He should have explained to them that the wonders which had been wrought were wrought by the only living and true God, and then he might have said, in answer to Isaiahs question, What have they seen in thine house? I have told them of the mighty acts of Jehovah, I have published abroad His great fame, and I have sent them back to their country to tell abroad that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. He should have been very cautious with these men. They were idolaters, and therefore not fit company for the worshippers of Jehovah. We may perceive wherein his sin was found. I think it lay in five particulars.

1. It is evident from the passage in Isa 39:1-8, that he was greatly delighted with their company. It is said, Hezekiah was glad of them. In this chapter it is said, He hearkened unto them. He was very pleased to see them. It is an ill sign when a Christian takes great solace in the company of the worldling, more especially when that worldling is profane. The Babylonians were wicked idolaters, it was ill for the lover of Jehovah to press them to his bosom. He should have felt towards them, As for your gods, I loathe them, for I worship the God that made heaven and earth, neither can I receive you into close familiarity, because you are no lovers of the Lord my God. Courtesy is due from the Christian to all men, but the unholy intimacy which allows a believer to receive an unregenerate person as his bosom friend is a sin.

2. The next sin which he committed was that he evidently leaned to their alliance. Now Hezekiah was the king of a little territory, almost as insignificant as a German principality, and his true strength would have been to have leaned upon his God, and to have made no show whatever of military power. It was by God that he had been defended, why should not he still rest upon the invisible Jehovah? But no, he thinks, If I could associate with the Babylonians, they are a rising people, it will be well for me. Mark this–God takes it hard of His people when they leave His arm for an arm of flesh.

3. His next sin was, his unholy silence concerning his God. He does not appear to have said a word to them about Jehovah. Would it have been polite? Etiquette, nowadays, often demands of a Christian that he should not intrude his religion upon company. Out on such etiquette! But nowadays, if one cares about fashion, one must be gagged in all companies. You must not intrude, nor be positive in your opinions, if you would have the good word of fashionable people. Meanwhile, mark that Hezekiah sadly made up for his silence about his God by loudly boasting about himself. If he had little to say of his God, he had much to say about his spices, his armour, and his gold and silver; and I dare say he took them to see the conduit and the pool which he had made, and the various other wonders of engineering which he had carried out. Ah, etiquette lets us talk of men, but about our God we must be silent.

4. Surely also his sin lay in his putting himself on a level with these Babylonians. Suppose he had gone to see them, what would they have shown him? Why, they would have shown him their spicery, their armoury, their gold and their silver. Now, they come to see him, and he is a worshipper of the invisible God, and he glories in just the same treasures as those in which they also trusted. May you and I shun this sin of Hezekiah, and not try to match ourselves with sinners as to the joys of this present life. If they say, Here are my treasures, let us tell them about the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God, and say, Our treasure is above. Let us imitate the noble Roman lady who, when her friend showed her all her trinkets, waited till her two fair boys came home from school, and then pointed to them, and said, These are my jewels. Do you, when you hear the worldling vaunting his happiness, drop in a gentle word, and say, I too have my earthly comforts, for which I am grateful; but my best delights are not here; they spring neither from corn, nor wine, nor oil; nor could spices, and gold, and music render them to be. My heart is in heaven, my heart is not here; 1 have set my soul upon things above; Jesus is my joy, and His love is my delight. You tell me of what you love; permit me to tell you of what I love. The Lord takes it hard on the part of His people if they are ashamed of the blessings which He gives them, and if they never boast in the Cross of Christ they have good cause to be ashamed of themselves.

III. The third matter, the punishment and the pardon. We may generally find a mans sin written in his punishment. We sow the thorns, and then God flogs us with them. Our sins are the mothers of our sorrows. Judgments being therefore threatened, Hezekiah and the people humbled themselves. If you and I would escape chastisement, we must humble ourselves. Yet although God removed the punishment as far as Hezekiah was concerned, He did not remove the consequences. You see the consequences of showing the Babylonians the treasures were just these: they would be sure to go back and tell their king, That little prince has a vast store of spice and armour, and all sorts of precious things; we must before long pick a quarrel with him, and despoil his rich hive. We must bring these choice treasures to Babylon; they will repay us for the toils of war. That was the certain result of Hezekiahs folly; and though God did forget the sin and promise to remove the punishment from Hezekiah, yet He did not avert the consequences from another generation. So with us. Many a sin which the believer has committed God has pardoned, but the consequences come all the same. You may have the guilt forgiven, but you cannot undo the sin; there it remains, and our children and our childrens children may have to smart for sins which God has forgiven to us. A spendthrift may be forgiven for his profligacy, but he sends a stream of poverty down to the next generation.

IV. Gather up the lessons of this narrative. The lessons which come uppermost are just these.

1. See, then, what is in every mans heart. O God, teach us to know our hearts, and help us, while we remember how black they are, never to be proud.

2. In the next place, tremble at anything that is likely to bring out this evil of your heart. Riches and worldly company are the two cankers that eat out the very life of godliness. Christian, be aware of them!

3. Should we not be taught by this narrative to cry out every day against vainglory! Ah, it is not those standing in prominent spheres who are alone in danger of it, but all others.

4. And then supposing that you should have given way to it, see the sorrow which it will bring you; and if you would escape that sorrow, imitate Hezekiah, and humble yourself.

5. Lastly, let us cry to God never to leave us. Lord, take not Thy Holy Spirit from us! withdraw not from us Thy restraining grace! (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Royal congratulations and national ostentation

Hezekiah at one time had trouble on trouble. In the days when his capital was besieged he was stricken down, not by the weapons of the enemy, but by the hand of disease. He felt it a great denial to be unable to go forth and lead his people. The prophet told him that he would have to die. Life was sweet. Usefulness was sweeter still. He prayed and wept. His prayer was heard. As an assurance of the Divine working a sign was given; time was recalled, and the shadow of the dial was put back. Hezekiah recovered. The Assyrian army raised the siege. The king went up to the temple to show his gratitude, and then life went on smoothly until we hear of a royal congratulating embassage being sent to him from Berodach-baladan. Those of kingly rank often show a ceremonial courtesy when there is little real kindliness. It looks well before the people. Still, courtesy helps to smooth the wheels of state as well as of life. Unmeaning courtesy should not obtain among Christians. A warm recognition after a service will often deepen the impression of a sermon, but a cold and off-hand salute can easily help to erase it. In Some circles the repressive is exercised with such effect that it would need the force of a Vesuvius to break through it. In such circles the minutiae of etiquette will be watched, but the loving and hearty confidence will be wanting. Berodach-baladan sent a present to back up kingly congratulations. This was in conformity with the practice of the East. The King of Babylon wished really to bribe Hezekiah into forming an affiance with him. He wanted to strengthen himself against Sargon, the Assyrian king. He did not despise the help which a small kingdom and insignificant army could give in case of the breaking out of hostilities. Judah had been as a bulwark to check the advance of Sennacherib, and might serve the same purpose against his successor. Judah was a sort of Switzerland in Asia Minor. Moreover, Judah was evidently under the protection of the God of heaven. In all this Berodach-baladan may have been honestly desirous to testify his regard; and although after events showed that Babylon was not to be trusted, it was under another king, who arose and knew not the man whom his predecessor had honoured. The embassy sent was one that must have cost Babylon a considerable amount, but it was able to accomplish its purpose. It might have been repulsed by the king of these strange people who sought to keep themselves from association with other nations; but, instead, the special embassy was welcomed. Hezekiah welcomed the men from Chaldea. He was delighted that a king who was accounted as one of the mightiest of the Gentile monarchs had recognised him. Moreover, he saw himself growing in importance. He was gaining prestige, and that is close akin to power. His little nation was beginning to rank with extensive empires. When vanity is appealed to, we are easily led away in a wrong direction. Men are more easily led wrong by these whom they suppose to be above them in rank. The proud lead to pride.

1. See how flattered vanity betrayed a man into foolish openness and ostentation. Hezekiah showed the ambassadors all his treasures. He had little to show immediately after the tribute levied by the Assyrian king had been paid, but somehow he had great treasures to exhibit to the Babylonians. His regalia, his armoury, his magazine, his stables, his treasures of gold in safe keeping, his spicery and unguents for luxury, everything he laid open. Had he had a great army or fleet he would have had a grand review. He only showed his treasures. Eyes feasted. Minds meditated. Greed was fostered. Folly was sneered at. Glances full of meaning must have passed from prince to prince. Interpret those glances. They mean: How well these things would look in Babylon; how they would help to swell the revenues of our master; how they would pay the cost of some war. Into what evil will pride betray us! It is a spring-board at one time and a stumbling-mock at another, we are a subject to its assaults. Our possessions, our powers, our position, our acquirements, our friends, our nationality, may all lead to pride. We must be watchful. We must not be ostentatious. At the same time, we are not to withhold showing friends that which may interest them, or which may help to cultivate in them a love of the beautiful, or gratify an exquisite taste. If we have pictures or albums, coins and curios, we may show them, but to display and point out evidences of wealth is as despicable as it is foolish. In much ostentation there is a hidden contempt for those who cannot succeed in gaining that which we have acquired. We worship our own skill and power. We forget that time and chance happeneth to all. Pride makes us idolaters of self on the one hand, and despisers of our fellows on the other. The proudest of the proud are often those who have least to be proud of, but who are the accident of an accident.

2. Further, we see that pride led Hezekiah to miss a grand opportunity of glorifying God. Here were heathens in his presence. He might have spoken of what wonders God had wrought for him: of the deliverance effected, of the health restored. He might have led them up to the temple to see the purity of the Divine worship. He might have told them of the laws of Moses and of their beneficent tendencies; of the traditions, history, and sacred proverbs his scribes had copied out. Nothing of the kind did he. He let slip a chance that came but seldom, and thus neglected to glorify his God. Alas! many have imitated him.

