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    Old Testament
    Signs & Wonders

    The Shadow on Hezekiah's Sundial Goes Backward

    The Lord moves the shadow back ten degrees on Ahaz's sundial as a sign of Hezekiah's healing.

    The Shadow on Hezekiah's Sundial Goes Backward

    When Hezekiah was healed of his mortal sickness, he asked for a sign that he would go up to the house of the Lord on the third day. Isaiah cried unto the Lord, and the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz went back ten degrees — a reversal of the sun's natural course as a token of God's word.

    Performed by

    God (through Isaiah the prophet)

    Location

    Jerusalem, the palace of King Hezekiah

    What Happened

    • 1Hezekiah asked for a sign of his promised healing
    • 2Isaiah offered the shadow going forward or backward ten degrees
    • 3Hezekiah chose the harder sign — that it go back
    • 4Isaiah cried unto the Lord
    • 5The shadow returned backward ten degrees on the sundial of Ahaz

    Key KJV Scriptures

    "And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the LORD: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz."
    "Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down."

    Spiritual Significance

    Like the sun standing still for Joshua, the reversed shadow declares that the God who set the heavens in motion bends them at His word to confirm His promises to His people.

    Lesson for Today

    God is not bound by the clockwork of creation. When He promises, He will perform — and He sometimes gives gracious signs to strengthen weak faith.

    Key People

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What was the dial of Ahaz?

    It was likely a stepped sundial built by King Ahaz, where the descending shadow marked the hours of the day.

    Is this connected to the long day of Joshua?

    Both events involve God altering the sun's apparent course, but they are distinct miracles centuries apart, each confirming God's word to His servant.

    Where in the Bible is the miracle of The Shadow on Hezekiah's Sundial Goes Backward?

    The miracle of The Shadow on Hezekiah's Sundial Goes Backward is recorded in 2 Kings 20:11 (KJV), with additional references in Isaiah 38:8.

    Who performed the miracle of The Shadow on Hezekiah's Sundial Goes Backward?

    Scripture records that God (through Isaiah the prophet) carried out this miracle at Jerusalem, the palace of King Hezekiah. Ultimately the power belonged to God, who alone does wondrous things (Psalm 72:18).

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