Deeper Commentary
2Ki 23:2 The king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the
prophets, and all the people, both small and great. He read in their ears
all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of
Yahweh-
2Ki 23:3 The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before Yahweh,
to walk after Yahweh-
Josiah's actions here are one of a number of Old Testament examples of preaching the word
after becoming aware of the depth of one's own sins. Consider Jonah
preaching the second time, with the marks in his body after three days in
the whale, admitting his rebellion against Yahweh, pleading with them to
respond to His word. Reflect how when his head was wrapped around with
seaweed, at the bottom of the sea at the absolute end of mortal life, he
made a vow to God, which he then fulfilled, presumably in going back to
preach to Nineveh (Jonah 2:9). His response to having confessed his sins
and daring to believe in God’s forgiveness, turning again towards His
temple even from underwater, was to resolve to preach to others if he was
spared his life. And this he did, although as with so many of us, the
pureness of his initial evangelical zeal soon flaked. Or consider
Manasseh, 2 Chron. 33:16; Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 19:3 cp. 18:31; 19:2;
Josiah, 2 Chron. 34:29,32; Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 3:29; 4:2...
We note the specific reference in 2 Chronicles 34:32 to the people of Jerusalem. It seems that Josiah tried to gather together literally all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, all "found" there. And yet Jerusalem particularly was to suffer in the judgments to come, and Jeremiah's prophesies at this time tend to single out Jerusalem for particular judgment for the unspirituality of the population. So again we perceive that this was all the enthusiasm of Josiah; the people's hearts weren't affected. This is the trouble with mass meetings for "revival". Reformation is essentially personal and of the heart.
2Ki 23:4 The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of
the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring forth out of
Yahweh’s temple all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the
Asherah, and for all the host of the sky; and he burned them outside of
Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel-
We notice here Judah's addiction to idolatry. Usually a nation was
loyal just to one god, e.g. the sun god; but as Hosea puts it, Judah were
like a sexually obsessed woman going after every man or god of the
surrounding nations.
2Ki 23:6 He brought out the Asherah from the house of Yahweh, outside of
Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and
beat it to dust, and cast its dust on the graves of the common people-
2Ki 23:7 He broke down the houses of the sodomites that were in the house
of Yahweh, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah-
2Ki 23:8 He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah-
The priests had ostensibly offered only to Yahweh in the high places
(2 Chron. 33:17), but those high places were destroyed and the priests who
officiated there were removed to Jerusalem, but not allowed to come up to
the altar (:9). Clearly they had mixed Yahweh worship with idolatry.
A
The limits of Judah.
The open spaces by the city gates were where Manasseh and Amon had
set up idol worship.
2Ki 23:9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places didn’t come up to the
altar of Yahweh in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their
brothers-
See on :8. The priests who had previously been unfaithful at the high
places were disciplined, but were allowed to eat of the sacrifices which
the other priests could eat. For according to the law, those portions of
food could not have leave in them. "Bread" may be used here for 'food'.
2Ki 23:10 He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of
Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the
fire to Molech-
This became Gehenna (Ge Hinnom) in the Lord's time, the rubbish dump
and previous place of idolatry which was now despised. And it was used by
Him as a symbol of the total destruction and shame of the rejected at the
last day. It was as if they were seen by Him as being offered there to the
idols they had worshipped during their lives.
2Ki 23:11 He took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the
sun, at the entrance of the house of Yahweh, by the room of Nathan Melech
the officer, who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun
with fire-
The idea was that the sun god daily drove his chariot across the sky.
As so often noted, the kings of Judah had not turned away from Yahweh
completely, but mixed idolatry with Yahweh worship. This kind of
syncretism is seen all around us, in practical and doctrinal terms; and it
is the perennial temptation of God's people to mix the flesh and spirit.
2Ki 23:12 The king broke down the altars that were on the roof of the
upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars
which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of Yahweh-
2Ki 23:13 The king defiled the high places that were before Jerusalem,
which were on the right hand of the mountain of corruption, which Solomon
the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the
Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the
abomination of the children of Ammon-
The way Solomon built idol temples for his wives on
mock temple mounts near Jerusalem was surely a studied statement
that he saw himself as a hopeless apostate. Like the
alcoholic or drug abuser, Solomon could analyze his problem in
Ecclesiastes so accurately- and yet do nothing about it. This is the utter
tragedy of all spiritual failure.
2Ki 23:14 He broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and
filled their places with the bones of men-
The idols were desecrated in the eyes of the worshippers by dead
bodies being near them. And yet the sense that dead bodies brought
defilement was itself from the law of Moses (Num. 19:14,15). We see here
the confused conscience of the people, partly formed by their experience
of Yahweh's principles, and partly blunted by the experience of idol
worship. The idols were typically associated with fertility cults, and so
to make the dead bones of their priests placed on their altars and pillars
was a denial of all they stood for.
2Ki 23:15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, even that
altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and
beat it to dust, and burned the Asherah-
We marvel that despite the reforms of Hezekiah and others, this altar
and high place remained in Israel. There was a kind of false temple
complex still there (1 Kings 12:31). See on :12. The reforms of the
reformers were never really as radical as they might appear. Although
Bethel was in the area of the ten tribes, Josiah realized that it was
their influence which had led Judah into such apostacy. He set an example
for all time of having a sense of spiritual care even for brethren he was
separated from; for they were still his brethren.
