Show Bible Commentary For A Bible Verse

Click here to show/hide instructions.

Selected Verse: 2 Kings 23:4 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
2Ki 23:4	Strong Concordance	And the king [04428] commanded [06680] Hilkiah [02518] the high [01419] priest [03548], and the priests [03548] of the second order [04932], and the keepers [08104] of the door [05592], to bring forth [03318] out of the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068] all the vessels [03627] that were made [06213] for Baal [01168], and for the grove [0842], and for all the host [06635] of heaven [08064]: and he burned [08313] them without [02351] Jerusalem [03389] in the fields [07709] of Kidron [06939], and carried [05375] the ashes [06083] of them unto Bethel [01008].
	King James	And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

Open All | Close All Open All | Close All

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
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 (Deu 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 (Ch2 29:15-16) and the city. His reforming predecessors had ordered the mutilated relics of idolatry to be thrown into that receptacle of filth (Kg1 15:13; Ch2 15:16; Ch2 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.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

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 (Deu 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 (Ch2 29:15-16) and the city. His reforming predecessors had ordered the mutilated relics of idolatry to be thrown into that receptacle of filth (Kg1 15:13; Ch2 15:16; Ch2 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.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
A parenthesis giving the earlier reforms of Josiah. Kg2 23:4 The priests of the second order - This is a new expression; and probably refers to the ordinary priests, called here "priests of the second order," in contrast with the high priest, whose dignity was reviving (Kg2 12:2 note). The vessels - This would include the whole apparatus of worship, altars, images, dresses, utensils, etc., for Baal, etc. (Kg2 21:3-5 notes). The ashes of the idolatrous objects burned in the first instance in the "fields of Kidron" (i. e., in the part of the valley which lies northeast of the city, a part much broader than that between the Temple Hill and the Mount of Olives) were actually taken to Bethel, as to an accursed place, and one just beyond the borders of Judah; while those of other objects burned afterward were not carried so far, the trouble being great and the need not absolute, but were thrown into the Kidron Kg2 23:12, when there happened to be water to carry them away, or scattered on graves which were already unclean Kg2 23:6. Compare Kg1 15:13. Kg2 23:5 He put down ... - or, "He caused to cease the idolatrous priests" (margin); i. e., he stopped them. The word translated "idolatrous priests" (see the margin) is a rare one, occurring only here and in marginal references. Here and in Zephaniah it is contrasted with כהן kôhên, another class of high-place priests. The כהן kôhên were probably "Levitical," the כהן kâhêm "non-Levitical priests of the highplaces." כהן kâhêm appears to have been a foreign term, perhaps derived from the Syriac cumro, which means a priest of any kind. Whom the kings of Judah had ordained - The consecration of non-Levitical priests by the kings of Judah (compare Kg1 12:31) had not been previously mentioned; but it is quite in accordance with the other proceedings of Manasseh and Amon. The planets - See the marginal note, i. e., the "signs of the Zodiac." Compare Job 38:32 margin. The word in the original probably means primarily "houses" or "stations," which was the name applied by the Babylonians to their divisions of the Zodiac. Kg2 23:6 The ashes, being polluted and polluting, were thrown upon graves, because there no one could come into contact with them, since graves were avoided as unclean places. Kg2 23:7 By the house of the Lord - This did not arise from intentional desecration, but from the fact that the practices in question were a part of the idolatrous ceremonial, being regarded as pleasing to the gods, and, indeed, as positive acts of worship (compare the marginal reference). The "women" were probably the priestesses attached to the worship of Astarte, which was intimately connected with that of the Asherah or "grove." Among their occupations one was the weaving of coverings (literally "houses" margin) for the Asherah, which seem to have been of various colors (marginal reference). Kg2 23:8 Josiah removed the Levitical priests, who had officiated at the various high-places, from the scenes of their idolatries, and brought them to Jerusalem, where their conduct might be watched. From Geba to Beer-sheba - i. e., from the extreme north to the extreme south of the kingdom of Judah. On Geba see the marginal reference note. The high-place of Beer-sheba had obtained an evil celebrity Amo 5:5; Amo 8:14. The high places of the gates ... - Render, "He brake down the high-places of the gates, both that which was at the entering in of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city (Kg1 22:26 note), and also that which was on a man's left hand at the gate of the city." According to this, there were only two "high-places of the gates" (or idolatrous shrines erected in the city at gate-towers) at Jerusalem. The "gate of Joshua is conjectured to have been a gate in the inner wall; and the "gate of the city," the Valley-gate (modern "Jaffa-gate"). Kg2 23:9 Nevertheless - Connect this verse with the first clause of Kg2 23:8. The priests were treated as if they had been disqualified from serving at the altar by a bodily blemish Lev 21:21-23. They were not secularised, but remained in the priestly order and received a maintenance from the ecclesiastical revenues. Contrast with this treatment Josiah's severity toward the priests of the high-places in Samaria, who were sacrificed upon their own altars Kg2 23:20. Probably