2 Kings 20:2 (ASV)

Passage

Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah, saying,

Nearby Context

2 Kings 20:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Set thy house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.

2 Kings 20:2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto Jehovah, saying,

2 Kings 20:3 Remember now, O Jehovah, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

2 Kings 20:4 And it came to pass, before Isaiah was gone out into the middle part of the city, that the word of Jehovah came to him, saying,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turned", "face", "wall", "prayed", "jehovah", and "saying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turned" and "face", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "In those days was Hezekiah sick unto..." into verse 3's "Remember now O Jehovah I beseech thee...", so "turned" and "face" belong inside that flow. In 2 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "turned" and "face" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.