King
Josiah
16th King of Judah · Divided Kingdom · 640–609 BC
Josiah Hearing the Book of the Law — Unknown
Summary
The greatest reforming king of Judah who became king at eight years old, began seeking God at sixteen, and at twenty-six found the Book of the Law. He led the most sweeping religious reform in Judah's history and held the greatest Passover since the time of Samuel.
- Among the passages here, Josiah is first named in 2 Kings 22:1: “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem…”
- The record places Josiah in Divided Kingdom.
- 59 verses name Josiah, in 8 books.
- 7 moments stand in order on this page, each with its verse.
On this page
Start here
Neither before nor after Josiah was there any king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses.
2 Kings 23:25→- 7 key events in order
- 59 verses name Josiah, across 8 books
In Scripture
- Verses
- 59
- Books
- 8
Josiah
- Role
- 16th King of Judah
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
- Dates
- 640–609 BC
- Tribe
- Judah
- Father
- Amon
- Mother
- Jedidah
- Children
- Jehoahaz of Judah, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah
The life in order
from the events the row records, with the first and last verse that names the person among the passages this page stands on
1Where the passages this page records open
2What the record holds, in its own order
- Began seeking God at sixteen2 Chronicles 34:3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images.
- Book of the Law found2 Kings 22:8Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
- Huldah's prophecy2 Kings 22:14-20So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.
- Public covenant renewal2 Kings 23:1-3Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
- Sweeping idolatry purge2 Kings 23:4-20Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests second in rank, and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.
- Greatest Passover since Samuel2 Chronicles 35:18No such Passover had been observed in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present, and the people of Jerusalem.
- Killed at Megiddo2 Kings 23:29-30At the end of Josiah’s reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went out to confront him, but Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo.
Biography
Josiah became king at eight following his father Amon's assassination and ruled for thirty-one years. At age sixteen he began earnestly seeking God, and at twenty he started actively purging idols from Judah and Jerusalem. At twenty-six, while repairing the Temple, the high priest Hilkiah found the Book of the Law which had apparently been lost during Manasseh's apostasy.
When Josiah heard the words of the Law read, he tore his robes in repentance. The prophetess Huldah confirmed that judgment would come upon Judah but that Josiah himself would not live to see it because of his tender heart.
Josiah gathered all Judah and read the Law publicly, renewed the covenant, destroyed every form of idolatry from Geba to Beersheba including Bethel's altar from Jeroboam I, and held a Passover so comprehensive it had not been seen since Samuel. He was killed at Megiddo when he attempted to stop Pharaoh Neco who was marching north to assist Assyria against Babylon. The entire nation mourned deeply, and Jeremiah composed laments for him.
Neither before nor after Josiah was there any king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses.
What they got right, and what they got wrong
Strengths
Wholehearted devotion, bold and thorough reformation, tender heart toward God's Word, inspirational leadership
Weaknesses
Inexplicable decision to fight Pharaoh Neco against prophetic counsel, leading to his premature death
Lessons
Personal response to God's Word is the foundation of true reform. Josiah did not just reform institutions — he tore his robes and wept personally before God. Great spiritual change begins in the heart of one person who is genuinely broken before God's Word.
Spiritual significance
Josiah is the supreme Old Testament model of what it means to respond to the Word of God with wholehearted repentance and action. His discovery of the Law and his response to it mirrors the born-again experience — hearing the Word, being broken by it, and transforming every corner of life in response.
Josiah in Scripture
Open a book to read its mentions here. Text: Berean Standard Bible. Names repeat in Scripture, so some of these verses may speak of another person called Josiah. The two marks are drawn from the chapters this page's own references stand in.
Old TestamentNew Testamentsegment width = share of mentions
Old Testament7 books · 57 mentions
1 Kings1 mention
2 Kings17 mentions
- 2 Kings 21:24But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
- 2 Kings 21:26And he was buried in his tomb in the garden of Uzza, and his son Josiah reigned in his place.
- 2 Kings 22:1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah; she was from Bozkath.
- 2 Kings 22:3Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the scribe, Shaphan son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, to the house of the LORD, saying,
- 2 Kings 23:5Josiah also did away with the idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.
12 further mentions in 2 Kings, read them in the book.
1 Chronicles2 mentions
2 Chronicles19 mentions
- 2 Chronicles 33:25But the people of the land killed all those who had conspired against King Amon, and they made his son Josiah king in his place.
- 2 Chronicles 34:1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
- 2 Chronicles 34:3In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images.
- 2 Chronicles 34:6Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them.
- 2 Chronicles 34:8Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
14 further mentions in 2 Chronicles, read them in the book.
Jeremiah16 mentions
- Jeremiah 1:2The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah,
- Jeremiah 1:3and through the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, until the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.
- Jeremiah 3:6Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.
- Jeremiah 22:11For this is what the LORD says concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who succeeded his father Josiah but has gone forth from this place: “He will never return,
- Jeremiah 22:18Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
11 further mentions in Jeremiah, read them in the book.
Zephaniah1 mention
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