2 Kings 23
1 Josiah causes the book to be read in a solemn assembly.
3 He renews the covenant of the Lord.
4 He destroys idolatry.
15 He burns dead men's bones upon the altar of Beth-el, as was fore-prophesied.
21 He keeps a most solemn passover.
24 He puts away witches and all abomination.
26 God's final wrath against Judah.
29 Josiah, provoking Pharaoh-nechoh, is slain at Megiddo.
31 Jehoahaz, succeeding him, is imprisoned by Pharaoh-nechoh, who makes Jehoiakim king.
36 Jehoiakim's wicked reign.
king <04428> [the king.]
youngest .... oldest <06996 01419> [both small and great. Heb. from small even unto great.]
read <07121> [he read.]
scroll <05612> [the book.]
stood .............................................. agreed <05975> [stood.]
renewed ... covenant ............................... covenant ............. covenant <01285 03772> [made a covenant.]
<03212> [to walk.]
commandments <04687> [his commandments.]
heart <03820> [with all their heart.]
being ................ people <05315 05971> [And all.]
priest ... high-ranking priests <04932 03548> [priests of the second order.]
These were either such as occasionally supplied the high priest's office, or those of the second course or order established by David. See the References.
<08104> [the keepers.]
bring out <03318> [to bring.]
Baal <01168> [Baal.]
Kidron <06939> [Kidron.]
[Cedron. Beth-el.]
eliminated <07673> [put down. Heb. caused to cease. the idolatrous priests.]
Heb. Chemarim.
"Foretold. Zep 1:4, 5."
constellations <04208> [planets. or, twelve signs, or constellations.]
So the Vulgate {duodecim signa,} "the twelve signs," i.e., the zodiac; which is the most probable meaning of the word {mazzaloth,} from the Arabic {manzeel,} a {caravanserai,} house, or dwelling, as being the apparent dwellings of the sun in his annual course; and the Targumists and Rabbins often employ the words {tereysar mazzalaya,} to denote the signs of the zodiac.
stars <06635> [all the host.]
Asherah pole <0842> [the grove.]
Or rather, Asherah, or Astarte.
burned <08313> [and burned.]
graveyard <06913> [the graves.]
public <01121> [the children.]
Probably the common people.
male cultic prostitutes <06945> [the sodomites.]
women <0802> [where.]
quarters .......... temple ...... shrines <01004> [hangings. Heb. houses.]
Geba <01387> [from, etc.]
The northern and southern borders of Judah.
Geba <01387> [Geba.]
Beer Sheba <0884> [Beer-sheba.]
priests <03548> [the priests.]
eat <0398> [but they did.]
Topheth <08612> [Topheth.]
[Tophet. the valley.]
son <01121> [might make.]
sun ............................ sun <08121> [the sun.]
Lord's temple <03068 01004> [house of the Lord.]
Throughout the East, the horse because of his swiftness and utility, was dedicated to the sun; and the Greeks and Romans feigned that the chariot of the sun was drawn by four horses, Pyrous, Eous, Aithon, and Phlegon: and hence also chariots were dedicated to that luminary. Jarchi says, that those who adored the sun had horses, which they mounted every morning, to go out to meet him at his rising. The kings of Judah had imitated these idolatrous customs, and kept the horses of the sun even at the entrance of the temple of the Lord!
eunuch <05631> [chamberlain. or, eunuch, or officer.]
roof <01406> [on the top.]
Manasseh <04519> [which Manasseh.]
crushed ..... threw <07323 07993> [brake them down from thence. or, ran from thence. cast.]
Mount ... Destruction <04889 02022> [the mount of corruption. that is, the mount of Olives.]
Houbigant, deriving the Hebrew {mashchith} from {mashach,} "to anoint," reads "the Mount of Olives." Jarchi, following the Chaldee, also says this was the Mount of Olives; for this is the mount {hammishchah,} of unction: but because of the idolatrous purposes for which it was used, the Scripture changed the appellation to the mount of {hammashchith,} corruption.
Solomon <08010> [Solomon.]
Astarte <06253> [Ashtoreth.]
god Chemosh <03645> [Chemosh.]
god Milcom <04445> [Milcom.]