the high-place worship in Judaea had continued in the main a worship of Yahweh with idolatrous rites, while in Samaria it had degenerated into an actual worship of other gods. Kg2 23:10 The word Topheth, or Topher - variously derived from toph, "a drum" or "tabour," because the cries of the sacrificed children were drowned by the noise of such instruments; or, from a root taph or toph, meaning "to burn" - was a spot in the valley of Hinnom (marginal reference note). The later Jewish kings, Manasseh and Amon (or, perhaps, Ahaz, Ch2 28:3), had given it over to the Moloch priests for their worship; and here, ever since, the Moloch service had maintained its ground and flourished (marginal references). Kg2 23:11 The custom of dedicating a chariot and horses to the Sun is a Persian practice. There are no traces of it in Assyria; and it is extremely curious to find that it was known to the Jews as early as the reign of Manasseh. The idea of regarding the Sun as a charioteer who drove his horses daily across the sky, so familiar to the Greeks and Romans, may not improbably have been imported from Asia, and may have been at the root of the custom in question. The chariot, or chariots, of the Sun appear to have been used, chiefly if not solely, for sacred processions. They were white, and were drawn probably by white horses. The kings of Judah who gave them were Manasseh and Amon certainly; perhaps Ahaz; perhaps even earlier monarchs, as Joash and Amaziah. In the suburbs - The expression used here פרברים parbārı̂ym is of unknown derivation and occurs nowhere else. A somewhat similar word occurs in Ch1 26:18, namely, פרבר parbār, which seems to have been a place just outside the western wall of the temple, and therefore a sort of "purlieu" or "suburb." The פרברים parbārı̂ym of this passage may mean the same place or it may signify some other "suburb" of the temple. Kg2 23:12 The upper chamber of Ahaz - Conjectured to be a chamber erected on the flat roof of one of the gateways which led into the temple court. It was probably built in order that its roof might be used for the worship of the host of heaven, for which house-tops were considered especially appropriate (compare the marginal references). Brake them down from thence - Rather as in the margin, i. e., he "hasted and cast the dust into Kidron." Kg2 23:13 On the position of these high-places see Kg1 11:7 note. As they were allowed to remain under such kings as Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, they were probably among the old high-places where Yahweh had been worshipped blamelessly, or at least without any consciousness of guilt (see Kg1 3:2 note). Manasseh or Amon had however restored them to the condition which they had held in the reign of Solomon, and therefore Josiah would condemn them to a special defilement. The mount of corruption - See the margin. It is suspected that the original name was Har ham-mishcah, "mount of anointing," and that this was changed afterward, by way of contempt, into Har ham-mashchith, "mount of corruption." Kg2 23:14 The Law attached uncleanness to the "bones of men," no less than to actual corpses Num 19:16. We may gather from this and other passages Kg2 23:20; Kg1 13:2, that the Jews who rejected the Law were as firm believers in the defilement as those who adhered to the Law. Kg2 23:15 And burned the high place - This "high place" is to be distinguished from the altar and the grove (אשׁרה 'ăshêrâh). It may have been a shrine or tabernacle, either standing by itself or else covering the "grove" (Kg2 23:7 note; Kg1 14:23 note). As it was "stamped small to powder," it must have been made either of metal or stone. Kg2 23:16 To burn human bones was contrary to all the ordinary Jewish feelings with respect to the sanctity of the sepulchre, and had even been denounced as a sin of a heinous character when committed by a king of Moab Amo 2:1. Joshua did it, because justified by the divine command (marginal reference). Kg2 23:17 What title is that? - Rather, "What pillar is that?" The word in the original indicates a short stone pillar, which was set up either as a way-mark Jer 31:21, or as a sepulchral monument Gen 35:20; Eze 39:15. Kg2 23:19 The cities of Samaria - The reformation which Josiah effected in Samaria, is narrated in Chronicles. It implies sovereignty to the furthest northern limits of Galilee, and is explained by the general political history of the East during his reign. Between 632-626 B.C. the Scythians ravaged the more northern countries of Armenia, Media, and Cappadocia, and found their way across Mesopotamia to Syria, and thence, made an attempt to invade Egypt. As they were neither the fated enemy of Judah, nor had any hand in bringing that enemy into the country, no mention is made of them in the Historical Books of Scripture. It is only in the prophets that we catch glimpses of the fearful sufferings of the time Zep 2:4-6; Jer 1:13-15; Jer 6:2-5; Ezek. 38; 39. The invasion had scarcely gone by, and matters settled into their former position, when the astounding intelligence must have reached Jerusalem that the Assyrian monarchy had fallen; that Nineveh was destroyed, and that her place was to be taken, so far as Syria and Palestine were concerned, by Babylon. This event is fixed about 625 B.C., which seems to be exactly the time during which Josiah was occupied in carrying out his reformation in Samaria. The confusion arising in these provinces from the Scythian invasion and the troubles in Assyria was taken advantage of by Josiah to enlarge his own sovereignty. There is every indication that Josiah did, in fact, unite under his rule all the old "land of Israel" except the trans-Jordanic region, and regarded himself as subject to Nabopolassar of Babylon. Kg2 23:20 Here, as in Kg2 23:16, Josiah may have regarded himself as bound to act as he did (marginal reference "b"). Excepting on account of the prophecy, he would scarcely have slain the priests upon the altars.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]

