2 Chronicles 32:20Hezekiah the king, and Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz, prayed because of this, and cried to heaven.
The setting
Jerusalem, 701 BC. King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah pray desperately as 185,000 Assyrian soldiers surround the city. Archaeological evidence shows siege ramps Sennacherib built still visible today in Lachish, Israel.
The emotion here: awestruck at recording how two leaders humbled themselves completely before God
The original word
za'aq (זעק) — to cry out in distress, the desperate shout of someone drowning
Why it matters
This is the only recorded instance of a king and prophet praying together during a military crisis in the entire Old Testament
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Chronicles 32:20
Hezekiah had already paid massive tribute to avoid this siege - prayer was literally his last option
Common misconceptionPeople think this was calm, reverent prayer, but 'cried to heaven' indicates desperate, loud pleading - they were terrified and showed it.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Chronicles 32:20
Bible Genome reading
2 Chronicles 32:20 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Chronicles 32:20 comes from the book of 2 Chronicles, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Hezekiah. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include prayer, divine help. Notable phrases: prayed because of this; cried to heaven. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does 2 Chronicles 32:20 mean to you, today?
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