| Hezekiah | |
|---|---|
 King Hezekiah on a painting by unknown artist in the choir of St. Mary's Church, Åhus, 17th century | |
| King of Judah | |
| Reign | Uncertain, reign ended c. 687 BCE[a] |
| Predecessor | Ahaz |
| Successor | Manasseh |
| Born | c. 739/41 BCE probably Jerusalem |
| Died | c. 687 BCE (aged 51–54) probably Jerusalem |
| Burial | Jerusalem |
| Spouse | Hephzibah |
| Issue | |
| House | House of David |
| Father | Ahaz |
| Mother | Abijah (also called Abi) |
Hezekiah (/ˌhɛzɪˈkaɪ.ə/; Biblical Hebrew: חִזְקִיָּהוּ, romanized: Ḥizqiyyāhu), or Ezekias[c] (born c. 741 BCE, sole ruler c. 716/15–687/86), was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Judah according to the Hebrew Bible.[2]
In the Biblical narrative, Hezekiah witnessed the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel by the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sargon II in c. 722 BCE. He was king of Judah during the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in 701 BCE.[3]
Hezekiah enacted sweeping religious reforms, including a strict mandate for the sole worship of Yahweh and a prohibition on venerating other deities within the First Temple.[2] He is considered a very righteous king in both the Second Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles.[4][d] He is also one of the more prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Bible and is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.[5] "No king of Judah, among either his predecessors or his successors, could [...] be compared to him", according to 2 Kings 18:5.[6] Isaiah and Micah prophesied during his reign.[2]
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- ^ Khan, Geoffrey (2020). The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, Volume 1. Open Book Publishers. ISBN 978-1783746767.
- ^ a b c Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. "Glossary", pp. 367–432
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica (2009), Hezekiah, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, 12 November 2009.
- ^ 2 Kings 18:3; 2 Chronicles 29:2
- ^ Matthew 1:10
- ^ Jewish Encyclopaedia, Hezekiah, accessed 15 April 2012