Hezekiah

Hezekiah

Hezekiah King of Judah (727–698 BCE) during the time of assyrian aggression. Samaria was taken in 722 and Hezekiah became an Assyrian vassal until 705, when the death of the Assyrian king Sargon prompted a coalition of small states to rebel. In reply, the new king, Sennacherib, captured some of the outlying cities of Judah (he claims in an inscription to have besieged forty-six), and reached Jerusalem itself but withdrew. The prophet Isaiah had predicted that the capital would be spared and this was attributed to divine intervention (2 Kgs. 19: 35).

Hezekiah was praised (2 Kgs. 18: 3–6) for his policy of closing the ‘high places’ in favour of centralized worship in the Temple.

The dates of Hezekiah's reign are disputed. Alternative to those above, they might be 715–686 BCE. The references in 2 Kgs. 18: 9 and 18: 13 are mutually incompatible.

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Hezekiah." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Hezekiah

Hezekiah (died 687 BC) King of Judah (715–687 BC). When he came to power, Judah was a vassal state of the ASSYRIAN empire, and with the leaders of neighbouring states he was involved in a number of planned rebellions. The prophet ISAIAH spoke against these, but eventually Hezekiah did rebel and was heavily defeated in 701, when SENNACHERIB invaded, the land was devastated, and only Jerusalem escaped destruction. The Bible describes his work of religious reform, destroying local shrines and various cult objects, and attempting to suppress the worship of local gods. The reform was short-lived, pagan practices being re-introduced after his death by his son and successor Manasseh.

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"Hezekiah." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Hezekiah." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Hezekiah.html

"Hezekiah." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Hezekiah.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

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Magazine article from: Hebrew Studies Journal; 1/1/2002
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Magazine article from: The Journal of the American Oriental Society; 4/1/2001
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Newspaper article from: The Washington Times (Washington, DC); 9/5/2007

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