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2 Kings Chapter
Twenty-three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 23
This
chapter treats of Josiah's reading the book of the law
and of him and the
people renewing the covenant with God
2 Kings 23:1
and
of his removing idols and idolatry in every shape
and witchcraft
out of the
land
which he did in the sincerity of his heart
2 Kings 23:4
yet
the wrath of God was still determined upon the land
2 Kings 23:26 and
Josiah was taken away by an untimely death
2 Kings 23:29 and
was succeeded by two sons of his
one after another
whose reigns were wicked
2 Kings 23:31.
2 Kings 23:1 Now
the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him.
YLT
1And the king sendeth
and
they gather unto him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem
And the king sent
and they gathered unto him all the elders of
Judah and of Jerusalem. Josiah sent messengers throughout the land
and convened all the
principal men in it at Jerusalem.
2 Kings 23:2 2 The king went up to the
house of the Lord
with all the men of Judah
and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the
priests and the prophets and all the people
both small and great. And he read
in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found
in the house of the Lord.
YLT
2and the king goeth up to
the house of Jehovah
and every man of Judah
and all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem
with him
and the priests
and the prophets
and all the people
from small unto great
and he readeth in their ears all the words of the book
of the covenant that is found in the house of Jehovah.
And the king went up into the house of the Lord
.... To the
temple
from his palace:
and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with
him: they met him there:
and the priests
and the prophets; the prophets Jeremiah
Zephaniah
and Uriah
who
though they might not be at Jerusalem when the book
of the law was found
yet
upon this message of the king's
might come up
thither from the countries where they were; the Targum interprets the word
"scribes": and some take them to be the sons of the prophets
their
disciples; in 2 Chronicles 34:30
they are called Levites:
and all the people
both small and great; a very
numerous assembly:
and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the
covenant which was found in the house of the Lord: that is
he
caused it to be read by others
and perhaps by more than one
the congregation
being so large.
2 Kings 23:3 3 Then the king stood by a
pillar and made a covenant before the Lord
to follow the Lord and to keep
His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes
with all his
heart and all his soul
to perform the words of this covenant that were
written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.
YLT
3And the king standeth by
the pillar
and maketh the covenant before Jehovah
to walk after Jehovah
and
to keep His commands
and His testimonies
and His statutes
with all the
heart
and with all the soul
to establish the words of this covenant that are
written on this book
and all the people stand in the covenant.
And the king stood by a pillar
.... As the manner of
kings was
2 Kings 11:14 and
is thought to be the brasen scaffold erected by Solomon
on which he stood at
the dedication of the temple
and now Josiah at the reading of the law
2 Chronicles 6:13
it is said to be his place
2 Chronicles 34:31;
see Gill on 2 Kings 11:14.
and made a covenant before the Lord: agreed and promised in
the presence of God
both he and his people:
to walk after the Lord: the worship of the Lord
as the Targum; closely to attend to that:
and to keep his commandments
and his testimonies
and his
statutes: all the laws of God
moral
civil
and ceremonial:
with all their heart
and all their soul: cordially and
sincerely:
to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this
book: lately found
and now read unto them:
and all the people stood to the covenant: agreed to it
and promised to keep it; so the Targum
"all the people took upon them the
covenant
'engaged to observe it.
2 Kings 23:4 4 And the king commanded
Hilkiah the high priest
the priests of the second order
and the doorkeepers
to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that
were made for Baal
for Asherah
[a] and for
all the host of heaven;[b] and he
burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron
and carried their ashes
to Bethel.
YLT
4And the king commandeth
Hilkiah the high priest
and the priests of the second order
and the keepers
of the threshold
to bring out from the temple of Jehovah all the vessels that
are made for Baal
and for the shrine
and for all the host of the heavens
and
he burneth them at the outside of Jerusalem
in the fields of Kidron
and hath
borne their ashes to Beth-El.
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest
and the priests of
the second order
.... Or the second course of the priests; the course of Jedaiah
1 Chronicles 24:7
as some think; or rather
the two chief priests next to the high priest
who
were of the line both of Eleazar and Ithamar; though the Targum interprets it
of the Sagan of the priests
a deputy of the high priest
such as in later
times the high priest had always appointed for him on the day of atonementF18Misn.
Yoma
c. 1. sect. 1. :
and the keepers of the door: the porters at the door
and gates of the temple; or rather the treasurers
as the Targum; such as were
appointed over the vessels of the sanctuary
as the Jewish writers generally
interpret it
and which best agrees with what follows:
to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that
were made for Baal: used in burning incense
or offering sacrifices to him:
and for the grove: the idol of the grove
or Asherah
that is
Ashtoreth
or Astarte
the same with Venus
or the moon
as Baal was the sun
the one the husband
and the other the wife
according to the JewsF19Zohar
in Gen. fol. 34. 3. :
and for all the host of heaven: the stars:
and he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron; or plain of
Kidron
as the Targum; through which the brook Kidron ran:
and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel; where one of
Jeroboam's calves was set
and was the source of idolatry; and this he did in
contempt of that place; and
to show his detestation of the idolatry there
he
made it a dunghill of ashes of things used in idolatrous service; this he could
do
that place being in the hands of the kings of Judah from the times of
Ahijah
2 Chronicles 13:19.
2 Kings 23:5 5 Then he removed the
idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the
high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem
and
those who burned incense to Baal
to the sun
to the moon
to the
constellations
and to all the host of heaven.