A parenthesis giving the earlier reforms of Josiah.

Kg2 23:4

The priests of the second order - This is a new expression; and probably refers to the ordinary priests, called here "priests of the second order," in contrast with the high priest, whose dignity was reviving (Kg2 12:2 note).

The vessels - This would include the whole apparatus of worship, altars, images, dresses, utensils, etc., for Baal, etc. (Kg2 21:3-5 notes).

The ashes of the idolatrous objects burned in the first instance in the "fields of Kidron" (i. e., in the part of the valley which lies northeast of the city, a part much broader than that between the Temple Hill and the Mount of Olives) were actually taken to Bethel, as to an accursed place, and one just beyond the borders of Judah; while those of other objects burned afterward were not carried so far, the trouble being great and the need not absolute, but were thrown into the Kidron Kg2 23:12, when there happened to be water to carry them away, or scattered on graves which were already unclean Kg2 23:6. Compare Kg1 15:13.

Kg2 23:5

He put down ... - or, "He caused to cease the idolatrous priests" (margin); i. e., he stopped them. The word translated "idolatrous priests" (see the margin) is a rare one, occurring only here and in marginal references. Here and in Zephaniah it is contrasted with כהן kôhên, another class of high-place priests. The כהן kôhên were probably "Levitical," the כהן kâhêm "non-Levitical priests of the highplaces." כהן kâhêm appears to have been a foreign term, perhaps derived from the Syriac cumro, which means a priest of any kind.

Whom the kings of Judah had ordained - The consecration of non-Levitical priests by the kings of Judah (compare Kg1 12:31) had not been previously mentioned; but it is quite in accordance with the other proceedings of Manasseh and Amon.

The planets - See the marginal note, i. e., the "signs of the Zodiac." Compare Job 38:32 margin. The word in the original probably means primarily "houses" or "stations," which was the name applied by the Babylonians to their divisions of the Zodiac.

Kg2 23:6

The ashes, being polluted and polluting, were thrown upon graves, because there no one could come into contact with them, since graves were avoided as unclean places.

Kg2 23:7

By the house of the Lord - This did not arise from intentional desecration, but from the fact that the practices in question were a part of the idolatrous ceremonial, being regarded as pleasing to the gods, and, indeed, as positive acts of worship (compare the marginal reference).

The "women" were probably the priestesses attached to the worship of Astarte, which was intimately connected with that of the Asherah or "grove." Among their occupations one was the weaving of coverings (literally "houses" margin) for the Asherah, which seem to have been of various colors (marginal reference).

Kg2 23:8

Josiah removed the Levitical priests, who had officiated at the various high-places, from the scenes of their idolatries, and brought them to Jerusalem, where their conduct might be watched.

From Geba to Beer-sheba - i. e., from the extreme north to the extreme south of the kingdom of Judah. On Geba see the marginal reference note. The high-place of Beer-sheba had obtained an evil celebrity Amo 5:5; Amo 8:14.

