2 Kings 20:7
2 Kings 20:7 in Multiple Translations
Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.
And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
And Isaiah said, Take a cake of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
Then Isaiah said, Take a cake of figs. So they took it and put it on his wound, and he got better.
Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a dressing from figs.” Hezekiah's servants did so and put it on the skin sores, and Hezekiah got better.
Then Isaiah sayde, Take a lumpe of dry figges. And they tooke it, and layed it on the boyle, and he recouered.
And Isaiah saith, 'Take ye a cake of figs;' and they take and lay [it] on the boil, and he reviveth.
Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
And Isaias said: Bring me a lump of figs. And when they had brought it, and laid it upon his boil. he was healed.
So Isaiah returned to the palace and told Hezekiah what Yahweh had said. Then he saidto Hezekiah’s servants, “Bring a paste made of boiled figs. Put some of it on his boil, and he will get well.”
Berean Amplified Bible — 2 Kings 20:7
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
2 Kings 20:7 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר
יְשַֽׁעְיָ֔הוּ
קְח֖וּ
דְּבֶ֣לֶת
תְּאֵנִ֑ים
וַ/יִּקְח֛וּ
וַ/יָּשִׂ֥ימוּ
עַֽל
הַ/שְּׁחִ֖ין
וַ/יֶּֽחִי
וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר
ʼâmar
H559
to say
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms
יְשַֽׁעְיָ֔הוּ
Yᵉshaʻyâh
H3470
Jeshaiah
N-proper
קְח֖וּ
lâqach
H3947
to take
V-Qal-Impv-2mp
דְּבֶ֣לֶת
dᵉbêlâh
H1690
fig cake
N-fs
תְּאֵנִ֑ים
tᵉʼên
H8384
fig
N-fp
וַ/יִּקְח֛וּ
lâqach
H3947
to take
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp
וַ/יָּשִׂ֥ימוּ
sûwm
H7760
to set
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp
עַֽל
ʻal
H5921
upon
Prep
הַ/שְּׁחִ֖ין
shᵉchîyn
H7822
boil
Art | N-ms
וַ/יֶּֽחִי
châyâh
H2421
to live
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — 2 Kings 20:7
וַ/יֹּ֣אמֶר
ʼâmar
H559
"to say"
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms
This Hebrew word means to say or speak, and it's used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to command, promise, or think, and it's translated in the KJV as 'answer', 'appoint', or 'command'.
Definition: 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Usage: Occurs in 4337 OT verses. KJV: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. See also: Genesis 1:3; Genesis 18:23; Genesis 25:32.
יְשַֽׁעְיָ֔הוּ
Yᵉshaʻyâh
H3470
"Jeshaiah"
N-proper
Jeshaiah means 'Jehovah has saved' and is the name of several Israelites, including a son of Hananiah and a chief of the house of Elam, as mentioned in Nehemiah.
Definition: A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.25.3; son of: Jeduthun (H3038); brother of: Obed-edom (H5654), Mattithiah (H4993H), Gedaliah (H1436I), Zeri (H6874), Hashabiah (H2811I) § Isaiah or Jesaiah or Jeshaiah = "Jehovah has saved" 1) son of Hananiah, brother of Pelatiah, and grandson of Zerubbabel 2) a Benjamite 3) son of Athaliah and chief of the house of Elam who returned with Ezra 4) a chief of the descendants of Merari who returned with Ezra
Usage: Occurs in 39 OT verses. KJV: Isaiah, Jesaiah, Jeshaiah. See also: 2 Kings 19:2; 2 Chronicles 32:32; Isaiah 1:1.
קְח֖וּ
lâqach
H3947
"to take"
V-Qal-Impv-2mp
This Hebrew word means to take or get something, and it is used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to take a wife, to take possession of something, or to receive a gift. For example, in Genesis 2:22, God takes a rib from Adam to create Eve.
Definition: : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed 1b3) to be taken, brought unto 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be taken from or out of 1c2) to be stolen from 1c3) to be taken captive 1c4) to be taken away, be removed 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto 1d2) to be taken out of 1d3) to be taken away 1e) (Hithpael) 1e1) to take hold of oneself 1e2) to flash about (of lightning)
Usage: Occurs in 909 OT verses. KJV: accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win. See also: Genesis 2:15; Genesis 34:17; Exodus 30:23.
