33 And Josiah H2977 took away H5493 all the abominations H8441 out of all the countries H776 that pertained to the children H1121 of Israel, H3478 and made all that were present H4672 in Israel H3478 to serve, H5647 even to serve H5647 the LORD H3068 their God. H430 And all his days H3117 they departed H5493 not from following H310 the LORD, H3068 the God H430 of their fathers. H1
For in the eighth H8083 year H8141 of his reign, H4427 while he was yet young, H5288 he began H2490 to seek H1875 after the God H430 of David H1732 his father: H1 and in the twelfth H8147 H6240 year H8141 he began H2490 to purge H2891 Judah H3063 and Jerusalem H3389 from the high places, H1116 and the groves, H842 and the carved images, H6456 and the molten images. H4541 And they brake down H5422 the altars H4196 of Baalim H1168 in his presence; H6440 and the images, H2553 that were on high above them, H4605 he cut down; H1438 and the groves, H842 and the carved images, H6456 and the molten images, H4541 he brake in pieces, H7665 and made dust H1854 of them, and strowed H2236 it upon H6440 the graves H6913 of them that had sacrificed H2076 unto them. And he burnt H8313 the bones H6106 of the priests H3548 upon their altars, H4196 and cleansed H2891 Judah H3063 and Jerusalem. H3389 And so did he in the cities H5892 of Manasseh, H4519 and Ephraim, H669 and Simeon, H8095 even unto Naphtali, H5321 with their mattocks H2719 round about. H5439 And when he had broken down H5422 the altars H4196 and the groves, H842 and had beaten H3807 the graven images H6456 into powder, H1854 and cut down H1438 all the idols H2553 throughout all the land H776 of Israel, H3478 he returned H7725 to Jerusalem. H3389
And Israel H3478 served H5647 the LORD H3068 all the days H3117 of Joshua, H3091 and all the days H3117 of the elders H2205 that overlived H748 H3117 H310 Joshua, H3091 and which had known H3045 all the works H4639 of the LORD, H3068 that he had done H6213 for Israel. H3478
For Solomon H8010 went H3212 after H310 Ashtoreth H6253 the goddess H430 of the Zidonians, H6722 and after H310 Milcom H4445 the abomination H8251 of the Ammonites. H5984 And Solomon H8010 did H6213 evil H7451 in the sight H5869 of the LORD, H3068 and went not fully H4390 after H310 the LORD, H3068 as did David H1732 his father. H1 Then did Solomon H8010 build H1129 an high place H1116 for Chemosh, H3645 the abomination H8251 of Moab, H4124 in the hill H2022 that is before H6440 Jerusalem, H3389 and for Molech, H4432 the abomination H8251 of the children H1121 of Ammon. H5983
And the king H4428 commanded H6680 Hilkiah H2518 the high H1419 priest, H3548 and the priests H3548 of the second order, H4932 and the keepers H8104 of the door, H5592 to bring forth H3318 out of the temple H1964 of the LORD H3068 all the vessels H3627 that were made H6213 for Baal, H1168 and for the grove, H842 and for all the host H6635 of heaven: H8064 and he burned H8313 them without H2351 Jerusalem H3389 in the fields H7709 of Kidron, H6939 and carried H5375 the ashes H6083 of them unto Bethel. H1008 And he put down H7673 the idolatrous priests, H3649 whom the kings H4428 of Judah H3063 had ordained H5414 to burn incense H6999 in the high places H1116 in the cities H5892 of Judah, H3063 and in the places round about H4524 Jerusalem; H3389 them also that burned incense H6999 unto Baal, H1168 to the sun, H8121 and to the moon, H3394 and to the planets, H4208 and to all the host H6635 of heaven. H8064 And he brought out H3318 the grove H842 from the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 without H2351 Jerusalem, H3389 unto the brook H5158 Kidron, H6939 and burned H8313 it at the brook H5158 Kidron, H6939 and stamped it small H1854 to powder, H6083 and cast H7993 the powder H6083 thereof upon the graves H6913 of the children H1121 of the people. H5971 And he brake down H5422 the houses H1004 of the sodomites, H6945 that were by the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 where the women H802 wove H707 hangings H1004 for the grove. H842 And he brought H935 all the priests H3548 out of the cities H5892 of Judah, H3063 and defiled H2930 the high places