Dora Bas Rivka Silver O'H Chizkiyahu's Illness, Recovery and
Psalm This chapter parallels II Kings chapter 20. King
Chizkiyahu became ill and Isaiah went to visit him. Isaiah told
Chizkiyahu to get his affairs in order, because he was going to
die. Chizkiyahu turned to wall and prayed and cried. G-d told
Isaiah to return to the king and let him know that his prayers
were answered; G-d has granted him another 15 years.
Furthermore, He would save the city from the onslaught of the
Assyrian army. (This incident occurred before the plague wiped
out the Assyrian army, as described in the previous chapter.) As
a sign, the shadow cast by the sun went back ten steps. (Compare
the description of this event with that in Kings.) After his
recovery, Chizkiyahu wrote a psalm of thanks. In it, he said
that he had despaired that he was going to die, missing out on
the rest of his years. No longer would he be able to serve G-d
on Earth, as he would be in the Next World, separated from his
people. The more he strengthened him