Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor
of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
The book of Hezekiah is one of the most significant books of the Old Testament. This book is often quoted in the press, cited by bloggers, and many people refer to it in daily conversation. One of the most significant passages in the book of Hezekiah is Hezekiah 3:10-16 where the author speaks about the Antichrist and the Beast. Hezekiah 3:16 reveals that the number of the Beast is 666.
Anyone who knows the Bible and reads the paragraph above will know that what is written above is a bunch of nonsense. Hezekiah does not mention the number of the Beast because there is no book of Hezekiah in the Old Testament. But it should be, and I have decided to write it.
I will write the book of Hezekiah in order to save newspaper writers and bloggers the embarrassment of mentioning that something is in the Old Testament when in reality they are referring to a passage in the New Testament. Also, people mention the Bible to justify something that sounds biblical but is not found in the Bible.
Take for example the article “666 the Mark of the Housing Bubble,” posted by Bill Bonner on December 27, 2006 in The Daily Reckoning. Bonner wrote: ‘666’ is the ‘mark of the beast’ in the Old Testament. It prefigures the coming of the Antichrist, if we remember right.
Well, he remembered right, but his citation is wrong. Anyone who knows a little bit about the New Testament will remember that the mark of the beast is found in the book of Revelation 13:18.
These days, the book of Hezekiah is needed more than ever before. I think the book of Hezekiah is also needed to save the embarrassment of people who quote from “The Good Book” when they are trying to teach moral and spiritual values. The first 9 verses of Hezekiah Chapter 3 are Hezekiah’s most famous proverbs:
Hezekiah 3:1: “Money is the root of all evil.”
Hezekiah 3:2: “God helps those who help themselves.”
Hezekiah 3:3: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
Hezekiah 3:4: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”
Hezekiah 3:5: “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
Hezekiah 3:6: “A penny saved is a penny earned.”
Hezekiah 3:7: “God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform.”
Hezekiah 3:8: “You can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.”
Hezekiah 3:9: “It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.”
Without the book of Hezekiah, many people will make fools of themselves when they quote the Bible as the authority to confirm what they are saying, when in reality, what they are saying are neither in the Bible nor in the Old Testament as they claim.
There is nothing better than a non-existing book to back-up a non-existing citation.
I have already saved Chapter 2 for Hezekiah’s admonition that “a woman’s hair be her covering.”
NOTE: For other studies on Hezekiah, King of Judah, and the historical events related to his reign, read my post, Studies on Hezekiah, King of Judah.
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
A brilliant and compassionate idea! 😉
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well done.
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Dear J.
Thank you for your comment. It was my concern for the problem of biblical illiteracy that moved me to think about a book for non-existing biblical quotes.
Claude Mariottini
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Jim,
I appreciate your comment.
Claude Mariottini
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When I was a teenager, my sister told me that Hezekiah 3:16 said, “He who sitteth on the fence of life burneth his ass.” I spent many hours hunting through my parents Bibles and then searching for a Bible with an Apocrypha before getting wise to the reality that I had been fooled. I don’t know what inspired me to google Hezekiah 3:16, but I loved your post. Perhaps, once you have completed the book, there should be a campaign to have Hezekiah canonized? I am only joking.
Andy
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Not all of these are not in the Bible. Many are misquoted and cited incorrectly, but they get the general idea across.Hezekiah 3:1: “Money is the root of all evil.” seems to be a misquote of 1 Timothy 6:10Hezekiah 3:4: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” seems like it originated from Proverbs 13:24 or Proverbs 19:18Hezekiah 3:9: “It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.” reminds me of Proverbs 17:28Those are just some that came to mind. I think that most of the other ones are not in the Bible, but I might be wrong. I want to thank you for helping me come to the knowledge that there is no book of Hezekiah. I just saw it referenced and couldn’t find it in the Bible. Thanks again
Justin
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Justin,
None of these are in the Bible. The purpose of my post was to make fun of people who say that these proverbs are in the Bible. People quote these proverbs as if they were biblical when in reality that are not.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Claude Mariottini
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When you write it, be sure and put “follow your heart” in there!
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Julie,
I always put my heart in what I write. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Claude Mariottini
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Hezekiah 3:9 is actually a quote from Abraham Lincoln.
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Ramon,
Thank you for this information. I did not know the source of Hezekiah 3:9.
Claude Mariottini
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Was directed here when my friends and I were joking about “Hezekiah”.Several of these are from good ol’ Ben Franklin – “Early to bed”, “A penny saved”, “God helps those”… And not to contradict the earlier post, but I had heard that the “fool” quote was from Twain. I’m probably wrong.I should have heeded the good prophet and not removed all doubt.
