Hezekiah
Pronounced hez-uh-KY-uh
- Meaning
- "God is my strength"
- Origin
- Hebrew
Hezekiah means "God is my strength" in Hebrew. He was one of Judah's greatest kings, leading sweeping religious reforms and trusting God in the face of the terrifying Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib. When Sennacherib's army surrounded Jerusalem and his commander blasphemed God, Hezekiah spread the threatening letter before the LORD in the temple and prayed. That night, the angel of the LORD struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers — one of the most dramatic divine interventions in Scripture. Hezekiah also received a miraculous fifteen-year extension of life when he was deathly ill. Isaiah told him to set his house in order, but Hezekiah "turned his face to the wall" and prayed, and God answered with healing. The sun's shadow moved backward ten degrees as a sign.
Spiritual meaning
Hezekiah lived his name — 'God is my strength' — by turning to prayer in every crisis. His life teaches that the mightiest defense is humble dependence on God.
Related verses (KJV)
"Now therefore, O LORD our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD God, even thou only."
2 Kings 19:19 (KJV) →"I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee."
2 Kings 20:5 (KJV) →