3. Searching questions as to proud action were soon put. The prophet comes. With what authority he speaks. How faithfully he probes the kings conscience. The royal sinner winces. He is not pleased at the prophets interference in state affairs. What could Isaiah know of state and diplomatic reasons? Those who carry on all sorts of subtle arrangements and negotiations are not always pleased to have to place the papers on the table, or to submit the results and the processes to the critical eye of the public. Isaiah was one of the public. He represented the public and God. He questioned boldly the king. He has no fear to check him, and he has no favour to ask. Noble Isaiah! Welt is it for the king that he has thee to speak boldly to him, to lead him back to God and right principles when most in danger of wandering therefrom! Thou wert a greater treasure than all he had exhibited to his Babylonish visitors, hut he had not brought thee forth to view.

4. Retribution was threatened. A Nemesis must follow pride. We are sure to have vexation from that through which the heart has been unduly lifted up. The very nation with which Judah, in the person of its king, had been dallying would be the cause of its overthrow. Babylon must always ruin those who bask in the delights of Babylon. The love of the world must bring bitter regret to those who neglect God. Years go over. Another king is reigning. There is terror on the walls, in the streets, and houses of Jerusalem. The tents of an enemy were whitening the hills around. Babylonian battering-rams were drawing near to the walls. Fires were being made at the gates to destroy them. Hosts like locusts were swarming all over the surrounding country. The land could not bear them. Famine stared the people in the face. They looked around for help. None came. Egypt was a broken reed piercing the hand. Weeks dragged slowly by, and the sufferings of the besieged were daily intensified. At length a breach was made in the wall. Armed men innumerable rushed through. The people were butchered. The king was taken. His sons were seized and slain before his eyes. Then his own organs of vision were wantonly put out. The temple was desecrated and the palaces destroyed. Sacred vessels were piled in heaps and then fastened on camels and horses for transit to Babylon. The weapons in which he had trusted were broken up, and the objects of his pride were made the sign of his humiliation. The prophet foretold all this. Hezekiah shuddered, but was compelled to confess the justice of his retribution. He could only say, Good is the word which the Lord hath spoken. Gods justice must be praised as well as His mercy. Hezekiah did not imagine retribution would come so surely and swiftly. Individuals make up the nation, therefore let us watch against pride–the pride that drove our first parents from Paradise, that drove a Pharaoh to be engulfed by the waves of the sea, that drove a Saul from his kingdom. (F. Hastings.)

Dangerous love of display

A visitor to London during the Queens Jubilee testified that the diamonds worn by the women of the American colonies outblazed those of the royal family and the wealthiest of the English nobility. This growing love of display is one of the danger-signals of our time. To provide these women with such diamonds many a man stakes his soul in desperate gambling transactions in and out of Wall Street. The feverish desire which men often show for great and sudden riches is not infrequently at the bottom of the desire of some foolish women to outshine other women. If he succeeds, she wears the diamonds; if he fails, there is another account of a suicide in the morning paper. (L. A. Banks.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 12. At that time Berodach-baladan] He is called Merodach-Baladan, Isa 39:1, and by the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and by several of Kennicott’s and De Rossi’s MSS.; and also by the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds. The true reading seems to be Merodach; the mem and beth might be easily interchanged, and so produce the mistake.

Sent letters and a present] It appears that there was friendship between the king of Babylon and Hezekiah, when the latter and the Assyrians were engaged in a destructive war. The king of Babylon had not only heard of his sickness, but he had heard of the miracle; as we learn from 2Ch 32:31.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Berodach-baladan, called Merodach-baladan, Isa 39:1, whose name Josephus found in that famous Chaldean historian, Berosus. He seems to have been the king of Assyrias viceroy in Babylon; and upon that terrible slaughter of one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian host, and the death of Sennacherib, and the differences among his sons, to have usurped an absolute sovereignty over Babylon; and either himself or his son destroyed the Assyrian monarchy, and translated the empire to Babylon.

Sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah; partly for the reasons mentioned 2Ch 32:31; and partly to assure himself of the friendship and assistance of Hezekiah against the Assyrians, their common, and as yet powerful, enemy.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

12-19. Berodach-baladan (Isa39:1), the first king of Babylon mentioned in sacred history;formerly its rulers were viceroys of the Assyrian monarchs. Thisindividual threw off the yoke, and asserting his independence, madewith varying success, a long and obstinate resistance [RAWLINSON,Outlines]. The message of congratulation to Hezekiah, was, inall likelihood, accompanied with proposals for a defensive allianceagainst their common Assyrian enemy. The king of Judah, flatteredwith this honor, showed the ambassadors all his treasures, his armoryand warlike stores; and his motive for this was evidently that theBabylonian deputies might be the more induced to prize hisfriendship.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

At that time Berodachbaladan,…. He is called Merodachbaladan, Isa 39:1, so here in the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions; [See comments on Isa 39:1]; and by Metasthenes z his father is called Merodach, and he Ben Merodach, who reigned twenty one years, and his father fifty two; from hence to the end of 2Ki 20:12 the same account is given in the same words as in Isa 39:1 throughout, except in 2Ki 20:13, where it is, “hearkened unto them”, and there, “glad of them”; heard the letter the ambassadors brought with pleasure; see the notes there. [See comments on Isa 39:1] and following.

z Ut supra. (De Judicio Temp. fol. 221. 2.)

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Babylonian embassy, and Hezekiah’s imprudence ( cf. Isa 39:1-8). – 2Ki 20:12. “At that time Berodach Baladan, king of Babel, sent a letter and a present to Hezekiah, because he had heard that Hezekiah was sick.” By the arrival of these ambassadors is merely assigned in the most general manner to the period following Hezekiah’s recovery. But from the object of their mission, it is evident that they did not arrive in Jerusalem till after the overthrow and departure of Sennacherib, and therefore at least half a year after Hezekiah’s recovery. The ostensible reason given is, that Berodach Baladan had heard of Hezekiah’s illness, and therefore sent to congratulate him on his recovery; but in 2Ch 32:31 the further reason is mentioned, that he wished to inquire concerning the miracle upon the sun-dial. But, as Josephus has shown, the true object, no doubt, was to make sure of Hezekiah’s friendship in anticipation of his intended revolt from the Assyrian rule. Berodach Baladan, for Merodach Baladan (Isa.), with the labial changed, is the same person as the Marodach Baladan who reigned in Babylon for six months, according to Alex. Polyhistor, or rather Berosus (Euseb. Chr. armen. i. pp. 42, 43), and was slain by Elibus, and also the same as the Mardokempad who reigned, according to the Can. Ptol., from 26 to 38 aer. Nab., i.e., from 721 to 709 b.c. The first part of the name, , occurs in Jer 50:2 in connection with Bel as the name of a Babylonian idol; and the whole name is found on a cylinder (in the British Museum) which contains the first expeditions of Sennacherib against Babylon and Media, and upon the inscriptions at Khorsabad spelt either Merodak-pal-dsana (according to Brandis, Ueber der Gewinn, pp. 44 and 53) or Marduk bal iddin (according to Oppert).

(Note: Compare M. v. Niebuhr, Gesch. Ass. p. 40; and with regard to the chronological differences, on account of which many have called in question the identity of Merodach Baladan either with the Marudach-Baladan of Berosus or with the Mardokempad of the Can. Ptol., see the discussion of this point at pp. 75ff.)

Instead of we have in Isaiah, which is not so clear, though it is probably more original; whereas the clause in Isaiah, , “that he had been sick and had become strengthened, i.e., well again,” is simply an elucidation of the of our text, in which the recovery is implied in the pluperfect “had been sick.”

2Ki 20:13

In 2Ki 20:13 is apparently a copyist’s error for of Isaiah, which many of the codd. and ancient versions have even in our text. At the same time, the construction of with is also found in 2Ki 22:13. – , concerning them, i.e., the ambassadors who had brought the letter and the present. In his delight at the honour paid to him by this embassy, Hezekiah showed the ambassadors all his treasure-house, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the costly oil, and all his arsenal, etc. The literal meaning of is probably spice-house (Aquila, Symm., Vulg.), being a contraction of in Gen 37:25, whereas the derivation suggested from the Arabic kayyata , farsit, implevit locum , is much more wide of the mark. The house received its name from the spices for the storing of which it was really intended, although it was also used for the storing of silver and gold. is not fine olive oil, but, according to the Rabbins and Movers ( Phniz. iii. p. 227), the valuable balsam oil which was obtained in the royal gardens; for olive oil, which was obtained in all Judaea, was not stored in the treasure-chambers along with gold, silver, and perfumes, but in special storehouses (1Ch 27:28). , in all his dominion, i.e., in all the district which he was able to govern or control. – The existence of such treasures, of which, according to 2Ki 20:17, the ancestors of Hezekiah had collected a very large store, at so short a period after the departure of the Assyrians, is not at variance with 2Ki 18:15-16, according to which Hezekiah had sent to Sennacherib all the silver in his treasuries, and even the gold plate upon the temple doors. For, in the first place, it is not stated that there was much silver and gold in the treasure-house, but the silver and gold are simply mentioned along with the spices; and, secondly, Hezekiah may have kept back from Sennacherib many a valuable piece of silver or gold, and have taken off the gold plate from the temple doors, to show the ambassadors of Sennacherib, who came to receive the money demanded as compensation, that he was not in a condition to give anything more. Moreover a great deal may have flowed into the treasuries since the payment of that tribute, partly from the presents which Hezekiah received from many quarters after the overthrow of Sennacherib (2Ch 32:23), and partly from the booty that had been collected in the camp of the Assyrians after their hurried departure. And again, the treasures which the ancestors of Hezekiah had collected (2Ki 20:17) may not have consisted of gold and silver exactly, but of different jewels and objects of art, which could not be applied to the payment of the tribute demanded by Sennacherib. And, lastly, “we must not overlook the fact, that it answered the purpose of the reporter to crowd together as much as possible, in order to show how anxious Hezekiah was to bring out and exhibit everything whatever that could contribute to the folly” (Drechsler). Hezekiah evidently wanted to show all his glory, because the arrival of the Babylonian ambassadors had flattered his vanity.