דְּבֶ֣לֶת
dᵉbêlâh
H1690
"fig cake"
N-fs
A fig cake is a lump of pressed figs, a type of food mentioned in the Bible. It's made from figs that are pressed together.
Definition: fig cake, lump of pressed figs
Usage: Occurs in 5 OT verses. KJV: cake (lump) of figs. See also: 1 Samuel 25:18; 2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21.
תְּאֵנִ֑ים
tᵉʼên
H8384
"fig"
N-fp
This word refers to the fig tree or its fruit, and is used in the Bible to describe a common food source in ancient Israel. It appears in stories like the one about Jesus and the fig tree in Matthew.
Definition: fig, fig tree
Usage: Occurs in 35 OT verses. KJV: fig (tree). See also: Genesis 3:7; Jeremiah 8:13; Psalms 105:33.
וַ/יִּקְח֛וּ
lâqach
H3947
"to take"
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp
This Hebrew word means to take or get something, and it is used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to take a wife, to take possession of something, or to receive a gift. For example, in Genesis 2:22, God takes a rib from Adam to create Eve.
Definition: : take 1) to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take, take in the hand 1a2) to take and carry along 1a3) to take from, take out of, take, carry away, take away 1a4) to take to or for a person, procure, get, take possession of, select, choose, take in marriage, receive, accept 1a5) to take up or upon, put upon 1a6) to fetch 1a7) to take, lead, conduct 1a8) to take, capture, seize 1a9) to take, carry off 1a10) to take (vengeance) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be captured 1b2) to be taken away, be removed 1b3) to be taken, brought unto 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to be taken from or out of 1c2) to be stolen from 1c3) to be taken captive 1c4) to be taken away, be removed 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be taken unto, be brought unto 1d2) to be taken out of 1d3) to be taken away 1e) (Hithpael) 1e1) to take hold of oneself 1e2) to flash about (of lightning)
Usage: Occurs in 909 OT verses. KJV: accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win. See also: Genesis 2:15; Genesis 34:17; Exodus 30:23.
וַ/יָּשִׂ֥ימוּ
sûwm
H7760
"to set"
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3mp
This Hebrew word means to put or place something, and is used in many different ways in the Bible, such as to appoint or determine something. It is first used in Genesis to describe God's creation. In the KJV, it is translated as 'appoint' or 'set' in various contexts.
Definition: : make/establish 1) to put, place, set, appoint, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on 1a2) to set, direct, direct toward 1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig) 1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix 1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix 1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give 1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign 1c) (Hophal) to be set
Usage: Occurs in 550 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work. See also: Genesis 2:8; Leviticus 20:5; 1 Samuel 21:13.
עַֽל
ʻal
H5921
"upon"
Prep
This Hebrew word means on or above something, like a physical object or a situation. It can also imply a sense of responsibility or accountability, as in being on behalf of someone.
Definition: prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) 1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity) 1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion) 1h) to (as a dative)
Usage: Occurs in 4493 OT verses. KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, [idiom] with. See also: Genesis 1:2; Genesis 24:13; Genesis 41:33.
הַ/שְּׁחִ֖ין
shᵉchîyn
H7822
"boil"
Art | N-ms
This word describes a boil or inflamed spot, which can refer to leprosy or other skin conditions in the Bible.
Definition: 1) boil, inflamed spot, inflammation, eruption 1a) of man, leprosy, of man and beast
Usage: Occurs in 12 OT verses. KJV: boil, botch. See also: Exodus 9:9; Leviticus 13:23; Isaiah 38:21.
וַ/יֶּֽחִי
châyâh
H2421
"to live"
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms
To live or have life is the meaning of this Hebrew word, which can also mean to revive or be quickened. It is used in the Bible to describe God's power to sustain life and restore people to health, as seen in the stories of the prophets and Jesus' miracles.
