2 Kings 23:20

20 He slaughtered all the priests of the illegal worship sites on their altars and then burned human bones on them. He went back to Jerusalem.

2 Kings 23:20 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 23:20

And he slew all the priests of the high places that were
there
The idolatrous priests who sacrificed to Baal, and other Heathen deities; for as for others that burnt incense in high places, yet to the true God, those he spared, though they were not suffered to officiate at the altar of God: the others he slew

upon the altars;
where they sacrificed:

and burnt men's bones upon them:
the bones of the priests, and worshippers of idols, as he had done at Bethel:

and returned to Jerusalem;
after he had gone through the land, both of Judah and Israel, and abolished idolatrous worship everywhere.

2 Kings 23:20 In-Context

18 So Josiah said, "Let him rest. Don't disturb his bones." So they left his bones with the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria.

19 Josiah also got rid of all the temples at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had built these places to make the LORD furious. He did to them everything that he had done to the worship places at Bethel.

20 He slaughtered all the priests of the illegal worship sites on their altars and then burned human bones on them. He went back to Jerusalem.

21 The king ordered all the people to celebrate the Passover for the LORD their God as it is written in this Book of the Promise.

22 The Passover had never been celebrated like this during the time of the judges who governed Israel or during the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah.