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Prophecy

Fifteen years added to Hezekiah (2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38)

Isaiah at the bedside of the sick Hezekiah, then Hezekiah healed and praying; miniature from the Paris Psalter (Constantinople, 10th century), artist’s impression.
Artist’s impression Isaiah at the bedside of the sick Hezekiah, then Hezekiah healed and praying; miniature from the Paris Psalter (Constantinople, 10th century), artist’s impression. — Anonymous Byzantine illuminator, Paris Psalter (BnF, Grec 139), Wikimedia Commons · Domaine public

○ Written after the events, according to historians; tradition dates it before

Written c. 702–701 BC according to tradition; c. 640–560 BC according to historians. Event: c. 698–686 BC.

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

In short

The announcement. The prophet Isaiah, in the second book of Kings and the book of Isaiah, around 702–701 BC, announces to King Hezekiah, who is gravely ill, that fifteen years are added to his life.

What happened. Hezekiah is a very real king: Sennacherib names him in 701 BC, and his seal has been found in Jerusalem. He dies around 698 or around 686 BC, depending on the chronology adopted. His healing and the fifteen-year span are told only by the Bible.

What is still debated. the dates of Hezekiah's reign contradict each other within the text itself, and the fifteen years only work out with one of the two possible chronologies.

What would be striking if the text came first

In the book’s figures, the illness falls in the 14th year of a 29-year reign: 14 + 15 = 29, exactly. But historians date the writing to after the events, and the calculation depends on a disputed chronology.

Main objection (in French for now)

La coïncidence 14 + 15 = 29 peut être construite : un rédacteur qui connaissait la durée du règne a pu fixer le délai pour qu’il tombe juste.

The text (World English Bible)

In those days Hezekiah was sick and dying. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Set your house in order; for you will die, and not live.’”

2 Kgs 20:1

“Turn back, and tell Hezekiah the prince of my people, ‘The LORD, the God of David your father, says, “I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to the LORD’s house. I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.”’”

2 Kgs 20:5-6

Sources