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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Isaiah 38:2

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Disease;   Hezekiah;   Prayer;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hezekiah;   Prayer;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Life, Natural;   Sickness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Dial;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hezekiah;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Death;   Text, Versions, and Languages of Ot;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Hezekiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ararat;   Hezekiah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Life;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hezekiah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.
Hebrew Names Version
Then Hizkiyahu turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
King James Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the Lord ,
English Standard Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
New American Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
New Century Version
Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
Amplified Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
World English Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh,
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh
Berean Standard Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
Contemporary English Version
Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed,
Complete Jewish Bible
Hizkiyahu turned his face toward the wall and prayed to Adonai :
Darby Translation
And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Jehovah,
Easy-to-Read Version
Hezekiah turned toward the wall that faced the Temple and began praying to the Lord .
George Lamsa Translation
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying,
Good News Translation
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed:
Lexham English Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh,
Literal Translation
And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Jehovah,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then Ezechias turned his face towarde the wall, & prayed vnto the LORDE,
American Standard Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah,
Bible in Basic English
And Hezekiah, turning his face to the wall, made his prayer to the Lord, saying,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
King James Version (1611)
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed vnto the Lord,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Hezekia turned his face toward the wall, and prayed vnto the Lorde,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Ezekias turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying,
English Revised Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Esechie turnede his face to the wal, and preiede the Lord, and seide, Lord, Y biseche;
Update Bible Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to Yahweh,
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
New English Translation
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
New King James Version
Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
New Living Translation
When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord ,
New Life Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
New Revised Standard
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord :
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then Hezekiah turned his face unto the wall, - and prayed unto Yahweh;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Ezechias turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord,
Revised Standard Version
Then Hezeki'ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD,
Young's Literal Translation
And Hezekiah turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah,
THE MESSAGE
Hezekiah turned away from Isaiah and, facing the wall, prayed to God : " God , please, I beg you: Remember how I've lived my life. I've lived faithfully in your presence, lived out of a heart that was totally yours. You've seen how I've lived, the good that I have done." And Hezekiah wept as he prayed—painful tears.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,

Contextual Overview

1 About that time was Hezekiah sicke vnto the death, and the Prophet Isaiah sonne of Amoz came vnto him, and sayd vnto him, Thus sayth the Lord, Put thine house in an order, for thou shalt dye, and not liue. 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, 3 And saide, I beseeche thee, Lord, remember nowe howe I haue walked before thee in trueth, and with a perfite heart, & haue done that which is good in thy sight: and Hezekiah wept sore. 4 Then came the worde of the Lord to Isaiah, saying, 5 Goe, and say vnto Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord God of Dauid thy father, I haue heard thy prayer, and seene thy teares: behold, I will adde vnto thy dayes fifteene yeeres. 6 And I will deliuer thee out of the hand of the King of Asshur, and this citie: for I will defende this citie. 7 And this signe shalt thou haue of ye Lord, that ye Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken, 8 Beholde, I will bring againe the shadowe of the degrees (whereby it is gone downe in the diall of Ahaz by the sunne) ten degrees backeward: so the sunne returned by tenne degrees, by the which degrees it was gone downe.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

turned: Hezekiah's couch was probably placed in a corner, which is the place of honour in the East; in which, turning on either side, he must turn his face to the wall; by which he would withdraw himself from those attending him in his apartment. 1 Kings 8:30, Psalms 50:15, Psalms 91:15, Matthew 6:6

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 18:42 - put his face 2 Kings 20:2 - he turned Esther 8:3 - besought him with tears Psalms 120:1 - my distress