H1116 where the priests H3548 had burned incense, H6999 from Geba H1387 to Beersheba, H884 and brake down H5422 the high places H1116 of the gates H8179 that were in the entering in H6607 of the gate H8179 of Joshua H3091 the governor H8269 of the city, H5892 which were on a man's H376 left hand H8040 at the gate H8179 of the city. H5892 Nevertheless the priests H3548 of the high places H1116 came not up H5927 to the altar H4196 of the LORD H3068 in Jerusalem, H3389 but they did eat H398 of the unleavened bread H4682 among H8432 their brethren. H251 And he defiled H2930 Topheth, H8612 which is in the valley H1516 of the children H1121 H1121 of Hinnom, H2011 that no man H376 might make his son H1121 or his daughter H1323 to pass through H5674 the fire H784 to Molech. H4432 And he took away H7673 the horses H5483 that the kings H4428 of Judah H3063 had given H5414 to the sun, H8121 at the entering in H935 of the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 by the chamber H3957 of Nathanmelech H5419 the chamberlain, H5631 which was in the suburbs, H6503 and burned H8313 the chariots H4818 of the sun H8121 with fire. H784 And the altars H4196 that were on the top H1406 of the upper chamber H5944 of Ahaz, H271 which the kings H4428 of Judah H3063 had made, H6213 and the altars H4196 which Manasseh H4519 had made H6213 in the two H8147 courts H2691 of the house H1004 of the LORD, H3068 did the king H4428 beat down, H5422 and brake them down H7323 from thence, and cast H7993 the dust H6083 of them into the brook H5158 Kidron. H6939 And the high places H1116 that were before H6440 Jerusalem, H3389 which were on the right hand H3225 of the mount H2022 of corruption, H4889 which Solomon H8010 the king H4428 of Israel H3478 had builded H1129 for Ashtoreth H6253 the abomination H8251 of the Zidonians, H6722 and for Chemosh H3645 the abomination H8251 of the Moabites, H4124 and for Milcom H4445 the abomination H8441 of the children H1121 of Ammon, H5983 did the king H4428 defile. H2930 And he brake in pieces H7665 the images, H4676 and cut down H3772 the groves, H842 and filled H4390 their places H4725 with the bones H6106 of men. H120 Moreover the altar H4196 that was at Bethel, H1008 and the high place H1116 which Jeroboam H3379 the son H1121 of Nebat, H5028 who made Israel H3478 to sin, H2398 had made, H6213 both that altar H4196 and the high place H1116 he brake down, H5422 and burned H8313 the high place, H1116 and stamped H1854 it small to powder, H6083 and burned H8313 the grove. H842 And as Josiah H2977 turned H6437 himself, he spied H7200 the sepulchres H6913 that were there in the mount, H2022 and sent, H7971 and took H3947 the bones H6106 out of the sepulchres, H6913 and burned H8313 them upon the altar, H4196 and polluted H2930 it, according to the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 which the man H376 of God H430 proclaimed, H7121 who proclaimed H7121 these words. H1697 Then he said, H559 What title H6725 is that H1975 that I see? H7200 And the men H582 of the city H5892 told H559 him, It is the sepulchre H6913 of the man H376 of God, H430 which came H935 from Judah, H3063 and proclaimed H7121 these things H1697 that thou hast done H6213 against the altar H4196 of Bethel. H1008 And he said, H559 Let him alone; H3240 let no man H376 move H5128 his bones. H6106 So they let his bones H6106 alone, H4422 with the bones H6106 of the prophet H5030 that came out H935 of Samaria. H8111 And all the houses H1004 also of the high places H1116 that were in the cities H5892 of Samaria, H8111 which the kings H4428 of Israel H3478 had made H6213 to provoke the LORD to anger, H3707 Josiah H2977 took away, H5493 and did H6213 to them according to all the acts H4639 that he had done H6213 in Bethel. H1008 And he slew H2076 all the priests H3548 of the high places H1116 that were there upon the altars, H4196 and burned H8313 men's H120 bones H6106 upon them, and returned H7725 to Jerusalem. H3389
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Chronicles 34
Commentary on 2 Chronicles 34 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 34
2Ch 34:1, 2. Josiah's Good Reign.