YLT
5And he hath caused to cease
the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah have appointed
(and they make
perfume in high places
in cities of Judah and suburbs of Jerusalem
) and those
making perfume to Baal
to the sun
and to the moon
and to the planets
and to
all the host of the heavens.
And he put down the idolatrous priests
.... The
Cemarim
so called
because they wore black clothes
as Kimchi and others
whereas the priests of the Lord were clothed in white linen; see Gill on Zephaniah 1:4.
whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high
places
in the cities of Judah
and in the places round about Jerusalem; for though
those high places were destroyed by Hezekiah
they were rebuilt by Manasseh his
son
and priests put in them to officiate there
whom Josiah now deposed
2 Kings 21:3
them also that burnt incense unto Baal; in the same
high places; these were the priests
and the others in the preceding clause are
thought to be ministers unto them:
to the sun
and to the moon
and to the planets; the five
planets besides the sun and moon
as Saturn
Jupiter
Mars
Mercury
and Venus;
or to the twelve celestial signs in the firmament
as someF20David
de Pomis Lexic. fol. 77. 3. ; though Theodoret takes it to be a single star
the evening star:
and to all the host of heaven; or even to the host of
heaven
all the stars thereof: this part of worship:
burning incense
which was peculiar to the most high God
yet was frequently made by idolaters to their deities; and from the wordF21קטר "suffitum fecit. Et diis acceptus--" Nidor.
Ovid. Metamorph. 1. 12
fab. 4. by which it is here and elsewhere expressed may
"nectar" be derived
so much spoken of by the Heathen poets as of a
sweet smellF23Theocrit. Idyll. xvii. ver. 29.
and as delicious to
their gods; and so PorphyryF24De Abstinentia
l. 2. c. 42. Celsus
apud Origen. l. 8. p. 417. represents the gods as living on smoke
vapours
and
perfumes; and frankincense is said
by Diodorus SiculusF25Biblioth.
l. 2. p. 132.
to be most grateful to them
and beloved by them; this
therefore is a much better derivation of the word "nectar" than what
SuidasF26In voce νεκταρεου.
gives
that is
as if it was "nectar"
because it makes those young
that drink it; or than the account AthenaeusF1Deipnosophist. l. 1.
gives of it
that it is a wine in Babylon so called.
2 Kings 23:6 6 And he brought out the
wooden image[c] from the
house of the Lord
to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem
burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground
it to ashes
and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people.
YLT
6And he bringeth out the
shrine from the house of Jehovah to the outside of Jerusalem
unto the brook
Kidron
and burneth it at the brook Kidron
and beateth it small to dust
and
casteth its dust on the grave of the sons of the people.
And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord
.... Not a
real grove of trees
but a carved one
as some think; or rather the image of
the grove
2 Kings 21:7 that
is
the idol Ashtoreth
or Astarte
which was set up there; so Theodoret says;
some interpreters call it Astoreth
the name of Venus
whom they call Astarte:
this Josiah ordered to be brought
without Jerusalem
unto the brook Kidron
and burnt it at the
brook Kidron; the black brook
where the filth of the sacrifices was carried:
and stamped it small to powder; as Moses did the golden
calf:
and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the
people; the common people
see Jeremiah 26:23 or
rather on the graves of the worshippers of idols
as it seems from 2 Chronicles 34:4
the Targum is
"on the graves of the children of Galia
'which
Kimchi says
is the name of an idol; this was done partly in contempt of the idol
groves
being
according to law
impure; and partly to the reproach of the deceased
and the memory of them
for their idolatry
and to deter from it those that
survived them.
2 Kings 23:7 7 Then he tore down the ritual
booths of the perverted persons[d] that were
in the house of the Lord
where the women wove hangings for the wooden image.
YLT
7And he breaketh down the
houses of the whoremongers that [are] in the house of Jehovah
where the women
are weaving houses for the shrine.
And he brake down the houses of the Sodomites that were by the
house of the Lord
.... Near the temple were apartments
in which men
the
worshippers of idols
prostituted their bodies to each other; committing that
unnatural sin with one another
which has its name from Sodom
and from which
those are so called
and which sin they committed in honour of the idols they
worshipped; to such vile affections were they
in a judicial manner
delivered
up
because of their idolatry; see Romans 1:27 the
word signifies "Holy Ones"
they being called so by an antiphrasis;
though Abarbinel thinks these were the idolatrous priests
whom the worshippers
of idols reckoned "holy"
and so built houses for them near the
temple to lodge in; the Targum is
"and broke down the houses of things
consecrated to idols
'where they were put; and Theodoret on the place observes
that by an homonymy
they called the demons or idols themselves "Holy
Ones"; and it is not likely
indeed
that the Sodomites should be
where the women wove hangings for the grove; that is
for
Astarte
as the same writer observes: or "curtains"
as the Jewish
writers generally interpret it
in which either the idol was enclosed
or these
made apartments for the idolaters to commit their abominable wickedness
privately; though the Syriac and Arabic versions are
"they wove garments
for the idols that were there;'and so the Septuagint version
of the
Complutensian edition; that is
they wove garments for the goddess Astarte
which they dressed her with: the word signifies "houses"
and may
mean the shrines of the idol made of woven work.
2 Kings 23:8 8 And he brought all the
priests from the cities of Judah
and defiled the high places where the priests
had burned incense
from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places
at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the
governor of the city
which were to the left of the city gate.
