Keraia
2 Kings 23

2 Kings 23:16

Josiah Destroys Idolatry · 2 Kings 23:4–20
Read 2 Kings 23

Translations

Modern
And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things.
Traditional
And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.
Literal
And Josiah turned, and he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and he burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of YHWH that the man of God had proclaimed, who had proclaimed these words.
Latin
Et conversus Josias, vidit ibi sepulchra quæ erant in monte: misitque et tulit ossa de sepulchris, et combussit ea super altare, et polluit illud juxta verbum Domini quod locutus est vir Dei, qui prædixerat verba hæc.

Original

Hebrew
English
And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things.

Notes

2 Kings 23:15–17

Jeroboam built the altar at Bethel to make it easier for Israelites to worship nearby instead of traveling to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:26–31). Josiah's destruction of the site followed the law's requirements (Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:3) and fulfilled the earlier prophecy by the man of God who had condemned the altar (1 Kings 13:1–3).

Theme notes and profiles

Josiah The Collapse of Culture

Events

Parallels

1 Kings 13:1–10 2 Chronicles 34:3–7

People

Josiah: King of Judah known for his religious reforms

Glossary

Bethel (Place), Bethelite Bone Book of the Covenant Josiah Kings, Books of First and Second Kohath, Kohathites

Topics

Beth-El: A City North of Jerusalem: Prophecies Against the Idolatrous Altars At Burial: Burying Places: On Hills Burial: Places Used for Tops of the Hills Calf: Altars of, Destroyed Iconoclasm: Destroyed by Josiah Josiah: King of Judah: Destroys the Altar and High Places of Idolatry Prophecies Concerning Israel: Josiah Succeeds Amon Prophecy: Miscellaneous, Fulfilled: The Birth and Zeal of Josiah