2Ki 20:14-17

Isaiah therefore announced to him the word of the Lord, that all his treasures would one day be carried to Babel, and some even of his sons would serve as chamberlains in the palace of the king of Babel. The sin of vanity was to be punished by the carrying away of that of which his heart was proud. Isaiah did not go to Hezekiah by his own impulse, but by the direction of God. His inquiries: “What have these men said, and whence do they come to thee?” were simply intended to lead the king to give expression to the thoughts of his heart. In the answer, “From a distant land have they come, from Babel,” his vanity at the great honour that had been paid him comes clearly to light.

2Ki 20:18

The words, “of thy sons, which shall proceed from thee, which thou shalt beget,” do not necessarily refer to the actual sons, but only to lineal descendants. The Chethb , “will one take,” is to be preferred to the of Isaiah and the Keri, as being the more difficult reading. , chamberlains, courtiers, not necessarily eunuchs, as in 1Sa 8:15, etc. – For the fulfilment of this threat see Dan 1:2.

2Ki 20:19

The first part of Hezekiah’s reply, “Good is the word of Jehovah, which thou hast spoken,” is an expression of submission to the will of the Lord, like Eli’s answer in 1Sa 3:18 (cf. 1Ki 2:38, 1Ki 2:42);

(Note: “ He calls that good in which it is right to acquiesce, as having proceeded from Him who does nothing but what is not only most just, but tempered with the greatest goodness, even when He inflicts punishment. ” – Clericus.)

the second part, which the repetition of shows to have been spoken after a pause, and which was not addressed directly to Isaiah, “Is it not so (i.e., is it not purely goodness), if there are to be peace and truth in my days (during my life)?” is a candid acknowledgment of the grace and truth of the Lord.

(Note: “ He praises the moderation of the divine decree, because when God, in accordance with His justice, might have brought this calamity upon him in his own person, for His mercy ‘ s sake He was willing to spare him and to put off the evil to a future day. ” – Vitringa.)

is used, as is frequently the case, in the sense of a lively affirmation. Instead of we have in Isaiah , “for there will be peace and truth,” by which this clause is attached more clearly to the first declaration as a reason for it: the word of the Lord is good, for the Lord proves His goodness and truth in the fact, that He will not inflict the merited punishment in my lifetime. “Peace and truth” are connected as in Jer 33:6. does not mean continuance (Ges.), security (Knobel), but fides, faithfulness-not human faithfulness, however, which preserves peace, and observes a tacit treaty (Hitzig), but the faithfulness of God, which preserves the promised grace to the humble.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Hezekiah’s Piety and Death.

B. C. 713.

      12 At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.   13 And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.   14 Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.   15 And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.   16 And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD.   17 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD.   18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.   19 Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?   20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?   21 And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.

      Here is, I. An embassy sent to Hezekiah by the king of Babylon, to congratulate him on his recovery, v. 12. The kings of Babylon had hitherto been only deputies and tributaries to the kings of Assyria, and Nineveh was the royal city. We find Babylon subject to the king of Assyria, ch. xvii. 24. But this king of Babylon began to set up for himself, and by degrees things were so changed that Assyria became subject to the kings of Babylon. This king of Babylon sent to compliment Hezekiah, and ingratiate himself with him upon a double account. 1. Upon the account of religion. The Babylonians worshipped the sun, and, perceiving what honour their god had done to Hezekiah, in going back for his sake, they thought themselves obliged to do honour to him likewise. It is good having those our friends whom we perceive to be the favourites of heaven. 2. Upon the account of civil interest. If the king of Babylon was now mediating a revolt from the king of Assyria, it was policy to get Hezekiah into his interest, in answer to whose prayers, and for whose protection, heaven had given that fatal blow to the king of Assyria. He found himself obliged to Hezekiah, and his God, for the weakening of the Assyrian forces, and had reason to think he could not have a more powerful and valuable ally than one that had so good an interest in the upper world. He therefore made his court to him with all possible respect by ambassadors, letters, and a present.

      II. The kind entertainment Hezekiah gave to these ambassadors, v. 13. It was his duty to be civil to them, and receive them with the respect due to ambassadors; but he exceeded, and was courteous to a fault. 1. He was too fond of them. He hearkened unto them. Though they were idolaters, yet he became intimate with them, was forward to come into a confederacy with the king their master, and granted them all they came for. He was more open and free than he should have been, and stood not so much upon his guard. What reason had he that was in covenant with God so eagerly to catch at an alliance with a heathen prince, or to value himself at all upon his respectful notice? What honour could this embassy add to one whom God had so highly favoured, that he should please himself so much with it? 2. He was too fond of showing them his palace, his treasures, and his magazines, that they might see, and might report to their master, what a great king he was, and how well worthy of the honour their master did him. It is not said that he showed them the temple, the book of the law, and the manner of his worship, that he might proselyte them to the true religion, which he had now a fair opportunity of doing; but in compliment to them, lest he should affront them, he waived that, and showed them the rich furniture of his closet, that house of his precious things, the wealth he had heaped up since the king of Assyria had emptied his coffers, his silver, and gold, and spices. All the valuable things he had he showed them, either himself or by his officers. And what harm was there in this? What is more commonly, and (as we think) more innocently, done, than to show strangers the riches and rarities of a country–to show our friends our houses and their furniture, our gardens, stables, and libraries? But if we do this in the pride of our hearts, as Hezekiah did, to gain applause from men, and not giving praise to God, it turns into sin to us, as it did to him.

      III. The examination of Hezekiah concerning this matter, 2Ki 20:14; 2Ki 20:15. Isaiah, who had often been his comforter, is now his reprover. The blessed Spirit is both, Joh 16:7; Joh 16:8. Ministers must be both, as there is occasion. Isaiah spoke in God’s name, and therefore called him to account as one having authority: “Who are these? Whence come they? What is their business? What have they seen?” Hezekiah not only submitted to the examination (did not ask him, “Why should you concern yourself and question me about this affair?”), but made an ingenuous confession: There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them. Why then did he not bring them to Isaiah, and show him to them who was without doubt the best treasure he had in his dominions, and who by his prayers and prophecies had been instrumental in all those wonders which these ambassadors came to enquire into? I hope Hezekiah had the same value for Isaiah now that he had in his distress; but it would have become him to show it by bringing these ambassadors to him in the first place, which might have prevented the false step he took.

      IV. The sentence passed upon him for his pride and vanity, and the too great relish he had of the things of the world, after that intimate acquaintance he had so lately been admitted into with divine things. The sentence is (2Ki 20:17; 2Ki 20:18), 1. That the treasures he was so proud of should hereafter become a prey, and his family should be robbed of them all. It is just with God to take that from us which we make the matter of our pride and in which we put our confidence. 2. That the king of Babylon, with whom he was so fond of an alliance, should be the enemy that should make a prey of them. Not that it was for this sin that that judgment should be brought upon them: the sins of Manasseh, his idolatries and murders, were the cause of that calamity; but it is now foretold to Hezekiah, to convince him of the folly of his pride and of the value he had for the king of Babylon, and to make him ashamed of it. Hezekiah was fond of assisting the king of Babylon to rise, and to reduce the exorbitant power of the kings of Assyria; but he is told that the snake he is cherishing will ere long sting the bosom that cherishes it, and that his royal seed shall become the king of Babylon’s slave (which was fulfilled, Dan. i. 1, c.), than which there could not be any thing more mortifying to Hezekiah to think of. Babylon will be the ruin of those that are fond of Babylon. Wise therefore and happy are those that come out from her, Rev. xviii. 4.

      V. Hezekiah’s humble and patient submission to this sentence, &lti>v. 19. Observe how he argues himself into this submission. 1. He lays it down for a truth that “good is the word of the Lord, even this word, though a threatening; for every word of his is so. It is not only just, but good; for, as he does no wrong to any, so he means no hurt to good men. It is good; for he will bring good out of it, and do me good by the foresight of it.” We should believe this concerning every providence, that it is good, is working for good. 2. He takes notice of that in this word which was good, that he should not live to see this evil, much less to share in it. He makes the best of the bad: “Is it not good? Yes, certainly it is, and better than I deserve.” Note, (1.) True penitents, when they are under divine rebukes, call them not only just, but good; not only submit to the punishment of their iniquity, but accept of it. So Hezekiah did, and by this it appeared that he was indeed humbled for the pride of his heart. (2.) When at any time we are under dark dispensations, or have dark prospects, public or personal, we must take notice of what is for us as well as what is against us, that we may by thanksgiving honour God, and may in our patience possess our own souls. (3.) As to public affairs, it is good, and we are bound to think it so, if peace and truth be in our days. That is, [1.] Whatever else we want, it is good if we have peace and truth, if we have the true religion professed and protected, Bibles and ministers, and enjoy these in peace, not terrified with the alarms of war or persecution. [2.] Whatever trouble may come when we are gone, it is good if all be well in our days. Not that we should be unconcerned for posterity; it is a grief to foresee evils: but we should own that the deferring of judgments is a great favour in general, and to have them deferred so long as what we may die in peace is a particular favour to us, for charity begins at home. We know not how we shall bear the trial, and therefore have reason to think it well if we may but get safely to heaven before it comes.

