{"id":66817,"date":"2019-12-11T14:32:59","date_gmt":"2019-12-11T12:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=66817"},"modified":"2023-07-04T08:23:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T05:23:08","slug":"whos-right-about-hezekiah-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/whos-right-about-hezekiah-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s Right about Hezekiah? (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[366,898,575,627,721],"acf":{"old_id":"66817","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"370","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Was he a craven tributary, stalwart defender, or something else?","content":"

In part 1, we posed several questions apropos the discrepancies between the three biblical accounts of Sennacherib\u2019s invasion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The perspective we need to answer these questions is found in the talmudic attribution of biblical texts to their respective authors or redactors (BB 14b, ff.): Kings by Jeremiah, Chronicles by Ezra, and Isaiah by the entourage of King Hezekiah. The discrepancies reflect the editorial inclinations and predispositions of those by whom the books were redacted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeremiah\u2019s prophetic mission was distinguished by his condemnation of the Israelite resistance to the Babylonians, who would eventually destroy the Temple. It is easy to see that, in reviewing the very similar episode involving Hezekiah and the Assyrian forerunners of the Babylonians, his editorial inclination was to preserve the version of events that featured Hezekiah\u2019s submission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ezra\u2019s, on the other hand, fortified the beleaguered Judean populace in their attempt to rebuild the city of Jerusalem in the face of the opposition of their many adversaries. It is understandable that Ezra, who split the workers into platoons of builders and armed guards, would choose to perpetuate Hezekiah\u2019s resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, while it is understandable that Hezekiah\u2019s entourage would decline to report on his cowardice, why would they not record his outstanding bravery?<\/span><\/p>\n

We submit that their evaluation of Hezekiah\u2019s actions may be understood in light of rabbinic tradition, which is critical even of his preparations for resistance. We refer to the Mishnah (Pesa\u1e25im 4:9):<\/span><\/p>\n

King Hezekiah performed six actions. [The Sages] approved of three and disapproved of\u00a0 three.\u2026 He cut down the doors of the Temple and dispatched them to the king of Assyria, and they disapproved. He sealed up the upper Gihon [water source], and they disapproved\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, even Hezekiah\u2019s preparations to withstand the Assyrian siege displeased the Sages, ostensibly because they betrayed a lapse of faith in God\u2019s promise\u2014delivered by the prophet Isaiah\u2014to extend divine protection to the city. Since the entourage was unable to take pride either in Hezekiah\u2019s capitulation to Sennacherib or in his resistance, they chose silence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: Hezekiah, woodcut by Rudolf Schaefer, 1929.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":66818,"id":66818,"title":"is36-hezekiah","filename":"is36-hezekiah.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/whos-right-about-hezekiah-part-2\/is36-hezekiah\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is36-hezekiah","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":66817,"date":"2019-12-11 12:32:43","modified":"2022-01-26 13:32:45","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":622,"height":600,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah-300x289.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":289,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah.jpg","medium_large-width":622,"medium_large-height":600,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah.jpg","large-width":622,"large-height":600,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah.jpg","1536x1536-width":622,"1536x1536-height":600,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah.jpg","2048x2048-width":622,"2048x2048-height":600,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah.jpg","post_full_size-width":622,"post_full_size-height":600,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/is36-hezekiah-435x420.jpg","home_baner-width":435,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"Part 2 - 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