2 Chronicles 34:5
in 2 Chronicles 34Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
KJV
And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
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This verse in 2 Chronicles 34
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars,.... On which they sacrificed, in detestation of their idolatry, and to deter from it; and this he did according to the prophecy of him, above three hundred and fifty years before: and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem; from idolatry, and all the monuments of it.
This site's exposition
he burned the bones of the priests on their altars
on 2 Chronicles 34:5-7
Josiah “burned the bones of the priests on their altars,” the worst defilement an altar could suffer under the law. John Gill ties the act to the man of God at Bethel, who named this deed more than three hundred and fifty years before Josiah.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
With zeal immense, Josiah, Himself a prince, acted in such a way As no one before or after him had ever done!—Idols he Dethroned; destroyed unhallowed temples; burned With fire priests on their altars; all the bones Of false prophets were dug up; the altars …
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
He burnt the bones of the priests - כומריא kumeraiya, the kemarim, says the Targum. See this word explained, 2Ki 23:5 (note).
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְעַצְמוֹת֙ | veatzmot | and [the] bones of | H6106 → | |
| כֹּֽהֲנִ֔ים | kohanim | priests | H3548 → | 750 times |
| שָׂרַ֖ף | saraf | he burned | H8313 → | 117 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מִזְבְּחוֹתָ֑ם | mizbechotaim | altars their | H4196 → | 401 times |
| וַיְטַהֵ֥ר | vaytaher | and he cleansed | H2891 → | 94 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְהוּדָ֖ה | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
וְעַצְמוֹת֙and [the] bones of
veatzmotH6106 →
כֹּֽהֲנִ֔יםpriests
kohanimH3548 →750 times
שָׂרַ֖ףhe burned
sarafH8313 →117 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מִזְבְּחוֹתָ֑םaltars their
mizbechotaimH4196 →401 times
וַיְטַהֵ֥רand he cleansed
vaytaherH2891 →94 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
יְהוּדָ֖הJudah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 35:33Do not pollute the land where you live, for bloodshed pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land on which the blood is shed, except by the blood of the…
it leads to
- Luke 11:50–51
As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world,
- Psalms 106:38
They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.
- Isaiah 26:21
For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
- Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
- Leviticus 18:25
Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.
- Luke 11:50–51
Through
1 Kings 13:2And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 36:1
“And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say: O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD.
- 2 Kings 23:15–18
He even pulled down the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to powder,…
- Ezekiel 36:1
Through
2 Chronicles 34:7He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 31:1
When all this had ended, the Israelites in attendance went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and…
- 2 Chronicles 31:1
Where this verse is studied
About 2 Chronicles
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonPatriarchsJudahJacob's fourth son who pledges himself for Benjamin; the tribe that carries the scepter to Shiloh (49:10) and the line to Christ (…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Pseudo-Tertullian, FIVE BOOKS IN REPLY TO MARCION 3.184-191.