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When I was in my mid teens, my sister told me the Hezekiah 3:16 said, “He who sitteth in the fence of life, burneth his buttocks,” (actually, she didn’t use the word buttocks, but something a little cruder—perhaps she was quoting the Living Bible translation, I don’t know). It took me quite a while searching various bibles and even hunting down a Catholic Apocrypha before I finally gave up and confronted her, to her very great amusement. I am only grateful that I had never heard of the Larger Canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, or I might have ended up flying to Africa on my quest for truth.
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Andrew,
Thank you for sharing this event in your life. A lot of people talk so much about the book of Hezekiah that some people tend to believe that the book actually exists.
In my post I tried to help people see that many things people believe about the Bible is not actually in the Bible.
Thank you for your comment.
Claude Mariottini
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Absolutely brilliant. Heard David CK Watson say years ago, how foolish we will feel if we go up to Hezekiah in heaven and say how much we liked his book!!! I proposed to ask the small group I lead this morning the question, ‘whereabouts would you find the Book of Hezekiah’ which made me go on to Google and I found your hilariously excellent blog! Thank you Will let you know what the group respond!
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Penny,
I hope the group enjoyed reading about the book of Hezekiah. It is amazing how many people believe this book really exists.
Claude Mariottini
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Pingback: Get Biblical – Quote Hezekiah « Gonna' Say It
Thank you for the link.
Claude Mariottini
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pls. Where do u read such nonsence in the book of hezekia in the bible?
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Kure,
Did you misunderstand what I wrote? I was writing a satire. I was trying to show that people say a lot of things to be in the Bible when it is not in the Bible. So, those sayings that people say are in the Bible, those sayings must be in a book of the Bible that does not exist. Did you get my point?
Claude Mariottini
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Don’t forget this one:
‘Everything happens for a reason.’
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Ferd,
That is also a good one and it should be included in the Book of Hezekiah.
Claude Mariottini
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My father always quoted Hezekiah 3:15 “Those who lie shall fry.”
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Laquita,
The “Book of Hezekiah” is very well known in popular wisdom. What you father used to say reflects the popular wisdom of “The Book of Hezekiah.”
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Claude Mariottini
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It’s just a shame the writer didn’t familiarize himself enough with the Bible before he actually wrote this. Three of the quotes he states are myth are actually IN the Bible. LOL
Hezekiah 3:1: “Money is the root of all evil.” (Actually found in 1 Timothy 6:10, with one difference it’s “the love of money”
Hezekiah 3:4: “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” (Actually found in proverbs 13: 24).
Hezekiah 3:9: “It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.”
This one is a paraphrase of Proverbs 17: 28
28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
All of these 3 verses are paraphrases. A paraphrase is NOT a “misquote” as so many millennials are now calling them on the internet. It’s sad that modern educators are not teaching our children correctly.
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Dear Jeffrey,
As you said in your comment,”All of these 3 verses are paraphrases.” A paraphrase of the Bible is NOT the Bible. When you say that “the Bible says” then you should not paraphrase what the Bible says.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Claude Mariottini
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My friend made a post “when people ask me ‘what have you saved since beginning of the year?’ I reply, ‘I saved my life, that is enough'”. It got me thinking and I commented “but you didn’t save your life”.
This ignited a serious argument between myself and her. Her strongest reference was that Hezekiah 6:1 says “heaven helps those who help themselves” therefore, she makes the effort of saving her life and heaven rides on it.
It pissed me off! I have always known there is no book of Hezekiah, but her numerous quotes of it made me search so many translations and versions of the bible looking for Hezekiah! When i couldn’t find in any, i decided to good it! “Is there really a book of Hezekiah?” that led me to this blog! Reading this, I was so confused till i got to bottom to see ….
“There is nothing better than a non-existing book to back up a non-existing citation.
Thank you sir.
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Emma,
Thank you for your comment. Many people use the Book of Hezekiah as an excuse to affirm what they believe is right.
Thank you for visiting my blog.
Claude Mariottini
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Sir,
Thank you for your witty, and amusing essay. My older brother has often enjoyed teasing people by asking them to look up a passage in the “Book of Hezekiah.” It always provoded a good laugh, as did your essay.
Thanks again for the entertainment.
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V. R.,
The book of Hezekiah is one of the most popular books of the Bible even when the book of Hezekiah is not in the Bible and it is a book that never existed.
Thank you for your comment and thank you for visiting my blog.
Claude Mariottini
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On june 14 that’s my birthday in 2014
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Nick,
Thank you for reading and commenting on my post. If your birthday in 2014 was on June 14, June 14, 2023 will be your birthday again.
Happy Birthday.
Claude Mariottini
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