The high places of the gates ... - Render, "He brake down the high-places of the gates, both that which was at the entering in of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city (Kg1 22:26 note), and also that which was on a man's left hand at the gate of the city." According to this, there were only two "high-places of the gates" (or idolatrous shrines erected in the city at gate-towers) at Jerusalem. The "gate of Joshua is conjectured to have been a gate in the inner wall; and the "gate of the city," the Valley-gate (modern "Jaffa-gate").

Kg2 23:9

Nevertheless - Connect this verse with the first clause of Kg2 23:8. The priests were treated as if they had been disqualified from serving at the altar by a bodily blemish Lev 21:21-23. They were not secularised, but remained in the priestly order and received a maintenance from the ecclesiastical revenues. Contrast with this treatment Josiah's severity toward the priests of the high-places in Samaria, who were sacrificed upon their own altars Kg2 23:20. Probably the high-place worship in Judaea had continued in the main a worship of Yahweh with idolatrous rites, while in Samaria it had degenerated into an actual worship of other gods.

Kg2 23:10

The word Topheth, or Topher - variously derived from toph, "a drum" or "tabour," because the cries of the sacrificed children were drowned by the noise of such instruments; or, from a root taph or toph, meaning "to burn" - was a spot in the valley of Hinnom (marginal reference note). The later Jewish kings, Manasseh and Amon (or, perhaps, Ahaz, Ch2 28:3), had given it over to the Moloch priests for their worship; and here, ever since, the Moloch service had maintained its ground and flourished (marginal references).

Kg2 23:11

The custom of dedicating a chariot and horses to the Sun is a Persian practice. There are no traces of it in Assyria; and it is extremely curious to find that it was known to the Jews as early as the reign of Manasseh. The idea of regarding the Sun as a charioteer who drove his horses daily across the sky, so familiar to the Greeks and Romans, may not improbably have been imported from Asia, and may have been at the root of the custom in question. The chariot, or chariots, of the Sun appear to have been used, chiefly if not solely, for sacred processions. They were white, and were drawn probably by white horses. The kings of Judah who gave them were Manasseh and Amon certainly; perhaps Ahaz; perhaps even earlier monarchs, as Joash and Amaziah.

In the suburbs - The expression used here פרברים parbārı̂ym is of unknown derivation and occurs nowhere else. A somewhat similar word occurs in Ch1 26:18, namely, פרבר parbār, which seems to have been a place just outside the western wall of the temple, and therefore a sort of "purlieu" or "suburb." The פרברים parbārı̂ym of this passage may mean the same place or it may signify some other "suburb" of the temple.

Kg2 23:12

The upper chamber of Ahaz - Conjectured to be a chamber erected on the flat roof of one of the gateways which led into the temple court. It was probably built in order that its roof might be used for the worship of the host of heaven, for which house-tops were considered especially appropriate (compare the marginal references).

Brake them down from thence - Rather as in the margin, i. e., he "hasted and cast the dust into Kidron."

Kg2 23:13

On the position of these high-places see Kg1 11:7 note. As they were allowed to remain under such kings as Asa, Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah, they were probably among the old high-places where Yahweh had been worshipped blamelessly, or at least without any consciousness of guilt (see Kg1 3:2 note). Manasseh or Amon had however restored them to the condition which they had held in the reign of Solomon, and therefore Josiah would condemn them to a special defilement.

The mount of corruption - See the margin. It is suspected that the original name was Har ham-mishcah, "mount of anointing," and that this was changed afterward, by way of contempt, into Har ham-mashchith, "mount of corruption."

Kg2 23:14

The Law attached uncleanness to the "bones of men," no less than to actual corpses Num 19:16. We may gather from this and other passages Kg2 23:20; Kg1 13:2, that the Jews who rejected the Law were as firm believers in the defilement as those who adhered to the Law.

Kg2 23:15

And burned the high place - This "high place" is to be distinguished from the altar and the grove (אשׁרה 'ăshêrâh). It may have been a shrine or tabernacle, either standing by itself or else covering the "grove" (Kg2 23:7 note; Kg1 14:23 note). As it was "stamped small to powder," it must have been made either of metal or stone.

Kg2 23:16

To burn human bones was contrary to all the ordinary Jewish feelings with respect to the sanctity of the sepulchre, and had even been denounced as a sin of a heinous character when committed by a king of Moab Amo 2:1. Joshua did it, because justified by the divine command (marginal reference).

Kg2 23:17

What title is that? - Rather, "What pillar is that?" The word in the original indicates a short stone pillar, which was set up either as a way-mark Jer 31:21, or as a sepulchral monument Gen 35:20; Eze 39:15.

