In Whom You Trust? King Hezekiah’s Piety in the Light of the Textual History of Isaiah 36:4-10 // 2 Kings 18:19-25
This chapter studies the piety and suffering of King Hezekiah of Judah in the context of the textual history of Isaiah 36 and its parallel text in 2 Kings 18. King Hezekiah is generally presented as a positive protagonist, and in Isaiah his personality is paradigmatic. Hezekiah’s faith in Yhwh’s deliverance from Assyria, or indeed from any life-threatening circumstances, points beyond his personal character on the stage of Judah’s history. On the other hand, the eighth-century prophecies, including those traditionally dated to Hezekiah’s era, are often critical of anti-Assyrian activities. This chapter delves into the diverging textual traditions and provides hints on how the portrait of King Hezekiah developed from a saviour king to a model of faithfulness.
The study was published in volume dedicated to Gert Kwakkel, my esteemed Doktorvater, on the occasion of his retirement as Professor of Old Testament at the Theologische Universiteit Utrecht, and Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at the Faculté Jean Calvin, Aix-en-Provence.
