4 And the king commandeth Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out from the temple of Jehovah all the vessels that are made for Baal, and for the shrine, and for all the host of the heavens, and he burneth them at the outside of Jerusalem, in the fields of Kidron, and hath borne their ashes to Beth-El.
And he setteth the graven image of the shrine that he made in the house of which Jehovah said unto David and unto Solomon his son, `In this house, and in Jerusalem, that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I put My name -- to the age;
and he turneth and buildeth the high places that Hezekiah his father destroyed, and raiseth altars for Baal, and maketh a shrine, as did Ahab king of Israel, and boweth himself to all the host of the heavens, and serveth them.
And the chief of the executioners taketh Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold,
And he placeth the graven image of the idol that he made in the house of God, of which God said unto David, and unto Solomon his son, `In this house, and in Jerusalem that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I put My name to the age,
And morning having come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, so as to put him to death;
Then were gathered together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, to the court of the chief priest who was called Caiaphas;
Though a harlot thou `art', O Israel, Let not Judah become guilty, And come not ye in to Gilgal, nor go up to Beth-Aven, Nor swear ye, Jehovah liveth.
And the chief of the executioners taketh Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold,
Therefore by this is the iniquity of Jacob covered, And this `is' all the fruit -- To take away his sin, in His setting all the stones of an altar, As chalkstones beaten in pieces, They rise not -- shrines and images.
And in the eighth year of his reign (and he yet a youth), he hath begun to seek to the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he hath begun to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the shrines, and the graven images, and the molten images. And they break down before him the altars of the Baalim, and the images that `are' on high above them he hath cut down, and the shrines, and the graven images, and the molten images, he hath broken and beaten small, and streweth on the surface of the graves of those sacrificing to them,
For the courses of the gatekeepers: of the Korhites `is' Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph; and to Meshelemiah `are' sons, Zechariah the first-born, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, Elioenai the seventh. And to Obed-Edom `are' sons, Shemaiah the first-born, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethaneel the fifth, Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth, for God hath blessed him. And to Shemaiah his son have sons been born, who are ruling throughout the house of their father, for they `are' mighty of valour. Sons of Shemaiah `are' Othni, and Rephael, and Obed, Elzabad; his brethren `are' sons of valour, Elihu and Semachiah, all these `are' of the sons of Obed-Edom; they, and their sons, and their brethren, men of valour with might for service, `are' sixty and two of Obed-Edom. And to Meshelemiah `are' sons and brethren, sons of valour, eighteen; and to Hosah, of the sons of Merari, `are' sons: Shimri the head (though he was not first-born, yet his father setteth him for head), Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, Zechariah the fourth; all the sons and brethren of Hosah `are' thirteen. According to these `are' the courses of the gatekeepers; to the heads of the mighty ones `are' charges over-against their brethren, to minister in the house of Jehovah, and they cause to fall lots, as well the small as the great, according to the house of their fathers, for gate and gate. And the lot falleth eastward to Shelemiah; and `for' Zechariah his son -- a counsellor with understanding -- they cause to fall lots, and his lot goeth out northward: to Obed-Edom southward, and to his sons, the house of the gatherings; to Shuppim and to Hosah to the west, with the gate Shallecheth, in the highway, the ascent, charge over-against charge; to the east the Levites `are' six; to the north daily four, to the south daily four, and to the gatherings two by two, at Parbar, to the west, `are' four at the highway, two at Parbar. These are the courses of the gatekeepers, of the sons of the Korhite, and of the sons of Merari.
and there are found of the sons of Eleazar more for heads of the mighty men than of the sons of Ithamar; and they distribute them: Of the sons of Eleazar, heads for a house of fathers, sixteen; and of the sons of Ithamar, for a house of their fathers, eight. And they distribute them, by lots, one with another, for princes of the sanctuary, and princes of God, have been of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar. And Shemaiah son of Nethaneel the scribe, of the Levites, writeth them before the king and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and heads of the fathers, for priests and for Levites: one house of a father being taken possession of for Eleazar, and one being taken possession of for Ithamar. And the first lot goeth out for Jehoiarib, for Jedaiah the second, for Harim the third, for Seorim the fourth, for Malchijah the fifth, for Mijamin the sixth, for Hakkoz the seventh, for Abijah the eighth, for Jeshuah the ninth, for Shecaniah the tenth, for Eliashib the eleventh, for Jakim the twelfth, for Huppah the thirteenth, for Jeshebeab the fourteenth, for Bilgah the fifteenth, for Immer the sixteenth, for Hezir the seventeenth, for Aphses the eighteenth, for Pethahiah the nineteenth, for Jehezekel the twentieth, for Jachin the one and twentieth, for Gamul the two and twentieth, for Delaiah the three and twentieth, for Maaziah the four and twentieth. These `are' their appointments for their service, to come in to the house of Jehovah, according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as Jehovah God of Israel, commanded them.
and also the altar that `is' in Beth-El, the high place that Jeroboam son of Nebat made, by which he made Israel sin, both that altar and the high place he hath broken down, and doth burn the high place -- he hath beat it small to dust, and hath burnt the shrine.
`Go up unto Hilkiah the high priest, and he doth complete the silver that is brought into the house of Jehovah, that the keepers of the threshold have gathered from the people,
And they forsake all the commands of Jehovah their God, and make to them a molten image -- two calves, and make a shrine, and bow themselves to all the host of the heavens, and serve Baal,
And Elijah saith to them, `Catch ye the prophets of Baal; let not a man escape of them;' and they catch them, and Elijah bringeth them down unto the stream Kishon, and doth slaughter them there.
And they take the bullock that `one' gave to them, and prepare, and call in the name of Baal from the morning even till the noon, saying, `O Baal, answer us!' and there is no voice, and there is none answering; and they leap on the altar that one had made.
And it cometh to pass -- hath it been light his walking in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat? -- then he taketh a wife, Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and goeth and serveth Baal, and boweth himself to it,
And he setteth the one in Beth-El, and the other he hath put in Dan,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Kings 23
Commentary on 2 Kings 23 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 23
We have here,
2Ki 23:1-3
Josiah had received a message from God that there was no preventing the ruin of Jerusalem, but that he should deliver only his own soul; yet he did not therefore sit down in despair, and resolve to do nothing for his country because he could not do all he would. No, he would do his duty, and then leave the event to God. A public reformation was the thing resolved on; if any thing could prevent the threatened ruin it must be that; and here we have the preparations for that reformation.
2Ki 23:4-24
We have here an account of such a reformation as we have not met with in all the history of the kings of Judah, such thorough riddance made of all the abominable things and such foundations laid of a glorious good work; and here I cannot but wonder at two things:-
2Ki 23:25-30
Upon the reading of these verses we must say, Lord, though thy righteousness be as the great mountains-evident, conspicuous, and past dispute, yet thy judgments are a great deep, unfathomable and past finding out, Ps. 36:6. What shall we say to this?
2Ki 23:31-37
Jerusalem saw not a good day after Josiah was laid in his grave, but one trouble came after another, till within twenty-two years it was quite destroyed. Of the reign of two of his sons here is a short account; the former we find here a prisoner and the latter a tributary to the king of Egypt, and both so in the very beginning of their reign. This king of Egypt having slain Josiah, though he had not had any design upon Judah, yet, being provoked by the opposition which Josiah gave him, now, it should seem, he bent all his force against his family and kingdom. If Josiah's sons had trodden in his steps, they would have fared the better for his piety; but, deviating from them, they fared the worse for his rashness.