And the king (a) sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of
Judah and of Jerusalem.
(a) Because he saw the great plagues of God that were threatened, he
knew no more speedy way to avoid them, than to turn to God by
repentance which cannot come but from faith, and faith by hearing the
word o... [ Continue Reading ]
And the king stood by (b) a pillar, and made a (c) covenant before the
LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his
testimonies and his statutes with all [their] heart and all [their]
soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this
book. And all the people... [ Continue Reading ]
And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the (d) priests of
the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of
the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and
for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them
without Jerusalem in the f... [ Continue Reading ]
And he put down the (f) idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah
had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of
Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned
incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets,
and to all the host of heaven... [ Continue Reading ]
And he brought out the (g) grove from the house of the LORD, without
Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron,
and stamped [it] small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the
(h) graves of the children of the people.
(g) He removed the grove which idolaters for dev... [ Continue Reading ]
Nevertheless the priests of the high places (i) came not up to the
altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened
bread among their brethren.
(i) Because they who had forsaken the Lord to serve idols, were not
fit to minister in the service of the Lord for the instruction of
oth... [ Continue Reading ]
And he defiled (k) Topheth, which [is] in the valley of the children
of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass
through the fire to Molech.
(k) Which was a valley near to Jerusalem, and signifies a tabret
because they smote on the tabret while their children were burning,
tha... [ Continue Reading ]
And he took away the (l) horses that the kings of Judah had given to
the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber
of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which [was] in the suburbs, and
burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
(l) The idolatrous kings had dedicated horses and char... [ Continue Reading ]
And the high places that [were] before Jerusalem, which [were] on the
right hand of the (m) mount of corruption, which Solomon the 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 childre... [ Continue Reading ]
Moreover (n) the altar that [was] at Bethel, [and] the high place
which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made,
both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high
place, [and] stamped [it] small to powder, and burned the grove.
(n) Which Jeroboam had built in... [ Continue Reading ]
And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that [were]
there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the
sepulchres, and burned [them] upon the altar, and polluted it,
according to the word of the LORD which the (o) man of God proclaimed,
who proclaimed these words.
(o) Accordi... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his
bones alone, with the bones of the (p) prophet that came out of
Samaria.
(p) Meaning, the prophet who came after him, and caused him to eat
contrary to the command of the Lord, who were both buried in the same
grave, (1 Kings 13... [ Continue Reading ]
Surely there was not holden (q) such a passover from the days of the
judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel,
nor of the kings of Judah;
(q) For the multitude and zeal of the people with the great
preparation.... [ Continue Reading ]
Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the (r) fierceness of his
great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of
all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.
(r) Because of the wicked heart of the people, who would not turn to
him by repentance.... [ Continue Reading ]
In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of
Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah (s) went against him;
and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.
(s) Because Pharaoh passed through his country, he was afraid Pharaoh
would have done him harm and would have s... [ Continue Reading ]
And he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, according
to all that his (t) fathers had done.
(t) Meaning, the wicked kings before.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands (u) at Riblah in the land of
Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a
tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.
(u) Which was Antiochia in Syria, also called Hamath.... [ Continue Reading ]