1. Josiah was eight years old—(See on 2Ki 22:1). The testimony borne to the undeviating steadfastness of his adherence to the cause of true religion places his character and reign in honorable contrast with those of many of his royal predecessors.
2Ch 34:3-7. He Destroys Idolatry.
3. in the eighth year of his reign—This was the sixteenth year of his age, and, as the kings of Judah were considered minors till they had completed their thirteenth year, it was three years after he had attained majority. He had very early manifested the piety and excellent dispositions of his character. In the twelfth year of his reign, but the twentieth of his age, he began to take a lively interest in the purgation of his kingdom from all the monuments of idolatry which, in his father's short reign, had been erected. At a later period, his increasing zeal for securing the purity of divine worship led him to superintend the work of demolition in various parts of his dominion. The course of the narrative in this passage is somewhat different from that followed in the Book of Kings. For the historian, having made allusion to the early manifestation of Josiah's zeal, goes on with a full detail of all the measures this good king adopted for the extirpation of idolatry; whereas the author of the Book of Kings sets out with the cleansing of the temple, immediately previous to the celebration of the passover, and embraces that occasion to give a general description of Josiah's policy for freeing the land from idolatrous pollution. The exact chronological order is not followed either in Kings or Chronicles. But it is clearly recorded in both that the abolition of idolatry began in the twelfth and was completed in the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign. Notwithstanding Josiah's undoubted sincerity and zeal and the people's apparent compliance with the king's orders, he could not extinguish a strongly rooted attachment to idolatries introduced in the early part of Manasseh's reign. This latent predilection appears unmistakably developed in the subsequent reigns, and the divine decree for the removal of Judah, as well as Israel, into captivity was irrevocably passed.
4. the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them—He treated the graves themselves as guilty of the crimes of those who were lying in them [Bertheau].
5. he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars—A greater brand of infamy could not have been put on idolatrous priests than the disinterment of their bones, and a greater defilement could not have been done to the altars of idolatry than the burning upon them the bones of those who had there officiated in their lifetime.
6. with their mattocks—or, "in their deserts"—so that the verse will stand thus: "And so did [namely, break the altars and burn the bones of priests] he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their deserted suburbs." The reader is apt to be surprised on finding that Josiah, whose hereditary possessions were confined to the kingdom of Judah, exercised as much authority among the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Simeon, and others as far as Naphtali, as he did within his own dominion. Therefore, it is necessary to observe that, after the destruction of Samaria by Shalmaneser, the remnant that continued on the mountains of Israel maintained a close intercourse with Judah, and looked to the sovereigns of that kingdom as their natural protectors. Those kings acquired great influence over them, which Josiah exercised in removing every vestige of idolatry from the land. He could not have done this without the acquiescence of the people in the propriety of this proceeding, conscious that this was conformable to their ancient laws and institutions. The Assyrian kings, who were now masters of the country, might have been displeased at the liberties Josiah took beyond his own territories. But either they were not informed of his doings, or they did not trouble themselves about his religious proceedings, relating, as they would think, to the god of the land, especially as he did not attempt to seize upon any place or to disturb the allegiance of the people [Calmet].
2Ch 34:8-18. He Repairs the Temple.
8. in the eighteenth year of his reign … he sent Shaphan—(See on 2Ki 22:3-9).
2Ch 34:19-33. And, Causing the Law to Be Read, Renews the Covenant between God and the People.
19. when the king had heard the words of the law, &c.—(See on 2Ki 22:11-20; 23:1-3).