2 Kings 23:24-34

24 Moreover, Josiah put away ¹the mediums and the necromancers and ²the household gods and ³the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish ⁴the words of the law that were written in the book ⁵that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.

25 ⁶Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

26 Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, ⁷because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him.

27 And the LORD said, "I will remove Judah also out of my sight, ⁸as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, ⁹and the house of which I said, My name shall be there."

Josiah's Death in Battle

28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

29 ¹⁰In his days ¹¹Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at ¹²Megiddo, as soon as he saw him.

30 ¹³And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from ¹⁴Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. ¹⁵And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.

Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity

31 ¹⁶Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was ¹⁷Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, ¹⁸according to all that his fathers had done.

33 And ¹⁹Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at ²⁰Riblah in the land of ²¹Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents^[a] of silver and a talent of gold.

34 And ²²Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and ²³changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, ²⁴and he came to Egypt and died there.

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2 Kings 23:24-34 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 23

This chapter treats of Josiah's reading the book of the law, and of him and the people renewing the covenant with God, 2Ki 23:1-3, and of his removing idols and idolatry in every shape, and witchcraft, out of the land, which he did in the sincerity of his heart, 2Ki 23:4-25, yet the wrath of God was still determined upon the land, 2Ki 23:26-28 and Josiah was taken away by an untimely death, 2Ki 23:29,30 and was succeeded by two sons of his, one after another, whose reigns were wicked, 2Ki 23:31-37.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 24

1. 2 Kings 21:6; See Leviticus 19:31
2. See Genesis 31:19
3. 2 Kings 21:11, 21
4. Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:11
5. 2 Kings 22:8
6. [2 Kings 18:5]
7. 2 Kings 21:11; 2 Kings 24:3, 4; Jeremiah 15:4
8. 2 Kings 17:18, 20; 2 Kings 18:11; 2 Kings 21:13
9. See 2 Kings 21:4
10. For ver. 29, 30, see 2 Chronicles 35:20-24
11. Jeremiah 46:2
12. [Judges 5:19; Zechariah 12:11]
13. [2 Kings 9:28]
14. [See ver. 29 above]
15. For ver. 30-34, see 2 Chronicles 36:1-4
16. [1 Chronicles 3:15; Jeremiah 22:11]
17. 2 Kings 24:18
18. [2 Kings 24:9, 19]
19. [See ver. 29 above]
20. 2 Kings 25:6, 20, 21; Jeremiah 39:5, 6; Jeremiah 52:9, 10, 26, 27
21. See 1 Kings 8:65
22. [See ver. 29 above]
23. [2 Kings 24:17; Daniel 1:7]
24. Jeremiah 22:11, 12; [Ezekiel 19:3, 4]

Footnotes 1

[a]. A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.