2 Kings 23

This chapter comes near the end of 2 Kings and narrates events shortly before the fall of Judah. In 2 Kings 22, the book of the law was discovered during repairs to the temple; in this chapter, Josiah carries out reforms in accordance with that book.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 Josiah gathers the elders and all the people at the temple, reads the book of the covenant to them, and makes a covenant before the LORD.
• Verses 4–14 He removes from the temple and from throughout Judah the objects and high places used in the worship of Baal, Asherah, and the host of heaven (the sun, moon, and stars). He puts an end to the practice of offering children to Molech at Tophet and defiles the high places built by Solomon.
• Verses 15–20 At Bethel he tears down the altar set up by Jeroboam and defiles it by burning bones taken from the tombs. He leaves untouched the tomb of the man of God who had prophesied these things. He also removes the high places in the cities of Samaria.
• Verses 21–23 In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, a Passover is kept such as had not been kept since the days of the judges.
• Verses 24–27 He puts away the workers with familiar spirits (mediums), the teraphim (household idols), and similar abominations. The text declares that there was no king like Josiah before or after him, yet because of the sins of Manasseh, the LORD's wrath against Judah is not turned away.
• Verses 28–30 Josiah goes out to confront Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, and dies at Megiddo. The people make his son Jehoahaz king.
• Verses 31–37 After only three months, Jehoahaz is deposed by Pharaoh Necho and dies in Egypt. Eliakim is then made king under the name Jehoiakim, and he pays tribute. Both kings do evil.

Key Verses

• 2 Kings 23:3 "to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul": the covenant renewal that served as the starting point of the reform.
• 2 Kings 23:25 "And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD … according to all the law of Moses": the highest assessment that Kings gives to any king.
• 2 Kings 23:26 "Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath": this verse conveys the tension of approaching destruction despite the reforms.

People and Places

• Josiah: king of Judah, who leads the reforms in this chapter.
• Hilkiah: the high priest, who found the book of the law in the temple.
• Pharaoh Necho: king of Egypt, who kills Josiah and replaces the king of Judah.
• Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim: sons of Josiah, who reign in succession.
• Valley of Hinnom: a valley near Jerusalem where Tophet was located.

Points for Reflection

• The text refers to the discovered book only as "the book of the covenant" and "the book of the law." Many identify it with Deuteronomy or its central portion, while others regard it as the entire Pentateuch.
• Verses 16–18 are presented as the fulfillment of the prophecy in 1 Kings 13, which even names Josiah.
• This chapter does not explain why Josiah died. 2 Chronicles 35 attributes his death to his failure to heed the word of God delivered through Necho.
• Verse 25 recalls the words "with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" in Deuteronomy 6. Jesus quoted this passage from Deuteronomy as the greatest commandment (Mark 12:28–34). Josiah also appears in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1.