2 Kings 23:18
in 2 Kings 23“Let him rest,” said Josiah. “Do not let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed, along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said, Let him be; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
KJV
And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
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This verse in 2 Kings 23
Commentary
4 notes on this verseAnd he said, let him alone, let no man move his bones,.... Not take them out of the grave, as they had done the rest: so they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria; the old prophet, whereby his end was answered in being buried with him, 1Ki 13:31.
This site's exposition
What title is that that I see
on 2 Kings 23:17-18
Josiah asks about a marker among the tombs, and the men of the city answer that it belongs to the man of God who cried against the altar; Josiah orders his bones left undisturbed. That mercy answers the old prophet's own request at 1 Ki 13:31, to be buried beside the man he had deceived so that his bones would share whatever protection came to the grave one day. The man of God's grave is spared for the sake of the word he carried, and the old prophet's bones are spared only because they lie beside his.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
This he found written in the book of the law, here called the book of the covenant; for, though the divine authority may deal with us in a way of absolute command, divine grace condescends to federal transactions, and therefore he observed it.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The prophet that came out of Samaria - See the note on 1Ki 13:32.
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.
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
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַנִּ֣יחוּ | hanichu | leave alone | H5117 → | 142 times |
| ל֔וֹ | lo | <to> him | ||
| אִ֖ישׁ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| יָנַ֣ע | yana' | he disturb | H5128 → | |
| עַצְמֹתָ֑יו | ʾatzmotav | bones his | H6106 → | 126 times |
| וַֽיְמַלְּטוּ֙ | vaymaletu | and they left undisturbed | H4422 → | 95 times |
| עַצְמֹתָ֔יו | ʾatzmotav | bones his | H6106 → | 126 times |
| אֵ֚ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| עַצְמ֣וֹת | atzmot | [the] bones of | H6106 → | 126 times |
| הַנָּבִ֔יא | hanavi' | the prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בָּ֖א | ba' | he had come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| מִשֹּׁמְרֽוֹן׃ | mishomeron | from Samaria | H8111 → | 109 times |
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
הַנִּ֣יחוּleave alone
hanichuH5117 →142 times
ל֔וֹ<to> him
lo
אִ֖ישׁanyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
יָנַ֣עhe disturb
yana'H5128 →
עַצְמֹתָ֑יוbones his
ʾatzmotavH6106 →126 times
וַֽיְמַלְּטוּ֙and they left undisturbed
vaymaletuH4422 →95 times
עַצְמֹתָ֔יוbones his
ʾatzmotavH6106 →126 times
אֵ֚ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
עַצְמ֣וֹת[the] bones of
atzmotH6106 →126 times
הַנָּבִ֔יאthe prophet
hanavi'H5030 →314 times
אֲשֶׁר־who
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
בָּ֖אhe had come
ba'H935 →2568 times
מִשֹּׁמְרֽוֹן׃from Samaria
mishomeronH8111 →109 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
1 Kings 13:31After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones,
it leads to
- 2 Kings 23:17–18
Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and pronounced these things…
- Psalms 26:9
Do not take my soul away with sinners, or my life with men of bloodshed,
- Ecclesiastes 8:10
Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too…
- Luke 16:22–23
One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried.
- Numbers 23:10
Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”
- 2 Kings 23:17–18
Where this verse is studied
About 2 Kings
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonLate monarchyJosiahThe boy-king who found the book of the law in the temple, tore his clothes, and led Judah's last great reformation and Passover be…
- PlaceThe northern hill countrySamariaThe hill Omri bought and built his capital on, where Ahab raised a temple to Baal, where the four lepers found the Aramean camp em…
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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.