2 Kings 23:2
in 2 Kings 23And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Jehovah.
KJV
And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.
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This verse in 2 Kings 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThe king went up into the house of the Lord - Here is another very singular circumstance. The high priest, scribes, priest, and prophets, are gathered together, with all the elders of the people, and the king himself reads the book of the covenant which had been lately found! It is strange that either the high priest, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, or some other of the prophets, who were certainly there present, did not read the sacred book! It is likely that the king considered himself a mediator between God and them, and therefore read and made the covenant.
This site's exposition
all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem
on 2 Kings 23:1-3
Josiah calls every elder to Jerusalem, then reads the whole book of the covenant aloud to the assembled nation, small and great together. Standing by the pillar, the king's traditional place at 2 Ki 11:14, he renews the covenant God cut with Israel at Horeb, Deut 5:2, and the people stand to it with him. Barnes reads the whole nation as pledged along with the king, not the king alone.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), that the business might be done with the more solemnity, that they might all advise and assist in it, and that those who were against it might be discouraged from making any opposition. Parliaments are no diminution at all to the honour and power of good princes, but a great support to them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And the king went up into the house of the Lord,....
It is really the interest of princes to promote the knowledge of the scriptures in their dominions. If the people be but as stedfastly resolved to obey by law as he is to govern by law, the kingdom will be happy. All people are concerned to know the scripture, and all in authority to spread the knowledge of it.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders--This pious and patriotic king, not content with the promise of his own security, felt, after Huldah's response, an increased desire to avert the threatened calamities from his kingdom and people.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The prophets - The suggestion to regard this word an error of the pen for “Levites,” which occurs in Chronicles (marginal reference), is unnecessary. For though Zephaniah, Urijah, and Jeremiah are all that we can name as belonging to the order at the time, there is no reason to doubt that Judaea contained others whom we cannot name. “Schools of the prophets” were as common in Judah as in Israel. He read - The present passage is strong evidence that the Jewish kings could read. The solemn reading of the Law - a practice commanded in the Law itself once in seven years Deu 31:10-13 - had been intermitted, at least for the last 75 years, from the date of the accession of Manasseh.
The words behind it
28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֣עַל | vaiyaal | and he went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| בֵּית־ | beit- | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יְהוָ֡ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | <the> person of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| יְהוּדָה֩ | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֹשְׁבֵ֨י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
| אִתּ֗וֹ | ʾito | with him | H854 → | 929 times |
| וְהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ | vehakohanim | and the priests | H3548 → | 750 times |
| וְהַנְּבִיאִ֔ים | vehaneviim | and the prophets | H5030 → | 314 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| לְמִקָּטֹ֣ן | lemikaton | <to> from [the] small | H6996 → | 101 times |
| וְעַד־ | vead- | and unto | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| גָּד֑וֹל | gadol | [the] great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וַיִּקְרָ֣א | vaiyikra' | and he read aloud | H7121 → | 733 times |
| בְאָזְנֵיהֶ֗ם | veazeneihem | in ears their | H241 → | 187 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| דִּבְרֵי֙ | divrei | [the] words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| סֵ֣פֶר | sefer | [the] scroll of | H5612 → | 186 times |
| הַבְּרִ֔ית | haberit | the covenant | H1285 → | 284 times |
| הַנִּמְצָ֖א | hanimtza' | which had been found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| בְּבֵ֥ית | beveit | in [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיַּ֣עַלand he went up
vaiyaalH5927 →890 times
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
בֵּית־[the] house of
beit-H1004 →2046 times
יְהוָ֡הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
אִ֣ישׁ<the> person of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
יְהוּדָה֩Judah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
יֹשְׁבֵ֨י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜םJerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
אִתּ֗וֹwith him
ʾitoH854 →929 times
וְהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙and the priests
vehakohanimH3548 →750 times
וְהַנְּבִיאִ֔יםand the prophets
vehaneviimH5030 →314 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
לְמִקָּטֹ֣ן<to> from [the] small
lemikatonH6996 →101 times
וְעַד־and unto
vead-H5704 →1261 times
גָּד֑וֹל[the] great
gadolH1419 →526 times
וַיִּקְרָ֣אand he read aloud
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
בְאָזְנֵיהֶ֗םin ears their
veazeneihemH241 →187 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
דִּבְרֵי֙[the] words of
divreiH1697 →1440 times
סֵ֣פֶר[the] scroll of
seferH5612 →186 times
הַבְּרִ֔יתthe covenant
haberitH1285 →284 times
הַנִּמְצָ֖אwhich had been found
hanimtza'H4672 →455 times
בְּבֵ֥יתin [the] house of
beveitH1004 →2046 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 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
Revelation 20:12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their…
it leads to
- 2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- Daniel 7:10
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
- Revelation 2:23
Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10
Through
2 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.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:24–26
When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end,
- 2 Chronicles 34:14–28
While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD written by Moses.
- Deuteronomy 31:24–26
Through
2 Chronicles 17:9They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people.
it leads to
- John 5:46
If you had believed Moses, you would believe Me, because he wrote about Me.
- John 5:46
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
On this chapter
About 2 Kings

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; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
