2 Kings 23:16

16 et conversus Iosias vidit ibi sepulchra quae erant in monte misitque et tulit ossa de sepulchris et conbusit ea super altare et polluit illud iuxta verbum Domini quod locutus est vir Dei qui praedixerat verba haec

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 et contrivit statuas et succidit lucos replevitque loca eorum ossibus mortuoru

15 insuper et altare quod erat in Bethel excelsum quod fecerat Hieroboam filius Nabath qui peccare fecit Israhel et altare illud et excelsum destruxit atque conbusit et comminuit in pulverem succenditque etiam lucum

16 et conversus Iosias vidit ibi sepulchra quae erant in monte misitque et tulit ossa de sepulchris et conbusit ea super altare et polluit illud iuxta verbum Domini quod locutus est vir Dei qui praedixerat verba haec

17 et ait quis est titulus ille quem video responderuntque ei cives illius urbis sepulchrum est hominis Dei qui venit de Iuda et praedixit verba haec quae fecisti super altare Bethel

18 et ait dimittite eum nemo commoveat ossa eius et intacta manserunt ossa illius cum ossibus prophetae qui venerat de Samaria