YLT
8And he bringeth in all the
priests out of the cities of Judah
and defileth the high places where the
priests have made perfume
from Geba unto Beer-Sheba
and hath broken down the
high places of the gates that [are] at the opening of the gate of Joshua
head
of the city
that [is] on a man's left hand at the gate of the city;
And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah
.... Who were
of the sons of Aaron
and had served in the high places there:
and defiled the high places where the priests had burnt incense; by casting
dead carcasses
or the bones of dead men
or dung
or anything that was
unclean
into them
by way of contempt:
from Geba to Beersheba; which were the northern
and southern boundaries of the land of Judah:
and brake down the high places of the gates: of the cities
where some think tutelar gods were placed to be worshipped by persons as they
went in or out of them: and particularly that
which were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor
of the city
which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city; of the city
of Jerusalem
where this Joshua was chief magistrate under the king; at whose
door stood an high place
which
Kimchi thinks
might he greater than the rest
and therefore mentioned alone
yet was not spared on account of its greatness
or of the person to whom it belonged.
2 Kings 23:9 9 Nevertheless the priests
of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem
but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.
YLT
9only
the priests of the
high places come not up unto the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem
but they have
eaten unleavened things in the midst of their brethren.
Nevertheless
the priests of the high places came not up to the
altar of the Lord at Jerusalem
.... To sacrifice there
as the Targum;
though they were removed from the high places
they were not admitted to
officiate at the altar of the Lord
having offered in forbidden places:
but they did eat of the unleavened bread with their brethren; the priests
that were pure
as the sons of Zadok; though they might not offer sacrifices
they were allowed to partake of the holy things with the priests
as the meat offerings
made of flour unleavened
Leviticus 2:4 which
are here meant
and put for all the rest on which the priests lived
see Ezekiel 44:10.
2 Kings 23:10 10 And he defiled Topheth
which is in the Valley of the Son[e] of Hinnom
that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.
YLT
10And he hath defiled
Topheth
that [is] in the valley of the son of Hinnom
so that no man doth
cause his son and his daughter to pass over through fire to Molech.
And he defiled Topheth
.... A place so called
as is generally thought
from the beating of drums or timbrels in it
that the
shrieks of the infants sacrificed here to Molech might not be heard by their
parents
and they repent of delivering them to him
and take them away. So the
Indians in India now
at the burning of wives with their deceased husbands
attend them with drums and trumpets; and at such time as the fire is put to the
wood
the drums and trumpets make a terrible noise for fear their cries should
be heardF2Agreement of Customs between the East Indians and Jews
art. 25. p. 85
86. ; See Gill on Isaiah 30:33
Jeremiah 7:31 this
he defiled by casting any sort of filth or unclean thing into it
in contempt
of the idolatry there committed
and to alienate the minds of men from it:
which is the valley of the children of Hinnom; a valley that
belonged to the posterity of a man of this name
near to Jerusalem
see Joshua 15:8
hence the
Greek word "geenna" for hell
in the New Testament:
that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the
fire to Molech; which piece of idolatry used to be committed in this place.
2 Kings 23:11 11 Then he removed the horses
that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun
at the entrance to the house
of the Lord
by the chamber of Nathan-Melech
the officer who was in the court; and
he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
YLT
11And he causeth to cease the
horses that the kings of Judah have given to the sun from the entering in of
the house of Jehovah
by the chamber of Nathan-Melech the eunuch
that [is] in
the suburbs
and the chariots of the sun he hath burnt with fire.
And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to
the sun
.... Consecrated to it; these were not images of horses
as some
have thought
but real living ones; and the kings that gave them for the
service of the sun
and for sacrifice to it
very probably were Manasseh and
Amon: that horses were sacred to the sun with many Heathen nations
as the
Massagetae
a people in Scythia
and the Persians
and Babylonians
and
Ethiopians
is affirmed by various writersF3Justin e Trogo
l. 1. c.
10. Curt. Hist. l. 3. c. 3. Ovid. Fast. l. 1. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l.
6. c. 26. Heliodor. Ethiop. l. 10. c. 6. 28. : and from them the Jews received
this notion. According to the Jewish commentators
these were horses provided
for the worshippers of the sun to ride upon
and meet the sun in the morning at
its rising
and pay their homage to it; but certain it is that the Heathen
nations before mentioned slew the horses
and sacrificed them as burnt
offerings to the sun
as is asserted by HerodotusF4Clio
sive
l. 1.
c. 216.
XenophonF5Cyropaed. l. 8. c. 23
24.
StraboF6Geograph.
l. 11. p. 353.
PausaniasF7Laconica
sive
l. 3. p. 201.
PhilostratusF8Vit. Apollon. l. 1. c. 20.
and other writersF9Vid.
Lactant. de fals. Relig. l. 1. c. 21. ; and so the Indians of IndiaF11Laon.
Chalcondyl. de Rebus Turc. l. 3. p. 108. sacrificed them to Apollo
the same
with the sun; these being the swiftest of creatures
they offered them to the
swiftest of their gods
as Herodotus and Heliodorus observe
in the places
before referred to. The stables in which these horses were kept were
at the entering of the house of the Lord
by the chamber of
Nathanmelech the chamberlain
which was in the suburbs; so that they
reached from the temple to the suburbs of Jerusalem
to that part of them where
this officer had a chamber
or lodgings
being in some place of power and
authority there; though
according to L'EmpereurF12Not. in Misn.
