Hezekiah’s Illness and Isaiah’s Visit in Isaiah 38: A Clash of Piety and Prophecy (Berakhot 10a-b)

This sugya dramatizes a theological and political standoff between two towering biblical figures (c. 600 BCE): Hezekiah, righteous monarch of Judah, and the prophet Isaiah. Their initial disagreement concerns etiquette: should the king visit the prophet, or vice versa? But what begins as a question of protocol becomes a deeper meditation on divine will, human agency, and the role of prayer in the face of death.

To break the deadlock, God afflicts Hezekiah with a terminal illness (Isaiah 38:1 ; 2 Kings 20:1) and sends Isaiah to deliver a grim message: prepare to die, and worse, you won’t merit the World-to-Come. Hezekiah pushes back. He explains that he never married due to prophetic foresight that his offspring (namely, the wicked Manasseh) would be unworthy. Isaiah rebukes him: your job is to follow God’s command to procreate, not preempt divine outcomes.

Refusing to accept the verdict, Hezekiah asks for Isaiah’s daughter in marriage, hoping their combined merit might change fate. Isaiah declines; Hezekiah dismisses him, citing the principle that one should pray for mercy even when death seems certain. This becomes a central motif: “Even with a sword at your neck, do not stop praying”.

The sugya expands into broader aggadic reflections on prayer, dreams, and repentance. R’ Shimon b. Lakish interprets Hezekiah’s prayer ‘by the wall’ as coming from the heart’s innermost chambers. R’ Levi suggests Hezekiah evoked the merit of the Shunamite woman’s hospitality and of Solomon’s Temple. Finally, Hezekiah’s merits are enumerated: linking redemption to prayer and suppressing the Book of Remedies.¹

The sugya subtly pits prophetic fatalism against the power of human initiative and repentance, with Hezekiah’s stubborn faith ultimately vindicated.

Outline

Intro

The Passage - Hezekiah’s Illness and Isaiah’s Visit in Isaiah 38: A Clash of Piety and Prophecy (Berakhot 10a-b)

1. Rav Hamnuna - God forced a compromise between Hezekiah and Isaiah - Ecclesiastes 8:1

2. Hezekiah and Isaiah dispute protocol: who should visit whom? (I Kings 18:2; II Kings 3:12)

3. God forces resolution by afflicting Hezekiah and sending Isaiah to him

4. Isaiah predicts death and exclusion from the World-to-Come (Isaiah 38:1)

5. Hezekiah states that he avoided marriage because of prophetic insight into future wicked offspring (=Manasseh)

6. Isaiah rebukes him—one must follow God’s commands, not predict divine outcomes

7. Hezekiah requests Isaiah’s daughter in marriage, hoping joint merit might help; Isaiah refuses

8. R' Yoḥanan & R' Eliezer - keep praying even if death seems imminent - Job 13:15

9. R' Ḥanan - Even if dream warns of death, pray anyway - Ecclesiastes 5:6

10. R' Shimon ben Lakish - “Wall” = innermost heart chambers - Isaiah 38:2; Jeremiah 4:19

11. R' Levi - Hezekiah evoked merit of the Shunamite’s wall and the Temple - Isaiah 38:3

12. Rav Yehuda citing Rav - Hezekiah’s merit: linking redemption and prayer; R' Levi - Hezekiah’s merit: he hid the Book of Remedies

The Passage

Berakhot.10a.26-10b.5

Rav Hamnuna - God forced a compromise between Hezekiah and Isaiah - Ecclesiastes 8:1

Rav Hamnuna offers a homiletical reading of Ecclesiastes 8:1—“Who is like the wise man, and who knows the interpretation² of a matter?”

He interprets that the verse refers to God’s capacity to arbitrate (פשרה) between two righteous figures:³ Hezekiah and Isaiah.

אמר רב המנונא:

מאי דכתיב

״מי כהחכם

ומי יודע פשר דבר״ —

מי כהקדוש ברוך הוא

שיודע לעשות פשרה בין שני צדיקים,

בין חזקיהו לישעיהו.

With regard to redemption and prayer, the Talmud tells the story of Hezekiah’s illness, his prayer to God, and subsequent recuperation.

Rav Hamnuna said:

What is the meaning of that which is written praising God:

“Who is like the wise man,

and who knows the interpretation [pesher] of the matter” (Ecclesiastes 8:1)?

This verse means: Who is like God,

Who knows how to effect compromise [peshara] between two righteous individuals,

between Hezekiah, the king of Judea, and Isaiah the prophet.