Kg2 23:19

The cities of Samaria - The reformation which Josiah effected in Samaria, is narrated in Chronicles. It implies sovereignty to the furthest northern limits of Galilee, and is explained by the general political history of the East during his reign. Between 632-626 B.C. the Scythians ravaged the more northern countries of Armenia, Media, and Cappadocia, and found their way across Mesopotamia to Syria, and thence, made an attempt to invade Egypt. As they were neither the fated enemy of Judah, nor had any hand in bringing that enemy into the country, no mention is made of them in the Historical Books of Scripture. It is only in the prophets that we catch glimpses of the fearful sufferings of the time Zep 2:4-6; Jer 1:13-15; Jer 6:2-5; Ezek. 38; 39. The invasion had scarcely gone by, and matters settled into their former position, when the astounding intelligence must have reached Jerusalem that the Assyrian monarchy had fallen; that Nineveh was destroyed, and that her place was to be taken, so far as Syria and Palestine were concerned, by Babylon. This event is fixed about 625 B.C., which seems to be exactly the time during which Josiah was occupied in carrying out his reformation in Samaria. The confusion arising in these provinces from the Scythian invasion and the troubles in Assyria was taken advantage of by Josiah to enlarge his own sovereignty. There is every indication that Josiah did, in fact, unite under his rule all the old "land of Israel" except the trans-Jordanic region, and regarded himself as subject to Nabopolassar of Babylon.

Kg2 23:20

Here, as in Kg2 23:16, Josiah may have regarded himself as bound to act as he did (marginal reference "b"). Excepting on account of the prophecy, he would scarcely have slain the priests upon the altars.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Second order - Either those two who were next in degree to the high - priest, and in case of sickness were to manage his work: or the heads of the twenty four courses which David had appointed. The grove - The image of the grove: it being most frequent to call images by the names of the persons or things which they represent. The fields - Adjoining to the brook of Kidron. To Beth - el - To shew his abhorrence of them, and that he would not give the ashes of them a place in his kingdom: and to pollute and disgrace that place which had been the chief seat and throne of idolatry.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
The priests of the second order - These were probably such as supplied the place of the high priest when he was prevented: from fulfilling the functions of his office. So the Chaldee understood the place - the sagan of the high priests. But the words may refer to those of the second course or order established by David: though it does not appear that those orders were now in use, yet the distinction was continued even to the time of our Lord. We find the course of Abia, which was the eighth, mentioned Luk 1:5 (note); where see the note. All the vessels - These had been used for idolatrous purposes; the king is now to destroy them; for although no longer used in this way, they might, if permitted to remain, be an incentive to idolatry at a future time.

Top

¹⁴ And they arose [06965] and took away [05493] the altars [04196] that were in Jerusalem [03389], and all the altars for incense [06999] took they away [05493], and cast [07993] them into the brook [05158] Kidron [06939].

¹⁶ And also concerning Maachah [04601] the mother [0517] of Asa [0609] the king [04428], he removed [05493] her from being queen [01377], because she had made [06213] an idol [04656] in a grove [0842]: and Asa [0609] cut down [03772] her idol [04656], and stamped [01854] it, and burnt [08313] it at the brook [05158] Kidron [06939].

¹³ And also Maachah [04601] his mother [0517], even her he removed [05493] from being queen [01377], because she had made [06213] an idol [04656] in a grove [0842]; and Asa [0609] destroyed [03772] her idol [04656], and burnt [08313] it by the brook [05158] Kidron [06939].

¹⁵ And they gathered [0622] their brethren [0251], and sanctified [06942] themselves, and came [0935], according to the commandment [04687] of the king [04428], by the words [01697] of the LORD [03068], to cleanse [02891] the house [01004] of the LORD [03068].
¹⁶ And the priests [03548] went [0935] into the inner part [06441] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], to cleanse [02891] it, and brought out [03318] all the uncleanness [02932] that they found [04672] in the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068] into the court [02691] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068]. And the Levites [03881] took [06901] it, to carry it out [03318] abroad [02351] into the brook [05158] Kidron [06939].

²⁵ The graven images [06456] of their gods [0430] shall ye burn [08313] with fire [0784]: thou shalt not desire [02530] the silver [03701] or gold [02091] that is on them, nor take [03947] it unto thee, lest thou be snared [03369] therein: for it is an abomination [08441] to the LORD [03068] thy God [0430].

