2 Kings 23:13

13 The king desecrated the high places facing Yerushalayim south of the Mount of Destruction, which Shlomo the king of Isra'el had built for 'Ashtoret the abomination of the Tzidonim, K'mosh the abomination of Mo'av and Milkom the abomination of the people of 'Amon.

2 Kings 23:13 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 23:13

And the high places that were before Jerusalem
Not only that were within the city, and at the gates of it, but what were without it:

which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption:
the mount of Olives, so called from the idolatry and corrupt worship performed in it, by way of reproach, with a small alteration of the letters of the word (tyxvm) for (hxvm) ; at the right hand, or south of this mountain, as the Targum; though others say ^F17, on the north side of the mount of Olives, four furlongs or half a mile from Jerusalem, were high places:

which Solomon king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination
of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites,
and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon;
of which (See Gill on 1 Kings 11:5) (See Gill on 1 Kings 11:7)

did the king defile;
by casting unclean things into them. Rauwolff ^F18 says,

``before Mount Zion toward the south, at the other side of the rivulet Kidron, lies the mount of transgression, called Mashith, ( 2 Kings 23:13 ) , this is higher and steeper than any hereabout; there you still see some old walls of habitations, wherein the concubines of Solomon did live;''

and Mr. Maundrell ^F19 observes, that below the hill stands now a village called Siloe, where it is said he kept them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 Vid Adrichom. Theatrum T. S. p. 171.
F18 Travels, par. 3. c. 4. p. 233.
F19 Journey from Aleppo p. 102.

2 Kings 23:13 In-Context

11 He confiscated the horses which the kings of Y'hudah had given to the sun, at the entrance to the house of ADONAI near the room of the officer N'tan-Melekh, in the side-courtyard; and he burned up the chariots of the sun.

12 The king smashed the altars on the roof of the upper room of Achaz, which the kings of Y'hudah had made, and the altars which M'nasheh had made in the two courtyards of the house of ADONAI. He broke them into pieces and threw the rubble into Vadi Kidron.

13 The king desecrated the high places facing Yerushalayim south of the Mount of Destruction, which Shlomo the king of Isra'el had built for 'Ashtoret the abomination of the Tzidonim, K'mosh the abomination of Mo'av and Milkom the abomination of the people of 'Amon.

14 He smashed the standing-stones, chopped down the sacred poles and covered their remains with human bones

15 He smashed the altar that was at Beit-El and the high place made by Yarov'am the son of N'vat, who caused Isra'el to sin. Yes, he smashed that altar and the high place; he burned the high place, stamped the ashes to powder, and burned up the asherah.