2 Kings 23:9

9 The priests who had served at the pagan shrines were not allowed to serve at the LORD ’s altar in Jerusalem, but they were allowed to eat unleavened bread with the other priests.

2 Kings 23:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 23:9

Nevertheless, the priests of the high places came not up to the
altar of the Lord at Jerusalem
To sacrifice there, as the Targum; though they were removed from the high places, they were not admitted to officiate at the altar of the Lord, having offered in forbidden places:

but they did eat of the unleavened bread with their brethren;
the priests that were pure, as the sons of Zadok; though they might not offer sacrifices, they were allowed to partake of the holy things with the priests, as the meat offerings made of flour unleavened, ( Leviticus 2:4 Leviticus 2:5 ) which are here meant, and put for all the rest on which the priests lived, see ( Ezekiel 44:10-15 ) .

2 Kings 23:9 In-Context

7 He also tore down the living quarters of the male and female shrine prostitutes that were inside the Temple of the LORD, where the women wove coverings for the Asherah pole.

8 Josiah brought to Jerusalem all the priests who were living in other towns of Judah. He also defiled the pagan shrines, where they had offered sacrifices—all the way from Geba to Beersheba. He destroyed the shrines at the entrance to the gate of Joshua, the governor of Jerusalem. This gate was located to the left of the city gate as one enters the city.

9 The priests who had served at the pagan shrines were not allowed to serve at the LORD ’s altar in Jerusalem, but they were allowed to eat unleavened bread with the other priests.

10 Then the king defiled the altar of Topheth in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, so no one could ever again use it to sacrifice a son or daughter in the fire as an offering to Molech.

11 He removed from the entrance of the LORD ’s Temple the horse statues that the former kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun. They were near the quarters of Nathan-melech the eunuch, an officer of the court. The king also burned the chariots dedicated to the sun.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew did not come up to.