HEZEICIAH (hez.'e-ki'ah), (Heb. khiz kee-yow', strengthened of Jehovah, 2 Kings xviii: to, 14, 15).
/. Son of Ahaz and Abi (Abijah), born B. C. about 744 (2 Kings xviii:i, 2; 2 Chr011. XXiX;1).
(1) Inauguration of Reform. From the commencement of his reign the efforts of Heze kiah were directed to the reparation of the effects of the grievous errors of his predecessors; and during his time the true religion and the theocrat ical policy flourished as they. had not done since the days of David. The Temple was cleared and purified; the utensils and forms of service were restored to their ancient order; all the changes introduced by Ahaz were abolished; all the monu ments of idolatry were destroyed, and their re mains cast into the brook Kedron. Among the latter was the brazen serper` of Moses, which had been deposited first in the fabernacle, and then in the Temple, as a tnemorial of the event in which it originated: and it is highly to the credit of Hezekiah, and shows more clearly than any other single circumstance the spirit of his opera tions, that even this interesting relic was not spared when it seemed in danger of being turned to idolatrous uses. Having succeeded by his acts and words in rekindling the zeal of the priests and of the people, the king appointed a high festival, when, attended by his court and people, he pro ceeded in high state to the Temple, to present sac rifices of expiation for the past irregularities, and to commence the reorganized services. A vast number of sacrifices evinced to the people the zeal of their superiors, and Judah, long sunk in idol atry, was at length reconciled to God (2 Kings xviii:1-8; 2 Chron. xxix).
The revival of the great annual festivals was included in this reformation. The Passover, which was the most important of them all, had not for a long time been celebrated according to the rites of the law ; and the day on which it regularly fell, in the first year of Hezekiah, heing already past, the king, nevertheless, justly con ceiving the late observance a less evil than the en tire omission of the feast, directed that it should be kept on the 14th day of the second month, be ing one month after its proper time. Couriers were sent from town to town, inviting the people to attend the solemnity; and even the ten tribes which formed the neighboring kingdom were in vited to share with their brethren of Judah in a duty equally incuinbent on all the children of Abraham. Of these some received the message
gladly, and others with disdain; but a considerable number of persons belonging to the northern nzost tribes (which had more seldom than the others been brought into hostile contact with Judah) came to Jerusalem, and by their presence imparted a new interest to the solemnity. A pro found and salutary impression appears to have been made on this occasion ; and so strong was the fervor and so great the number of the assembled people, that the festival was prolonged to twice its usual duration ; and during this tiine the multi tude was fed abundantly from the countless offer ings presented by the king and his nobles. Never since the tinne of Solomon, when the whole of the twelve tribes were wont to assemble at the Holy City, had the Passover been observed with such magnificence (2 Chron. xxx).
The good effect of this procedure was seen when the people carried back to their homes the zeal for the Lord which had thus been kindled, and pro ceeded to destroy and cast forth all the abomina tions by which their several towns had been de filed. thus performing again on a smaller scale, the doings of the king in Jerusalem. Even the 'high places,' which the pious kings of former days had spared, were on this occasion abolished and over thrown ; and even the men of Israel, who had at tended the feast, were carried away by the same holy enthusiasm, and, on returning to their homes, broke all their idols in pieces (2 Chron. xxxi.1).
The attention of this pious king was extended to whatever concerned the interests of religion in his dominions. He caused a new collection of Solo mon's proverbs to be made. being the same which occupy chaps. xxv-xxix of the hook which bears that name. The sectional divisions of the priests and Levites were re-established; the perpetual sacrifices were recommenced and maintained from the royal treasure; the stores of the temple were once more filled by the offerings of the people, and the times of Solomon and Jehoshaphat seemed to have returned (2 Chron. xxxi).