2 Kings 22:16 kjv
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
2 Kings 22:16 nkjv
"Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants?all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read?
2 Kings 22:16 niv
'This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read.
2 Kings 22:16 esv
Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read.
2 Kings 22:16 nlt
'This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the words written in the scroll that the king of Judah has read will come true.
2 Kings 22 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Divine Judgment Confirmed | ||
| 2 Ki 22:15 | "Go, tell the man who sent you to me..." | Huldah's authoritative commission. |
| 2 Chr 34:23-28 | "...Tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I will bring disaster...”’" | Parallel account confirming the prophecy. |
| Jer 1:15 | "...all the clans of the kingdoms of the north," declare the Lord, "and they will come..." | God sending disaster from the north. |
| Isa 45:7 | "I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity..." | God's sovereignty over all events, including disaster. |
| Amos 3:6 | "...Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it?" | God as the ultimate source of calamities. |
| Consequences of Disobedience/Covenant Curses | ||
| Deut 28:15 | "But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God... all these curses shall come upon you..." | Source of the "words of the book" – covenant curses. |
| Lev 26:14-39 | Warnings of escalating judgments for disobedience. | Another foundational text of covenant curses. |
| 2 Kgs 21:10-15 | "Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations..." | God's prior declaration of judgment against Judah due to Manasseh. |
| Jer 11:3-4 | "...Cursed be the man who does not obey the words of this covenant..." | Echoes of covenant violation and curses. |
| Lam 2:17 | "The Lord has done what he purposed; he has fulfilled his word..." | Fulfillment of warnings in Jeremiah's Lamentations. |
| Revelation & Reaction to the Law | ||
| 2 Ki 22:8-10 | "...Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law..." | Discovery of the very book in question. |
| 2 Ki 22:11 | "When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes." | Josiah's immediate repentance and alarm. |
| Deut 29:20-21 | "...the curses recorded in this book will settle on him..." | Warnings concerning those who disregard the covenant. |
| Fulfillment of God's Word | ||
| Num 23:19 | "God is not a man, that he should lie... Has he said, and will he not do it?" | God's faithfulness in executing His declared word. |
| Jos 21:45 | "Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made... failed..." | God's absolute faithfulness to His promises (including threats). |
| Isa 55:11 | "so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty..." | Divine efficacy and certainty of God's word. |
| Lk 21:33 | "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." | New Testament affirmation of God's enduring and fulfilling word. |
| Implications & Examples of Unavoidable Corporate Judgment | ||
| Gen 15:16 | "...for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." | Precedent: God allows sin to accumulate to a full measure before judgment. |
| 1 Kgs 11:9-11 | "...Because this has been done by you... I will surely tear the kingdom from you." | God's pronouncements of judgment often lead to national decline/fall. |
| Zep 1:4-6 | "I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem..." | Prophecies preceding the exile, indicating entrenched sin. |
| Eze 14:21 | "...my four dreadful acts of judgment – sword, famine, wild beasts and plague..." | God sending multiple forms of disaster. |
2 Kings 22 verses
2 Kings 22 16 Meaning
Thus declares the Lord, announcing His certain and impending judgment. He affirms that calamity will befall Jerusalem and its inhabitants. This disaster is not arbitrary, but is precisely the fulfillment of every curse and warning written in the Book of the Law that King Josiah has just heard.
2 Kings 22 16 Context
The immediate context for 2 Kings 22:16 is King Josiah's righteous reign in Judah. During renovations of the Jerusalem temple, Hilkiah the high priest discovers the "Book of the Law." Upon hearing its contents, Josiah is overwhelmed by conviction and fear, realizing how profoundly Judah, and indeed generations before, had strayed from God's covenant commands. Recognizing the gravity of their disobedience and the explicit curses detailed in the discovered scroll (most likely the Book of Deuteronomy or parts of the Pentateuch), Josiah sends a delegation to inquire of the Lord. They approach Huldah the prophetess, known for her reliable divine insights. Verse 16 is Huldah's direct response to their inquiry, confirming the imminent and unavoidable divine judgment based on the nation's consistent covenant unfaithfulness. Historically, Judah had deeply entrenched itself in idolatry, syncretism, and social injustice, especially under previous kings like Manasseh, setting the stage for God's punitive action. This prophecy confirms that despite Josiah's personal piety and reform efforts, the nation's corporate sin had reached a point of no return for this generation.
