2 Chronicles 32:24–33
24 32:24In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. 25 32:25But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. 26 32:26But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.
27 32:27And Hezekiah had very great riches and honor, and he made for himself treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious stones, for spices, for shields, and for all kinds of costly vessels; 28 32:28storehouses also for the yield of grain, wine, and oil; and stalls for all kinds of cattle, and sheepfolds. 29 32:29He likewise provided cities for himself, and flocks and herds in abundance, for God had given him very great possessions. 30 32:30This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works. 31 32:31And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.
32 32:32Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his good deeds, behold, they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 33 32:33And Hezekiah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper part of the tombs of the sons of David, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manasseh his son reigned in his place.
Section Overview
Hezekiah’s illness and the visit of Babylonian envoys are given in detail in 2 Kings 20:1–19, but the Chronicler briefly summarizes them in 2 Chronicles 32:24, 31. The two verses frame the block: both refer to a “sign” (Hb. mofet, “wonder,” which may be earthly or heavenly; cf. 2 Kings 8–11, the movement of a shadow), and “and so” opens verse 31.1 “In those days” (2 Chron. 32:24) is general; the events likely occurred around 705 BC, when Sennacherib came to the throne and Babylonian envoys sought to form an alliance against Assyria.2
Again, with no mention of Isaiah, the Chronicler focuses on Hezekiah as an example of how to relate to God. He interposes his own detailed comments (vv. 25–30) illustrating themes seen elsewhere: Hezekiah’s “pride” led to God’s “wrath,” but this was averted when king and people “humbled themselves” (cf. 7:14). Further, God’s blessings were evident in the various situations in which Hezekiah “prospered” (“had success,” a form of Hb. tsalakh; cf. comment on 1 Chron. 22:11–16). In Hezekiah’s actions, the Chronicler again points to God’s answer to prayer via healing and in response to humble repentance (cf. 2 Chron. 30:18–20).
In the final summary, Hezekiah is to be remembered for “his good deeds” (32:32, a form of hesed; cf. 2 Kings 20:20, “his might”), an accolade used later for Josiah (2 Chron. 35:26), with both kings involved in significant temple reform after major royal apostasy. The Hebrew term hesed frequently characterizes both God, referring to “steadfast love, kindness, mercy” (e.g., 1 Chron. 16:34, 41; 17:13), and man, referring to “loyalty, kindness, piety” (e.g., 1 Chron. 19:2; 2 Chron. 24:22; Neh. 13:14).
TABLE 3.20: Comparison of 2 Chronicles 32:24–33 and 2 Kings
| 2 Chronicles | 2 Kings | |
|---|---|---|
| Hezekiah’s illness and the Lord’s sign | 32:24 | 20:1–11 |
| Hezekiah’s pride and humbling himself | 32:25–26 | — |
| Hezekiah’s wealth and prospering | 32:27–30 | — |
| Envoys from Babylon | 32:31 | 20:12–19 |
| Concluding details: records and his death | 32:32–33 | 20:20–21 |
Section Outline
- IV.A. Reforms, Passover, and Answered Prayer under Hezekiah (29:1–32:33) . . .
- 5. Hezekiah’s Pride, Humility, Wealth, and Prospering (32:24–33)
Response
The concluding section of the Hezekiah account brings together warning and encouragement. There is danger in “pride,” the lifting high of one’s heart, for “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). As one example of common prophetic judgment on pride, Isaiah 2:6–17 lists many “high-low” contrasts in human behavior, personal and national, with the repeated summary, “The lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day” (Isa. 2:11, 17). Alongside this reality, however, is the promise, “Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, . . . ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite’” (Isa. 57:15).
How is one to respond to God’s gifts? Hezekiah’s initial pride was inappropriate, but his subsequent “humbling” was genuine, and we read how God provided so that Hezekiah “prospered.” Centuries later, Paul would write of responding to the “mercies of God”: “I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment. . . . [using] gifts that differ according to the grace given to us” (Rom. 12:1, 3, 6). We respond by using God’s gifts together in a way that honors the Giver.
1 Williamson, 1 and 2 Chronicles, 386.
2 While these events occur before those of verses 1–23, Chronicles follows Kings and Isaiah 36–39 in recording them after the attack narrative. Second Chronicles 32:24–31 may serve as a concluding overview of other events and achievements during his reign (“in those days”; v. 24), although they also mark a transition of attention from Assyria to Babylon and the exile (especially in Isaiah).
3 Selman, 2 Chronicles, 515; Dillard, 2 Chronicles, 254.