Kings II 23:19

19 Of those three most honourable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the three.

Kings II 23:19 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 23:19

And all the houses also of the high places
The temples of the idols there, and the houses for the priests to dwell in:

that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made
to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away;
particularly in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, unto Naphtali, ( 2 Chronicles 34:6 ) the Israelites that remained there acknowledging Josiah as their king; and perhaps, after the defeat of Sennacherib, many of the cities of Israel might put themselves under the protection of Hezekiah, and especially upon the destruction of the Assyrian empire; and Manasseh, with his liberty, might have his kingdom enlarged by the king of Babylon; and which being continued and increased in the times of Josiah, might be the reason of his opposing the king of Egypt in favour of the king of Babylon:

and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel;
defiled them, and broke down the altars in them.

Kings II 23:19 In-Context

17 And he said, O Lord, forbid that I should do this, that I should drink of the blood of the men who went at their lives: and he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

18 And Abessa the brother of Joab the son of Saruia, he chief among the three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he slew; and he had a name among three.

19 Of those three most honourable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the three.

20 And Banaeas the son of Jodae, he was abundant in deeds, from Cabeseel, and he smote the two sons of Ariel of Moab: and he went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

21 He smote an Egyptian, a wonderful man, and in the hand of the Egyptian a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.