2Ki 23:16 As Josiah turned himself, he spied the tombs that were there in
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 Yahweh which
the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things-
We get the impression that Josiah may have been ignorant of the
prophecy of 1 Kings 13:2, or had forgotten it (:17); and fulfilled this
unconsciously. We have the impression that he just happened to notice
tombs far away in the mountain side, and the idea thus came to his mind to
take the bones from there and use them to desecrate the altar. This is how
the Spirit works in our lives too. We "by chance" notice something, from
the corner of our eye; turn left rather than right. But that was all of
God's direct operation upon our hearts and eyes, to take His purpose
further and, in this case, to fulfil His prophetic word.
2Ki 23:17 Then he said, What monument is that which I see? The men of the
city told him, It is the tomb of the man of God, who came from Judah, and
proclaimed these things that you have done against the altar of Bethel-
It seems that therefore, as noted on :16, he fulfilled those
prophetic words unconsciously rather than consciously. For the man of God
had prophesied of Josiah by name as doing this. But we are given to
understand that he did not consciously try to fulfil it, and therefore we
conclude he was either ignorant of the prophecy or had forgotten it; or
perhaps didn't know all the details of it.
2Ki 23:18 He said, Let him be! Let no man move his bones. So they let his
bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria-
Both prophets had been to some extent unfaithful to God's word, and
yet in other aspects of their lives they had been faithful (1 Kings
13:31). And this is surely the position with all God's children. They were
at least honoured at this point as having been faithful rather than
unfaithful.
2Ki 23:19 All the houses also of the high places that were in the cities
of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke Yahweh to anger,
Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had
done in Bethel-
2Ki 23:20 He killed all the priests of the high places that were there,
upon the altars, and burned men’s bones on them; and he returned to
Jerusalem-
We notice the contrast with how he treated the priests of the high
places in Judah (:9), whom he allowed to live. Although for sure they were
also apostate, or else they would not have been demoted as they were.
These priests in Israel however were not Levites. Perhaps he was made more
aware of the prophecies of the man of God in 1 Kings 13:2, and therefore
fulfilled them.
2Ki 23:21 The king commanded all the people saying, Keep the Passover to
Yahweh your God, as it is written in this book of the covenant-
2Ki 23:22 Surely there was not kept such a Passover from the days of the
judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor
of the kings of Judah-
2Ki 23:23 but in the eighteenth year of king Josiah was this Passover kept
to Yahweh in Jerusalem-
2Ki 23:24 Moreover Josiah removed those who had familiar spirits, and the
wizards, the teraphim, the idols and all the abominations that were seen
in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of
the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in
the house of Yahweh-
He was trying by all means to avoid the judgments for disobedience
which were written in the book of the law read to him. But God had said
that He would not change that judgment. Josiah would have been motivated
by the example of Moses in seeking to still change the outcome. But the
reforms of a king were not the same as the required change of heart of the
people. Removing all visible signs of idolatry was not the same as
transforming hearts; and God looks upon the heart, rather than the
external state of religion amongst His people.
2Ki 23:25 Like him was there no king before him, who turned to Yahweh with
all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to
all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him-
As noted on :24, the point was that God was interested in the hearts
of His individual people, and the spiritual zeal of one man could not
alter that. Perhaps this is why Kings omits the account of Josiah's death
in disobedience to God's word, which we find in Chronicles. The idea is
that even this generally good man could not avert the judgment of others
if their hearts were not with Him.
2Ki 23:26 Notwithstanding, Yahweh didn’t turn from the fierceness of His
great wrath with which His anger was kindled against Judah,
2Ki 23:28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, aren’t
they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?-
2Ki 23:29 In his days Pharaoh Necoh king of Egypt went up against the king
of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went against him; and
Pharaoh Necoh killed him at Megiddo when he had seen him-
2Ki 23:30 His servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and
brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. The people of
the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him
king in his father’s place-
2Ki 23:31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and
he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the
daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah-
2Ki 23:32 He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to
all that his fathers had done-
2Ki 23:33 Pharaoh Necoh put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath,
that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of one
hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold-
He was "deposed at Jerusalem" (2
2Ki 23:34 Pharaoh Necoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place
of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim; but he took
Jehoahaz away; and he came to Egypt, and died there-
2Ki 23:35 Jehoiakim gave silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the
land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh. He exacted
the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of each one according
to his taxation, to give it to Pharaoh Necoh-
2Ki 23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign; and
he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the
daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah-
The change from Eliakim to Jehoiakim (:34) is so similar that perhaps
the change was just symbolic, to show Pharaoh's power over him; or maybe
Jehoiakim was another name he already went under, or a name he himself
suggested as an alternative.
2Ki 23:37 He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to
all that his fathers had done-
Jer. 22:13-18 gives an example of the sins of Jehoiakim- he built an
opulent home for himself and refused to pay the labourers for their work.
He also murdered the prophet Urijah who spoke against him (Jer. 26:20-23),
and burnt the scroll of God's words and persecuted Jeremiah (Jer. 36).
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