Bible Strands
2 Kings 20:8
Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Hezekiah addresses the prophet Isaiah immediately after receiving instructions to apply a fig poultice to his boil. He requests a specific marker confirming that God will heal him and restore him to the temple on the third day.
The words — א֔וֹת ('ot) translates to "sign" or observable proof, and יִרְפָּ֥א (yir.Pa') means "he will heal." These terms anchor Hezekiah's inquiry to a tangible demonstration of divine restoration.
The thread — The demand for a visible sign parallels Gideon’s request in Judges 6:17 and Isaiah’s invitation in Isaiah 7:11, while the broader covenant sign to Hezekiah is recorded in 2 Kings 19:29.
Why it lands — The text records a king seeking concrete verification before acting on a prophetic word. It requires the reader to confront how requests for proof function as a bridge between divine promise and human obedience.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?
Cross-references
- Judges 6:17 Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.
- Isaiah 7:11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”
- 2 Kings 19:29 And this will be a sign to you, O Hezekiah: This year you will eat what grows on its own, and in the second year what springs from the same. But in the third year you will sow and reap; you will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
- 2 Kings 20:5 “Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.
- Hosea 6:2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.
- Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
- Isaiah 38:22 And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”
- Judges 6:37 then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”