2 Kings 20:5 (WEB)

Passage

“Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, ‘Yahweh, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to Yahweh’s house.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 20:3 “Remember now, Yahweh, I beg you, how I have walked before you in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

2 Kings 20:4 Before Isaiah had gone out into the middle part of the city, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying,

2 Kings 20:5 “Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, ‘Yahweh, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to Yahweh’s house.

2 Kings 20:6 I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”’”

2 Kings 20:7 Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turn", "back", "tell", "hezekiah", "prince", "people", "yahweh", and "david". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turn" and "back", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Before Isaiah had gone out into the..." into verse 6's "I will add to your days fifteen...", so "turn" and "back" 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 "turn" and "back" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.