2 Chronicles 32:26

2Ch 32:26 Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, [both] he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.

Ver. 26. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself.] He afflicted himself with voluntary sorrows, when once, by the preaching of the prophet, he came to a sight of his sin. Submissior factus est superbia cordis sui - so Vatablus rendereth it - he was made more humble by the pride of his heart: as God’s people are gainers by their sins also; whence that paradox of Augustine, My sins, in some sense, do me more good than my graces; for they make me afterwards more humble, more careful, more thankful for a Saviour, more merciful to others, more desirous of the state of perfection, &c. See 2Ki 20:17-19.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch_32:26

Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart.

Hezekiahs sin and humiliation

I. Show the nature and grounds of hezekiahs humiliation. His sin does not seem great in human estimation; but it was exceeding sinful in Gods sight.

1. He sought his own glory. He wished to show what a great man he was, in order that his alliance might be courted and his power feared.

2. He sought his own glory in preference to Gods honour. He had now a happy opportunity of magnifying the God of Israel. He might have

(1) recounted Gods past dealings with His people;

(2) commended Jehovah as an answerer of prayer.

3. He sought his own glory before the good of his friends. He should have recompensed the great kindness of the ambassadors by instructing them in the knowledge of the God of Israel.

II. Enquire whether we also have not similar grounds for humiliation.

1. Pride is deeply rooted in the heart of fallen man. We are vain

(1) of any natural endowments of body or mind.

(2) Of any acquired distinctions.

(3) Even the gifts of grace become occasions of pride.

2. We indulge this disposition to the neglect of Gods honour and of the eternal welfare of those around us.

(1) We have many opportunities of speaking for God.

(2) But how rarely is our intercourse with each other made subservient to His glory.

III. Inferences.

1. What dreadful evils arise from small beginnings. Hezekiah at first probably intended only to show civility to his friends.

2. How great is the efficacy of fervent prayer and intercession. God deferred the evil threatened till the next generation. (Skeletons of Sermon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ch 32:26. Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart — For the sins of the heart, though they should never show themselves in any external way, either by word or deed, must be acknowledged to God and repented of, if we would find mercy; and self-humiliation is a necessary branch of repentance. Both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem — Who humbled themselves with Hezekiah, either because they were conscious they had been guilty of the same sin, or, at least, feared they might share in the punishment. So that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah — In his days there were peace and truth; so much doth repentance avail to put by, or at least to put off, the tokens of God’s anger.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32:26 The humble repentance of both Hezekiah and the people pleased God, so the Lord’s anger did not fall on them during Hezekiah’s lifetime.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 26. Humbled himself] Awoke from his sleep, was sorry for his sin, deprecated the wrath of God, and the Divine displeasure was turned away from him.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(26) Notwithstanding.—And.

The wrath of the Lord . . . days of Hezekiah.—(Comp. Isa_39:8.) On hearing Isaiah’s prophecy of coming evil, Hezekiah humbly acquiesced in the will of Jehovah. “Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah. Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, There shall be peace and permanence in my own days” (2Ki_20:19).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

26. humbled himself] Cp. 2Ki_20:19.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Howbeit, in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire the wonder that was done in the land,.... Not to see the two tables of stone which were in the ark, with the other two that were broken because of the sin of the calf, as the Targum; nor to ask about the destruction of the Assyrian army, and the manner of it, as Grotius; but to be informed of the miracle of the sun's going back ten degrees, when Hezekiah was recovered from his sickness; the Chaldeans being a people much given to astrology, and curious in their observations of that kind:

God left him to try him; by showing him all his treasures:

that he might know all that was in his heart; not that God might know, who knows all things, unless spoken of him after the manner of men; but rather that Hezekiah might know the pride lurking in his heart, and other sins which escaped his notice, Jer 17:9 or that it might be known by others; that the children of men might know it, as Kimchi; and take warning by it, and observe the frailty and infirmity of the best of men.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hezekiah humbled himself - Perhaps this is the self-humiliation of which Jeremiah speaks (marginal reference) as following on a certain prophecy uttered by Micah. The prophecy Mic 3:12 is by some referred to the earlier part of the reign of Hezekiah; but there is nothing to show that it was not delivered about this time.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hezekiah humbled himself. Possibly the language of the nineteenth verse in the parallel is the one surviving historic trace of this. The language found in Jer_26:19 may be also a note of the same, though its dependence (see vers. 17, 18) on Mic_3:12 seems to make it less likely.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And Hezekiah became humbled when his heart was haughty as it is written there: “And Hezekiah said to Isaiah: [The word of the Lord that you have spoken is] good.” And when he became humble, the wrath did not come upon them in his days.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.