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2 Kings 23:16

in 2 Kings 23

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.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount; and he sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of Jehovah which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.

KJV

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.

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This verse in 2 Kings 23

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

And as Josiah turned himself - This verse is much more complete in the Septuagint, and in the Hexaplar Syriac version at Paris. I shall give the whole, making a distinction where, in those versions, any thing is added: “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 burnt them upon the altar, and polluted it: according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed [when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast.

This site's exposition

according to the word of the LORD proclaimed

Josiah sees "the tombs there on the hillside" and burns their bones "on the altar to defile it". The narrator gives the reason, "according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God", who had named Josiah (1 Kings 13:2).

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The golden calf, it should seem, was gone ( thy calf, O Samaria! has cast thee off ), but the altar was there, which those that were wedded to their old idolatries made use of still.
And as Josiah turned himself,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

But it is remarkable that this act was predicted three hundred twenty-six years before his birth, and his name also was expressly mentioned, as well as the very place where it should be done (1Ki 13:2). This is one of the most most remarkable prophecies in the Bible.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

”What is this marker?” He saw a grave, one side of which was overgrown with thorns and thistles, and whose other side was graced with myrtles and spices.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on II Kings 23:17:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

29 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיִּ֣פֶןand he turned

    vaiyifenH6437 →135 times

  • יֹאשִׁיָּ֗הוּJosiah

    yoshiyahuH2977 →53 times

  • וַיַּ֨רְאand he saw

    vaiyar'H7200 →1300 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הַקְּבָרִ֤יםthe graves

    hakevarimH6913 →67 times

  • אֲשֶׁר־which

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • שָׁם֙[were] there

    shamH8033 →834 times

  • בָּהָ֔רon the mountain

    baharH2022 →546 times

  • וַיִּשְׁלַ֗חand he sent

    vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times

  • וַיִּקַּ֤חand he took

    vaiyikachH3947 →966 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הָֽעֲצָמוֹת֙the bones

    haatzamotH6106 →126 times

  • מִן־from

    min-H4480 →1188 times

  • הַקְּבָרִ֔יםthe graves

    hakevarimH6913 →67 times

  • וַיִּשְׂרֹ֥ףand he burned [them]

    vaiyisrofH8313 →117 times

  • עַל־on

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַthe altar

    hamizbeachH4196 →401 times

  • וַֽיְטַמְּאֵ֑הוּand he made unclean it

    vaytameehuH2930 →162 times

  • כִּדְבַ֣רaccording to [the] word of

    kidvarH1697 →1440 times

  • יְהוָ֗הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֤רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • קָרָא֙he had proclaimed

    kara'H7121 →733 times

  • אִ֣ישׁ[the] man of

    ʾishH376 →1663 times

  • הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים<the> God

    haelohimH430 →2601 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֣רwho

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • קָרָ֔אhe proclaimed

    kara'H7121 →733 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הַדְּבָרִ֖יםthe words

    hadevarimH1697 →1440 times

  • הָאֵֽלֶּה׃<the> these

    haelehH428 →746 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

10 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Kings 13:1–2Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.17 works1 Kings 13:32for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”6 works2 Kings 23:14He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.3 works2 Chronicles 34:5Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.2 worksAmos 6:10And when the relative who is to burn the bodies picks them up to remove them from the house, he will call to one inside, “Is anyone else with you?” “None,” that person will answer. “Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of the LORD must not be invoked.”2 worksEzekiel 6:5I will lay the corpses of the Israelites before their idols and scatter your bones around your altars.2 works
The other 4 cross-references, with their words ▾
Jeremiah 8:1“At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves.2 worksMatthew 24:35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.1 worksJohn 10:35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—1 worksLeviticus 26:30I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Matthew 24:35

    Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 40:8

      The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

    • 1 Peter 1:25

      but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

    • Numbers 23:19

      God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

    • Isaiah 55:11

      so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.

    • Matthew 5:18

      For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

  • Through

    John 10:35

    If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—

    it leads to

    • Matthew 24:35

      Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

    • Romans 13:1

      Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.

  • Through

    1 Kings 13:32

    for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely…

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 16:24

      He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver and built a city there, calling it Samaria after the name of Shemer, who had owned the hill.

Where this verse is studied

About 2 Kings

Jews Mourning in Exile, Eduard Bendemann, 1832, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Public domain.
Jews Mourning in Exile, Eduard Bendemann, 1832, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Public domain.
2 Kings: the study guide →Read 2 Kings 23 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Kings 23 →