1And the king sent them and they gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. 2And the king went up to the house of Jehovah 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 ears all the Words of the Book of the Covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah. 3Then the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before Jehovah, to follow Jehovah 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 stood for the covenant. 4And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of Jehovah all the articles that were made for Baal, for the grove, and for all the host of the heavens; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5And he put an end to the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had dedicated to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those burning incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the zodiac, and to all the host of the heavens. 6And he brought out the grove from the house of Jehovah, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and pulverized the ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the sons of the people. 7And he tore down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of Jehovah, where the women were weaving shelters for the grove. 8And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba; 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 one's left of the city gate. 9Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren. 10And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of the sons of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech. 11And he did away with the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of Jehovah, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the official who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12The altars that were on the roof of 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 Jehovah, the king beat them down and ran and hurled their dust into the Brook Kidron. 13And 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 Ashtaroth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon. 14And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and chopped down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men. 15Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat had made, by which he had made Israel to sin, both that altar and the high place he tore down; and he burned the high place and pulverized it to dust, and burned the grove. 16And 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 Jehovah which the man of God had proclaimed, who had proclaimed these things. 17Then he said, What monument is this that I see? And the men of the city said to 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. 18And he said, Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that had come from Samaria. 19And Josiah also took away all the houses of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done at Bethel. 20And he slaughtered 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. 21And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to Jehovah your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant. 22Surely such a Passover had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel nor the kings of Judah. 23It was in the eighteenth year of King Josiah that this Passover was observed unto Jehovah in Jerusalem. 24Moreover Josiah put away the mediums and fortunetellers, the household images 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 had found in the house of Jehovah. 25And before him there was no king like him, who turned to Jehovah with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him has any arisen like him. 26Nevertheless Jehovah had not turned from His great burning wrath, with which His anger had been kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 27And Jehovah said, I will also remove Judah from before My face, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I had said, My name shall be there. 28Now 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. 29In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria, to the River Euphrates; and King Josiah went out to meet him. And Pharaoh Necho killed him at Megiddo when he saw him. 30And his servants made him ride dead 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. 31Jehoahaz 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. 32And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done. 33And Pharaoh Necho put him in bonds 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. 34And 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 he came to Egypt, and he died there. 35And Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give money at the mouth 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. 36Jehoiakim 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. 37And he did evil in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers had done.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 JOSIAH CAUSES THE LAW TO BE READ. (
2Kgs 23:1-3)
the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders--This pious and patriotic king, not content with the promise of his own security, felt, after Huldah's response, an increased desire to avert the threatened calamities from his kingdom and people. Knowing the richness of the divine clemency and grace to the penitent, he convened the elders of the people, and placing himself at their head, accompanied by the collective body of the inhabitants, went in solemn procession to the temple, where he ordered the book of the law to be read to the assembled audience, and covenanted, with the unanimous concurrence of his subjects, to adhere steadfastly to all the commandments of the Lord. It was an occasion of solemn interest, closely connected with a great national crisis, and the beautiful example of piety in the highest quarter would exert a salutary influence over all classes of the people in animating their devotions and encouraging their return to the faith of their fathers.
2 he read in their ears--that is, "caused to be read."
3 all the people stood to the covenant--that is, they agreed to the proposals made; they assented to what was required of them.
4 HE DESTROYS IDOLATRY. (2Ki. 23:4-28)
the king commanded Hilkiah, &c.--that is, the high priest and other priests, for there was not a variety of official gradations in the temple.
all the vessels, &c.--the whole apparatus of idol-worship.
burned them without Jerusalem--The law required them to be consigned to the flames (
Deut 7:25).
in the fields of Kidron--most probably that part of the valley of Kidron, where lies Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. It is a level, spacious basin, abounding at present with plantations [ROBINSON]. The brook winds along the east and south of the city, the channel of which is throughout a large portion of the year almost or wholly dry, except after heavy rains, when it suddenly swells and overflows. There were emptied all the impurities of the temple (
2Chr 29:15-16) and the city. His reforming predecessors had ordered the mutilated relics of idolatry to be thrown into that receptacle of filth (
1Kgs 15:13;
2Chr 15:16;
2Chr 30:14); but Josiah, while he imitated their piety, far outstripped them in zeal; for he caused the ashes of the burnt wood and the fragments of the broken metal to be collected and conveyed to Beth-el, in order thenceforth to associate ideas of horror and aversion with that place, as odious for the worst pollutions.
5 put down the idolatrous priests--Hebrew, chemarim, "scorched," that is, Guebres, or fire-worshippers, distinguished by a girdle (
Ezek 23:14-
Ezek 23:17) or belt of wool and camel's hair, twisted round the body twice and tied with four knots, which had a symbolic meaning, and made it a supposed defense against evil.
them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, &c.--or Baal-shemesh, for Baal was sometimes considered the sun. This form of false worship was not by images, but pure star-worship, borrowed from the old Assyrians.
and--rather, "even to all the host of heaven."
6 brought out the grove--that is, Asherah, the mystic tree, placed by Manasseh in the temple [
2Kgs 21:5;
2Chr 33:5], removed by him after his conversion [
2Chr 33:15], but replaced in the sanctuary by his wicked son Amon [
2Kgs 21:20-21]. Josiah had it taken to Kidron, burnt the wood, ground the metal about it to powder, and strewed the ashes "on the graves of the children of the people." The poor were buried in a common on part of the valley of Kidron. But reference is here made to the graves "of those that had sacrificed" (
2Chr 34:4).
