2 Kings 23 19

2 Kings 23:19 kjv

And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.

2 Kings 23:19 nkjv

Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.

2 Kings 23:19 niv

Just as he had done at Bethel, Josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of Israel had built in the towns of Samaria and that had aroused the LORD's anger.

2 Kings 23:19 esv

And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel.

2 Kings 23:19 nlt

Then Josiah demolished all the buildings at the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria, just as he had done at Bethel. They had been built by the various kings of Israel and had made the LORD very angry.

2 Kings 23 verses

2 Kings 23 19 Meaning

King Josiah, driven by zeal for the Lord, extended his cleansing reforms from Judah into the former territory of Israel, specifically targeting the idolatrous high place and altar at Bethel. This structure was originally established by Jeroboam I, the first king of the Northern Kingdom, for calf worship, which had caused Israel to sin for centuries. Josiah meticulously destroyed this site, burning it to ashes, pulverizing the stones of the altar and the Asherah pole, and further desecrating the area by burning the bones of idolatrous priests, taken from their graves, upon the altar. This extreme act of defilement ensured the complete ritual impurity of the altar, rendering it unusable for any future pagan worship and decisively fulfilling a prophecy spoken by an unnamed man of God against Jeroboam almost 300 years earlier.

2 Kings 23 19 Context

2 Kings chapter 23 describes King Josiah's extensive religious reforms throughout Judah and, significantly, extending into the former territory of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. These reforms followed the discovery of the Book of the Law during repairs of the temple in Jerusalem. Horrified by the nation's deviation from God's commands, Josiah initiated a widespread purge of idolatry, from the Jerusalem Temple itself to various high places throughout the land. Verse 19 details his journey north to Bethel, a crucial site in the history of Israel's apostasy. This act is pivotal not only as part of Josiah's zeal but also as a direct and literal fulfillment of a prophecy made centuries earlier against Jeroboam I, the king who initially established the calf worship at Bethel and led Israel into enduring sin. The historical context includes the fall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to Assyria in 722 BC, leaving its former territory, including Bethel, sparsely populated or under Judah's influence. Josiah, reigning in Judah (640-609 BC), took advantage of the weakness of the Assyrian and later Babylonian empires to assert his authority and religious purity over these regions, re-establishing God's dominion.

2 Kings 23 19 Word analysis

• Moreover: Links this action to the previous cleansing efforts described in the chapter, signifying the continuation and thoroughness of Josiah's reforms.
• the altar at Bethel: This refers to the main idolatrous altar established by Jeroboam I.
  • Bethel (Hebrew: בֵּית־אֵל, Beth-El): "House of God," named by Jacob after his dream (Gen 28:19). It tragically became known as "Beth-aven" (בֵּית־אָוֶן, Beth-'Aven - "House of Wickedness/Iniquity") in Hosea (10:5), signifying its perversion into a major center of idolatry for the Northern Kingdom.
• and the high place: Refers to the elevated pagan worship site associated with the altar. These bamot (בָּמָה - bamah) were common, forbidden sites for cultic worship often associated with fertility rites and other Canaanite practices.
• which Jeroboam the son of Nebat had made: Explicitly names the founder of this particular site of apostasy.
  • Jeroboam the son of Nebat: This common biblical phrase identifies him as the archetypal sinner king, who "made Israel to sin," establishing an enduring legacy of spiritual rebellion against Yahweh (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:16). He set up golden calves in Dan and Bethel to prevent the northern tribes from going to Jerusalem to worship.
• burned: The primary act of destruction, symbolizing eradication and purification by fire, a common method for destroying idolatrous objects as prescribed by Mosaic Law (Deut 7:5).
• and beat to powder: Indicates complete and utter destruction, making the material unidentifiable and unusable for any future purpose, especially worship.
• burned the Asherah: The Asherah (אֲשֵׁרָה - 'asherah) was a cultic wooden pole or tree representing the Canaanite goddess Asherah. Its destruction by fire was mandated and signifies a polemic against pagan fertility cults.
• even the grave mound: Josiah's action extended beyond just the cultic objects to include the associated graves of the idolatrous priests. This is key to the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy.
• and crushed their bones: The bones, specifically of the idolatrous priests associated with this cult, were removed from their graves.
• on the altar: The climax of the desecration. Placing and burning human bones, especially those of the deceased, on an altar, made it utterly ritually impure (according to levitical law concerning contact with the dead – Num 19), forever disqualifying it for any religious purpose, especially worship of the true God. This also served as a deep symbolic insult to the memory and power of the pagan cult and its priests. This act precisely fulfilled the prophecy from 1 Kings 13:2.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Moreover, the altar at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat had made": This group identifies the specific target of Josiah's wrath, highlighting its historical significance as the epicenter of Jeroboam's initial apostasy and the source of Israel's widespread idolatry, emphasizing a long-standing grievance from God's perspective.
• "burned, and beat to powder... and burned the Asherah": These phrases describe the complete physical destruction and symbolic purification of the pagan cult objects and structures, reflecting Josiah's thoroughness and commitment to eradicate all forms of idolatry in adherence to the Law.
• "he even the grave mound, and crushed their bones on the altar": This action group is crucial. It represents an unparalleled act of desecration. It serves as a visual, tangible, and ritually devastating fulfillment of the 300-year-old prophecy against Jeroboam's altar. By defiling the very altar that stood at the heart of Israel's sin with the bones of its idolatrous priests, Josiah performed an ultimate judgment and rendered the site irrevocably abhorrent, ensuring it could never again serve any cultic purpose.

2 Kings 23 19 Bonus section

The desecration of the altar by human bones, especially those of priests who served idols, served multiple layers of purpose beyond just prophetic fulfillment. It invoked Mosaic laws concerning defilement by contact with the dead (Num 19:11-16), making the altar unclean and abhorrent according to Israelite ritual standards. This ritual impurity was paramount; once defiled in this manner, the site was rendered completely unfit for any religious use, particularly worship of the Lord, thereby preventing any resurgence of the old cult. This action was also an extreme posthumous punishment for those priests who had led Israel astray, symbolizing God's judgment against all forms of spiritual unfaithfulness. The completeness of the destruction and defilement demonstrated Yahweh's zero-tolerance for rival gods and highlighted Josiah's radical devotion.

2 Kings 23 19 Commentary

2 Kings 23:19 presents the ultimate climax of King Josiah's profound reforms. His targeted destruction of the Bethel altar and high place was not merely an act of religious zeal, but a precise, divinely orchestrated fulfillment of prophecy. Almost three centuries prior, an unnamed man of God had prophesied that a king named Josiah would burn human bones upon this very altar (1 Kgs 13:2). Josiah's meticulous actions — burning the physical structures and cult objects, reducing them to powder, and then, most powerfully, digging up the bones of the long-dead idolatrous priests and burning them on the altar — ritually defiled the site beyond reclamation. This defilement underscored Yahweh's absolute repugnance for idolatry and rendered Jeroboam's sacrilegious foundation permanently abominable. It symbolizes the utter humiliation and impotence of the pagan deities and their worship system in the face of the sovereign Lord. Josiah's faithfulness reversed generations of national sin and established a monumental victory for the covenant.