2 Kings 23:16

16 And Josiah turned himself, and saw the sepulchres that were there on the mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned [them] upon the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of Jehovah, that the man of God had proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.

2 Kings 23:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 23:16

And as Josiah turned himself
From the high place, and the altar at Bethel; for he not only gave orders for the destroying of idolatrous places and idols, but he saw them executed himself:

he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount;
the graves of idolatrous priests and worshippers, who chose to be buried near those places of idolatry; nor was it unusual for persons to be buried on hills and mountains, see ( Joshua 24:30 Joshua 24:33 ) and this was a custom in other nations formerly ^F20, particularly among the Indians ^F21 now, who in many things agree with the Jews:

and sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burnt them upon
the altar;
where they had sacrificed to idols:

and polluted it;
with their bones, which, according to the law, were defiling, and which was done in contempt of their idolatrous worship there:

according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who
proclaimed these words;
or things; foretold that such a king by name would arise, and burn men's bones upon the altar, and which had been foretold more than three hundred and fifty years before this time.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Vid. Servium in Virgil. Aeneid. 11. ver 849. "fuit ingens monte sub alto".
F21 Manasseh ben Israel Spes Israelis. sect 6. p. 29.

2 Kings 23:16 In-Context

14 And he broke in pieces the columns, and cut down the Asherahs, and filled their place with the bones of men

15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, the high place that Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and burned the high place, stamped it small to powder, and burned the Asherah.

16 And Josiah turned himself, and saw the sepulchres that were there on the mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned [them] upon the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of Jehovah, that the man of God had proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.

17 Then he said, What tombstone is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.

18 And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. And they saved his bones, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.