Cross-References

Genesis 3:6
So the woman (seeing that the tree was good for meate, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to get knowledge) tooke of the fruite thereof, and did eate, & gaue also to her husband with her, and he did eate.
Genesis 6:2
Then the sonnes of God sawe the daughters of men that they were faire, & they tooke them wiues of all that they liked.
Genesis 6:4
There were gyants in the earth in those dayes: yea, and after that the sonnes of God came vnto the daughters of men, and they had borne them children, these were mightie men, which in olde time were men of renoume.
Genesis 24:3
And I will make thee sweare by ye Lorde God of the heauen, and God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife vnto my sonne of the daughters of the Canaanites among who I dwel.
Genesis 34:2
Whome when Shechem the sonne of Hamor the Hiuite lorde of that countrey sawe, hee tooke her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
Genesis 46:12
Also the sonnes of Iudah: Er, & Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: (but Er and Onan died in ye land of Canaan) And the sonnes of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.
Judges 14:2
And he came vp and told his father and his mother and saide, I haue seene a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistims: now therfore giue me her to wife.
Judges 16:1
Then went Samson to Azzah, & sawe there an harlot, and went in vnto her.
2 Samuel 11:2
And when it was euening tide, Dauid arose out of his bed, and walked vpon the roofe of the Kings palace: and from the roofe he sawe a woman washing her selfe: and the woman was very beautifull to looke vpon.
1 Chronicles 2:3
The sonnes of Iudah, Er, and Onan, and Shelah. these three were borne to him of ye daughter of Shua the Canaanite: but Er the eldest sonne of Iudah was euil in the sight of the Lorde, and he slew him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall,.... Not figuratively to the wall of his heart, as Jerom; but literally, either to the wall of his bedchamber where he lay sick, that his tears might not be seen, and his prayers interrupted, and that he might deliver them with more privacy, freedom, and fervency; or else to the wall of the temple, as the Targum, towards which good men used to look when they prayed, 1 Kings 8:38, which was a type of Christ, to whom we should have respect in all our petitions, as being the only Mediator between God and man: and prayed unto the Lord; as follows:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall - The wall of the room in which he was lying He was probably lying on a couch next the wall of his room. Eastern houses usually have such couches or ottomans running along on the sides of the room on which they recline, and on which they lie when they are sick. Hezekiah probably turned his face to the wall in order that his emotion and his tears might not be seen by the bystanders, or in order that he might compose himself the better for devotion. His prayer he wished, doubtless, to be as secret as possible. The Chaldee renders this, ‘Turned his face to the wall of the house of the sanctuary;’ that is, of the temple, so that it might appear that be prayed toward the temple. Thus Daniel; when in Babylon, is said to have prayed with his windows opened toward Jerusalem Daniel 6:10. The Mahometans pray everywhere with their faces turned toward Mecca. But there is no evidence in the Hebrew text that Hezekiah prayed in that manner. The simple idea is, that he turned over on his couch toward the wall of his room, doubtless, for the greater privacy, and to hide his deep emotion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 38:2. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall — The furniture of an eastern divan or chamber, either for the reception of company or for private use, consists chiefly of carpets spread on the floor in the middle; and of sofas, or couches ranged on one or more sides of the room, on a part raised somewhat above the floor. On these they repose themselves in the day, and sleep at night. It is to be observed that the corner of the room is the place of honour. Dr. Pococke, when he was introduced to the Sheikh of Furshout, found him sitting in the corner of his room. He describes another Arab Sheikh "as sitting in the corner of a large green tent, pitched in the middle of an encampment of Arabs; and the Bey of Girge as placed on a sofa in a corner to the right as one entered the room." - Harmer's Observ. ii. p. 60. Lady Mary Montague, giving an account of a visit which she made to the Kahya's lady at Adrianople, says, "She ordered cushions to be given me; and took care to place me in the corner, which is the place of honour." - Letter xxxiii. The reason of this seems to be, that the person so placed is distinguished, and in a manner separated, from the rest of the company, and as it were guarded by the wall on each side. We are to suppose Hezekiah's couch placed in the same situation; in which turning on either side, he must turn his face to the wall; by which he would withdraw himself from those who were attending upon him in his apartment, in order to address his private prayer to God.

Isaiah 38:3. And he said, I beseech thee, O JEHOVAH, remember now how I have endeavoured to walk before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart; and have done that which is good in thine eyes. And Hezekiah wept, and lamented grievously. - L.

Isaiah 38:4. Now [before Isaiah was gone out into the middle court] the word of JEHOVAH came unto him, saying, Go [back,] and say unto Hezekiah, Thus saith JEHOVAH the God of David thy father, I have heard thy supplication; I have seen thy tears. Behold [I will heal thee; and on the third day thou shalt go up into the house of JEHOVAH.

Isaiah 38:5. And] I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee, and this city, from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will protect this city. And [Hezekiah said, By what sign shall I know that I shall go up into the house of JEHOVAH?

Isaiah 38:7. And Isaiah said,] This shall be the sign unto thee from JEHOVAH, that JEHOVAH still bring to effect this word which he hath spoken.

The words in the translation included within crotchets are supplied from the parallel place, 2 Kings 20:4-5, to make the narration more perfect. I have also taken the liberty, with Houbigant, of bringing forward the two last verses of this chapter, and inserting them in their proper places of the narration with the same mark. Kimchi's note on these two verses is as follows: "This and the following verse belong not to the writing of Hezekiah; and I see no reason why they are written here after the writing; for their right place is above, after And I will protect this city, Isaiah 38:6. And so they stand in the book of Kings," 2 Kings 20:7-8. The narration of this chapter seems to be in some parts an abridgment of that of 2 Kings 20:1-6. The abridger, having finished his extract here with the eleventh verse, seems to have observed, that the seventh and eighth verses of 2 Kings 20:7-8 were wanted to complete the narration: he therefore added them at the end of the chapter, after he had inserted the song of Hezekiah, probably with marks for their insertion in their proper places; which marks were afterwards neglected by transcribers. Or a transcriber might omit them by mistake, and add them at the end of the chapter with such marks. Many transpositions are, with great probability, to be accounted for in the same way.


 
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