Middot
c. 2. sect. 3. No. 3. So Boehart. Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 10. col.
177.
it is the same with Parbar
1 Chronicles 26:18
and should not be rendered "suburbs"
it being between the compass or
wall of the temple
and the court:
and burnt the chariots of the sun with fire; these were
either chariots
in which the king and his nobles rode
when they went to meet
and worship the rising sun; or rather such as were sacred to the sun
as well
as the horses
or Josiah would not have burnt them; they seem to be such in
which the images of the sun were carried. HerodotusF13Polymnia
sive
l. 7. c. 55. makes mention as of sacred horses
so of a sacred chariot.
XenophonF14Ut supra
(Cyropaed. l. 8.) c. 23. speaks of the chariot
of the sun as being of a white colour
and drawn in procession at the worship
of the sun; as does also PausaniasF15Eliac. 1. sive
l. 5. p
307.
of a chariot
in which were the sun
Jupiter
and Juno
and near them other
deities; which notion of sacred chariots the Heathens might take from the
chariot of the cherubim Jehovah sat and rode in
1 Chronicles 28:18.
2 Kings 23:12 12 The altars that were
on the roof
the upper chamber of Ahaz
which the kings of Judah had made
and
the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord
the king
broke down and pulverized there
and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron.
YLT
12And the altars that [are]
on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz
that the kings of Judah made
and the
altars that Manasseh made in the two courts of the house of Jehovah
hath the
king broken down
and removeth thence
and hath cast their dust unto the brook
Kidron.
And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz
which the kings of Judah had made
.... Which were on the
roof of the royal palace; the roofs of houses in Judah being flat
Deuteronomy 21:8
altars might be built upon them; so
in Arabia
altars were built on the tops
of houses to offer incense thereon daily to the sunF16Strabo
Geograph l. 16. p. 539. ; as here by Manasseh and Amon very probably
which
might be chosen because nearer the heavens; for which reason the Heathens made
use of high places to worship in
see Jeremiah 19:13.
and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the
house of the Lord; 2 Kings 21:5.
did the king beat down; ordered to be
demolished:
and brake them down from thence
and cast the dust of them into
the brook Kidron; that there might be no remains of them to be put to any
superstitious use.
2 Kings 23:13 13 Then the king defiled the
high places that were east of Jerusalem
which were on the south
of the Mount of Corruption
which Solomon king of Israel had built for
Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians
for Chemosh the abomination of the
Moabites
and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon.
YLT
13And the high places that
[are] on the front of Jerusalem
that [are] on the right of the mount of
corruption
that Solomon king of Israel had built to Ashtoreth abomination of
the Zidonians
and Chemosh abomination of Moab
and to Milcom abomination of
the sons of Ammon
hath the king defiled.
And the high places that were before Jerusalem
.... Not only
that were within the city
and at the gates of it
but what were without it:
which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption: the mount of
Olives
so called from the idolatry and corrupt worship performed in it
by way
of reproach
with a small alteration of the letters of the word משחית for משחה; at the right
hand
or south of this mountain
as the Targum; though others sayF17Vid
Adrichom. Theatrum T. S. p. 171.
on the north side of the mount of Olives
four furlongs or half a mile from Jerusalem
were high places:
which Solomon king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the
abomination of the Zidonians
and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites
and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon; of which See
Gill on 1 Kings 11:5
1 Kings 11:7.
did the king defile; by casting unclean
things into them. RauwolffF18Travels
par. 3. c. 4. p. 233.
says
"before Mount Zion toward the south
at the other side of the rivulet
Kidron
lies the mount of transgression
called Mashith
2 Kings 23:13
this
is higher and steeper than any hereabout; there you still see some old walls of
habitations
wherein the concubines of Solomon did live;'and Mr. MaundrellF19Journey
from Aleppo
&c. p. 102. observes
that below the hill stands now a village
called Siloe
where it is said he kept them.
2 Kings 23:14 14 And he broke in pieces the
sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images
and filled their places
with the bones of men.
YLT
14And he hath broken in
pieces the standing-pillars
and cutteth down the shrines
and filleth their
place with bones of men;
And he brake in pieces the images
.... Of Ashtoreth
Chemosh
and Milcom
in the above high places; which as these high places had
been rebuilt by Manasseh or Amon
so new images of these deities were placed
there:
and cut down the groves; in which they were set:
and filled their places with the bones of men; of idolatrous
priests and worshippers
buried in parts adjacent; these he dug up and
scattered in the high places and groves to defile them
bones of the dead being
by law unclean
Numbers 19:15.
2 Kings 23:15 15 Moreover the altar that was
at Bethel
and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat
who made
Israel sin
had made
both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he
burned the high place and crushed it to powder
and burned the
wooden image.
YLT
15and also the altar that
[is] in Beth-El
the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat made
by which he
made Israel sin
both that altar and the high place he hath broken down
and
doth burn the high place -- he hath beat it small to dust
and hath burnt the
shrine.
Moreover
the altar that was at Bethel
and the high place which
Jeroboam the son of Nebat
who made Israel to sin
had made. For the
worship of the calf there:
both that altar
and the high place
he brake down; according to
an ancient prophecy of the man of God
1 Kings 13:3 and of
Amos in later times
Amos 9:1.
and burnt the high place
and stamped it small to powder; that there
might be no remains of it:
and burnt the grove; either the grove of
trees on it
or the idol that was in it.