      Lastly, Here is the conclusion of Hezekiah’s life and story, 2Ki 20:20; 2Ki 20:21. In 2 Chron. ch. xxix.-xxxii. much more is recorded of Hezekiah’s work of reformation than in this book of Kings; and it seems that in the civil chronicles, not now extant, there were many things recorded of his might and the good offices he did for Jerusalem, particularly his bringing water by pipes into the city. To have water in plenty, without striving for it and without being terrified with the noise of archers in the drawing of it, to have it at hand and convenient for us, is to be reckoned a great mercy; for the want of water would be a great calamity. But here this historian leaves him asleep with his fathers, and a son in his throne that proved very untoward; for parents cannot give grace to their children. Wicked Ahaz was the son of a godly father and the father of a godly son; holy Hezekiah was the son of a wicked father and the father of a wicked son. When the land was not reformed, as it should have been, by a good reign, it was plagued and ripened for ruin by a bad one; yet then tried again with a good one, that it might appear how loth God was to cut off his people.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.

2Ki. 20:12. Merodach-baladan, king of BabylonThis is the first mention of a king of Babylon in Bible history, for hitherto Babylon had only viceroys sent from the Assyrian court. The name Merodach is that of the Babylonian Mars. He has been variously identified as the Mardo-Cempados of Ptol. Canon, and the Merudach Baldanes of Berosus. Hezekiahs imprudent vanity awakened so much cupidity in these ambassadors as to lead to prolonged intrigues and ultimate conquest by this very power he tried to propitiate. And God was angry with his self-glorying pride.

2Ki. 20:19. Good is the word of the LordIt signifies, I bow submissive to its justice, resign myself to His will. For the vision of coming ill is softened by the assurance that his own days should close in the enjoyment of peace and truth. God would suspend the execution of His judgment.

2Ki. 20:20. Made a pool and a conduitThe pond was formed between the outer and inner walls surrounding the city; and the aqueduct conveyed the water from the Upper Gihen, underground, into the city itself, where it flowed into the pool afterwards called Hezekiahs, but now named Birket el Hamman.W. H. J.

HOMILETICS OF 2Ki. 20:12-21

THE PERIL OF RICHES

I. That the possession of riches is a grave responsibility. Some writers suppose this Babylonian embassy visited Jerusalem before the second invasion of Sennacherib, and therefore before Hezekiahs treasury had been drained by the heavy tribute demanded by the Assyrian. Those who accept the order of events as here recorded, argue that Hezekiah had much private treasure left, that he was enriched by the magnificent presents brought to him by other nations who came to congratulate him on his recovery, and that he gathered great spoils from the smitten Assyrian army. The riches were there, and it remained to be seen how Hezekiah would act concerning them. Wealth brings its own cares and anxieties. It puts into the hands of its owner a great power which may be weilded for good or evil. The rich man is but the steward of his possessions, and is accountable to the Absolute Proprietor of all things.

II. That riches may become a snare to the truly good. It seemed unlikely that the man who had just been snatched from the jaws of death should attach any importance to the perishable trifles of earth. And yet the glitter of gold has debauched the holiest. The rich are apt to depend more upon their riches than upon God. It is no sin to be rich; but we must be prepared to find that the snares of life are increased with the increase of wealth. Says old ChaucerIn getting and using riches ye should always have three things in your heart: our Lord God, conscience, and a good name. The most wakeful diligence is imperative if we would counteract the temptations of wealth. Riches will sometimes work great mischief, and then leave us helplessly struggling. For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle towards heaven.

III. That the ostentatious display of riches often leads to disastrous results. The Babylonian visitors, who came professedly to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery, to inquire into the extraordinary astronomical phenomenon of the sun dial, and to institute an alliance with Judah, carefully observed this accumulation of treasure, and the weak point of the king in his vain display. This would be reported in Babylon, and was remembered in after years to the utter ruin of Judah. This ostentation is the worst we can read about Hezekiah, and we should not be too severe in judging and condemning him alter the Christian standard of the 19th century. The simplicity with which he answered Isaiah (2Ki. 20:15) reveals an openness and frankness of disposition we cannot but admire. There are men to-day, surrounded with Christian light and influence, who give way to contemptible varieties of display. They are not unnoticed; and there are those who know how to deal with such. It is said that when the upper part of the steeple of the Church of St. Bride, Fleet Street, built by Sir Christopher Wren, was rebuilt in 1764, it was discovered that an old hawk had inhabited the two upper circles, the open arcades of which were filled with masses of birds bones, chiefly those of the City pigeons, upon which he had preyed. And there are wily hawks of society who are ever ready to prey with merciless and ingenious greed upon the simple and unsuspecting. The discovery of such is all the more difficult when they make the Church of Christ their hiding-place; and the clean-picked relics of their victims are all the more painful to contemplate when one finds the work of plunder has been carried on under the sacred garb of religion.

LESSONS:

1. Great riches are liable to great changes.

2. Riches are not to be selfishly hoarded, or vainly displayed, but wisely used.

3. The best of characters may be spoiled by riches.

GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES

2Ki. 20:12; 2Ki. 20:17-18. A future enemy.

1. May be introduced in the guise and with the professions of friendship.
2. Is quick to detect the vulnerable point of attack.
3. May be the instrument of accomplishing the Divine threatenings.

2Ki. 20:12-13. Hezekiah and the ambassadors, or vainglory rebuked. A man with a worn and stained garment may walk without spoiling his robe, where another, clothed in white, might not venture; a spot might not show upon a filthy garment, but the cleaner the robe the more readily is the spot discovered; and from the very fact that Hezekiah was so superlatively a holy man and a man favoured of God, his sin showed itself, and God visited it at once with chastisement. I. To bring out what Hezekiahs offence was, it will be best to begin by describing his circumstances and state at the time of the transaction.

1. He had received very singular favours. Sennacherib had invaded the land with a host reckoned to be invincible; but when he came near Jerusalem, he was not able even so much as to cast a mound against it, or to shoot an arrow at it, for God singularly interposed, and the host of Sennacherib, smitten by the sudden breath of pestilence, or by the deadly air of the simoon, fell dead upon the plain. He had been granted a singular escape from the gates of death; where another man must have died, he was enabled within three days to go up to the house of the Lord. Added to all this in connection with his recovery, God had seen fit to do for him what He had only done for Joshua before, namely, to interrupt the orders of the heavens, and to make the sun go back ten degrees upon the dial of Ahaz as a token by which the servants faith might be comforted.

In addition to all this, the Lord gave Hezekiah an unusual run of prosperity. Everything prospered. Many serpents lurk among the flowers of prosperity; high places are dangerous places; it was not easy to carry a full cup with a steady hand; a loaded waggon needs a strong axle, and a well-fed steed requires a tight rein.

2. Hezekiah, at this time, had become singularly conspicuous The worlds mouth was full of Hezekiah. What a temptation is this! When many eyes are upon one, they may, unless grace prevent, act like the eyes of the fabled basilisk which fascinated their prey. A full sail needs much ballast, or the vessel will be overturned. Much grace was needed in the case before us, but this the king did not seek as he should have done.

3. Hezekiah had remarkable opportunities for usefulness. Why, Hezekiah, hadst thou been in thy right senses, and had grace kept thy wits about thee, what a sermon thou mightst have preached, with death beneath thee and heaven above thee for the text, and the eternal power and Godhead for the theme! He ought to have made the courts of princes ring with the name of Jehovah. He should have placed himself in the rear of the picture, and have filled the earth with his testimony to the glory of his God.

4. He, above all men, was under obligation to have loved his God, and to have devoted himself wholly to Him. Unto God be the glory of our life, though it be but given to us once; but oh! with what emphasis should God have all the glory of it if it be given to us twice! But it is written of him in the Chronicles, that he rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him, for his heart was lifted up. He enjoyed the blessings, but bowed not before the Giver; he remembered the fruit, but he forgot the tree; he drank of the stream, but did not enough regard the fountain; his fields were watered with dew, but he was not sufficiently grateful to the heaven from which the dew distils. He stole the fuel from the altar of love, and burned it upon the hearth of pride.

5. It appears that at this time God left his servant, in a measure, to try him. Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. It was said by the old masters of metaphors that in the soundest pomegranate there are always some rotten seeds, and the whitest swan has a black bill; to which we may add, there are worms under the greenest turf, and dead mens carcases at the bottom of the calmest seas. In the best Christian there is enough of sin to make him the worst of transgressors if God should leave him.

II. We must now consider the occurrence itself and the sin which arose out of it.

1. It is evident from the passage in Isaiah 39 that he was greatly delighted with their company. It is said, Hezekiah was glad of them. In this chapter it is said, He hearkened unto them. He was very pleased to see them. It is an ill sign when a Christian takes great solace in the company of the worldling, more especially when that worldling is profane. Courtesy is due from the Christian to all men, but the unholy intimacy which allows a believer to receive an unregenerate person as his bosom friend is a sin.

2. The next sin which he committed was that he evidently leaned to their alliance. Now Hezekiah was the king of a little territory, almost as insignificant as a German principality, and his true strength would have been to have leaned upon his God, and to have made no show whatever of military power. It was by God that he had been defended; why should not he still rest upon the invisible Jehovah? But no, he thinks: If I could associate with the Babylonians, they are a rising people, it will be well for me. It was this getting away from God, this ceasing to walk by faith, this wanting to depend in a carnal manner upon the king of Babylon, which provoked the Lord to anger.

