2 Kings 23:12

12 He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had set up. They had put them on the palace roof near the upstairs room of Ahaz. Josiah also pulled down the altars Manasseh had built. They were in the two courtyards of the LORD's temple. Josiah removed the altars from there. He smashed them to pieces. Then he threw the broken pieces into the Kidron Valley.

2 Kings 23:12 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 23:12

And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of
Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made
Which were on the roof of the royal palace; the roofs of houses in Judah being flat, ( Deuteronomy 21:8 ) altars might be built upon them; so, in Arabia, altars were built on the tops of houses to offer incense thereon daily to the sun ^F16; as here by Manasseh and Amon very probably, which might be chosen because nearer the heavens; for which reason the Heathens made use of high places to worship in, see ( Jeremiah 19:13 ) ( 32:29 ) ( Zephaniah 1:5 )

and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house
of the Lord;
( 2 Kings 21:5 )

did the king beat down;
ordered to be demolished:

and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the
brook Kidron;
that there might be no remains of them to be put to any superstitious use.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Strabo, Geograph l. 16. p. 539.

2 Kings 23:12 In-Context

10 Josiah destroyed the high places at Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom. He didn't want anyone to use them to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to the god Molech.

11 He removed the statues of horses from the entrance to the LORD's temple. The kings of Judah had set them apart to honor the sun. The statues were in the courtyard. They were near the room of an official named Nathan-Melech. Josiah burned the chariots that had been set apart to honor the sun.

12 He pulled down the altars the kings of Judah had set up. They had put them on the palace roof near the upstairs room of Ahaz. Josiah also pulled down the altars Manasseh had built. They were in the two courtyards of the LORD's temple. Josiah removed the altars from there. He smashed them to pieces. Then he threw the broken pieces into the Kidron Valley.

13 The king also destroyed the high places that were east of Jerusalem. They were at the southern end of the Mount of Olives. They were the ones Solomon, the king of Israel, had built. He had built a high place for worshiping Ashtoreth. She was the evil goddess of the people of Sidon. Solomon had also built one for worshiping Chemosh. He was the evil god of Moab. And Solomon had built one for worshiping Molech. He was the god of the people of Ammon. The LORD hated that god.

14 Josiah smashed the sacred stones. He cut down the poles that were used to worship the goddess Asherah. Then he covered all of those places with human bones