2 Kings 23:16 16 As Josiah turned
he saw
the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the
bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar
and defiled it
according to the word of the Lord which the man of God
proclaimed
who proclaimed these words.
YLT
16And Josiah turneth
and
seeth the graves that [are] there in the mount
and sendeth and taketh the
bones out of the graves
and burneth [them] on the altar
and defileth it
according to the word of Jehovah that the man of God proclaimed
who proclaimed
these things.
And as Josiah turned himself
.... From the high place
and the altar at Bethel; for he not only gave orders for the destroying of
idolatrous places and idols
but he saw them executed himself:
he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount; the graves of
idolatrous priests and worshippers
who chose to be buried near those places of
idolatry; nor was it unusual for persons to be buried on hills and mountains
see Joshua 24:30 and
this was a custom in other nations formerlyF20Vid. Servium in
Virgil. Aeneid. 11. ver 849. "fuit ingens monte sub alto".
particularly among the IndiansF21Manasseh ben Israel Spes Israelis.
sect 6. p. 29. now
who in many things agree with the Jews:
and sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres
and burnt them
upon the altar; where they had sacrificed to idols:
and polluted it; with their bones
which
according to the
law
were defiling
and which was done in contempt of their idolatrous worship
there:
according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed
who proclaimed these words; or things; foretold that such a king by
name would arise
and burn men's bones upon the altar
and which had been
foretold more than three hundred and fifty years before this time.
2 Kings 23:17 17 Then he said
“What
gravestone is this that I see?” So the men of the city told him
“It
is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these
things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.”
YLT
17And he saith
`What [is]
this sign that I see?' and the men of the city say unto him
`The grave of the
man of God who hath come from Judah
and proclaimeth these things that thou
hast done concerning the altar of Beth-El.'
Then he said
what title is that that I see?.... A high
and large monument over a grave
with an inscription on it
more remarkable
than any of the rest
which made Josiah take notice of it; and the Jews have a
tradition
as Kimchi observes
that on one side of the grave grew nettles and
thistles
and on the other side odoriferous herbs; which is not to be depended
on; but what he further observes may be right
that the old prophet
as he gave
orders to his sons to lay his body in the same grave with the man of God
believing his words would be fulfilled
so he likewise gave orders to have a distinguished
monument or pillar erected over the grave; and which people in later times took
care to support
in memory of the man of God
that thereby it might be known;
by which means not only the bones of the man of God were preserved from being
burnt
but those of the old prophet also
buried with him:
and the men of the city told him
it is the sepulchre of the man
of God
which came from Judah
and proclaimed these things that thou hast done
against the altar of Bethel; see 1 Kings 13:1.
2 Kings 23:18 18 And he said
“Let him
alone; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone
with the bones
of the prophet who came from Samaria.
YLT
18And he saith
`Let him
alone
let no man touch his bones;' and they let his bones escape
with the
bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria.
And he said
let him alone
let no man move his bones
.... Not take
them out of the grave
as they had done the rest:
so they let his bones alone
with the bones of the prophet that
came out of Samaria; the old prophet
whereby his end was answered in being buried
with him
1 Kings 13:31.
2 Kings 23:19 19 Now Josiah also took away
all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria
which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord[f]
to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.
YLT
19And also all the houses of
the high places that [are] in the cities of Samaria
that the kings of Israel made
to provoke to anger
hath Josiah turned aside
and doth to them according to
all the deeds that he did in Beth-El.
And all the houses also of the high places
.... The
temples of the idols there
and the houses for the priests to dwell in:
that were in the cities of Samaria
which the kings of Israel had
made to provoke the Lord to anger
Josiah took away; particularly
in the cities of Manasseh
Ephraim
and Simeon
unto Naphtali
2 Chronicles 34:6
the Israelites that remained there acknowledging Josiah as their king; and
perhaps
after the defeat of Sennacherib
many of the cities of Israel might
put themselves under the protection of Hezekiah
and especially upon the
destruction of the Assyrian empire; and Manasseh
with his liberty
might have
his kingdom enlarged by the king of Babylon; and which being continued and
increased in the times of Josiah
might be the reason of his opposing the king
of Egypt in favour of the king of Babylon:
and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in
Bethel; defiled them
and broke down the altars in them.
2 Kings 23:20 20 He executed all the
priests of the high places who were there
on the altars
and burned
men’s bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.
YLT
20And he slayeth all the
priests of the high places who [are] there by the altars
and burneth the bones
of man upon them
and turneth back to Jerusalem.
And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there
.... The
idolatrous priests who sacrificed to Baal
and other Heathen deities; for as
for others that burnt incense in high places
yet to the true God
those he
spared
though they were not suffered to officiate at the altar of God: the
others he slew
upon the altars; where they sacrificed:
and burnt men's bones upon them: the bones of the
priests
and worshippers of idols
as he had done at Bethel:
and returned to Jerusalem; after he had gone
through the land
both of Judah and Israel
and abolished idolatrous worship
everywhere.
2 Kings 23:21 21 Then the king commanded
all the people
saying
“Keep the Passover to the Lord your God
as it
is written in this Book of the Covenant.”
YLT
21And the king commandeth the
whole of the people
saying
`Make ye a passover to Jehovah your God
as it is
written on this book of the covenant.'