7 brake down the houses of the sodomites--not solid houses, but tents, called elsewhere [
2Kgs 17:30] Succoth-benoth, "the booths of the young women," who were devoted to the service of Asherah, for which they made embroidered hangings, and in which they gave themselves to unbridled revelry and lust. Or the hangings might be for Asherah itself, as it is a popular superstition in the East to hang pieces of cloth on trees.
8 he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places, &c.--Many of the Levitical order, finding in the reigns of Manasseh and Amon the temple-worship abolished and the tithes and other offerings alienated, had been betrayed into the folly of officiating on high places, and presenting such sacrifices as were brought to them. These irregularities, even though the object of that worship was the true God, were prohibited in the law (
Deut 12:11). Those who had been guilty of this sin, Josiah brought to Jerusalem. Regarding them as defiled, he debarred them from the service of the temple, but gave them an allowance out of the temple revenues, like the lame and disabled members of the priesthood (
Lev 21:21-
Lev 21:22).
from Geba to to Beer-sheba--the most northern and the most southern places in Judah--meaning all parts of the kingdom.
the high places . . . which were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua--The governor's house and gate were on the left of the city gate, and close by the entrance of that civic mansion house were public altars, dedicated, it might be, to the true God, but contrary to His own ordinance of worship (
Isa 57:8).
10 Topheth--so called from Toph--a "drum." It is the prevailing opinion among Jewish writers that the cries of the terrified children made to pass through the fire in that place of idolatrous horror were drowned by the sound of that instrument.
11 took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun--Among the people who anciently worshipped the sun, horses were usually dedicated to that divinity, from the supposed idea that the sun himself was drawn in a chariot by horses. In some cases these horses were sacrificed; but more commonly they were employed either in the sacred processions to carry the images of the sun, or for the worshippers to ride in every morning to welcome his rise. It seems that the idolatrous kings, Ahaz, Manasseh, and Amon, or their great officers, proceeded on these horses early on each day from the east gate of the temple to salute and worship the sun at his appearing above the horizon.
12 the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz--Altars were reared on the flat roofs of houses, where the worshippers of "the host of heaven" burnt incense (
Zeph 1:5;
Jer 19:13). Ahaz had reared altars for this purpose on the oleah, or upper chamber of his palace, and Manasseh on some portion of the roof of the temple. Josiah demolished both of these structures.
13 the high places . . . which Solomon . . . had builded--(See on
1Kgs 11:5).
the right hand of the mount of corruption--The Mount of Olives is a hilly range on the east of Jerusalem. This range has three summits, of which the central one is the Mount of Corruption, so called from the idol temples built there, and of course the hill on the right hand denotes the southernmost peak. Josiah is said not to have destroyed, but only defiled, "the high places on the hill of corruption." It is most probable that Hezekiah had long before demolished the idolatrous temples erected there by Solomon but, as the superstitious people continued to regard the spot as consecrated ground, Josiah defiled it.
14 filled their places with the bones of men--Every monument of idolatry in his dominion he in like manner destroyed, and the places where they stood he defiled by strewing them with dead men's bones. The presence of a dead carcass rendered both persons and places unclean in the eyes both of Jews and heathens.
15 Moreover the altar that was at Beth-el, &c.--Not satisfied with the removal of every vestige of idolatry from his own dominion, this zealous iconoclast made a tour of inspection through the cities of Samaria and all the territory formerly occupied by the ten tribes, destroying the altars and temples of the high places, consigning the Asherim to the flames, putting to death the priests of the high places, and showing his horror at idolatry by ransacking the sepulchers of idolatrous priests, and strewing the burnt ashes of their bones upon the altars before he demolished them.
16 according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, &c.--In carrying on these proceedings, Josiah was prompted by his own intense hatred of idolatry. But it is remarkable that this act was predicted three hundred twenty-six years before his birth, and his name also was expressly mentioned, as well as the very place where it should be done (
1Kgs 13:2). This is one of the most most remarkable prophecies in the Bible.
17 What title is that that I see?--The king's attention probably, had been arrested by a tombstone more conspicuous than the rest around it, bearing on an inscription the name of him that lay beneath; and this prompted his curiosity to make the inquiry.
the men of the city--not the Assyrian colonists--for they could know nothing about the ancient transactions of the place--but some of the old people who had been allowed to remain, and perhaps the tomb itself might not then have been discoverable, through the effects of time and neglect, had not some "Old Mortality" garnished the sepulcher of the righteous.
21 the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the Lord your God, &c.--It was observed with great solemnity and was attended not only by his own subjects, but by the remnant people from Israel (see on 2Ch. 35:1-19). Many of the Israelites who were at Jerusalem might have heard of, if they did not hear, the law read by Josiah. It is probable that they might even have procured a copy of the law, stimulated as they were to the better observance of Jehovah's worship by the unusual and solemn transactions at Jerusalem.
26 Notwithstanding, the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his wrath,--&c. The national reformation which Josiah carried on was acquiesced in by the people from submission to the royal will; but they entertained a secret and strong hankering after the suppressed idolatries. Though outwardly purified, their hearts were not right towards God, as appears from many passages of the prophetic writings; their thorough reform was hopeless; and God, who saw no sign of genuine repentance, allowed His decree (
2Kgs 21:12-15) for the subversion of the kingdom to take fatal effect.
29 In his days Pharaoh-nechoh--(See
2Chr 35:20-27).
