2 Chronicles 34:3

3 In his eighth year as king while he was still young, Josiah began to obey the God of his ancestor David. In his twelfth year as king, Josiah began to remove from Judah and Jerusalem the gods, the places for worshiping gods, the Asherah idols, and the wooden and metal idols.

2 Chronicles 34:3 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 34:3

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young,
&c.] Being in the sixteenth year of his age; though Kimchi thinks it was the very year he began to reign, which was the eighth of his age; and Jarchi observes, it may be interpreted, "though he was young, he began to seek after the God of David his father"; to pray unto him, to seek after the knowledge of him, and the true manner of worshipping him, what were his will, commands, and ordinances; the Targum is,

``to seek instruction or doctrine of the Lord God of David his father,''

to be taught his ways, such as David his great ancestor walked in, and whom he chose to follow:

and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the
high places, and the groves and the carved images, and the molten
images;
which were made in the times of Manasseh; and though removed by him when humbled, were restored in the reign of Amon. Now Josiah purged the land from these, by putting them down, and destroying them; and this he did when he was twenty years of age, having now more authority, being out of his minority, and from under guardians, and one year before Jeremiah began to prophesy, ( Jeremiah 1:1-2:37 ) .

2 Chronicles 34:3 In-Context

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he ruled thirty-one years in Jerusalem.

2 He did what the Lord said was right. He lived as his ancestor David had lived, and he did not stop doing what was right.

3 In his eighth year as king while he was still young, Josiah began to obey the God of his ancestor David. In his twelfth year as king, Josiah began to remove from Judah and Jerusalem the gods, the places for worshiping gods, the Asherah idols, and the wooden and metal idols.

4 The people tore down the altars for the Baal gods as Josiah directed. Then Josiah cut down the incense altars that were above them. He broke up the Asherah idols and the wooden and metal idols and beat them into powder. Then he sprinkled the powder on the graves of the people who had offered sacrifices to these gods.

5 He burned the bones of their priests on their own altars. So Josiah removed idol worship from Judah and Jerusalem,