Later text
And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in Hezekiah's heart.
Intertextuality Pair
Allusion
Later text
And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in Hezekiah's heart.
Earlier text
At that time Merodach-baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah, for he had heard about Hezekiah's illness.
In 2 Kings 20:12, Merodach-baladan's envoys arrive ostensibly because he "had heard about Hezekiah's illness," and Hezekiah proudly displays all his treasuries. The Chronicler's interpretation in 2 Chronicles 32:31 adds unique theological depth: "God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in Hezekiah's heart" (לְנַסּוֹתוֹ לָדַעַת כָּל־בִּלְבָבוֹ). Where Kings presents Hezekiah's display as foolish policy provoking Isaiah's prophecy of Babylonian exile, Chronicles reveals the divine purpose behind the event — it was a test of character that Hezekiah failed, exposing the pride that even the best Davidic kings could not escape.