And the king commanded all the people
.... Not at
Jerusalem only
but throughout the whole kingdom: saying:
keep the passover unto the Lord your God
as it is written in this
book of the covenant; which had been lately found and read
and they had agreed to
observe
and in which this ordinance was strictly enjoined
and was a
commemoration of their deliverance out of Egypt
and a direction of their faith
to the Messiah
the antitype of the passover.
2 Kings 23:22 22 Such a Passover surely had
never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel
nor in all the
days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.
YLT
22Surely there hath not been
made like this passover from the days of the judges who judged Israel
even all
the days of the kings of Israel
and of the kings of Judah;
Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the
judges that judged Israel
.... As the king commanded; the people
obeyed and kept the passover
according to the law of the Lord; the manner of
its being kept is not here recorded
but is at large in 2 Chronicles 35:1
where it is observed there had not been such an one from the days of Samuel
the last of the judges; so that the days of the judges here mean the last days
of them:
nor in all the days of the kings of Israel
nor of the kings of Judah; since the
division of the kingdoms; for as for the kings of Israel
they kept it not; and
though it was observed in the times of Hezekiah king of Judah
yet not
universally
and by some in their uncleanness; for it is a mistake of Clemens
of AlexandriaF23Stromat. l. 1. p. 328.
that it was not kept in the
times between Samuel and Josiah; in the days of David and Solomon it might be
kept by greater numbers
but not with such purity
and with such cheerfulness
and joy of heart
or with so many other sacrifices attending it
or so exactly
agreeable to the law of God
and with such munificence and liberality; the
king
and the chief of the priests and Levites
providing out of their own
substance for the people and their brethren.
2 Kings 23:23 23 But in the eighteenth year
of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem.
YLT
23but in the eighteenth year
of king Josiah
hath this passover been made to Jehovah in Jerusalem.
But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah
wherein this passover
was holden to the Lord in Jerusalem. This shows that Josiah
must begin the reformation very early that year
since he did all that is
before recorded in this and the preceding chapter by the fourteenth of Nisan
the day on which the passover was kept
which month answers to part of our
March and part of April
see 2 Kings 22:3 and
was the same year the repairs of the temple were finished.
2 Kings 23:24 24 Moreover Josiah put away
those who consulted mediums and spiritists
the household gods and idols
all
the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem
that he
might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah
the priest found in the house of the Lord.
YLT
24And also
those having
familiar spirits
and the wizards
and the teraphim
and the idols
and all the
abominations that were seen in the land of Judah
and in Jerusalem
hath Josiah
put away
in order to establish the words of the law that are written on the
book that Hilkiah the priest hath found in the house of Jehovah.
Moreover
the workers with familiar spirits
and the wizards
.... Who were
not to be allowed among the Israelites
Deuteronomy 18:10.
and the images; or teraphim: and the idols
and all the
abominations; which were worshipped by the Heathens
and introduced among the
Jews
and forbidden by the word of God:
that were spied in the land of Judah
and in Jerusalem
did Josiah
put away; for which
it seems
diligent search was made
and wherever they
were discovered were removed:
that he might perform the words of the law
which were written in
the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord; both with
respect to witchcraft and idolatry
see Leviticus 20:27.
2 Kings 23:25 25 Now before him there was
no king like him
who turned to the Lord with all his heart
with
all his soul
and with all his might
according to all the Law of Moses; nor
after him did any arise like him.
YLT
25And like him there hath not
been before him a king who turned back unto Jehovah with all his heart
and
with all his soul
and with all his might
according to all the law of Moses
and after him there hath none risen like him.
And like unto him was there no king before him
.... The same
is said of Hezekiah
2 Kings 18:5
Hezekiah might excel him in some things
as Josiah might excel Hezekiah in
others:
that turned to the Lord with all his heart
and with all his soul
and with all his might; with such sincerity
heartiness
zeal
and constancy:
according to all the law of Moses; having respect to every
commandment
especially relative to worship
with the greatest precision and
exactness:
neither after him arose there any like him; for all to
the captivity were wicked princes.
2 Kings 23:26 26 Nevertheless the Lord did not turn
from the fierceness of His great wrath
with which His anger was aroused
against Judah
because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked
Him.
YLT
26Only
Jehovah hath not
turned back from the fierceness of His great anger with which His anger burned
against Judah
because of all the provocations with which Manasseh provoked
him
Notwithstanding
the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his
great wrath
wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah
....
Notwithstanding the great reformation wrought among them; for though Josiah was
a sincere reformer
and did what he did heartily
as to the Lord
according to
his will
and for his glory; yet the people were not sincere in their
compliance
they turned to the Lord not with their whole heart
but feignedly
Jeremiah 3:10.
because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him
withal; by shedding innocent blood and committing idolatry
which the
people consented to and approved of
and even now privately committed idolatry
as the prophecies of Jeremiah and Zephaniah show; and it may easily be
concluded that their hearts were after their idols
by their openly returning
to them in the days of the sons of Josiah.
2 Kings 23:27 27 And the Lord said
“I will
also remove Judah from My sight
as I have removed Israel
and will cast off
this city Jerusalem which I have chosen
and the house of which I said
‘My
name shall be there.’”[g]
YLT
27and Jehovah saith
`Also
Judah I turn aside from my presence
as I turned Israel aside
and I have
rejected this city that I have chosen -- Jerusalem
and the house of which I
said
My name is there.'