Hezekiah and Isaiah dispute protocol: who should visit whom? (I Kings 18:2; II Kings 3:12)

Hezekiah and Isaiah disagreed about who should initiate a meeting. Each side used precedent to assert their position on prophetic etiquette:

Hezekiah argued that the prophet should come to the king, citing the prophet Elijah’s approach to Israelite king Ahab (I Kings 18:2).

Isaiah countered that the king should come to the prophet, referencing the Israelite king Yehoram’s visit to the prophet Elisha (II Kings 3:12).

• חזקיהו אמר:

  • ליתי ישעיהו גבאי,

  • דהכי אשכחן באליהו

  • דאזל לגבי אחאב,

  • שנאמר: ״וילך אליהו להראות אל אחאב״.

• ישעיהו אמר:

  • ליתי חזקיהו גבאי

  • דהכי אשכחן ביהורם בן אחאב

  • דאזל לגבי אלישע.

They disagreed over which of them should visit the other.

• Hezekiah said:

  • Let Isaiah come to me,

  • as that is what we find with regard to Elijah the prophet,

  • who went to Ahab, the king of Israel,

  • as it is stated: “And Elijah went to appear to Ahab” (I Kings 18:2).

  • This proves that it is the prophet who must seek out the king.

• And Isaiah said:

  • Let Hezekiah come to me,

  • as that is what we find with regard to Yehoram son of Ahab, king of Israel,

  • who went to Elisha the prophet,

  • as it is stated: “So the king of Israel, Jehosaphat and the king of Edom went down to him” (II Kings 3:12).

God forces resolution by afflicting Hezekiah and sending Isaiah to him

To resolve the standoff between Hezekiah and Isaiah, God imposes illness on Hezekiah. This compels Isaiah to visit him under the halakhic obligation of visiting the sick (Bikur cholim).

מה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא?

הביא יסורים על חזקיהו,

ואמר לו לישעיהו: לך ובקר את החולה.

What did God do to effect compromise between Hezekiah and Isaiah?

He brought the suffering of illness upon Hezekiah

and told Isaiah: Go and visit the sick.

Isaiah predicts death and exclusion from the World-to-Come (Isaiah 38:1)

Isaiah delivers a dire prophecy: Hezekiah will die and “not live.” The Talmud interprets this repetition to mean Hezekiah will die both in this world and be excluded from the World-to-Come.⁴

שנאמר:

״בימים ההם

חלה חזקיהו למות

ויבא אליו ישעיהו בן אמוץ הנביא

ויאמר אליו:

כה אמר ה׳ צבאות:

צו לביתך

כי מת אתה

ולא תחיה וגו׳״.

מאי

״כי מת אתה

ולא תחיה״?

• מת אתה —

  • בעולם הזה,

• ולא תחיה —

  • לעולם הבא.

Isaiah did as God instructed, as it is stated:

“In those days

Hezekiah became deathly ill,

and Isaiah ben Amoz the prophet came

and said to him:

Thus says YHWH of Hosts:

Set your house in order,

for you will die

and you will not live” (Isaiah 38:1).

This seems redundant; what is the meaning of

you will die

and you will not live?

This repetition means:

• You will die --

  • in this world,

• and you will not live --

  • you will have no share, in the World-to-Come.

Hezekiah states that he avoided marriage because of prophetic insight into future wicked offspring (=Manasseh)

אמר ליה: מאי כולי האי?

אמר ליה: משום דלא עסקת בפריה ורביה.

אמר ליה:

משום דחזאי לי ברוח הקדש

דנפקי מינאי בנין דלא מעלו.

Hezekiah said to him: What is all of this? For what transgression am I being punished?

Isaiah said to him: Because you did not marry and engage in procreation.

Hezekiah apologized and said:

I had no children because I envisaged through Holy Spirit (רוח הקדש)

that the children that emerge from me will not be virtuous.

Hezekiah meant that he had seen that his children were destined to be evil. In fact, his son Menashe sinned extensively, and he thought it preferable to have no children at all.

Isaiah rebukes him—one must follow God’s commands, not predict divine outcomes

אמר ליה:

בהדי כבשי דרחמנא למה לך?!

• מאי דמפקדת —

  • איבעי לך למעבד,

• ומה דניחא קמיה קודשא בריך הוא —

  • לעביד.

Isaiah said to him:

Why do you involve yourself with the secrets (כבשי) of God?!

• That which you have been commanded, the mitzva of procreation —

  • you are required to perform,

• and that which is acceptable in the eyes of God —

  • let Him perform, as He has so decided.