Definition: 1) to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to live 1a1a) to have life 1a1b) to continue in life, remain alive 1a1c) to sustain life, to live on or upon 1a1d) to live (prosperously) 1a2) to revive, be quickened 1a2a) from sickness 1a2b) from discouragement 1a2c) from faintness 1a2d) from death 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to preserve alive, let live 1b2) to give life 1b3) to quicken, revive, refresh 1b3a) to restore to life 1b3b) to cause to grow 1b3c) to restore 1b3d) to revive 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to preserve alive, let live 1c2) to quicken, revive 1c2a) to restore (to health) 1c2b) to revive 1c2c) to restore to life
Usage: Occurs in 239 OT verses. KJV: keep (leave, make) alive, [idiom] certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), [idiom] surely, be whole. See also: Genesis 5:3; 2 Samuel 16:16; Psalms 22:27.
Study Notes — 2 Kings 20:7
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- 2 Kings 20:7 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on 2 Kings 20:7
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 20:7
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
- Trapp's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
- Ellicott's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
- Cambridge Bible on 2 Kings 20:7
- Barnes' Notes on 2 Kings 20:7
- Whedon's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
- Sermons on 2 Kings 20:7
Context — Hezekiah’s Illness and Recovery
5“Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.
6I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
7Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” So they brought it and applied it to the boil, and Hezekiah recovered.
8Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?” 9And Isaiah had replied, “This will be a sign to you from the LORD that He will do what He has promised: Would you like the shadow to go forward ten steps, or back ten steps?”Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 38:21 | Now Isaiah had said, “Prepare a lump of pressed figs and apply it to the boil, and he will recover.” |
| 2 | 2 Kings 2:20–22 | “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him, and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness. ’” And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha. |
| 3 | 2 Kings 4:41 | Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot. |
2 Kings 20:7 Summary
In 2 Kings 20:7, we see how God uses everyday things, like a poultice of figs, to bring healing and restoration. This reminds us that God is always working, even in the smallest details, to accomplish His will (as seen in Romans 8:28). Just like Hezekiah, we can trust in God's power to heal and restore us, and we can also be vessels for His healing in the lives of others, as expressed in Galatians 6:2. By trusting in God's sovereignty and timing, we can experience His healing and provision in our own lives, just like Hezekiah did.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the poultice of figs in 2 Kings 20:7?
The poultice of figs was a remedy used to treat Hezekiah's boil, as instructed by Isaiah, and it symbolizes God's provision for healing, as seen in other instances like the use of mud in John 9:6 to restore sight to the blind man.
Did Isaiah's instruction to prepare a poultice of figs contradict God's promise to heal Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:5?
No, Isaiah's instruction was a practical application of God's promise, similar to how God often works through human means to accomplish His will, as seen in Exodus 15:25 where God instructed Moses to throw a tree into the bitter water to make it sweet.
What can we learn from Hezekiah's experience about faith and healing?
Hezekiah's experience teaches us that faith and healing often go hand in hand, as seen in Mark 10:52 where Jesus healed the blind man after he expressed his faith, and it also highlights the importance of trusting in God's sovereignty and timing, as expressed in Psalm 103:3.
How does this verse relate to the concept of divine healing in the Bible?
This verse demonstrates that divine healing is often accompanied by practical means, as seen in 2 Kings 20:7, and it also underscores the importance of faith and trust in God's power to heal, as emphasized in James 5:14-15 and Matthew 9:22.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I need to trust in God's provision for healing, just like Hezekiah did?
- How can I apply the principle of trusting in God's sovereignty and timing, as seen in Hezekiah's experience, to my own life?
- What are some practical ways I can demonstrate my faith and trust in God's power to heal, as expressed in this verse and other scriptures like Psalm 30:2?
- In what ways can I, like Isaiah, be a vessel for God's healing and provision in the lives of those around me?
- How does this verse encourage me to seek God's presence and promises in times of sickness or hardship, as seen in Psalm 41:3?
Gill's Exposition on 2 Kings 20:7
And Isaiah said, take a lump of figs,.... Not moist figs, but a cake of dried figs, as the word used signifies, and so the less likely to have any effect in curing the boil: and they took, and laid
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 20:7
And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
Take a lump of figs: though the deliverance was certainly promised, yet means must be used, and those suitable; for this hath naturally a power of ripening and softening boils or sores, though that power was altogether insufficient to produce so sudden and so complete a cure. The boil seems to have been a plague-sore.