And the Lord said
I will remove Judah also out of my sight
as I
have removed Israel. Not from his all seeing eye
but from being the object of his
special care and protection; the meaning is
that he would suffer them to he
carried out of their land into captivity as Israel was; this he had said in his
heart
was determined upon; the decree was gone forth
and it was irrevocable:
and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen: for the place
of his worship
the people having forsaken his worship there
and followed
after idols:
and the house of which I said
my name shall be there; the temple
called after his name
and where his name was to be
and had been
called upon.
2 Kings 23:28 28 Now the rest of the acts
of Josiah
and all that he did
are they not written in the book of the
chronicles of the kings of Judah?
YLT
28And the rest of the matters
of Josiah
and all that he did
are they not written on the book of the
Chronicles of the kings of Judah?
Now the rest of the acts of Josiah
and all that he did
.... For
abolishing idolatry
and restoring the true worship of God:
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of
Judah? and also of Israel
in which an account was kept of the
transactions of their reign; many other of the acts of Josiah are recorded in
the canonical book of Chronicles
2 Chronicles 34:1.
2 Kings 23:29 29 In his days Pharaoh Necho
king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria
to the River Euphrates;
and King Josiah went against him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at
Megiddo when he confronted him.
YLT
29In his days hath
Pharaoh-Nechoh king of Egypt come up against the king of Asshur
by the river
Phrat
and king Josiah goeth out to meet him
and he putteth him to death in
Megiddo
when he seeth him.
In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt
.... Who is
called in the Targum Pharaoh the lame
because he was lame in his feet
perhaps
gouty; HerodotusF24Euterpe
sive
l. 2. c. 158. also calls him Necos
the son of Psammiticus; now it was in the last days of Josiah this king reigned
in Egypt
or however that the following event was:
that he went up
against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates; to
Carchemish
a city situated upon it; see 2 Chronicles 35:26
the king he went against was the king of Babylon
who had conquered the
Assyrian monarchy
and therefore called king of it; some take him to be
Nabopolassar; according to MarshamF25Chronic. Secul. 18. p. 568.
he was Chyniladanus:
and King Josiah went against him; to stop him
that he
might not pass through his country
and attack the king of Babylon
whose ally
perhaps
Josiah was; or
however
thought himself obliged to him by the
privileges
power
and authority he allowed him to exercise in the land of
Israel:
and he slew him at Megiddo
when he had seen him; as soon as
they came face to face
and engaged in battle
see 2 Kings 14:8 that
is Pharaoh slew Josiah at the first onset. Megiddo was a city in the tribe of
Manasseh
Joshua 17:11.
HerodotusF26Ibid. c. 159. calls it Magdolus
which seems to be a
city on the borders of Egypt
the same with Migdol
Jeremiah 44:1 where
he says Pharoahnechoh conquered the Syrians; in JosephusF1Antiqu. l.
10. c. 5. sect. 1. it is called Mendes very wrongly. Josiah seems to have
engaged in this action without consulting the Lord and his prophets.
2 Kings 23:30 30 Then his servants moved
his body in a chariot from Megiddo
brought him to Jerusalem
and buried him in
his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah
anointed him
and made him king in his father’s place.
YLT
30And his servants cause him
to ride dying from Megiddo
and bring him in to Jerusalem
and bury him in his
own grave
and the people of the land take Jehoahaz son of Josiah
and anoint
him
and cause him to reign instead of his father.
And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo
.... They took
him out of the chariot in which he was wounded
and put him into another
where
he died of his wounds by the way; being mortally wounded
he is said to be
dead
or a dead man
see 2 Chronicles 35:24.
and brought him to Jerusalem; which
according to
BuntingF2Travels
&c. p. 188.
was forty four miles from
Megiddo:
and buried him in his own sepulchre; which either he had
provided for himself in his lifetime
or which in common belonged to the kings
of Judah
see 2 Chronicles 35:24.
and the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah
and
anointed him
and made him king in his father's stead; though he was
not the eldest son
Jehoiakim
who was afterwards placed in his room
being two
years older
as appears from 2 Kings 23:31 and
this is the reason
as the Jewish commentators in general agree
that he was
anointed; which they say was never done to the son of a king
unless there was
a competitor
or some objection to
or dispute about
the succession
as in the
case of Solomon and others.
2 Kings 23:31 31 Jehoahaz was
twenty-three years old when he became king
and he reigned three months in
Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
YLT
31A son of twenty and three
years [is] Jehoahaz in his reigning
and three months he hath reigned in
Jerusalem
and the name of his mother [is] Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of
Libnah
Jehoahaz was twenty three years old when he began to reign
.... Who seems
to be the same with Shallum
Jeremiah 22:11.
and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; a short
reign
being deposed by the king of Egypt
as after related:
and his mother's name was Hamutal
the daughter of Jeremiah of
Libnah; a city in the tribe of Judah
Joshua 10:29.
2 Kings 23:32 32 And he did evil in the
sight of the Lord
according to all that his fathers had done.
YLT
32and he doth the evil thing
in the eyes of Jehovah
according to all that his fathers did
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord
.... Committed
idolatry:
according to all that his fathers had done; his grand
father and great grandfather
Amon and Manasseh; so soon after Josiah's death
was the revolt to idolatry.
