Dictionary Article

Name meaning “Marduk has given a son!” Second Kings 20:12-19 and Isaiah 39 present a parallel account of Merodach-baladan, son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sending envoys to King Hezekiah of Judah.

Show passage in OET: KI2 20:12–19

OET-RV KI2 20:12

12 At that time, Baladan’s son former King Merodak-Bal’adan of Bavel (Babylon) heard that Hizkiyah (Hezekiah) was sick and sent him letters and a gift.

OET-RV KI2 20:13

13 When the messengers arrived, Hizkiyah listened to them, then he showed them his entire treasure house: the gold and silver, the spices and the best oil, the house of his armour, and everything that was in his treasuries. He didn’t keep anything in his palace or in his kingdom secret from them.

OET-RV KI2 20:14

14 Later the prophet Yeshayah (Isaiah) came to King Hizkiyah and he asked him, “Where were those men from and what did they say?”
¶ “They came from a distant land—from Bavel,” he replied.

OET-RV KI2 20:15

15 “What did they see in your house?” Yeshayah asked.
¶ “They saw everything that’s in my house,” he replied. “There wasn’t anything in my treasuries that I didn’t show them.”

OET-RV KI2 20:16

16 Then Yeshayah told Hizkiyah, “Listen to Yahweh’s message:

OET-RV KI2 20:17

17 He says that days are coming when everything in your house, and everything that your ancestors stored carefully away until this day will be carried to Bavel. Nothing will be left behind.

OET-RV KI2 20:18

18 What’s more, some of your own biological descendants will be taken and they’ll be castrated to become servants of the Babylonian king.”

OET-RV KI2 20:19

19 “What you said from Yahweh is fine,” Hizkiyah replied to Yeshayah. “At least I might have peace and stability in my time.”

OET-LV KI2 20:12

12 At_time (the)_that Merodach- Balʼₐdān the _son _of Balʼₐdān the _king _of Bāⱱel he _sent letters and_a _gift to Ḩizqiy^yāh if/because he _had _heard if/because _that Ḩizqiy^yāh he _had _been _sick.

OET-LV KI2 20:13

13 And_he/it _listened to_them Ḩizqiy^yāh and_he_showed _them DOM all _of the _house _of his _treasure _of_his DOM the_silver and_DOM the_gold and_DOM the_spices and_DOM the_oil _of (the)_good and_DOM the _house _of his _weapons _of_his and_DOM all _of that it _was _found in_storehouses _of_his not it _was anything which not he_showed _them Ḩizqiy^yāh in_house _of_his and_on/over_all realm _of_his.

OET-LV KI2 20:14

14 And_ Yəshaˊ^yāh/(Isaiah) the_prophet _he _came to the_king Ḩizqiy^yāh and_he/it _said to_him/it what did _they _say the_men the_these and_from_where are _they _coming to_you and_ Ḩizqiy^yāh _he/it _said from_a _land distant they _have _come from_Bāⱱel.

OET-LV KI2 20:15

15 And_he/it _said what did _they _see in_house _of_your and_ Ḩizqiy^yāh _he/it _said DOM all _of that is_in_house _of_my they _saw not anything which not I_showed _them it _was in_storehouses _of_my.

OET-LV KI2 20:16

16 And_ Yəshaˊ^yāh _he/it _said to Ḩizqiy^yāh hear the _message _of YHWH.

OET-LV KI2 20:17

17 HERE days are_coming and_it _will _be _carried _off all _of that is_in_house _of_your and_which ancestors _of_your they _have _stored _up until the_day the_this to_Bāⱱel not anything it _will _be _left YHWH he _says.

OET-LV KI2 20:18

18 And_some_of_your _descendants who they _will _come _forth from_you whom you _will _father people _will _take and_they _will _be eunuchs in_(the)_palace of _the _king _of of _Bāⱱel.

OET-LV KI2 20:19

19 And_ Ḩizqiy^yāh _he/it _said to Yəshaˊ^yāh is_good the _message _of YHWH which you _have _spoken and_he/it _said am_not if peace and_stability it _will _be in_days _of_my.

Show passage in OET: ISA 39:1–8

OET-RV ISA 39:1

39 At that time, Babylonian King Merodak -Bal’adan (son of Baladan) sent messengers with letters and a gift to King Hizkiyah (Hezekiah) because he had heard that he’d been sick and then recovered.

OET-RV ISA 39:2

2 Hizkiyah happily welcomed them, and showed them his treasure house—the gold and silver and spices and high-quality oil, as well as his armoury and other storehouses. Hizkiyah showed them everything in his palace and all over his kingdom.

OET-RV ISA 39:3

3 Afterwards, the prophet Yeshayah (Isaiah) went to King Hizkiyah and asked him where those men had come from and what they had said.
¶ “They came from the distant region of Bavel (Babylon),” Hizkiyah replied.