3. The next sin was, his unholy silence concerning his God. He does not appear to have said a word to them about Jehovah. Would it have been polite? Etiquette, now-a-days, often demands of a Christian that he should not intrude his religion upon company. Out on such etiquette! Some one once complained of Mr. Rowland Hill that he was too earnest, and he told them in reply the following story. When walking at Woolten-under-Edge, he saw part of a chalk-pit fall in upon some men. So, said he, I ran into the village, crying, Help! help! help! and nobody said, Dear me, how excited the old gentleman is; he is much too earnest. Why, said he, and when I see a soul perishing, am I not to cry help! and be in earnest? Surely, souls are yet more to be cared for than bodies.

4. Meanwhile, mark that Hezekiah sadly made up for his silence about his God by loudly boasting about himself. If he had little to say of his God, he had much to say of his spices, his armour, and his gold and silver; and I daresay he took them to see the conduit and the pool which he had made, and the various other wonders of engineering which he had carried out.

5. Surely, also, his sin lay in his putting himself on a level with these Babylonians. Suppose he had gone to see them, what would they have shown him? Why, they would have shown him their spicery, their armoury, their gold and their silver. Now, they come to see him, and he is a worshipper of the invisible God, and he glories in just the same treasures as those in which they also trusted. When a Christian man constantly acts like a worldly man, can it be possible that he is acting rightly? If they say, Here are my treasures. let us tell them about the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God, and say, Our treasure is above. Let us imitate the noble Roman lady, who, when her friend showed her all her trinkets, waited till her two fair boys came home from school, and then pointed to them, and said, These are my jewels.

III. The punishment and the pardon. We may generally find a mans sin written in his punishment. We sow the thorns, and then God flogs us with them. Moreover, he threatened to make the same persons the means of his punishment who had been the means of his sin. You were so pleased while you showed these Babylonians your treasures; these very ones shall take them away. And so the things in which we confide shall be our disappointment; if we take our hearts away from God and give them to any earthly thing, that earthly thing will be a curse to us. Our sins are the mothers of our sorrows. Judgments being therefore threatened, Hezekiah and the people humbled themselves. The child that bares his back to the rod shall not be very hardly smitten. Submission more easily averts blows from Gods hand than anything else.

Yet though God did forget the sin and promise to remove the punishment from Hezekiah, yet He did not avert the consequences from another generation. So with us. You let loose the river, and it will flow on for ever. The action of to-day will affect all time; more or less remotely it will affect every coming age, for you tell on another man, and that other man on another, and even eternity itself shall hear the echo trembling along its halls of yon momentary action, which you, perhaps, without thought, committed against the living God.

IV. I have now to gather up the lessons of this narrative.

1. See, then, what is in every mans heart. This was in Hezekiahs hearthe was one of the best of men; the same is in your heart. You are humble to-day; you will be proud as Satan to-morrow if left by Gods grace. Perhaps it is not possible for any one of us to know our full capacity for guilt. Only let the restraining hand of providence and grace be taken away, and the wisest of us might become a very madman with the rage of sin.

3. Tremble at anything that is likely to bring out this evil of your heart. Above all, be afraid of prosperity; be thankful, but do not be over-enjoyed; walk humbly with your God. A pirate very seldom attacks a ship that is going unloaded; it is the vessel that is well stored that the buccaneer will seek to gain, and so with you: when God loads you with mercy, the devil will try to take you if he can. Riches and worldly company are the two cankers that eat out the very life of godliness.

3. We should be taught to cry out every day against vainglory. Do not you believe there may be as much pride in rags as in an aldermans gown? Is it not just possible for a man to be proud in a dustcart, as if he rode in her Majestys chariot? A man may be just as proud with half a yard of ground, as Alexander with all his kingdoms, and may be just as lifted up with a few pence as Crsus with all his treasure. Pride will grow on a dunghill, as well as in the kings garden.

4. And then, supposing that you should have given way to it, see the sorrow which it will bring you; and if you would escape that sorrow, imitate Hezekiah, and humble yourself. When God is wrestling with mans pride, let the man struggle as he will, he will throw him; but when the man is down, God lifts him up. None so ready to lift up a fallen fee as our God.

5. Lastly, let us cry to God never to leave us. Lord, keep me everywhere. Keep me in the valley, that I murmur not of my low estate! Keep me on the mountain, that I wax not giddy through pride at my being lifted up so high! Keep me in my youth, when my passions are strong! Keep me in my old age, when I am conceited of my wisdom, and may therefore be a greater fool than even the young. Keep me living, keep me dying, keep me labouring, keep me suffering, keep me fighting, keep me resting, keep me everywhere, for everywhere I need Thee, O my God.C. H. Spurgeon.

2Ki. 20:13-18. A spirit of ostentation.

1. May mar a character otherwise commendable.
2. Excites the cupidity of the designing.
3. Should be rebuked by the faithful minister.
4. Leads to ruinous consequences.

2Ki. 20:13. The display was wrong as making a vain exhibition, for his own aggrandisement, of what had been offered him from reverence and respect to his God, and at the same time presenting a bait for the cupidity of these rapacious foreigners who, at no distant period, would return from the same city of Babylon and pillage his country, and transfer all the possessions he ostentatiously displayed, to Babylon, as well as his posterity, to be court attendants in that country. Besides, it was wrong in a higher point of view, as all alliances with foreign or heathen states were at variance with the fundamental principle of the theocratic kingdom of Judah. This passage affords a strong argument as to the prophecy respecting the captivity to Babylon, showing that the words must have been spoken very long before the event. The folly of the king and the reproof of the prophet must stand or fall together; the one prompts the other; the truth of the one sustains the truth of the other; the date of the one fixes the date of the other. Thus the period of Hezekiahs display of his finances being determined to a period soon after the downfall of the Assyrians, this rebuke of the prophet, which springs out of it, is determined to the same. Then the rebuke was a prophecy; for as yet it remained for Esarhaddon, the son of Sennacherib, to annex Babylon to Assyria by conquest; it remained for the two kingdoms to continue united for two generations more; it remained for Nabopolassar, the satrap of Babylon, to revolt from Assyria and set up that kingdom for itself; and it remained for Nebuchadnezzar his son to succeed him, and, by carrying away the Jews to Babylon, accomplish the words of Isaiah. But this interval occupied a hundred years and upwards; and so far, therefore, must the spirit of prophecy have carried him forward into futurity, and that, too, contrary to all present appearances. For Babylon was as yet but a name to the people of Jerusalem; it was a far country, and was to be swallowed up in the great Assyrian Empire, and recover its independence once more, before it could be brought to act against Judah.Jamieson.

How easily have we seen those holy men miscarried by prosperity, against whom no miseries could prevail. He that stood out stoutly against all the Assyrian onsets, clinging the faster to his God, by how much he was harder assaulted by Sennacherib, melted now with these Babylonian favours, and runs abroad into offensive weaknesses.Bp. Hall.

2Ki. 20:15. O Hezekiah! what means this impotent ambition? It is not long since thou tearedst off the very plates of the Temple doors, to give unto Sennacherib; and can thy treasures be suddenly so multiplied, that they can be so worthy to astonish foreign beholders? or, if thy storehouse were as rich as the earth, can thy heart be so vain as to be lifted up with these heavy metals? Didst thou not see, that heaven itself was at thy beck, whilst thou wert humbled? and shall a little earthly dross have power over thy soul? Can the flattering applause of strangers let thee loose into a proud joy, whom the late message of Gods prophet resolved into tears? O God! if thou do not keep us, as well in our sunshine as in our storm, we are sure to perish; as in all time of our tribulation, so in all time of our wealth, good Lord, deliver us!Ibid.

We still show our spiritual treasures to the friends from Babylon, especially when we admire our own gifts, and like to have others admire them. As soon as strangers arrive we hasten to show our gifts, and powers, and accomplishments, in order to win respect. This is just the way to lose all those things. If one collects treasures, let him store them up in heaven, where no spies will come to see them.Lange.

2Ki. 20:19. A submissive spirit.

1. Acknowledges the righteousness of the Divine procedure.
2. Is thankful for the gracious suspension of the Divine judgment.
3. Cannot but regret the sufferings that must fall upon its descendants.

This rod was smart, yet good Hezekiah kisses it: his heart struck him no less, than the mouth of the prophet; meekly, therefore, doth he yield to this Divine correction. Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. I have deserved a present payment; O God! thou deferrest it. I have deserved war and tumult; thou favourest me with peace. I have deserved to be overrun with superstition and idolatry; thou blessest me with truth. Shouldst thou continue truth unto me, though upon the most unquiet terms, the blessing were too good for me; but now thou hast promised, and wilt not reverse it, that both truth and peace shall be in my days. Gods children are neither waspish nor sullen when they are chid or beaten, but patiently hold their backs to the stripes of a displeased mercy.Bp. Hall.

The hopes of Hezekiah, as we have seen, were entirely confined within the limits of this life. None of the Jewish kings had a keener sense of the grandeur of his mission; but to none was it so closely identified with the interests of the present. The fifteen years of the remainder of his life seemed to be so much rescued from the desolation of impending calamities. When his end at last came, his funeral was marked with unusual honour. The whole population of the city and of the royal tribe of Judah were present. His burial forms a marked epoch in the royal interments. It may be that Davids catacomb was filled. Hezekiah is the first king who was buried outside the city of David. Apparently his tomb was on the road approaching to the ancient burial-place of his family, and from this time no prince of the royal house was interred within the walls.Stanley.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

B. HEZEKIAHS FOOLISH MISTAKE AND SUBSEQUENT REBUKE 20:1219

TRANSLATION

(12) At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah was sick. (13) And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, the gold, the spices and precious oil and the house of all his armor and all that was found in his treasuries. There was not a thing which Hezekiah did not show them in his house and in his domain. (14) And Isaiah the prophet came unto King Hezekiah and said unto him, What did these men say? From whence did they come unto you? And Hezekiah said, From a distant land, they came from Babylon. (15) And he said, What have they seen in your house? And Hezekiah said, All which is in my house they have seen; there is not a thing which I did not show them in my treasuries. (16) And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD: (17) Behold days are coining when all which is in your house and which your fathers have stored away unto this day shall be carried away to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. (18) And they shall take some of your sons who shall come forth from you which you will beget, and they shall become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. (19) And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the LORD which you have spoken. And he said, Is it not so if peace and steadfastness shall come to pass in my days?