2 Kings 22 16 Word analysis
- Thus says the Lord: (כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, koh amar Yahweh) This standard prophetic formula establishes the divine authority and absolute certainty of the message. It means the word is not human opinion but a direct revelation from God Himself, indicating inevitability and truth.
- Behold: (הִנֵּה, hinneh) An emphatic interjection or particle, used to draw immediate attention to what follows. It introduces something surprising, significant, or of great consequence.
- I will bring: (אָנֹכִי מֵבִיא, anokhi mevi) The explicit use of the first-person singular "I" emphasizes God as the direct and active agent of this impending event. The Hebrew participlial form suggests imminence and determination. God Himself is causing the disaster.
- disaster: (הָרָעָה, ha-ra'ah) Meaning "evil," "calamity," or "harm." In a theological context, particularly when God is the subject of "bringing," it refers to divine judgment or divinely orchestrated calamity as a consequence of sin. This is not arbitrary misfortune but a just punishment.
- upon this place: (עַל־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה, al ha-maqom hazzeh) Refers specifically to Jerusalem and its surrounding region, the heart of Judah and its center of religious life and apostasy. This highlights the specificity and localized nature of the coming judgment.
- and upon its inhabitants: (וְעַל־יֹשְׁבֶיהָ, ve'al yoshveiha) Specifies that the disaster is not merely environmental or structural but will directly impact the people living there, holding them accountable for their actions and collective sin.
- all the words: (כָּל־דִּבְרֵי, kol-divrei) The inclusion of "all" stresses the comprehensive nature of the judgment. It indicates that every single curse, warning, and consequence detailed in the discovered Law will be executed without exception.
- of the book: (הַסֵּפֶר, ha-sepher) Refers to the "Book of the Law," the rediscovered scroll. This is likely Deuteronomy, which contains extensive covenant curses for disobedience (e.g., Deut 28) and would have invoked terror when its specific pronouncements were read. Its discovery serves to validate, rather than prevent, the judgment.
- that the king of Judah has read: (אֲשֶׁר קָרָא מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה, asher qara melekh Yehudah) Directly connects the declared judgment to the content Josiah himself has just heard. It eliminates any ambiguity, confirming that the coming disaster is the direct consequence and fulfillment of the very warnings that deeply troubled the king.
2 Kings 22 16 Bonus section
- The "Book of the Law" served not only as a divine command but also as a "divine lawsuit" against Judah, detailing the breach of covenant and the inevitable consequences. Its rediscovery was less about avoiding judgment and more about validating its basis.
- Huldah's prominence as a prophetess at this critical juncture, where the king of Judah, the high priest, and other key officials sought her counsel, signifies God's direct involvement in Judah's spiritual state and highlights the authoritative role women could hold in conveying God's word in Israel.
- This specific judgment ultimately culminated in the Babylonian exile, a major, catastrophic turning point in the history of God's people, forever changing their understanding of themselves and their relationship with God. The fulfillment of Huldah's prophecy provided a crucial theological explanation for this cataclysmic event.
2 Kings 22 16 Commentary
2 Kings 22:16 is a profoundly significant prophetic utterance delivered by Huldah. It is a divine confirmation that the terrifying curses read by King Josiah from the newly discovered Book of the Law were not mere ancient warnings but an active divine decree awaiting execution. God's declaration that "I will bring disaster" highlights His sovereign initiative in judgment, not as an impulsive act, but as a just response to generations of Judah's unfaithfulness. The specified targets—"this place and upon its inhabitants"—emphasize that Jerusalem and its people, whose corporate sin and idolatry had filled up their "measure" (Gen 15:16), would bear the brunt of God's wrath. This verse underscores the solemn reality that God's covenant warnings are not empty threats but certain pronouncements. The disaster is not random chaos but the meticulous fulfillment of "all the words of the book," ensuring divine justice and proving God's faithfulness to His own Word, whether for blessing or for curse. This passage conveys that even sincere individual repentance, like Josiah's, while offering a measure of personal grace (as seen in 2 Ki 22:20), cannot always avert the corporate judgment accumulated over decades of national apostasy. The nation had sinned beyond a turning point for its collective future in this period, and divine judgment became inevitable.