Chapter 18: The reign of Chizkiyah and the siege of Jerusalem

1. The reign of Chizkiyah:

• His year or reign: Chizkiyah, the son of Achaz, the king of Yehuda, became king in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, the king of Israel.
• His age when he reigned: Chizkiyah was twenty-five years old when he became king.
• His years of reign: Chizkiyah reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem.
• His mother’s name: His mother’s name was Avi the daughter of Zechariah.
• His righteous deeds: Chizkiyah did what was right in the eyes of Hashem and went in the ways of his father Dovid.
• Abolishing idolatry from the land: Chizkiyah abolished the Bamos, and smashed the monuments, and cut down all the Asherah trees, and crushed to dust the copper serpent that Moshe had made [to stop the plague that was smiting the Jewish people as discussed in Parshas Chukas], as the Jewish people were accustomed to burning incense to it [thinking that it was a deity being that it had the power to cure people from illness^[1]]. Chizkiyah gave the serpent a derogatory name and called it Nechushtan.
• He trusted in G-d and cleaved to Him: Chizkiyah trusted in Hashem and there was none like him among all the kings of Yehuda who were after him, nor were there before him. He cleaved to Hashem and he did not swerve from following Him and he kept His commandments, which Hashem had commanded Moshe.
• Hashem was with Chizkiyah: Hashem was with Chizkiyah, and he succeeded in everything he did.
• Chizkiyah rebels against Ashur: Chizkiyah rebelled against the king of Ashur and did not serve him.
• Chizkiyah slays the Philistines: Chizkiyah slew the Philistines until the city of Gaza and all its surrounding cities, from the watchtower to the fortified cities.

[1] Metzudos Dovid 18:2