2 Kings 23:33 33 Now Pharaoh Necho put him
in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath
that he might not reign in
Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of
silver and a talent of gold.
YLT
33and Pharaoh-Nechoh bindeth
him in Riblah
in the land of Hamath
from reigning in Jerusalem
and he
putteth a fine on the land -- a hundred talents of silver
and a talent of
gold.
And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath
.... Places in
Syria; Hamath was formerly a kingdom in Syria
and Riblah is said by JeromF3Comment.
in Ezekiel. xlvii. fol. 261. C. to be Antioch of Syria
near to which was the
fountain of Daphne; and in the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem on Numbers 34:11.
Daphne is put for Riblah; and JosephusF4Antiqu. l. 17. c. 2. sect.
3. says Antioch was by Daphne of Syria; and in the Apocrypha:"Which when
Onias knew of a surety
he reproved him
and withdrew himself into a sanctuary
at Daphne
that lieth by Antiochia.' (2 Maccabees 4:33)Daphne is
said to be by Antioch; with which place Pompey was greatly delighted
because
of the pleasantness of it
and the abundance of waters about itF5Rufi
Fest. Breviar. Eutrop. Hist. Rom. l. 6. : hither
it is probable
Jehoahaz went
with an army to avenge his father's death on the king of Egypt
or to assist
the king of Babylon
or both; and here Pharaoh met with him
and took him
and
bound him; he seems to be of a martial spirit
from Ezekiel 19:3.
that he might not reign in Jerusalem; whither
afterwards the king of Egypt came
and took it; and so HerodotusF6Ut
supra. (Chronic. Secil. 18. p. 568.) says that after he had conquered the
Syrians at Migdol
he took Cadytis
a great city of Syria
which seems to be
Jerusalem
the holy city:
and put the land to a tribute of one hundred talents of silver
and a talent of gold; the land of Judah; and one hundred talents
according to BuntingF7Ut
supra
(Travels
&c.) p. 288.
amounted to 37
500 pounds of our money; and
a talent of gold
according to BrerewoodF8De Ponder & Pret. Vet.
Num. c. 4.
was 4
500 pounds; but Bishop CumberlandF9Scripture
Weights and Measures
ch. 4. p. 21. makes it 5
067 pounds
three shillings
and
ten pence; a talent of gold could not be so large in Homer's time
since he
speaks of seven of them given at once in a way of hospitalityF11Odyss.
9. ver. 258. & Odyss. 24. ver. 321. .
2 Kings 23:34 34 Then Pharaoh Necho made
Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah
and changed his
name to Jehoiakim. And Pharaoh took Jehoahaz and went to Egypt
and he[h] died
there.
YLT
34And Pharaoh-Nechoh causeth
Eliakim son of Josiah to reign instead of Josiah his father
and turneth his
name to Jehoiakim
and Jehoahaz he hath taken away
and he cometh in to Egypt
and dieth there.
And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room
of Josiah his father
.... Not in the room of Jehoahaz; for he did not allow him to be
a king
and to have any lawful right to the throne; but
deposing him
set up
his elder brother:
and turned his name to Jehoiakim; to show his subjection
to him
and that he held his government by him:
and took Jehoahaz away: with him
from
Jerusalem
when he departed thence:
and he came to Egypt
and died there: and never
returned to Jerusalem
according to the prophecy of Jeremiah
Jeremiah 22:11.
2 Kings 23:35 35 So Jehoiakim gave the
silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money according to
the command of Pharaoh; he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the
land
from every one according to his assessment
to give it to Pharaoh
Necho.
YLT
35And the silver and the gold
hath Jehoiakim given to Pharaoh; only he valued the land to give the silver by
the command of Pharaoh; from each
according to his valuation
he exacted the
silver and the gold
from the people of the land
to give to Pharaoh-Nechoh.
And Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh
.... The one
hundred talents of silver and the talent of gold
which he imposed as a tribute
upon the land:
but he taxed the land to give the money according to the
commandment of Pharaoh; he did not take it out of his own treasures nor the treasures of
the house of the Lord
which perhaps might be exhausted
but levied it of the
people of the land:
he exacted the silver and gold of the people of the land
required them
to pay it in:
of everyone according to his taxation
to give it unto
Pharaohnechoh: everyone was taxed according to his abilities
in proportion to
what he was worth
or to the estate he was possessed of.
2 Kings 23:36 36 Jehoiakim was
twenty-five years old when he became king
and he reigned eleven years in
Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of
Rumah.
YLT
36A son of twenty and five
years [is] Jehoiakim in his reigning
and eleven years he hath reigned in
Jerusalem
and the name of his mother [is] Zebudah daughter of Pedaiah of
Rumah
Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign
.... And
therefore must be two years older than his brother Jehoahaz
who was deposed:
and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and therefore must die
at the age of thirty and six:
and his mother's name was Zebudah
the daughter of Pedaiah of
Rumah; which JosephusF12Antiqu. l. 10. c. 5. sect. 2. calls
Abuma; but he speaks of a village in Galilee called RumaF13De Bello
Jud l. 3. c. 6. sect. 21. ; but whether the same with this is not certain.
2 Kings 23:37 37 And he did evil in the
sight of the Lord
according to all that his fathers had done.
YLT
37and he doth the evil thing
in the eyes of Jehovah
according to all that his fathers did.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord
according
to all that his fathers had done. Amon and Manasseh; see 2 Kings 23:32.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
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