OET-RV ISA 39:4

4 “What did they see in your palace?” Yeshayah asked.
¶ “They’ve seen everything that’s in my palace,” Hizkiyah answered. “There’s none of my treasures that I didn’t show them.”

OET-RV ISA 39:5

5 Then Yeshayah told Hizkiyah, “Listen to this message from Commander-in-chief Yahweh:

OET-RV ISA 39:6

6 The time is definitely coming when everything in your palace will be carried away to Bavel—everything that your ancestors collected in the past until now. Yahweh says that nothing will be left.

OET-RV ISA 39:7

7 In addition, some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away and be castrated so as to become servants in the Babylonian king’s palace.”

OET-RV ISA 39:8

8 “Yahweh’s message that you’ve passed on is appropriate,” Hizkiyah told Yeshayah, “because at least there’ll be peace and stability during my time.”

OET-LV ISA 39:1

39 At_time the_that Mərodak Balʼₐdān the _son _of Balʼₐdān the _king _of Bāⱱel he _sent letters and_a _gift to Ḩizqiy^yāh and_he/it _listened if/because _that he _had _been _sick and_he _was _strong.

OET-LV ISA 39:2

2 And_he _rejoiced on_them Ḩizqiy^yāh and_he_showed _them DOM the _house _of mmm DOM the_silver and_DOM the_gold and_DOM the_spices and_DOM the_oil (the)_good and_DOM all _of the _house _of his _weapons _of_his and_DOM all _of that it _was _found in_storehouses _of_his not it _was anything which not he_showed _them Ḩizqiy^yāh in_house _of_his and_on/over_all realm _of.

OET-LV ISA 39:3

3 And_ Yəshaˊ^yāh the_prophet _he _came to the_king Ḩizqiy^yāh and_he/it _said to_him/it what did _they _say the_men the_these and_from_where are _they _coming to_you and_ Ḩizqiy^yāh _he/it _said from_a _land distant they _have _come to_me from_Bāⱱel.

OET-LV ISA 39:4

4 And_he/it _said what did _they _see in_house _of_your and_ Ḩizqiy^yāh _he/it _said DOM all _of that is_in_house _of_my they _saw not anything which not I_showed _them it _was in_storehouses _of_my.

OET-LV ISA 39:5

5 And_ Yəshaˊ^yāh/(Isaiah) _he/it _said to Ḩizqiy^yāh hear the _message _of YHWH soldiers/messengers.

OET-LV ISA 39:6

6 HERE days are_coming and_it _will _be _carried _off all _of that is_in_house _of_your and_which ancestors _of_your they _have _stored _up until the_day the_this Bāⱱel not anything it _will _be _left YHWH he _says.

OET-LV ISA 39:7

7 And_some_of_your _descendants who they _will _come _forth from_you whom you _will _father people _will _take and_they _will _be eunuchs in_(the)_palace of _the _king _of of _Bāⱱel.

OET-LV ISA 39:8

8 And_ Ḩizqiy^yāh _he/it _said to Yəshaˊ^yāh is_good the _message _of YHWH which you _have _spoken and_he/it _said if/because peace and_stability it _will _be in_days _of_my.

Jump to OET KI2 20:12–19 section.

Jump to OET ISA 39:1–8 section.

Shalmaneser V, king of Assyria, captured Samaria in 722 BC and threatened King Hezekiah in Jerusalem but then died within a year’s time. Sargon II succeeded him in 722 BC. At that time Merodach-baladan, living south of Babylon in the land called Bit-Yakin, formed an alliance with the Elamites and seized the throne of Babylon, referred to as the second jewel of the Assyrian crown. Sargon II immediately made efforts to regain Babylon as a province in the Assyrian Empire. He must not have been successful initially, for Merodach-baladan reigned over Babylon for 10 years. In 710 BC Sargon succeeded in defeating him and captured the Babylonian fortresses. Merodach-baladan escaped. After Sargon died in 705 BC, Merodach-baladan, in 703 BC, was able to recapture and hold the throne of Babylon for a short period. It is considered most plausible that during this short reign Merodach-baladan sent envoys to Hezekiah in Jerusalem, as he also is thought to have sent them to Edom, Moab, Ammon, and others, seeking to form an alliance against Assyria. The Arabian desert between Babylon and Palestine made such an alliance ineffective, and the new king of Assyria, Sennacherib, thoroughly destroyed Merodach-baladan and then turned to the nations on Palestinian soil.

Isaiah rebuked Hezekiah for receiving the envoys from Babylon, the province that had broken away from the Assyrian Empire and that in a very short time was again forced into the Assyrian Empire. In Isaiah’s rebuke lies the prediction that Babylon would become the invading and despoiling nation in the future. Hezekiah, knowing Assyria’s power and Babylon’s inability to cope with it at that time, felt quite safe as far as Babylon was concerned (2 Kgs 20:19).

Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary