KJV ORIGINAL
And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Hezekiah replied, 'It would be easy for the shadow to move forward ten steps. Instead, make the shadow go backward ten steps.'
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
Hezekiah is asking for a more impressive miracle - for the shadow on a sundial to move backward instead of forward - to prove God's promise.
📚 Historical Context
King Hezekiah had been deathly ill and God promised through the prophet Isaiah to heal him and add fifteen years to his life. When offered a sign to confirm this promise, Hezekiah chose the more difficult miracle of making the sun's shadow move backward on the sundial, which would demonstrate God's power over the natural order.
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