Hezekiah requests Isaiah’s daughter in marriage, hoping joint merit might help; Isaiah refuses

אמר ליה:

השתא הב לי ברתך,

אפשר דגרמא זכותא דידי ודידך,

ונפקי מנאי בנין דמעלו.

אמר ליה: כבר נגזרה עליך גזירה.

Hezekiah said to Isaiah:

Now give me your daughter as my wife;

perhaps my merit and your merit

will cause virtuous children to emerge from me.

Isaiah said to him: The decree has already been decreed against you and this judgment cannot be changed.

R' Yoḥanan & R' Eliezer - keep praying even if death seems imminent - Job 13:15

Hezekiah demands Isaiah leave, relying on the principle: “Even if a sword rests on your neck, don’t withhold prayer” (Job 13:15).

אמר ליה:

בן אמוץ!

כלה נבואתך וצא!

כך מקובלני מבית אבי אבא:

אפילו חרב חדה מונחת על צוארו של אדם —

אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים

Hezekiah said to him:

Son of Amoz!

cease your prophecy and leave!

As long as the prophet spoke as God’s emissary, Hezekiah was obligated to listen to him. He was not, however, obligated to accept Isaiah’s personal opinion that there was no possibility for mercy and healing.

Hezekiah continued: I have received a tradition from the house of my father’s father, from King David, the founding father of the dynasty of kings of Judea:

Even if a sharp sword rests upon a person’s neck —

he should not prevent himself from praying for mercy.

One may still hold out hope that his prayers will be answered, as was David himself when he saw the Angel of Destruction, but nonetheless prayed for mercy and his prayers were answered.

אתמר נמי:

רבי יוחנן ורבי אליעזר דאמרי תרוייהו:

אפילו חרב חדה מונחת על צוארו של אדם —

אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים.

שנאמר:

״הן יקטלני

לו איחל״

With regard to the fact that one should not despair of God’s mercy, the Talmud cites that it was also said that

R' Yoḥanan and R' Eliezer both said:

Even if a sharp sword is resting upon a person’s neck —

he should not prevent himself from praying for mercy,

as it is stated in the words of Job:

“Though He slay me,

I will trust in Him” (Job 13:15).

Even though God is about to take his life, he still prays for God’s mercy.

R' Ḥanan - Even if dream warns of death, pray anyway - Ecclesiastes 5:6

אמר רבי חנן:

אפילו בעל החלומות אומר לו לאדם למחר הוא מת —

אל ימנע עצמו מן הרחמים.

שנאמר:

״כי ברב חלמות והבלים ודברים הרבה

כי את האלהים ירא״.

Similarly, R' Ḥanan said:

Even if the master of dreams, in a true dream, an angel (Ma’ayan HaBerakhot) tells a person that tomorrow he will die,⁵

he should not prevent himself from praying for mercy,

as it is stated:

“For in the multitude of dreams and vanities there are many words;

but fear God” (Ecclesiastes 5:6).

Although the dream may seem real to him, that is not necessarily the case, and one must place his trust in God.

R' Shimon ben Lakish - “Wall” = innermost heart chambers - Isaiah 38:2; Jeremiah 4:19

מיד :

״ויסב חזקיהו פניו אל הקיר

ויתפלל אל ה׳״.

מאי ״קיר״?

אמר רבי שמעון בן לקיש:

מקירות לבו,

שנאמר:

״מעי מעי אוחילה

קירות לבי וגו׳״.

Having heard Isaiah’s harsh prophecy, immediately:

“Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall

and prayed to YHWH” (Isaiah 38:2).

The Talmud asks: What is meant by the word “wall [kir]” in this context? Why did Hezekiah turn his face to a wall?

R' Shimon ben Lakish said:

This symbolically alludes to the fact that Hezekiah prayed to God from the chambers [kirot] of his heart,

as it is stated elsewhere:

“My anguish, my anguish, I am in pain.

The chambers of my heart. My heart moans within me” (Jeremiah 4:19).

R' Levi - Hezekiah evoked merit of the Shunamite’s wall and the Temple - Isaiah 38:3

רבי לוי אמר:

על עסקי הקיר,

אמר לפניו:

רבונו של עולם!

• ומה שונמית

  • שלא עשתה אלא קיר אחת קטנה --

    • החיית את בנה,

• אבי אבא

  • שחפה את ההיכל כולו בכסף ובזהב --

    • על אחת כמה וכמה!

R' Levi said:

Hezekiah intended to evoke matters relating to a wall,

and he said before God:

God!

• and if the woman from Shunem,

  • who made only a single small wall on the roof for the prophet Elisha⁶ --

    • and you revived her son,

• the descendant of my father’s father, King Solomon,

  • who covered the entire Temple Sanctuary with silver and gold⁷ --

    • all the more so should you bring life to him

Rav Yehuda citing Rav - Hezekiah’s merit: linking redemption and prayer; R' Levi - Hezekiah’s merit: he hid the Book of Remedies

״זכר נא את אשר התהלכתי לפניך באמת

ובלב שלם

והטוב בעיניך עשיתי״.

מאי ״והטוב בעיניך עשיתי״?

אמר רב יהודה, אמר רב:

שסמך גאולה לתפלה.

רבי לוי אמר: שגנז ספר רפואות.

In his prayer, Hezekiah said: “Please, Lord, please remember that I walked before You in truth,

and with a complete heart,

and what was good in Your eyes I did. And Hezekiah wept sore” (Isaiah 38:3).

The Talmud asks: To what specific action was he referring when he said: “And what was good in your sight I did”?

Various opinions are offered: Mentioning Hezekiah’s merits, Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav that

he juxtaposed redemption and prayer (סמך גאולה לתפלה) at sunrise instead of sleeping late, as was the custom of most kings (Iyyun Ya’akov).

R' Levi said: He suppressed the Book of Remedies upon which everyone relied.

1. ספר רפואות - on Hezekiah’s suppression of this book according to the Mishnah, see my “The Biblical King Hezekiah's Six Controversial Actions: Three Approved, Three Not (Mishnah Pesachim 4:9)“, section “Three Approved“, list item #3, and see my notes there.

2. פשר.

Compare Wikipedia, “Pesher“.

3. Homilletically interpreting pesher (in biblical Hebrew meaning "interpretation") as a play on peshara (in Mishnaic Hebrew: “compromise, mediation”).

4. See my piece on the Mishnah listing those excluded from the World-to-Come, including a list of 3 wicked biblical Judean kings: “Barred from the Afterlife: Heretics, Biblical Sinners, and Groups Denied a Share in the World-to-Come (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1-4)“.

And see also the Talmudic elaboration on that Mishnah, in Sanhedrin 101b-103b, by index here.

5. On Talmudic belief in the veracity of dreams, see my pieces on the sugya of dream interpretation in Berakhot 55b-57b, by index here.

6. Referring to the “upper chamber” (עלית קיר) that the Shunamite woman set aside in her house for Elisha in II_Kings.4.8-11:

ויהי היום ויעבר אלישע אל־שונם

ושם אשה גדולה ותחזק־בו לאכל־לחם

ויהי מדי עברו יסר שמה לאכל־לחם

ותאמר אל־אישה:

הנה־נא ידעתי כי איש אלהים קדוש הוא עבר עלינו תמיד

נעשה־נא עלית קיר קטנה

ונשים לו שם מטה ושלחן וכסא ומנורה

והיה בבאו אלינו יסור שמה

ויהי היום ויבא שמה ויסר אל־העליה וישכב־שמה

One day Elisha visited Shunem.

A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to have a meal;

and whenever he passed by, he would stop there for a meal.

Once she said to her husband,

“I am sure it is a holy man of God who comes this way regularly.

Let us make a small enclosed upper chamber (עלית קיר)

and place a bed, a table, a chair, and a lampstand there for him,

so that he can stop there whenever he comes to us.”

One day he came there; he retired to the upper chamber (עליה) and lay down there.

7. Alluding to the elaborate description of the interior decoration of Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 6:14–38), specifically I_Kings.6.20-22:

ולפני הדביר עשרים אמה ארך ועשרים אמה רחב ועשרים אמה קומתו

ויצפהו זהב סגור

ויצף מזבח ארז

ויצף שלמה את־הבית מפנימה זהב סגור

ויעבר (ברתיקות) [ברתוקות] זהב לפני הדביר

ויצפהו זהב

ואת־כל־הבית צפה זהב עד־תם כל־הבית

וכל־המזבח אשר־לדביר צפה זהב

The interior of the Shrine (דביר) was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 20 cubits high.

He overlaid it (יצפהו) with solid gold;

he similarly overlaid [its] cedar altar.

Solomon overlaid the interior of the House with solid gold;

and he inserted golden chains into the door of the Shrine.

He overlaid [the Shrine] with gold,

so that the entire House was overlaid with gold;

he even overlaid with gold the entire altar of the Shrine.

And so the entire House was completed.