Trapp's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
2 Kings 20:7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid [it] on the boil, and he recovered.Ver. 7. Take a lump of figs.] This poultice was fit enough for the carbuncle, but yet could never have cured him so soon without a miracle. See on 2 Kings 20:1. And he recovered.] Non ex facultate ficuum, sed ex Dei verbo, saith Junius: By a supernatural virtue added to the figs, which else could not have wrought the cure.
Ellicott's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
(7, 8) In Isaiah these two verses are given at the end of the narrative; a position in which they are obviously out of place. Probably some copyist, after accidentally omitting them where they properly belonged, added them there, “with marks for insertion in their proper places, which marks were afterwards neglected by transcribers” (Lowth, cited by Cheyne), perhaps because they had become obliterated. Take a lump of figs.—Figs pressed into a cake (1 Samuel 25:18). “Many commentators suppose the figs to be mentioned as a remedy current at the time. But surely so simple and unscientific a medicine would have been thought of, without applying to the prophet by those about Hezekiah. The plaster of figs is rather a sign or symbol of the cure, like the water of the Jordan in the narrative of Naaman (2 Kings 5:10)” (Cheyne). That in antiquity figs were a usual remedy for boils of various kinds appears from the testimony of Dioscorides and Pliny. Laid it on the boil.—It is not to be supposed that Hezekiah was suffering from the plague and, in fact, the very plague which destroyed the army of Sennacherib. (See Note on 2 Kings 20:1). The word “boil” (shĕ ?hîn) denotes leprous and other similar ulcers (Exodus 9:9; Job 2:7), but not plague, which moreover, would not have attacked Hezekiah alone, and would have produced not one swelling, but many. And he recovered.—Heb., lived.
The result is mentioned here by natural anticipation.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
Verse 7. Take a lump of figs - and laid it on the boil] We cannot exactly say in what Hezekiah's malady consisted. שחין shechin signifies any inflammatory tumour, boil, abscess, c. The versions translate it sore, wound, and such like. Some think it was a pleurisy others, that it was the plague; others, the elephantiasis; and others, that it was a quinsey. A poultice of figs might be very proper to maturate a boil, or to discuss any obstinate inflammatory swelling. This Pliny remarks, Omnibus quae maturanda ant discutienda sunt imponuntur. But we cannot pronounce on the propriety of the application, unless we were certain of the nature of the malady. This, however was the natural means which God chose to bless to the recovery of Hezekiah's health; and without this interposition he must have died.
Cambridge Bible on 2 Kings 20:7
7. Take a lump [R.V. cake] of figs] Except here and in Isaiah 38. ‘cake’ is the constant rendering of A.V. for this word. See 1 Samuel 25:18; 1 Samuel 30:12; 1 Chronicles 12:40. The figs were closely pressed together for better keeping when they were dried, just as we find is done at the present time. The virtue of figs made into a plaster has long been celebrated. Gerarde in his Herball (p. 1328) says, ‘Figs stamped and made into the form of a plaister … soften and ripen impostumes … all hot and angry swellings, and tumours behind the eares’. The boil from which Hezekiah was suffering was clearly something of this character, and confined to one spot, so that it could be treated by a poultice. It was therefore most likely some sort of carbuncle, which in certain parts of the body, as the back of the neck, can prove fatal. The conjectures some of which make the disease to be pleurisy, others the plague, contracted from the Assyrians, others, elephantiasis or leprosy, are not so probable, as none of them appear likely to have been treated by a plaster.
Barnes' Notes on 2 Kings 20:7
A lump of figs - The usual remedy in the East, even at the present day, for ordinary boils. But such a remedy would not naturally cure the dangerous tumor or carbuncle from which Hezekiah suffered.
Whedon's Commentary on 2 Kings 20:7
7. A lump of figs — Figs pressed together into a mass or poultice. The use of figs in the cure of boils or ulcers is attested by several ancient writers.
Sermons on 2 Kings 20:7
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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The Lump of Figs (Isaiah 38) by Dick Hussey | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the story of a young king who is given a message from God through the prophet Isaiah. The king is told to set his house in order because he w |
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Skyland Conference 1979-05 Elisha by Robert Constable | In this sermon, the preacher shares a story about Elisha, a man who lived a life that had a lasting impact even after his death. The preacher emphasizes the importance of living a |