COMMENTS

Following his recovery, Hezekiah was visited by an embassy from Berodach-baladan whose name in the Book of Isaiah is spelled Merodach-baladan (Isa. 39:1). For some twenty years this Babylonian king had been a thorn in the flesh for the Assyrian rulers. Merodach-baladan was anxious to cultivate the friendship of any king who might be minded to rebel against the powerful Assyrians. So this king of Babylon sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah upon the occasion of his recovery. Scholars have generally concluded that the object of the embassy must have been to conclude, or at any rate to pave the way for, an alliance between Judah and Babylon. How this embassy was able to make its way from distant Babylon without being intercepted by Assyrian forces is not indicated. Some feel that because the embassy pretended to be concerned only with congratulating Hezekiah upon his recovery, the Assyrians did not attempt to interfere (2Ki. 20:12).

Hezekiah was dazzled by the attention bestowed upon him by these visitors from Babylon. He hearkened unto them, i.e., listened to their suggestions of an alliance between Judah and Babylon. Hezekiah showed the Babylonian emissaries all of his treasure. While a certain amount of pride motivated this action, Hezekiah was probably moved primarily by more practical considerations. He may have been trying to convince these guests that he would indeed be a valuable ally. No doubt the Babylonians were quite impressed with the silver, gold, spices, and precious oil and other valuables which comprised the wealth of the Judaean king. In addition to his Jerusalem treasures and armaments, Hezekiah gave orders that these ambassadors be shown the collections of arms and stores which existed in other strongholds throughout the land (2Ki. 20:13).

When the Babylonian embassy had left Jerusalem, Isaiah the prophet appeared before Hezekiah with a message of rebuke. In order to elicit from the king a confession about what had taken place, the prophet inquired concerning the visitors: What did these men say? From where did they come unto you? Hezekiah ignored the first question probably because he was unwilling to make known the overtures that he had received from them since he knew that Isaiah repudiated any reliance upon the arm of flesh. The second question the king answered somewhat smugly as he identified distant Babylon as the embassys point of origin (2Ki. 20:14). The prophets next question got to the heart of the matter: What have they seen in your house? By this the prophet means to ask whether Hezekiah had treated his guests as ordinary ambassadors, or whether instead he had courted an alliance with their master. To the credit of the king, he answered forthrightly and made no effort to conceal what had taken place. He readily acknowledged that he had shown these particular guests everything (2Ki. 20:15).

The king having admitted his folly, the stage was set for the divine word of rebuke. Hear the word of the Lord is a formula which generally introduced such solemn words of condemnation (2Ki. 20:16). Isaiah pulled back the curtain of time to reveal what the future held in store for Judah. In this case it was the very revelation which was Hezekiahs punishmentthe knowledge that he had gotten involved with that nation which ultimately would destroy Judah. All the treasures he had boastfully displayed to the ambassadors would one day be carried off as plunder to far off Babylon (2Ki. 20:17). Hezekiahs sons, i.e., descendants, would be carried off to become eunuchs in the court of the king of Babylon (2Ki. 20:18).

This prophecy is indeed unique and completely inexplicable in terms of human prescience. Here for the first time, it would seem, Babylon and not Assyria was identified as the true and ultimate enemy of Judah. It would be Babylon which would bring to fulfillment all the predictions of the prophets since the days of Moses concerning the deportation of the people of God and the destruction of the holy city. Yet at this period in history, Babylon was merely one of several kingdoms bordering on Assyria. From the time of Tiglath-pileser, Babylon almost continually had been under Assyrian domination. Merodach-baladan had at best a tenuous hold on independence. Human foresight would never have suspected that within a century, insignificant Babylon would have completely turned the tables on mighty Assyria.
Hezekiah accepted the prophetic rebuke, thereby acknowledging that he had been in the wrong. As far as Hezekiah was concerned, the pronouncement was good because he himself was not personally involved. The king felt that God might have justly brought down on him personally some affliction or calamity in punishment for his political indiscretion. It was a relief to hear that the blow would not fall during his lifetime. The self-centeredness of this evaluation of the prophecy caused the attendants standing nearby to raise their eyebrows. Noticing their chagrin, Hezekiah turned to his courtiers to ask the rhetorical question, Is it not good, if peace and steadfastness be in my days? (2Ki. 20:19). It is not very statesman-like for the king to appear so unconcerned about the future fate of his land. But the irony here is that Isaiah said nothing about Hezekiah having peace and steadfastness during his reign. Shortly he would face the mighty Sennacherib and every fiber of his faith would be tested. Chapter 19 describes in some detail the trials of Hezekiah at the hands of Sennacherib and the sufferings experienced by Judah at that time.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

THE EMBASSY OP MERODACH-BALADAN
(2Ki. 20:12-19).

(12) At that time Berodach-baladan.As to the name, Berodach is a transcribers error for Merodach (Jer. 1:2). Some MSS. of Kings, and the LXX., Syriac, and Arabic, as well as Isa. 39:1, and the Talmud, spell the name with m, a letter easily confused with b in Hebrew. Above all, the cuneiform inscriptions present Marduk (or, Maruduk)-abla-iddina (Me-rodaeh gave a son). A king of this name occupied the throne of Chaldea at intervals, during the reigns of the four Assyrian sovereigns Tiglath Pileser, Shalma-neser, Sargon, and Sennacherib. He is called in the inscriptions son of Ykin, an expression which, like Jehu son of Omri, is territorial rather than genealogical. Bt- Ykin was the name of the tribal domain of the sons of Ykin, just as Bt-Humria was that of the territory of which Jehu was king. He is further designated as king of the land of the sea (mt tihmtim), i.e., the country at the head of the Persian Gulf, and of the land of Chaldea (mt Kaldi). He did homage to Tiglath Pileser in 731 B.C. In the first year of Sargon, Merodach-baladan established himself as king of Babylon, and was eventually recognised as such by the Assyrian sovereign. He reigned about twelve years contemporaneously with Sargon, who in 710 and 709 B.C. defeated and captured him, and burnt his stronghold Dr-Ykin. On the death of Sargon, Merodach-baladan once more gained possession of the throne of Babylon; and perhaps it was at this time (so Schrader) that he sent his famous embassy to seek the alliance of Hezekiah and other western princes. After a brief reign of six months, he was defeated by Sennacherib, and driven back to his old refuge in the morasses of South Chaldea. Belibus was made Assyrian viceroy of Babylon. These events belong to the beginning of Sennacheribs reign. (He says, ina ris sarrutiya, in the beginning of my sovereignty.) There was yet another outbreak before Merodach-bala-dan was finally disheartened; and later still Esarhaddon mentions that he slew Nabu-zir-napisti-sutesir, son of Mardak-abla-iddina, and made his brother Naid-Maruduk king of the land of the sea in his stead.

Son of Baladan.The name of Merodach-baladans father is not mentioned in the cuneiform inscriptions.

He had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.The ostensible business of the embassy was to congratulate Hezekiah on his recovery, and to inquire about the sign that had been vouchsafed him (sec 2Ch. 32:31, and Note); but the Assyrian records make it pretty clear that the real object was to ascertain the extent of Hezekiahs resources, and to secure his alliance against the common enemy.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

THE BABYLONIAN EMBASSY, AND THE PROPHECY OF THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY, 2Ki 20:12-19.

12. At that time Soon after his recovery. It seems from 2Ch 32:31, that the “princes of Babylon” had heard of “the wonder that was done in the land,” and sent to inquire about it. If the dial were a Babylonian invention, (see note on 2Ki 20:11,) the men of Babylon might naturally be interested in the wonderful sign that had been given in connexion with it.

Berodach-baladan Better written, as in Isa 39:1, Merodach. This king of Babylon was for a long time the great champion of Babylonian independence, and the head of the popular party in that country which long resisted the aggressions of Assyria. His name often occurs on the Assyrian monuments, from which it appears that he was twice defeated and driven from Babylon, once by Sargon, and again by Sennacherib. So unsettled are the principal authorities respecting the chronology of his rule at Babylon, that it seems impossible at present to decide, from sources aside from the Scriptures, the exact date of his sending this embassy to Hezekiah. The Scriptures, however, clearly make it synchronize with Sennacherib’s first invasion of Palestine, (see 2Ki 20:1, note,) and until more certain and controlling evidence is gathered from the monuments, or from some other source, we prefer to adhere to this opinion. The absence of Sennacherib from his capital may have furnished an occasion for Merodach to seek an alliance with Judea, and perhaps also with Egypt, to resist the Assyrian power. And these very efforts of Babylonia to form a great league against Assyria may have caused Sennacherib to content himself for the time with Hezekiah’s silver and gold, (2Ki 18:14,) and to return at once and vanquish Merodach-baladan. Afterwards, according to our note on 2Ki 18:17, Sennacherib made a second campaign westward, presuming to complete the conquest of Judea and Egypt. It should here be noted that, as we have elsewhere shown, the sacred writers do not always record events with reference to their chronological sequence, and therefore the placing of this account of Hezekiah’s sickness and of this embassy after that of Sennacherib’s retreat is no certain evidence as to the order of the events.

Letters and a present According to Josephus, Merodach wished to form an alliance with Hezekiah, and these letters and the present were doubtless to prepare the way.

For he had heard Not only that he had been sick, but also that he had been miraculously saved, and that his dial had given a miraculous sign. 2Ch 32:31.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The Visit Of The Babylonian Ambassadors ( 2Ki 20:12-19 ).

News of Hezekiah’s sickness had reached Babylon, who may already have been in negotiations with him, and the consequence was that the king of Babylon sent ambassadors to Hezekiah in order to wish him well. Proud to think that he was of some importance to so illustrious a figure (for Babylon had had a unique and dazzling reputation from earliest times) Hezekiah then determined to demonstrate that he too was important, and so he boastingly showed to the ambassadors all his treasures and all his armaments. No doubt this was partly in order to prove what a reliable and important ally he would be, but, as Isaiah pointed out, what he had overlooked was that to make such a display to Babylon was like showing a jewel to a magpie. Once the magpie knew of it, it would not be long before the magpie came for the jewel. Hezekiah’s reply demonstrated the shortness of his vision. As long as there was peace in his day the future did not matter. (We can hear Manasseh saying, ‘Thanks, Dad’).

Analysis.

a At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick (2Ki 20:12).

b And Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah did not show them (2Ki 20:13).

c Then came Isaiah the prophet to king Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, even from Babylon” (2Ki 20:14).

d And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them” (2Ki 20:15).

c And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of YHWH. Behold, the days come, that all that is in your house, and what your fathers have laid up in store to this day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says YHWH (2Ki 20:16-17).

b And of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will they take away, and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (2Ki 20:18).

a Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “Good is the word of YHWH which you have spoken.”. He said moreover, “Is it not so, if peace and truth will be in my days?” (2Ki 20:19).

Note that in ‘a’ the king of Babylon sent letters of sympathy, and in the parallel he is happy because it confirms peace in his day. In ‘b he reveals all his wealth, and in the parallel is informed that because of it his sons will be carried off to Babylon. In ‘c’ Hezekiah tells Isaiah that they came from Babylon, and in the parallel Hezekiah learns that that is also where all Judah’s possessions will go. Centrally in ‘d’ Hezekiah explains that he has shown them all that he has.

2Ki 20:12

‘At that time Berodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.’

It was customary for kings to send letters/condolences (and automatically the usual present) to their fellow-kings when they had either recovered or died, consequent upon an illness, but usually only to those whom they saw as comparatively equals with themselves (compare 2Sa 10:2). This deputation from great Babylon would therefore be very flattering to Hezekiah. It would give the appearance that the king of Babylon, who was, however, himself in a precarious position, was treating him as an equal. But there can be little doubt also that by it the king of Babylon was seeking to draw Hezekiah into an alliance with him against Assyria. Babylon had constantly been a thorn in the flesh to Assyria, and was seeking to be so again now that Merodach-baladan had retaken the throne, and was thus seeking to ensure the stretching of Assyria’s resources when Sennacherib’s strike at Babylon finally came. With much of the area south of the Euphrates formed into Assyrian provinces, Judah were one of the few ‘independent’ states strong enough to cause trouble for Assyria. This visit probably took place a little before the invasion described earlier, and the strength of Judah’s fortified cities at this time is born witness to archaeologically, making Hezekiah a worthy ally. (Even at the time of his flight back to Assyria Sennacherib, while occupying much of Judah, had not managed to cause Libnah to yield, and there were no doubt other cities also still holding out, especially in the hill country. Thus his forces were being tied up, and whilst being so, were therefore not available in such large numbers elsewhere. But by that time Merodach Baladan with his allies had already been initially defeated, so that it did not in the end help Babylon at all).

So we can see why Berodach-baladan (usually named Merodach-baladan i.e. Marduk-appla-iddina) was so keen to obtain his friendship at a time when he himself, having again obtained the throne of Babylon (for a period of around six months or so in 703-2 BC on the death of Sargon, having previously reigned there in 721-710 BC)), was anticipating a fresh onslaught from Assyria. The ‘b’ instead of the ‘m’ was a common labial variant in Akkadian, and may have been intended by the author to remove the name of Marduk, chief god of Babylon, from the name. ‘Son of Baladan’, that is, of Bel-iddin.

2Ki 20:13

‘And Hezekiah listened to them, and showed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah did not show them.’

It was also normal practise for kings to want to show off their wealth to visiting diplomats, and to make a great display in front of them. But it was not really wise to so rapacious a nation as Babylon. (Isaiah would have shown them nothing, but of course he sought glory from YHWH alone). But Hezekiah’s vanity demanded that he demonstrate his own greatness. And thus he showed them ‘everything’.

That this was at a time of great prosperity in Judah (mainly destroyed by the forthcoming war) comes out in the nature of what was shown. Silver and gold a-plenty (but with the emphasis on the silver), and spices and precious oil from Arabia, indicating wide affluent trading. That they were in abundance comes out in that they were shown. You did not produce what would show you up. And he showed them his armaments in the House of the Forest of Lebanon (so-called because of its many pillars of timber from Lebanon) which was part of the king’ palace complex. He wanted them to see that Judah could look after themselves. And besides this he showed them his other treasures, ivory-inlaid furniture, and so on. He put on as great a display as possible.

2Ki 20:14

‘Then came Isaiah the prophet to king Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, even from Babylon.”

Isaiah had noted the coming of this foreign embassage, but had clearly not been invited to the celebrations. This in itself suggests that Hezekiah was aware that what he was doing would not be approved of by the prophet of YHWH. Thus when the embassage had moved off Isaiah came to Hezekiah and asked whom they were, and what they had said. Hezekiah, no doubt somewhat proudly declared that they had come from no less a place than Babylon.

2Ki 20:15

‘And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, They have seen all that is in my house. There is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” ’

But Isaiah, who was far more aware of the hearts of men (as well as the folly of men), was not impressed, rather he demanded what they had see of what Judah possessed. And his heart must have sank when Hezekiah somewhat boastfully declared that he had shown them all his treasures and armaments, and that he had left nothing out. he clearly felt that he had put on a good show.

2Ki 20:16

‘And Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of YHWH.”

It actually did not need a prophet to foresee what the result of this would be, only a man of astute vision. Thus for a man like Isaiah it was so apparent that he probably could not believe that Hezekiah had been so foolish. And that was how it appeared to YHWH also, .for Isaiah brought to Hezekiah ‘the word of YHWH’. Such had been Hezekiah’s arrogance and folly that it had to be punished, for it was a divine principle that those who exalt themselves will be brought low.

2Ki 20:17

“Behold, the days come, that all that is in your house, and what your fathers have laid up in store to this day, will be carried to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says YHWH.”

The consequence for Judah was thus to be that all that they possessed would be carried off to Babylon. Nothing of it would remain in Judah. It would be stripped of everything. That is what happens when you put all that you have on display to potential robbers. Ostentation brings its own reward. And this was the word of YHWH.

This stripping away from Judah of all that it possessed has been a theme of Kings. The prophetic author clearly wanted to bring home the lesson of the temporary nature of earthly possessions.

2Ki 20:18

“And of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will they take away, and they will be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”

But even worse was to be that his own sons who he himself had begotten (which is stressed), would be taken away to become eunuchs/officials in the palace of the king of Babylon. This would not only be a cause for great shame, but a threat to the continuation of the house of David itself. And it would all be the consequence of Hezekiah’s folly. That this did happen comes out in the fate of Manasseh, Hezekiah’s trueborn son, who was himself carried away to Babylon, along no doubt with many of Manasseh’s half-brothers and family, by Ashur-bani-pal of Assyria, whose father Esarhaddon had established himself at Babylon as its king. So Hezekiah had been indulging his fancies with a city which in the long term could only be a disaster for Judah and for his own family, and would in the end prove to be the greatest disaster of all. (It is noteworthy, however, that there is no mention of the destruction of Jerusalem. The prophetic author no doubt had it in mind, but that is not what Isaiah had at this stage prophesied, and the author (unlike certain scholars) would not alter prophetic words which he would hold sacred).

2Ki 20:19

‘Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “Good is the word of YHWH which you have spoken.”. He said moreover, “Is it not so, if peace and truth will be in my days?” ’

We may see this as Hezekiah seeking to make the best of a bad job, or even as an indication that he did not really believe it. Consideration for the prophet would have prevented him from expressing his incredulity. That is more probable than that he complacently considered that such a fate for his sons was acceptable in return for present peace. So he piously went along with Isaiah, and declared that the word of YHWH was, as always, good. And then sought to cover what might have appeared to be unconcern about the future of his family with an explanation that at least it meant that there would be peace and truth in his day. In those days the guarantee of peace was worth its weight in gold. Of course, as we know from the preceding narrative, he did not receive that either (and had not been promised it). So his rather complacent attitude would soon be revealed to be folly. But as he was at the time very much involved with alliances which had not been approved of by Isaiah, the disharmony between them would not be surprising. It is probable, however, that we are to see it as indicating that once Sennacherib had withdrawn Hezekiah was not troubled again. This would not be all that surprising. The amount of Judah which he now controlled was probably not seen as worth a major expedition against it, when other far more important issues remained to be resolved, and Sennacherib may well also have had a presentiment which prevented any further attack as a result of the mysterious disease which had destroyed his army. His son would have no such fears.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Hezekiah’s Vanity

v. 12. At that time Berodach-baladan (or Merodach-baladan), the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, the first king of Babylon, then still under Assyrian supremacy, mentioned in sacred history, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah; for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. This was after the return of the Assyrian army, and the object of the embassy was not merely to congratulate Hezekiah upon his recovery, but also to enter into friendly negotiations with a nation which had withstood the Assyrian power, 2Ch 32:31.

