Hezekiah's Sundial Reversed

Illustration of Hezekiah's Sundial Reversed
To confirm Hezekiah's healing, God did the impossible - he moved the shadow on the sundial backward ten degrees.

When King Hezekiah, gravely ill, was told by Isaiah that God would heal him and add fifteen years to his life, he asked for a sign. God offered to move the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz either forward or backward ten degrees, and Hezekiah asked for the harder sign - that it go backward. Isaiah cried to the LORD, and the shadow retreated ten degrees. This reversal of the sun's shadow was a cosmic confirmation of God's promise, one of the most extraordinary signs in the Old Testament.

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Details

Category
Nature
Testament
Old Testament
Performed by
God

Key Chapters

2 Kings 20 Hezekiah's Illness 4 min read

Key Passages

The Shadow Goes Backward Ten Degrees

2 Kings 20:8-11

A8nd Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the LORD the third day?

9 And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? 10 And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. 11 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.

Explore Related

Characters

Hezekiah Hezekiah served as a righteous king of Judah in the late eighth century BC, following the Assyrian conquestโ€ฆ Isaiah Isaiah was an 8th-century BCE prophet who ministered in the kingdom of Judah during a time of politicalโ€ฆ

Places

Jerusalem Jerusalem stands as the ancient capital of Israel and holds profound religious importance as a holy cityโ€ฆ

Themes

Creation In the beginning, God created. Six days of divine artistry produced a universe of staggering beauty andโ€ฆ Sovereignty of God The Lord reigns. From Joseph's slavery to Daniel's lions' den, Scripture reveals a God who works all thingsโ€ฆ Faith Without faith it is impossible to please God. From Abraham leaving everything for an unknown land to aโ€ฆ

Did You Know?

1

God moved the sun's shadow backward ten degrees as a sign.

2

Hezekiah asked for the harder sign - backward rather than forward.

3

It confirmed God's promise to add fifteen years to his life.

4

It is one of the most extraordinary cosmic signs in the Old Testament.