¹⁶ And as Josiah [02977] turned [06437] himself, he spied [07200] the sepulchres [06913] that were there in the mount [02022], and sent [07971], and took [03947] the bones [06106] out of the sepulchres [06913], and burned [08313] them upon the altar [04196], and polluted [02930] it, according to the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] which the man [0376] of God [0430] proclaimed [07121], who proclaimed [07121] these words [01697].

²⁰ And he slew [02076] all the priests [03548] of the high places [01116] that were there upon the altars [04196], and burned [08313] men's [0120] bones [06106] upon them, and returned [07725] to Jerusalem [03389].

² I have likened [01820] the daughter [01323] of Zion [06726] to a comely [05116] and delicate [06026] woman.
³ The shepherds [07462] with their flocks [05739] shall come [0935] unto her; they shall pitch [08628] their tents [0168] against her round about [05439]; they shall feed [07462] every one [0376] in his place [03027].
⁴ Prepare [06942] ye war [04421] against her; arise [06965], and let us go up [05927] at noon [06672]. Woe [0188] unto us! for the day [03117] goeth away [06437], for the shadows [06752] of the evening [06153] are stretched out [05186].
⁵ Arise [06965], and let us go [05927] by night [03915], and let us destroy [07843] her palaces [0759].

¹³ And the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] came unto me the second time [08145], saying [0559], What seest [07200] thou? And I said [0559], I see [07200] a seething [05301] pot [05518]; and the face [06440] thereof is toward [06440] the north [06828].
¹⁴ Then the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto me, Out of the north [06828] an evil [07451] shall break forth [06605] upon all the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776].
¹⁵ For, lo, I will call [07121] all the families [04940] of the kingdoms [04467] of the north [06828], saith [05002] the LORD [03068]; and they shall come [0935], and they shall set [05414] every one [0376] his throne [03678] at the entering [06607] of the gates [08179] of Jerusalem [03389], and against all the walls [02346] thereof round about [05439], and against all the cities [05892] of Judah [03063].

⁴ For Gaza [05804] shall be forsaken [05800], and Ashkelon [0831] a desolation [08077]: they shall drive out [01644] Ashdod [0795] at the noon day [06672], and Ekron [06138] shall be rooted up [06131].
⁵ Woe [01945] unto the inhabitants [03427] of the sea [03220] coast [02256], the nation [01471] of the Cherethites [03774]! the word [01697] of the LORD [03068] is against you; O Canaan [03667], the land [0776] of the Philistines [06430], I will even destroy [06] thee, that there shall be no inhabitant [03427].
⁶ And the sea [03220] coast [02256] shall be dwellings [05116] and cottages [03741] for shepherds [07462], and folds [01448] for flocks [06629].

¹⁹ And all the houses [01004] also of the high places [01116] that were in the cities [05892] of Samaria [08111], which the kings [04428] of Israel [03478] had made [06213] to provoke the LORD to anger [03707], Josiah [02977] took away [05493], and did [06213] to them according to all the acts [04639] that he had done [06213] in Bethel [01008].

¹⁵ And the passengers [05674] that pass through [05674] the land [0776], when any seeth [07200] a man's [0120] bone [06106], then shall he set up [01129] a sign [06725] by [0681] it, till the buriers [06912] have buried [06912] it in the valley [01516] of Hamongog [01996].

²⁰ And Jacob [03290] set [05324] a pillar [04676] upon her grave [06900]: that is the pillar [04678] of Rachel's [07354] grave [06900] unto this day [03117].

²¹ Set thee up [05324] waymarks [06725], make [07760] thee high heaps [08564]: set [07896] thine heart [03820] toward the highway [04546], even the way [01870] which thou wentest [01980]: turn again [07725], O virgin [01330] of Israel [03478], turn again [07725] to these thy cities [05892].

¹⁷ Then he said [0559], What title [06725] is that [01975] that I see [07200]? And the men [0582] of the city [05892] told [0559] him, It is the sepulchre [06913] of the man [0376] of God [0430], which came [0935] from Judah [03063], and proclaimed [07121] these things [01697] that thou hast done [06213] against the altar [04196] of Bethel [01008].

¹ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068]; For three [07969] transgressions [06588] of Moab [04124], and for four [0702], I will not turn away [07725] the punishment thereof; because he burned [08313] the bones [06106] of the king [04428] of Edom [0123] into lime [07875]:

²³ For they also built [01129] them high places [01116], and images [04676], and groves [0842], on every high [01364] hill [01389], and under every green [07488] tree [06086].

⁷ And he brake down [05422] the houses [01004] of the sodomites [06945], that were by the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], where the women [0802] wove [0707] hangings [01004] for the grove [0842].

¹⁵ Moreover the altar [04196] that was at Bethel [01008], and the high place [01116] which Jeroboam [03379] the son [01121] of Nebat [05028], who made Israel [03478] to sin [02398], had made [06213], both that altar [04196] and the high place [01116] he brake down [05422], and burned [08313] the high place [01116], and stamped [01854] it small to powder [06083], and burned [08313] the grove [0842].

² And he cried [07121] against the altar [04196] in the word [01697] of the LORD [03068], and said [0559], O altar [04196], altar [04196], thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068]; Behold, a child [01121] shall be born [03205] unto the house [01004] of David [01732], Josiah [02977] by name [08034]; and upon thee shall he offer [02076] the priests [03548] of the high places [01116] that burn incense [06999] upon thee, and men's [0120] bones [06106] shall be burnt [08313] upon thee.

¹⁶ And whosoever toucheth [05060] one that is slain [02491] with a sword [02719] in the open [06440] fields [07704], or a dead body [04191], or a bone [06106] of a man [0120], or a grave [06913], shall be unclean [02930] seven [07651] days [03117].

¹⁴ And he brake in pieces [07665] the images [04676], and cut down [03772] the groves [0842], and filled [04390] their places [04725] with the bones [06106] of men [0120].

² Only the people [05971] sacrificed [02076] in high places [01116], because there was no house [01004] built [01129] unto the name [08034] of the LORD [03068], until those days [03117].

⁷ Then did Solomon [08010] build [01129] an high place [01116] for Chemosh [03645], the abomination [08251] of Moab [04124], in the hill [02022] that is before [06440] Jerusalem [03389], and for Molech [04432], the abomination [08251] of the children [01121] of Ammon [05983].

¹³ And the high places [01116] that were before [06440] Jerusalem [03389], which were on the right hand [03225] of the mount [02022] of corruption [04889], which Solomon [08010] the king [04428] of Israel [03478] had builded [01129] for Ashtoreth [06253] the abomination [08251] of the Zidonians [06722], and for Chemosh [03645] the abomination [08251] of the Moabites [04124], and for Milcom [04445] the abomination [08441] of the children [01121] of Ammon [05983], did the king [04428] defile [02930].

¹² And the altars [04196] that were on the top [01406] of the upper chamber [05944] of Ahaz [0271], which the kings [04428] of Judah [03063] had made [06213], and the altars [04196] which Manasseh [04519] had made [06213] in the two [08147] courts [02691] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], did the king [04428] beat down [05422], and brake them down [07323] from thence, and cast [07993] the dust [06083] of them into the brook [05158] Kidron [06939].

¹⁸ At Parbar [06503] westward [04628], four [0702] at the causeway [04546], and two [08147] at Parbar [06503].

¹¹ And he took away [07673] the horses [05483] that the kings [04428] of Judah [03063] had given [05414] to the sun [08121], at the entering in [0935] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], by the chamber [03957] of Nathanmelech [05419] the chamberlain [05631], which was in the suburbs [06503], and burned [08313] the chariots [04818] of the sun [08121] with fire [0784].

³ Moreover he burnt incense [06999] in the valley [01516] of the son [01121] of Hinnom [02011], and burnt [01197] his children [01121] in the fire [0784], after the abominations [08441] of the heathen [01471] whom the LORD [03068] had cast out [03423] before [06440] the children [01121] of Israel [03478].

¹⁰ And he defiled [02930] Topheth [08612], which is in the valley [01516] of the children [01121] [01121] of Hinnom [02011], that no man [0376] might make his son [01121] or his daughter [01323] to pass through [05674] the fire [0784] to Molech [04432].

²¹ No man [0376] that hath a blemish [03971] of the seed [02233] of Aaron [0175] the priest [03548] shall come nigh [05066] to offer [07126] the offerings [0801] of the LORD [03068] made by fire [0801]: he hath a blemish [03971]; he shall not come nigh [05066] to offer [07126] the bread [03899] of his God [0430].
²² He shall eat [0398] the bread [03899] of his God [0430], both of the most [06944] holy [06944], and of the holy [06944].
²³ Only he shall not go in [0935] unto the vail [06532], nor come nigh [05066] unto the altar [04196], because he hath a blemish [03971]; that he profane [02490] not my sanctuaries [04720]: for I the LORD [03068] do sanctify [06942] them.