v. 13. And Hezekiah, flattered by this show of interest on the part of a great power, hearkened unto them, rejoicing on account of them and of the prospect of becoming allied with the mighty Babylonian nation, and showed them all the house of his precious things, used first of all for the storing of rare and costly spices and then for treasures of every kind, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, fine balsam-oil, manufactured from the products of the royal gardens, and all the house of his armor, in the house of the forest of Lebanon, 1Ki 7:2, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing in his house iior in all his dominion that Hezekiah showed them not. The presence of such rich treasures in Jerusalem is not surprising, for Hezekiah had not stripped the country bare in sending gifts to Sennacherib; besides, he may have gotten rich presents after the withdrawal of the Assyrian army.

v. 14. Then came Isaiah, the prophet, unto King Hezekiah and said unto him, What said these men, and from whence came they unto thee? These questions were preparatory to calling the king to account, both for yielding to vanity and for entertaining the thought of entering into an alliance with Babylon. And Hezekiah, not realizing that he was on a wrong path, said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.

v. 15. And he, Isaiah, said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah, still not realizing that his heart was caught in vanity, answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them.

v. 16. And Isaiah, in reproving the king for this show of weakness, said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.

v. 17. Behold, the clays come that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, in the form of treasures of every kind, shall be carried into Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. The sin of vanity was to be punished by the taking away of the goods of which the king’s heart was proud.

v. 18. And of thy sons, descendants in general, that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs, footmen, attendants, in the palace of the king of Babylon, reduced to a position of great humiliation, Dan 1:3.

v. 19. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, submitting meekly to the decree of the Lord, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. He accepted the reproof. And he said, as though to himself, Is it not good if peace and truth be in my days? He acknowledged the justice, the faithfulness, and the grace of Jehovah, although it was painful to him to know that the future would bring such evils, on account of which he did not wish to survive or see their execution.

v. 20. And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and all his might, and how he made a pool and a conduit, and brought water into the city, the aqueduct which he constructed at the approach of the Assyrian army in order to insure drinking-water to the city in case of a prolonged siege, 2Ch 32:30, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

v. 21. And Hezekiah slept with his fathers; and Manasseh, his son, reigned in his stead. Hezekiah died in the faith and was given the testimony that lie was a king after the heart of God. Blessed is he who, having departed from the way of strict probity, permits himself to be reproved by the Lord and returns to the ways which please the Master.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

It is conjectured by some that as the Babylonians worshipped the sun, the respect paid Hezekiah in the going back of the sun fifteen degrees, as before related, (for either they had heard of it or seen it) made the king of Babylon conceive very highly of Hezekiah. But be the motive whatsoever it might, how poor a figure did Hezekiah in truth make, however he might seem in the eyes of idolaters in his foolish ostentation of his treasures. Had he told them of his wonderful and miraculous cure, had he preached to them of the God of his fathers; – had he showed them the word of God, and the miracles shown his people, this would have been suitable indeed, and highly becoming. But Reader! pause and enquire are there not many vain characters like Hezekiah, even among the people of Jesus! What parlor shall we go in, among those who profess godliness where Jesus and his salvation is made the topic of discourse! How is it, Reader, that there should be a culpable shyness even among gracious souls in speaking of the best things one with another, or in awakened souls in telling to the unawakened, like these Babylonians, of the wonders of salvation by Jesus!

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

2Ki 20:12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

Ver. 12. At that time Berodach-baladan. ] a Baladan signifieth a lordless or masterless man, saith Pagnine. This Berodach – or Merodach Isa 39:1 – Baladan is thought to be the first Babylonian monarch, after that he had first rebelled against Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, and then afterwards slain him. Hence we read no more in Scripture of the kings of Assyria, but of Babylon.

Sent letters with a present. ] A rich and royal one, no doubt, according to the state of him who sent it, but whether comparable to that of King Ferdinand, sent to Solyman the Turk, I cannot tell – viz., a wonderful globe of silver of most rare and curious device, daily expressing the hourly passing of the time and the motions of the planets, the change and full of the moon, &c., ever moving by certain wheels and weights curiously conveyed within the same, and exactly keeping due time and motion. b Such a present would have been most welcome to good Hezekiah, especially if he were a mathematician, as the Rabbis make him, telling us that he restored the year by the intercalation of a day every third year, in the month Adar, which answereth to our February.

a Baladan, sine domino.

b Turk. Hist., 713.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Berodaeh. Some codices, with Septuagint and Syriac, read “Merodach”. Compare Isa 39:1.

king of Babylon. First occurrence of this title. Babylon and Nineveh the two great cities competing henceforward for supremacy in Assyria. Finally settled by Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar, “the head of gold” (Dan 2:37, Dan 2:38).

sent letters and a present. These did what the king of Assyria and the king of terrors could not do.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

a Mistake and Its Penalty

2Ki 20:12-21

God does not always prolong life in answer to prayer, and we should always leave such things submissively to Him, because He may see reasons why it would be far better for us to be removed from this world of temptation and sorrow. If Hezekiah had been taken away by early death, he would never have incurred the terrible sentence of 2Ki 20:16, etc.

Let us watch against the sin of ostentation. It was a foolish act on the part of the king, because he aroused in these ambassadors desire and greed, which they communicated to their sovereign. There is too much of this spirit in us all. What a solemn inquiry that is, What have they seen in thy house? If that inquiry were put to us, we should too often have to confess that our visitors have not seen our piety, our family worship, the decorous behavior of our children, our love and devotion; but that they have seen our dresses and our ornaments, our best linen and our plate. Alas for us, if these are our treasures, and we have nothing behind them of the priceless jewels and wealth of Christian character! At the best we are only caretakers and stewards; we have nothing that we have not received! 1Co 4:7. Let us remember that at any time the Master of the House may arrive! Mat 24:44.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

am 3292, bc 712

Berodachbaladan: Isa 39:1-8, Merodach-baladan

king: 2Ch 32:31

Babylon: Gen 10:10, Gen 11:9, Isa 13:1, Isa 13:19, Isa 14:4

sent letters: 2Sa 8:10, 2Sa 10:2

for he had heard: Isa 39:1

Reciprocal: Gen 43:11 – carry down Isa 14:32 – shall one Isa 23:13 – the Assyrian

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2Ki 20:12. Berodach-baladan He seems to have been the king of Assyrias viceroy in Babylon; and, upon the terrible slaughter in the Assyrian host, and the death of Sennacherib, and the differences among his sons, to have usurped absolute sovereignty over Babylon: and either himself or his son destroyed the Assyrian monarchy, and translated the empire to Babylon. Sent letters and a present to Hezekiah Congratulating him on his happy restoration to health, and assuring him of his esteem and friendship. According to 2Ch 32:31, one end he had in view in doing this was, that he might inquire of, or concerning, the wonder done in the land, namely, the shadow going back on the dial of Ahaz. And it is probable another was, that he might obtain assistance from Hezekiah against the king of Assyria, their common enemy.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2Ki 20:12-21. The Embassy of Merodach-baladan.The correct name of this king (mg.) is preserved in the parallel passage, Isaiah 39. The sickness of Hezekiah and the embassy for which his recovery was an excuse must have taken place before the events in chs. 18f. (see above).

2Ki 20:13. Hezekiahs display of his treasures and armour was evidently intended to impress the king of Babylon with his readiness to enter upon a concerted rebellion against Assyria. This must have been before the spoliation of the Temple to pay the tribute to Assyria (2Ki 18:16).

2Ki 20:17. Isaiah, as we see from his prophecies, was consistently opposed to any intrigues with foreign nations to throw off the yoke of Assyria. The inscriptions show that Hezekiah was exceedingly active in concerting rebellions to free himself and his nation from the oppressor. The prophet here fore-tells the Babylonian Captivity, which took place after the fall of Nineveh. Babylon at this time was not the head of a mighty empire, but had been seized by Merodach-baladan, who was afterwards expelled by the Assyrian conqueror.

2Ki 20:20. the pool: perhaps the remarkable canal connecting the Temple Hill with Siloam, a great engineering feat celebrated in the Siloam inscription (2Ch 32:30, Sir 48:17).

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

20:12 At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a {i} present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.

(i) Moved by the favour that God showed to Hezekiah, and also because he had declared himself an enemy of Sennacherib who was now destroyed.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

7. The prophecy of Babylonian captivity 20:12-19

Merodach-baladan ruled as king of Babylon for two terms, 721-710 and 703-702 B.C. The event recorded in these verses evidently took place in 702 B.C. [Note: John Martin, "Isaiah," in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, p. 1090.] Hezekiah appears to have let his visitors know the extent of Judah’s financial strength because he favored Merodach-baladan and Chaldean affiliation. In pride, as a result of his healing, he evidently wished to impress them with his wealth and power (cf. 2Ch 32:25; 2Ch 32:31). Isaiah prophesied that Babylon would take Judah into captivity one day (2Ki 20:17-18). While Hezekiah would have been sorry to hear this prophecy, he evidently accepted it as the Lord’s will for Judah and was glad it would not happen in his lifetime (2Ki 20:19). Other interpretations are that he made a smug, self-serving comment, or that he took the message as a prayer that the disaster would be delayed as long as possible. [Note: Peter R. Ackroyd, "An Interpretation of the Babylonian Exile: A Study of 2 Kings 20, Isaiah 38-39," Scottish Journal of Theology 27:3 (August 1974):338-39.] The first interpretation seems most consistent with Hezekiah’s character. Babylon’s future invasion came primarily as a result of Judah’s sins. Hezekiah’s unwise exposure of Judah’s wealth on this occasion was not the major cause.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)