2 Chronicles 35:21

21 But King Neco sent messengers to Josiah with this message: “What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”

2 Chronicles 35:21 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 35:21

But he sent ambassadors to him
That is, Necho sent to Josiah:

saying, what have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah?
signifying he had no quarrel with him, he did not come to fight with him, and he had no business to intermeddle between him and another prince:

I come not against thee this day;
in an hostile manner:

but against the house wherewith I have war;
the king of Assyria:

for God commanded me to make haste;
and oppose his enemy: according to the Targum, it was his idol; and which is the sense of other Jewish writers ^F25; but the true God might have appeared to him in a dream, or sent a prophet to him; or at least he might pretend this, that it might have the greater effect on Josiah; and indeed it seems to be real from the following verse:

forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy
thee not;
he concluded God was with him, and would succeed him, because he had put him upon this enterprise, and hastened him to it; therefore Josiah, in opposing him, might expect to be resisted by him, and fall.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 22. 2.

2 Chronicles 35:21 In-Context

19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

20 After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led his army up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him.

21 But King Neco sent messengers to Josiah with this message: “What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”

22 But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken, and he would not turn back. Instead, he disguised himself and led his army into battle on the plain of Megiddo.

23 But the enemy archers hit King Josiah with their arrows and wounded him. He cried out to his men, “Take me from the battle, for I am badly wounded!”