⁸ And he brought [0935] all the priests [03548] out of the cities [05892] of Judah [03063], and defiled [02930] the high places [01116] where the priests [03548] had burned incense [06999], from Geba [01387] to Beersheba [0884], and brake down [05422] the high places [01116] of the gates [08179] that were in the entering in [06607] of the gate [08179] of Joshua [03091] the governor [08269] of the city [05892], which were on a man's [0376] left hand [08040] at the gate [08179] of the city [05892].

⁹ Nevertheless the priests [03548] of the high places [01116] came not up [05927] to the altar [04196] of the LORD [03068] in Jerusalem [03389], but they did eat [0398] of the unleavened bread [04682] among [08432] their brethren [0251].

²⁶ And the king [04428] of Israel [03478] said [0559], Take [03947] Micaiah [04321], and carry him back [07725] unto Amon [0526] the governor [08269] of the city [05892], and to Joash [03101] the king's [04428] son [01121];

¹⁴ They that swear [07650] by the sin [0819] of Samaria [08111], and say [0559], Thy god [0430], O Dan [01835], liveth [02416]; and, The manner [01870] of Beersheba [0884] liveth [02416]; even they shall fall [05307], and never rise up [06965] again.

⁵ But seek [01875] not Bethel [01008], nor enter [0935] into Gilgal [01537], and pass [05674] not to Beersheba [0884]: for Gilgal [01537] shall surely [01540] go into captivity [01540], and Bethel [01008] shall come to nought [0205].

⁶ And he brought out [03318] the grove [0842] from the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], without [02351] Jerusalem [03389], unto the brook [05158] Kidron [06939], and burned [08313] it at the brook [05158] Kidron [06939], and stamped it small [01854] to powder [06083], and cast [07993] the powder [06083] thereof upon the graves [06913] of the children [01121] of the people [05971].

³² Canst thou bring forth [03318] Mazzaroth [04216] in his season [06256]? or canst thou guide [05148] Arcturus [05906] with his sons [01121]?

³¹ And he made [06213] an house [01004] of high places [01116], and made [06213] priests [03548] of the lowest [07098] of the people [05971], which were not of the sons [01121] of Levi [03878].

⁵ And he put down [07673] the idolatrous priests [03649], whom the kings [04428] of Judah [03063] had ordained [05414] to burn incense [06999] in the high places [01116] in the cities [05892] of Judah [03063], and in the places round about [04524] Jerusalem [03389]; them also that burned incense [06999] unto Baal [01168], to the sun [08121], and to the moon [03394], and to the planets [04208], and to all the host [06635] of heaven [08064].

³ For he built up [01129] again [07725] the high places [01116] which Hezekiah [02396] his father [01] had destroyed [06]; and he reared up [06965] altars [04196] for Baal [01168], and made [06213] a grove [0842], as did [06213] Ahab [0256] king [04428] of Israel [03478]; and worshipped [07812] all the host [06635] of heaven [08064], and served [05647] them.
⁴ And he built [01129] altars [04196] in the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], of which the LORD [03068] said [0559], In Jerusalem [03389] will I put [07760] my name [08034].
⁵ And he built [01129] altars [04196] for all the host [06635] of heaven [08064] in the two [08147] courts [02691] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068].

² And Jehoash [03060] did [06213] that which was right [03477] in the sight [05869] of the LORD [03068] all his days [03117] wherein Jehoiada [03077] the priest [03548] instructed [03384] him.

⁴ And the king [04428] commanded [06680] Hilkiah [02518] the high [01419] priest [03548], and the priests [03548] of the second order [04932], and the keepers [08104] of the door [05592], to bring forth [03318] out of the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068] all the vessels [03627] that were made [06213] for Baal [01168], and for the grove [0842], and for all the host [06635] of heaven [08064]: and he burned [08313] them without [02351] Jerusalem [03389] in the fields [07709] of Kidron [06939], and carried [05375] the ashes [06083] of them unto Bethel [01008].

⁵ There was [1096] in [1722] the days [2250] of Herod [2264], the king [935] of Judaea [2449], a certain [5100] priest [2409] named [3686] Zacharias [2197], of [1537] the course [2183] of Abia [7]: and [2532] his [846] wife [1135] was of [1537] the daughters [2364] of Aaron [2], and [2532] her [846] name [3686] was Elisabeth [1665].