[Malcham.]
smashed <07665> [he brake.]
sacred pillars <04676> [images. Heb. statues. the bones of men.]
altar <04196> [the altar.]
crushed <01854> [stamped.]
burned <08313> [burned.]
Jeroboam ..................... foretold <07121> [who proclaimed.]
The Septuagint and Hexaplar Syriac at Paris insert, "when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast. And turning about, he cast his eyes on the sepulchre of the man of God"--
grave <06913> [It is the sepulchre.]
Leave ... alone .......... left .... undisturbed <03240 04422> [alone. Heb. to escape. the bones of the prophet.]
shrines <01004> [the houses.]
cities <05892> [the cities.]
kings <04428> [the kings.]
angered <03707> [to provoke the Lord.]
sacrificed <02076> [he slew. or, he sacrificed.]
burned <08313> [burned.]
Observe <06213> [Keep.]
prescribed <03789> [as it is written.]
He ............. observed <06213> [Surely.]
kings <04428> [of the kings.]
spirits <0178> [Moreover.]
"His eighteenth year ending."
spirits <0178> [the workers.]
idols <08655> [images. or, teraphim.]
carried out <06965> [that he might.]
scroll <05612> [the book.]
king <04428> [A.M. 3363-3394. B.C. 641-610. unto him.]
<07725> [that turned.]
law <08451> [according.]
Lord's <03068> [Notwithstanding.]
<03708> [provocations. Heb. angers.]
spurn ...... spurned <05493> [I will remove.]
<06440> [out of my sight.]
live <08034> [My name.]
rest <03499> [the rest.]
[A.M. 3394. B.C. 610.]
Pharaoh Necho <06549> [Pharaoh-nechoh.]
Pharaoh-nechoh, called [Nekos,] Necos, the son of Psammiticus, by Herodotus, was now was now marching "to make war upon the Medes and Babylonians, who had dissolved the Assyrian empire," the king of the latter being the famous Nabopollasar, who had also become king of Assyria.
Euphrates <06578> [Euphrates.]
Josiah <02977 03212> [Josiah went.]
killed .... Megiddo <04191 04023> [slew him.]
Megiddo <04023> [Megiddo.]
Megiddo, called [Magdolon,] Magdolum, by Herodotus, was situated in the tribe of Manasseh, west of Jordan, in the valley of Jezreel, and not far fron Hadad-Rimmon, or Maximianopolis. This shews that Josiah reigned over the country formerly possessed by the ten tribes; and it is also probable, that Nechoh had landed his troops at or near C‘sarea of Palestine.
[Megiddon.]
[Armageddon. he had seen him.]
servants <05650> [servants.]
people <05971> [the people.]
Jehoahaz <03059> [Jehoahaz.]
[Shallum. Hamutal.]
imprisoned <0631> [put him.]
Riblah <07247> [Riblah.]
Theodoret (in Jer ch. 46,) expressly affirms that Riblah or Reblatha was in his time called Emesa. [Kome de estin he Reblatha tes nun kaloumenes Emeses.] Emesa was a city of Syria, situated on the Orontes, and, according to the Antonine Itinerary, 18 miles from Laodicea ad Libanum. It is now called Homs, or Hems, about eight hours, or twenty-four miles S.E. of Hamah or Hamath, in the road to Damascus. The present town only occupies about one quarter of the space contained within the ancient walls, which apparently date from the time of the Saracens. Here is nothing remarkable, except a Roman sepulchre, and a large castle in ruins.
Hamath <02574> [Hamath.]
ruling <04427> [that he might not reign. or, because he reigned. put, etc.]
Heb. set a mulct upon the land.
Eliakim <0471> [Eliakim.]
son <01121> [the son.]
changed <05437> [turned.]
Jehoiakim <03079> [Jehoiakim.]
"Called Jakim, Mt 1:11."
<0935> [he came.]
silver <03701> [the silver.]
tax <06186> [taxed.]
Jehoiakim <03079> [A.M. 3394-3405. B.C. 610-599. Jehoiakim.]
Rumah <07316> [Rumah.]
Josephus here reads Abuma; but he also speaks of Ruma, a village of Galilee.
did ............. done <06213> [he did.]
ancestors <01> [all that.]
