Isaiah 38:21-22 to 2 Kings 20:7-8

OT Text Referred to: 2 Kings 20:7-8

Subject: fig poultice remedy and sign request

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Reference Type: Direct Quotation

Connection Method(s): None

Significance: Isaiah 38:21-22 and 2 Kings 20:7-8 are parallel accounts of the same two details from Hezekiah's recovery: Isaiah's prescription of a fig poultice (דְּבֶלֶת תְּאֵנִים, develet te'enim) for the boil (שְׁחִין, shechin), and Hezekiah's request for a confirming sign. The texts are nearly verbatim, indicating direct literary dependence. The placement differs significantly: in 2 Kings, these details appear in chronological sequence within the main narrative; in Isaiah 38, they are appended as an afterthought following Hezekiah's psalm (38:9-20), creating a narrative flashback. This difference in arrangement reveals each author's literary priorities — Kings emphasizes the historical sequence, while Isaiah centers Hezekiah's poetic response to the crisis.

Merged from reverse-direction file

Consolidated 2026-06-09 per the later-text → earlier-text canonical-direction ruling (Full Corpus Audit, Phase 0). The content below is preserved verbatim from the deleted file "2 Kings 20.7-8 to Isaiah 38.21-22"; fold unique material into the Significance during the Phase 3 IP audit, then remove this section.

Text: 2 Kings 20:7-8

OT Text Referred to: Isaiah 38:21-22

Subject: Fig poultice and sign request — parallel account

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Reference Type: Direct Quotation

Connection Method(s): None

Significance: These are parallel accounts of the fig poultice healing and Hezekiah's sign request. In 2 Kings 20:7-8, Isaiah prescribes the fig cake, Hezekiah recovers, and then asks, "What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me?" In Isaiah 38:21-22, these same details appear at the end of the chapter after the insertion of Hezekiah's psalm of thanksgiving (vv. 9-20). Both use identical language for the remedy (דְּבֶלֶת תְּאֵנִים, develet te'enim) and the sign request. The different positions of these verses in the two accounts illustrate how the same historical material can be arranged for different literary and theological purposes.